System Tracks, Shuts Down and Locks Stolen Cars By Satellite
An anti-theft system in Pakistan enables police to track, shut down and lock stolen cars while police swoop down to arrest the thieves. The system, called Trakker from Trakker Pvt Ltd, has recovered more than 1,000 vehicles.
New Technology Enables People to 'Jam' with Cell Phones
Nick Bryan-Kinns and his pals at Queen Mary College in the U.K. have written software that let will groups of people phone into a mobile number and "work together to improvise short, looping tunes." Their Java-based software, called daisyphone, enables people to create music by drawing lines and curves on a spiral graph. And you thought cell phone ring tones were *already* annoying...
The Swiss site Mobile.BPit.ch has posted the first-ever pictures of what is probably the Nokia 7200 "Louis Vuitton" phone, which is expected to be unveiled next week.
A prototype electrokinetic microchannel battery demonstrates the feasibility of efficiently converting hydrostatic pressure into usable electricity, according to Larry Kostiuk, a thermodynamicist professor at the University of Alberta and fellow professor Daniel Kwok.
Thinking Cap Detects Musical Brain Activity with 99% Accuracy
Eduardo Reck Miranda, head of computer music research at University of Plymouth, England, says he has conducted trials with up to 99 percent accuracy in recognizing specific electroencephalogram patterns for musical ideas using a 128-electrode EEG "brain cap."
The Era of Cell Phone Anti-Virus Software Has Dawned
Japan's NTT DoCoMo is working with Network Associates on anti-virus software that will be pre-installed on 2004 mobile phones sold by the company. Subsequent updates will be delivered wirelessly over the phones.
The University of California at San Francisco Medical Center oursourced some clerical work to Pakistan. Now a worker there is threatening to post confidential medical records on the Internet if UCSF doesn't fork over more dough. What does this have to do with outsourcing? U.S. laws that protect patient privacy cannot be enforced in Pakistan or other foreign countries.
What's Holding Back the Tablet PC? The Price of the Microsoft OS
Acer president Wang Chen-tang said Microsoft is charging too much for the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. An article on c|net makes it clear that Microsoft is charging OEM partners like Acer well over $100 for each copy of the OS.
The Polaroid MISS Self Portrait Digital Camera is sold in Japan to girls and women. What makes it ideally suited to females? According to the company, it's the camera viewfinder's ability to swing all the way around for self-portraits.
The Toshiba e805 is rumored to sport a full 640X480 screen (technically 480x640 if you hold it upright). Other detailed reported here suggest that this handheld may be a real Clie killer.
U.S. Patent Office Backlogged 500,000 Applications; Biotech to Blame
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is backlogged with some 500,000 unprocessed applications, a number expected to double in the next five years. Part of the reason is the growing number and complexity of biotechnology patent applications, which are overwhelming patent office investigators. Needed: An invention that can process patent applications faster or -- better yet -- stricter rules on what can and cannot be patented...
Honda scientists say they have created the world's first helicopter flown entirely by artificial intelligence. The hovering robot can detect and negotiate obstacles, and even learn new information during a flight that can be applied during the next flight.
Samsung's latest e700 camera phone features a night-shot capability, as well as up to 15 frames of rapid-fire snapshots. Best of all, the site marketing the phone is packed with hilarious "Korenglish" -- really bad translations from Korean into English. Here's one gem from the site: "The darkness brings a mysterious night power. And it becomes loyal to my extreme silhouette, such a temple in the flash..." Now what the hell does THAT mean? Still, the phone is cool.
An anti-theft system in Pakistan enables police to track, shut down and lock stolen cars while police swoop down to arrest the thieves. The system, called 
The Swiss site Mobile.BPit.ch has posted the first-ever pictures of what is probably the Nokia 7200 "Louis Vuitton" phone, which is expected to be unveiled next week.
The 
