RIM Buys TAT

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Alan Shazan

/rim-logoResearch In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry maker, is buying The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), a software developer which allows smartphone users to personalize their devices. The software is found on 15% of smartphones around the world. By downloading the software, al smartphones, including Google’s Androids, can make the icons on their screens 3D.

David Yach, the chief technology officer at RIM confirmed the transaction in a blog post. “Today we are pleased to confirm plans for the TAT team to join RIM. We’re excited that they will be joining and bringing their talent to the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone platforms,” he said. “For those who don’t know,” he added, “TAT is renowned for their innovative mobile user interface (UI) designs and has a long history of working with mobile and embedded technology. TAT focuses on delivering greater user experiences, from a design, technology, and usability perspective. Their design technology is used today in a variety of industries, including the consumer electronics and automotive sectors.”

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New Virtual Security Software Launched

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Alan Shazan

The Conley Group security company has launched a brand new technology that will replace security guards. Tom Conley, the director, believes the new technology will revolutionize the security business throughout the world. “It’s that real time, that actionable aspect of remote viewing that really makes a difference. It’s not just observing but really being able to affect change in a positive manner at a remote location,” he said. He added that this idea will give Iowa company-owners better security, for half the cost. “The fundamental problem is that traditional guards really don’t add much value; they’re untrained, underpaid in a highly unregulated industry.”

Conley explained that the technology will link to security systems within buildings, construction sites and anywhere else, through the internet. Once linked, a Conley Group worker can watch the area, talk to people through an intercom, and virtually intervene in a threatening situation.

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WikiLeaks Annoys White House with Release of Sensitive Documents

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Alan Shazan

The White House is one of many government bodies decidedly not pleased with the goals of the new WikiLeaks Website. Although so far the revelations of the documents seem to be far from the classified variety, nevertheless the White house and others are worried that, “when the substance of private conversations is printed on the front pages of newspapers across the world, it can deeply impact not only U.S. foreign policy interests, but those of our allies and friends around the world.”

In one document the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai is described as being “driven by paranoia.” Also mentioned is the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, according to some government official is “rarely creative.”

Not exactly the stuff of spy movies or plots to rule the world, yet the sensitive nature of some international relationships can be decided, some fear, by some off-color remark or insult directed at some overly sensitive world leader. In an additional criticism of the whistle-blowing website by the White House, it was stated that, “WikiLeaks has put at risk not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of [these] individuals. We condemn in the strongest terms unauthorized disclosure of classified documents and sensitive national security information.”

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The ‘Queen of the Net’ Moves to Silicon Valley

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Alan Shazan

Mary Meeker is moving from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, to partner with Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. The venture-capital firm was one of the major supporters of the early wave of internet companies like Netscape, Amazon, and, later, Google.

Mary Meeker, the head of global technology research at Morgan Stanley’s and the famous analyst was nicknamed “Queen of the Net” in the 90’s. The research culture has certainly changed since then. When Meeker started out, top analysts operated more independently, but now analysis is teamwork oriented. In a memo to her colleagues, Meeker explained that she’d been considering joining an investment firm for quite a while, and was leaving Morgan Stanley’s now because its technology research effort is well established. Indeed, 13 stock-research analysts were added to the company last year.

KPCB partner John Doerr has shared that Meeker will be joining the company’s digital practice. There she will be investing in start-up technology companies as well as supporting the growth of KPCB-backed companies.

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The Thermal Fingerprint Developer

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Alan Shazan

Currently, visualizing fingerprints is a time consuming, inefficient process, which uses dyes and chemicals to stain them or make them fluorescent. Two UTS students have recently developed the Thermal Fingerprint Developer, which uses heat to develop fingerprints in mere seconds. Dr. Michael Manion of UniQuest explained that “the technology has the potential to be used at he crime scene, saving critical time and resources. It could also be developed into high-throughput models for the rapid analysis of large sample numbers, such as volumes of documents, to help investigators working on ‘white-collar’ crimes like fraud and embezzlement.”

Another advantage is that sensitive and important evidence will not be destroyed or tampered with during an ongoing investigation. The Thermal Fingerprint Developer is certainly a simple, safe, and economical technique for developing fingerprint images.

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New Glass-Marking Laser Developed

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Alan Shazan

A new laser technology has been developed by the Belgian company Trackinside; one that can inscribe glass without heating, cracking or leaving any unwanted marks. Jean Michel Mestrez, Managing Director of the company, stated that it is “the only technology that can mark glass without damaging it.”

The device was originally created for etching the surfaces of mirrors and lenses, with hopes to improve telescopes and other measuring equipment, but the technology also has many other uses. With it, you can mark syringes and medication capsules as they are manufactured, as well as keep track of them. It can also be used as a protection against counterfeiting.

The ‘femtosecond laser’ functions in a similar way to those used in eye surgery. It directs energy through the surface of the eye in order to make incisions far beneath it.

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Texting Your Emergency Will Soon Become Reality

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Alan Shazan

911-EmergencyTaking the next logical step in emergency reporting and crime prevention, the Federal Communications Commission is considering allowing citizens to report crimes using text messages from their mobile phone devices. The FCC is modernizing the emergency 911 service by permitting both SMS and streaming video reporting to emergency 911 centers.

The use of the emergency number 911 was established as a standard in 1968 across the United States. Today it receives about 230 million calls each year with an incredible 70% coming from mobile phones.

The last revamping of the system was in 2001 when the FCC required mobile carriers to allow 911 to identify the location of callers using GPS or cell-tower information. In addition, about half way through this past decade, some of the internet telephony firms were also made to rout 911 emergency calls to the correct local center. This was not simple to do, considering the mobility of laptops and other devices using voice-over-internet protocol (VOIP.)

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New Stem Cell Therapy Trial Approved

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Alan Shazan

Another human embryotic stem cell therapy has been approved for clinical trials.

Advanced Cell Technology Inc. announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the Phase I/II trial of retinal cells for Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy patients. This condition is a childhood form of macular degeneration. The disease causes gradual, painless loss of sight.

Dr. Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology explained that “the treatment for eye diseases uses stem cells to re-create a type of cell in the retina that supports the photoreceptors needed for vision. These cells, called retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), are often the first to die off in Stargardt’s macular dystrophy.”

Twelve patients will be participating in the trials at various locations throughout the country. These include the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon, the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, and the New Jersey Medical School in Newark.

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Blu-ray Beginning to Break Into the Movie Market

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Alan Shazan

Blu-ray has already been on the market for five years, but there are only 3,000 Blu-ray titles available for consumers to purchase. This is compared with the light-speed rise of DVDs, which had over 20,000 titles available after the DVD format had been around for the same amount of time. These numbers for Blu-ray titles are due for a change and with the price of decks coming down to a nice $69 this coming black Friday, more people will be demanding more titles.

As far as what is available, there are many really great movies around which have been produced in Blu-ray versions, including “The Sound of Music,” “Gone With the Wind,” and all the “Back to the Future” movies, there are some striking gaps in the collection.

These are the five top films which are still not yet available on Blu-ray format but have been requested by fans:

  1. Star Wars, parts 4, 5 and 6
  2. The Lord of the Rings, extended versions
  3. Star Wars, parts 1, 2 and 3 (requested less often than the more popular, and better films, 4-6)
  4. Indian Jones original trilogy. (The latest movie ‘Crystal Skull’ is on Blu-ray already.)
  5. Finding Nemo
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    Wrap Around Camera

    Posted on November 21, 2010 by Alan Shazan

    A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has produced a camera that can capture images from around corners. No mirrors are involved. The new technology uses highly intense, quick bursts of laser light, which hit objects that are out of sight. This process is repeated dozens of times in a very short amount of time. The reflected light from these objects makes its way back to the camera, where it is processed by a computer algorithm and reconstructed into the image. MIT Professor Ramesh Raskar of the team compares the reflections to sound waves.

    This new camera may prove to be very useful, and not just in the spying industry. The professor suggests a disaster situation in which injured people must be rescued from a collapsed building, or even the use of the camera as a medical device, enabling doctors to observe areas in the body which have been hidden until now.

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