Gamer addicts who were reluctant to ride trains because of lack of Wi-Fi can relax. At least in the UK, as train operator GNER will be offering hotspots [Asterisk VoIP News] on their trains. And when that happens, you can play Fallen Earth or maybe even collaborate on songs using Rype. Next thing you know, we'll finally have real virtual reality gaming, and cyborg-looking kids with HUD (heads-up display) goggles will be running around society participating in fully wireless RPGs (Role Playing Games) on mobile computing devices.

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You read that right. SanDisk is boasting a new miniSD flash memory card [Cellular-News] that can hold 4 gigabytes of data. That's about 1000 song files or 8 hours of video content. If you've never seen a miniSD they aren't much bigger than the average thumbnail. The cards will be available in 2007 and are targeted at mobile devices that are SDHC-compliant, especially smart cell phones or PDAs that have cameras, video, music, and gaming.

To think, I actually remember writing a computer program using bubble cards pencilled in, during summer high school in California, where the teacher couldn't run my card deck because I went over the 60-card limit, or some such. Imagine the leap in technology in three decades. But you probably can't use this card with neither the Kyocera CDMA payphone nor the Vertu Ascent Motorsport cell phone.

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And you thought Wi-Fi was just for computers and VoWiFi phones. This sexy Creston remote control unit [Asterisk VoIP News] works over 2-way Wi-Fi communication to let you command your home media center, even your lights, air conditioning, shades, and pretty much anything that's been Wi-Fi-enabled. Throw in a TV, stereo system, and video and voice over IP calling (WoIP/ VoIP), and you'll have your own space age bachelor(ette) pad.

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There were a few speculations earlier this year that the mom and pop shops who sell prepaid cell phone and long-distance cards might lose a source of income when the service providers behind the service consider adopting new technologies such as RFID. With RFID-enabled kiosks, subscribers would be able to easily prepay for more minutes without having to purchase cards.

Phone cards are already such low profit margin items, so such new technology might be beyond the budgets of convenience stores. At least that's the hypothesis. Well, Kyocera and Microtel Electronica are offering one possible new source of income: a CDMA-based cellular payphone [Cellular News]. The phones are targeted at the Latin American and Carribean markets. Venezuela will be the first country to have it.

Call cost is tabulated after the call is finished, and the store owner just bills the customer. Of course, since the item sits in-store, there isn't a lot of privacy, but if you are making a call out in public anyway, it's probably something you're used to. I assume it's near-neon bright yellow exterior is to make it stand out amongst all the candy bar wrappers on the counter that it'll be sitting on. Then again, if you're rich, you might prefer to have a Vertu Ascent Motorsport, one of the most expensive phones in the world.

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The secondary school district of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - the seventh largest in the United States, will be employing an all-wireless model for their 278 schools. They are starting with a prototype "School of the Future" that they hope will be a model for schools all over the U.S. [via Avaya]

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