Technology

Although often credited as the father of computing, Charles Babbage (author of the "analytic engine"), probably didn't envision anything like mobile computer access or smart phones. Today, however, a growing percentage of the population cannot do ... without mobile communications and Internet access in their day-to-day lives. A recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that 62 percent of Americans use mobile access to digital data or tools. Moreover, the same study found that most would have great difficulty in giving their gadgets up; the cell phone would be the ... (view more)

We all know that many modern medical tools rely on sophisticated software to perform their magic in life-saving and life-threatening situations. However, it's now software that's being asked to decide, quite literally, whether someone lives or dies. ... Sound like a science-fiction fantasy? Maybe something from Huxley's 'Brave New World' or a Vonnegutt novel? It may have started that way, but with increased frequency, computer programs are being asked to make life or death decisions because of their intrinsic impartiality. Example 1: As far back as 2006, software, designed by a Beijing hi-tech ... (view more)

The next time you're in an airport, train station, bus station, coffee house, or other public place and decide to "jack in" to the Internet, you might well be exposing yourself to identity thieves -- or worse. Here's how it works: the girl across ... from you in the airport coffee shop has a laptop in her briefcase that's set as an 'access point', or a 'WiFi hotspot'. She's even given the access point a legitimate-sounding ID, say, something like "Free Airport WiFi". You power up your own laptop, quickly browse for available networks, see "Free Airport WiFi", note that it's unsecured but ignoring ... (view more)

Last week, Apple kicked off a new era for the iPhone, introducing its Software Development Kit (SDK), which will allow developers to create programs for Apple's newest gadget. During a keynote address, Steve Jobs introduced a few limitations to ... Apple's relatively open policy for new software. Any programs that are illegal (file sharing), Malicious (viruses), violate privacy, hog bandwidth or display explicit images will not be allowed. (Source: blogsmithmedia.com ) The iPhone is also not going to allow applications to run in the background, which means you can only access one program at a ... (view more)

As Microsoft continues its bid to take over Yahoo, both firms have announced moves to boost their standing in the mobile Internet market. Microsoft has signed a deal to supply its Silverlight system to cell phones made by Nokia. The system is a ... rival to Adobe's Flash software and allows devices to run interactive graphics and animations. At first the system will only be available on high-end Nokia models. However, it's likely to be extended to other handsets, including those from LG and Samsung, so could theoretically wind up on 53% of all smart phones. If Silverlight becomes popular, ... (view more)

When an individual travels to a far-off destination, often one of their first inclinations is to be very cautious of the possible contaminants in local drinking water. While many have resolved to purchase bulky filtration devices or abstain from ... drinking water altogether, one new hi-tech product promises to help travelers forget the issue while on vacation. The portable, wand-like device swirls the suspicious water using beams of ultraviolet light. The light purifies the water in less than 90 seconds and targets the DNA of bacteria and other viruses. The SteriPen Journey comes complete with a ... (view more)

If Adobe has anything to say about it, application programs will soon be as interoperable between the web, your PC, and other documents as a PDF document. As the maker of one of the most popular software platforms on the planet (including FLASH ... player and Acrobat Reader), Adobe is optimistic about the ability of its new Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) environment to become as popular. How Does it Work? The AIR environment is very powerful. It will permit existing FLASH, HTML or JavaScript code to be used to create applications that appear, act and behave like conventional PC-bound programs. ... (view more)

Think the iPhone is the wave of the future? Their good friends at Nokia might have something to say about that. The company recently revealed 'Morph', a concept that hopes to demonstrate the flexibility -- quite literally -- of future cell phones. ... Unveiled at The Museum of Modern Art display in New York, Morph is the result of a shared project between Nokia and Britain's University of Cambridge. The pairing promises to release a number of radical concepts in the next while, but their opening salvo has certainly caught the attention of the techie nation. (Source: businessweek.com ) The concept ... (view more)

In October of last year, Microsoft launched HealthVault, a free online, encrypted storage area where individuals could manage their own medical record. Now, Google has tabled their own health storage offering called (surprisingly) Google Health. The ... battle for your medical record has begun. Both Google Health and Microsoft's HealthVault provide a secure place to store and maintain health data. The data that can be stored varies but will generally include records of vital statistics (e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, height, weight, etc.), patient family history, and disease or problem-related ... (view more)

Microsoft is giving students free access to some of its leading tools for developing software and creating web sites. The project, called Dreamspark, is designed to encourage pupils to learn the skills needed for a career in the software and ... computing industry. The package includes Visual Studio (a facility for developing software), Expression Studio (which includes graphic and web design tools) and XNA Game Studio (which is used for creating video games). Around 35 million high school students in the US, China and several Western European countries are eligible for the scheme now. School ... (view more)