PRNewswire.com has a press release from LaserCard Corp about a large order for "Green Cards" and "Laser Visa" border crossing cards.
These are optical memory cards that are being used by the US Dept of Homeland Security to tracking visitors and immigrants alike. Now when are they going to have a real-time tracking system to watch where politicians and CEOs go? If we're going to electronically monitor the entire world, no one should be exempt.
Links: LaserCard Corp, press release.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : electronic gadgets, green card, laser visas, lasercard, optical memory cards, security, tech-watch, tracking citizens
Buzznet : electronic gadgets, green card, laser visas, lasercard, optical memory cards, security, tech-watch, tracking citizens
Read more...
My fave tech-nerd site, slashdot.org, has a summary of a Washington Post article about how telecom giant BellSouth decided not to donate one of their damaged buildings for a new police headquarters in New Orleans. Why embarrass yourself publicly like this? Because they're mad that New Orleans is working on deploying free citywide wi-fi.
Obviously public opinion doesn't matter to powerful telecom giants. I'm actually surprised that telecom companies haven't been lobbying sooner against wi-fi. Come on guys. How is a Big Brother society going to be created without free nationwide wi-fi? Is this a case of Big Brother fighting Little Brother?
Links: Slashdot, Washington Post - Angry BellSouth Withdrew Donation, New Orleans Says.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : bellsouth, electronic gadget, free wi-fi, new orleans
Del.icio.us : bellsouth, electronic gadget, free wi-fi, new orleans
Ice Rocket : bellsouth, electronic gadget, free wi-fi, new orleans
Buzznet : bellsouth, electronic gadget, free wi-fi, new orleans
Read more...
The name is misleading but Wi-FiTV.com's intent is clear: online TV from around the world. This service, set up by California-based Wi-Fi TV Inc, appears to be very similar to TvExe.com, except that the latter requires you download a program to your PC. Both, however, offer a free 30-day trial period.
What gets me, though, is that only 4 or 5 years ago, a young man from somewhere in the province of Ontario, Canada, offered TV content online and was crucified by Canadian and American cable companies. Instead of teaming up with him, they sued him out of existence. And now there are several companies offering the same service and calling themselves "pioneers". Sorry, but "pioneer" means that you are one of the first to do or discover something. And with the ever-changing Internet, "pioneer" in my opinion means you are THE FIRST to do something.
Links: IndianTelevision.com article, Wi-FiTV.com, TvExe.com.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/ Technorati : online TV
Del.icio.us : online TV
Ice Rocket : online TV
Buzznet : online TV
Read more...
According to Robert Jacques' Vunet.com article, wireless gadgets are so popular that the number of units shipped this year - 120 million - reached a new high.
Wi-fi is being used in numerous gadgets, including laptops, gaming devices, PDAs, and not to mention, networking hubs.
Links: Vunet.com - Insatiable demand pushes Wi-Fi to new highs article.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/ Technorati : electronic gadgets, tech-watch, wi-fi, wi-fi equipment, wifi, wireless devices, wireless networks
Del.icio.us : electronic gadgets, tech-watch, wi-fi, wi-fi equipment, wifi, wireless devices, wireless networks
Read more...
Several cities in the United States have either rolled out city-wide wi-fi Internet access or are about to do so. This includes Tempe, Arizona and New Orleans, Louisiana. Unfortunately, according to some dumb New Orleans law, the wi-fi access can only be free during emergency situations.
In related news, Preston Gralla's Networking Pipeline blog mentions that Nintendo is already working a free nationwide (US) wi-fi network, and more than likely they'll beat Google to the punch. However, the Nintendo network will initially only be a wireless gaming service. Oddly, though, they're indirectly partnering with McDonald's to offer the service at their restaurants. I always thought Big Brother would be associated with the government :D
Links: Networking Pipeline - "Nintendo Beats Google To Free Nationwide Wi-Fi" blog entry.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/ Technorati : big brother, electronic gadgets, free wi-fi, municipal networks, tech-watch, wi-fi, wifi, wireless networks
Del.icio.us : big brother, electronic gadgets, free wi-fi, municipal networks, tech-watch, wi-fi, wifi, wireless networks
Ice Rocket : electronic gadgets, municipal networks, tech-watch, wi-fi, wifi, wireless networks
Read more...
A TechWorld article talks about the new hard disk-less NEC laptops.
These laptops are data-secure and are designed to be used in company networks. While they do not have hard drives, they do have 3 Gigabytes of flash ROM for the operating system and 512 Kb. The laptop has a 12" LCD screen, 1.73 GHz processor, USB 2.0 port, and several other features. But at just over US$3700 per unit, it sounds like a rather expensive solution to data security. Anyway, they are currently only available in Japan.
Links: TechWorld - NEC Launches Laptop Without Hard Disk article.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/ Technorati : NEC, data security, diskless laptops, electronic gadgets, laptops, networks, tech-watch
Del.icio.us : NEC, data security, diskless laptops, electronic gadgets, laptops, networks, tech-watch
Ice Rocket : NEC, data security, diskless laptops, electronic gadgets, laptops, networks, tech-watch
Read more...
Australian IT News has an article saying that Citigroup financial analyst Richard Gardner thinks Intel-based Apple laptops could be out as soon as January 2006.
Macworld San Francisco runs from January 9-13, and Gardner feels that Apple will debut their future laptop then. Gardner also thinks Apple's 2006 and 2007 revenues and per-share profits will increase.
As a long-time closet fan of the Mac, I'd have to agree. But I've never had much liking for Apple's not allowing 3rd-party companies to offer hardware. Personally, I think that this is why PCs have always outsold Macs. Once an Intel-based Mac comes out, especially while running the Linux-based OS X, I think that PC manufacturers have something to worry about.
Link: Australian IT News - Apple-Intel Laptop Near article.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : apple computer, electronic gadget, intel chips, laptop, macworld, os x, tech-watch
Ice Rocket : apple computer, electronic gadget, intel chips, laptop, macworld, os x, tech-watch
Read more...
The Saturday New York Times print edition (Dec 3, pg B5) has an article on the Vertu Ascent Motorsport - one of the world's most expensive cellphone.
At US$5,700, its design and component parts are based on the Formula One Porsche racing car. In fact, according to the article, the phone is designed to withstand being run over by an F1 Porsche. The phone is a limited edition of less than 1000 units.
The Vertu Motorsport edition, however, is not the most expensive cell phone. There are other Vertu editions that cost as much as US$32,000 and have ruby bearings.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : cell phone, mobile phone, vertu, vertu ascent motorsport
Del.icio.us : cell phone, mobile phone, vertu, vertu ascent motorsport
Ice Rocket : cell phone, mobile phone, vertu, vertu ascent motorsport
Read more...
The Saturday New York Times print edition (Dec 3) has a front-page article in their business section about Waterloo, Canada's RIM (Research In Motion), whose Blackberry wireless handheld device is the subject of an ongoing patent dispute with American company NTP.
The article, which details the source of several patent disputes, summarizes by saying that RIM should just cough up the money to NTP and get a patent license so that Blackberry users (and lovers) don't have to fear a loss of service should a US Supreme Court hand down an injunction.
Surprisingly, no one has suggested that RIM just buy NTP. While it's quite common for American companies to buy up Canadian companies, the flip-side doesn't happen as often. But RIM has (or maybe is) cash-rich. In fact, one of the co-founders just spent close to Cdn$100 million of his own money setting up one of the world's most prestigious research centers in Waterloo, Canada, for the quantum physics studies - inviting some of the most intelligent scientists in the world on various fellowship offers.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : Blackberry, RIM, electronic gadget, wireless email, wireless handheld
Del.icio.us : Blackberry, RIM, electronic gadget, wireless email, wireless handheld
Ice Rocket : Blackberry, RIM, electronic gadget, wireless email, wireless handheld
Buzznet : Blackberry, RIM, electronic gadget, wireless email, wireless handheld
Read more...
Both WCPO.com (News Cincinnati) and ChannelCincinnati.com (Channel 5) report that Cincinnati, Ohio (USA) will be spending US$170,000 to install GPS devices in all 100 of their snowplows.
The GPS devices will help the city log where their snow plows have already been, and what work has been done. What's more, real-time maps of the plows will be viewable online and on cable TV, giving people a heads up. Anyone who has ever shoveled their driveway, only to buried by a snowplow an hour later will appreciate the value of this use of technology.
Links: WCPO.com snowplow tracking article, ChannelCincinnati.com snowplow tracking article.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : GPS, GPS devices, electronic gadgets, tracking city fleets, tracking snowplows
Del.icio.us : GPS, GPS devices, electronic gadgets, tracking city fleets, tracking snowplows
Ice Rocket : GPS, GPS devices, electronic gadgets, tracking city fleets, tracking snowplows
Buzznet : GPS, GPS devices, electronic gadgets, tracking city fleets, tracking snowplows
Read more...
The Barnet Times Online reports how thieves are using high-tech equipment such as Bluetooth mobile phone technology to steal other hightech gadgets such as satellite navigation devices, PDAs, laptops, and mobile phones from cars in London, England.
As more and more consumers buy mobile electronic gadgets, more of them also carry them around in their vehicles. Busy lives means some people inevitably leaving devices such as expensive PDAs in their cars. Bluetooth technology alerts a thief when another Bluetooth device is nearby, thus saving thieves a lot of time breaking into vehicles with nothing in them. I suppose even crooks have to evolve to keep up with the times.
Link: Barnet Times - Opportunist Thieves Turning Hightech.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : Bluetooth device, electronic gadgets, high-tech theft, hightech theft
Del.icio.us : electronic gadgets, high-tech theft, hightech theft
Ice Rocket : electronic gadgets, high-tech theft, hightech theft
Buzznet : Bluetooth device, electronic gadgets, high-tech theft, hightech theft
Read more...
Informit.com has an amusing article providing tips on becoming a "road warrior". Specifically, they are referring a suite of must-have gadgets if you're going to be on the go a lot. Tip #1 is "If you breathe oxygen, you need a cell phone".
The article is actually an excerpt from a book by Leo Laporte and Michael Miller, published by Que books. It's actually a fairly lengthy piece, with extensive details on the different types of gadgets that cyber-road warriors need - and why - including cell phones with text messaging, camera phones, smartphones, PDAs, a laptop PC, USB memory devices, and more.
Links: Informit.com article - How to Become the Ultimate Road Warrior.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : PDA, USB device, camera phone, cell phone, cyber-road warrior, electronic gadgets, laptop PC, smartphone
Del.icio.us : PDA, USB device, camera phone, cell phone, cyber-road warrior, electronic gadgets, laptop PC, smartphone
Ice Rocket : PDA, USB device, camera phone, cell phone, cyber-road warrior, electronic gadgets, laptop PC, smartphone
Buzznet : PDA, USB device, camera phone, cell phone, cyber-road warrior, electronic gadgets, laptop PC, smartphone
Read more...
The Online Rocket has an article talking about the how various gadgets are morphing into each other, acquiring features of other devices. Cell phones became internet browsers and digital cameras; PDAs became cell phones, ipod-like devices and general wireless communication gadgets.
The lengthy, detailed article goes to explain how the electronic gadgets of today play multiple roles, reducing the need to carry several devices. Personally, I'm still waiting wearable wi-fi computers with projecting eye-glasses/specs. This is my nerd's holy grail.
Links: Online Rocket article on electronic devices,
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://webguru.mathgurusonline.com/tech-watch/
Technorati : PDA, cell phone, digital camera, eletronic gadgets, multi-function gadgets
Del.icio.us : PDA, cell phone, digital camera, eletronic gadgets, multi-function gadgets
Ice Rocket : PDA, cell phone, digital camera, eletronic gadgets, multi-function gadgets
Buzznet : PDA, cell phone, digital camera, eletronic gadgets, multi-function gadgets
Read more...
Welcome to Tech Watch. This blog covers developments in the area of consumer and non-consumer electronics gadgets, including but not limited to RFID devices, security devices, GPS units (Geographic Positioning Systems), PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), wifi/wi-fi, cellphones, pagers, and more. I know that the above list covers a fairly wide range of topics that aren't necessarily directly reltated beyond consisting of electronic circuits. My personal view is that it's frustrating have to visit numerous websites to view information about all these gadgets, so I took that into consideration while planning out this blog. I've gathered a fair bit of information, and these topics are more up my alley than some of my other blogs, so I'm hoping to be posting several times a day once I reach my peak. Please note that the template I'm using is borrowed from my BlogSpinner blog and is very likely to change before the new year. In particular, I am hoping to add a column on the right promoting my "blog network". (I use the quotations as I'm reluctant to use the term network.) Please note: Unlike my BlogSpinner V1.0 and V2.0 blog entries, the posts here on Tech-Watch may not be reproduced in full without permission. Please contact webmaster@mathgurusonline.com if you would like to reproduce any or all articles in full.
Read more...
|
