Temporary Post Used For Style Detection (736562ca-4fb9-420e-a477-c1056b395de5)

Written by Skype Journal on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Temporary Post Used For Style Detection (2ad3fde3-64d0-4578-9bf0-71168a848e30)

Written by Skype Journal on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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HP announces a new wireless chip that links the digital and physical worlds

Some of the potential applications include storing medical records on a hospital patient's wristband; providing audio-visual supplements to postcards and photos; helping fight counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry; adding security to identity cards and passports; and supplying additional information for printed documents.

The experimental chip, developed by the "Memory Spot" research team at HP Labs, is a memory device based on CMOS (a widely used, low-power integrated circuit design) and about the size of a grain of rice or smaller (2 mm to 4 mm square), with a built-in antenna. The chips could be embedded in a sheet of paper or stuck to any surface, and could eventually be available in a booklet as self-adhesive dots.

"The Memory Spot chip frees digital content from the electronic world of the PC and the Internet and arranges it all around us in our physical world," said Ed McDonnell, Memory Spot project manager, HP Labs.

The chip has a 10 megabits-per-second data transfer rate -- 10 times faster than Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology and comparable to Wi-Fi speeds -- effectively giving users instant retrieval of information in audio, video, photo or document form. With a storage capacity ranging from 256 kilobits to 4 megabits in working prototypes, it could store a very short video clip, several images or dozens of pages of text. Future versions could have larger capacities.

Information can be accessed by a read-write device that could be incorporated into a cell phone, PDA, camera, printer or other implement. To access information, the read-write device is positioned closely over the chip, which is then powered so that the stored data is transferred instantly to the display of the phone, camera or PDA or printed out by the printer. Users could also add information to the chip using the various devices.

"We are actively exploring a range of exciting new applications for Memory Spot chips and believe the technology could have a significant impact on our consumer businesses, from printing to imaging, as well as providing solutions in a number of vertical markets," said Howard Taub, HP vice president and associate director, HP Labs.

The chip incorporates a built-in antenna and is completely self-contained, with no need for a battery or external electronics. It receives power through inductive coupling from a special read-write device, which can then extract content from the memory on the chip. Inductive coupling is the transfer of energy from one circuit component to another through a shared electromagnetic field. A change in current flow through one device induces current flow in the other device.

Memory Spot chips have numerous possible consumer and business-based applications.

Some examples are:

Medical records: Embed a Memory Spot chip into a hospital patient's wrist band and full medical and drug records can be kept securely available.

Audio photo: Attach a chip to the prints of photographs and add music, commentary or ambient sound to enhance the enjoyment of viewing photos.

Digital postcards: Send a traditional holiday postcard to family and friends with a chip containing digital pictures of a vacation, plus sounds and even video clips.

Document notes: A Memory Spot chip attached to a paper document can include a history of all the corrections and additions made to the text, as well as voice notes and graphical images.

Perfect photocopies: A Memory Spot chip attached to a cover sheet eliminates the need to copy the original document. Just read the perfect digital version into the photocopier and the result will be sharp output every time, no matter how many copies are needed, and avoiding any possibility of the originals jamming in the feeder.

Security passes: Add a chip to an identity card or security pass for the best of both worlds -- a handy card with secure, relevant digital information included.

Anti-counterfeit tags: Counterfeit drugs are a significant problem globally. Memory Spot chips can contain secure information about the manufacture and quality of pharmaceuticals. When added to a drug container, this can prove their authenticity. A similar process could be used to verify high-value engineering and aviation components.

Written by Dal on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Asterisk2Billing v 1.2.3 (BrainCoral)

NEW FEATURES HAVE BEEN ADDED, YOU WILL FIND THE DETAILS BELOW:

- New Reporting for Earnings : Viewing of Profits, Sells, purchase...
- English correction
- Better support for Internet Explorer
- Signup mail activation
- on Customer interface, new "forget password" feature
- DID import tool
- CARD import tool
- Voip Provider & trunk filtering in call reports
- Add markup & margin on CDR report
- Delete option after selection into card & rates browsing
- New recurring service "auto refill"
- New languages Russian & Portuguese


Project page: http://asterisk2billing.org

WIKI -> http://wiki.asterisk2billing.org/
FORUM -> http://forum.asterisk2billing.org/
DEMO -> http://demo.asterisk2billing.org/


Kind regards,
/Areski
 

Written by Dal on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Baby Boomers Spur ComSpan’s Expansion into Rural Triple Play

Written by VoIP Magazine Featured Stories on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Microsoft’s Newest Blogging Play

I've been a big supporter of a blog publishing application from Vancouver-based Qumana, although, for whatever reason, I've been unable to use it on my laptop for the past couple of months. Perhaps Microsoft's new Windows Live Writer will be a viable challenger as a multi-blog publishing tool. This post, in fact, is being written using Live Writer. Getting started was  simple: after downloading the software, you enter the name of your blog, user name and password, and that's it. (Note: One thing I forgot to mention was a somewhat confusing option to have a Live Writer toolbar as part of IE, which I declined given I use Firefox. As well, Live Writer is not Mac-compatible.). Live Writer is not totally compatible with Blogware but, unfortunately, there are a lot of blogging applications not compatible with Blogware. However, my  Wordpress blog - All Nortel, All the Time - had no issues. Writing a post is straigtforward with all the normal bells and whistles found in Blogware, Wordpress, Typepad and Qumana. Perhaps the biggest thing that impresses me about Live Writer - at least so far - is Microsoft's willingness to let you use the application without signing up for Windows Live. It's a sign that perhaps Microsoft is willing to play nice to gain an even bigger foothold in the blogosphere.

Bottom Line: Live Writer isn't perfect but it's pretty good. If I were Qumana, I'd be concerned.

Update: Hey, Live Writer worked like a charm. Now let's see if I can update my post with some links. Tech Blog has checked out Live Writer, and seems impressed, Inside Microsoft provides a nice overview with lots of screen shots, while Rick Segal is puzzles why Live Writer uses Shift F7 to spell check posts. By the way, there's rumours Bleezer (a blog publishing tool created by Canadian Larry Borsato) will be upgraded soon. One more thing about Live Writer is the huge amount of attention it getting from the blogosphere. We're either in the dog days of summer when the news flow is slow, or Microsoft has really surprised people.

Written by Mark Evans on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Windows Live Writer, Write On!

Mac-happy bloggers often use either Ecto or by Mars Edit as their desktop blogging client. Given that those two products are pretty close to perfection, we are unlikely to switch to another client. Windows PC users, on the other hand have had to choose from w.Bloggar, Qumana or some similar tool. And they all keep searching for a better one.

Today they got one: Microsoft Windows Writer, a WYSIWYG tool that only after a few minutes of use (thanks to this new set-up) seems to be pretty good. (Was this part of the Onfolio acquisition?) Mike is admonishing Microsoft for not supporting Mac - he is right. They could be a lot more inclusive, or perhaps the WWDC kitty-cat jokes got to them.

Live Writer has the look and feel of Office 2007. ( Folks commenting on the post say that the interface is Onfolio like.) It is very clean interface, and still retains some of the “Microsoft Word” features that would make it attractive to a larger mainstream audience. (My Macy-Microsoft analogy still works!) It supports quite a few blogging platforms, and also offers newbie users an option to sign for Live Spaces.

Writer has all the usual bells and whistles, but the one which impressed me the most: easy way to add Maps in your posts. (Sure they are Microsoft Maps, but who cares.) There is some strange CSS stuff that is inserted along with Maps, but not that big a deal. I did some photo drag and drop, and crafted this post for my Wordpress.com blog.

It is not often, I say good things about Microsoft products, but with this free-blogging tool, I have to say: write on! And just to set the record straight, the current post was written in Ecto.

Just discovered, thanks to a helping IM: the software actually lets you use your blog styles for editing, has ability to add plugins, and has an SDK to extend the functionality of the program. You can also swap out  Microsoft Maps for say Google Maps. There is great stuff on this blog.

Written by Om Malik on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Browster 2.0 To Launch?

Browster, a San Francisco-based start-up is expected to launch a new version of its software sometime this week. Scott Milener, CEO of Browster had indicated that the company will launch a new version of its software in an interview with C/Net’s Rafe Needleman.

The company makes plugins for Firefox and Internet Explorer, which allow you to preview the next link you are about to click on. Sort of like a preview in a pop-up screen. The plugins work on Windows for now.

The new version, according to the video chat with Needleman, is going to have some built in functionality for MySpace users so people can preview “friends” before actually getting friendly with them.

These are pretty interesting utilities. I for one have been using Cooliris, because it has Mac/Safari support; has no adds, and is just a better user experience. It also has right click support, which is good, now that I have a Windows machine running on my Mac. Still, downloading an executable file, as in the case of Browster makes me a tad queasy - so for now sticking with Cooliris.

Written by Om Malik on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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RSS via E-Mail

Written by Mark Evans on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Best of Both Worlds, PC on a Mac

Last week I had a chance to meet with executives from Parallels, who introduced me to their wonderful virtual machine product. I have installed it on my iMac, and have installed Windows XP and Ubuntu. Both work flawlessly. I have been using the Windows XP install to run Microsoft Outlook.

The speed with which the application (Parallels) and Windows boot up, Outlook has just become another app in the dock. I am trying to figure out a way to change the Parallels’ icon, and replace it with Outlook. (My Candybar and Pixadex have stopped working for some odd reason.) Of course, when the new Mail.app comes, well …

Parallels’ team says they have sold nearly 100,000 copies. At $80 a pop, the sales are strong enough to keep this tiny company going for a while. They are now selling in Apple stores, which can be a blessing for a small company. (Anyone who wants to let me know about how Apple stores impacted their sales, please get in touch.)

They are going to release an update later this year which would make Parallels even better. With over a million macs shipping every quarter, and all of them now with Intel processors, things look good for Parallels. The company has raised some venture capital, but refuses to divulge the name of their backers. Nevertheless, no one is going to miss the Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac. You can wait for VMWare’s free VM but Parallels is here and now, and worth a shot.

Written by Om Malik on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Getting ready for Skype Symbian Nokia N80

Written by Skype Journal on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Broadband In The Boonies

Nearly two years ago, I wrote a piece about how broadband was helping folks work on their technology start-ups away from Silicon valley. I had noticed many companies such as PMachine and Zoto.

The burrowing of broadband into the far corners of the country, many experts say, is decentralizing the opportunities for business expansion and startups, particularly in the tech industry. It gives communities far from the bright light-emitting diodes of Silicon Valley, Boston’s Route 128 tech corridor, and other big-city tech showcases a real shot at luring tech entrepreneurs. At the same time, it gives entrepreneurs new, low-cost launching pads for their ideas?not to mention exit ramps from the rat race.

That trend is now accelerating. The Seattle Times in an excellent article describes how broadband is spreading the innovation engine into the tiny hamlets, some with population of less than 400 people. The article profiles a tiny company, HomeMovie.com, based in a tiny town of Winthrop, Washington. Thanks to fiber optics and wireless broadband, employees like Rachel Evans are enjoying blissful life,

It’s more than three hours by car to the nearest freeway exit, two hours to movie theaters and shopping malls. It’s a place where, as late as 2001, folks in certain canyons were struggling to get phone service. Four hours from Seattle, a century-wide gap in telecommunications.No more. These days, fiber-optic cables run like a river down the valley. Microwave towers beam data from peak to peak.

The Seattle Times notes that most of rural Washington state is now wired, and by bringing down the costs of living and opterations by moving to these remote locations, companies don’t have to outsource, but can in source. Amazon and Yahoo have moved some of their service centers in the Tri-Cities and Wenatchee, while HouseValue.com is working out of Yakima. We all know about Google’s server farms in The Dalles. Yahoo and Microsoft are following suit. I think this is a trend most people should watch.

Seriously folks, if you have time this Sunday, I urge you to read this article. It is how broadband changes lives.

Written by Om Malik on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Yahoo, Quietly Improves Mail

Yahoo seems to be quietly adding new features to its email service, notices Narendra Rocherolle of 30 Boxes on his blog.

Yahoo appears to have quietly incorporated some calendar features into the beta version of their web mail product. This includes a timeline of events and a much slimmed down version of their entry box. Any rumor about a Google product creates a frenzy. Yahoo deserves a bit more blog play!

I completely agree with Narendra. I quite like Yahoo Mail, though the big ads next to the emails are sometimes a tad overwhelming. If they could add some more phones to their Yahoo2Go service, (such as support for my E61) they could really become a service of choice for people who don’t want to bother with their own installs. Photo of the new service below the fold.

Written by Om Malik on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Dual Mode WiFi/GSM phones … coming to a handset near you.

Written by Skype Journal on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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And Now For A Brief Commercial Break….

We had a big week - launched the new look, had a party and signed on two sponsors. I would like to take a moment and say thanks to Odesk and Bix, who came on board sight unseen, and without knowing how their ads were going to be displayed on the site.

Odesk is a service where you can hire programmers and technical talent from around the world.

Bix is an online contest platform. Just to try it out, we are running a Guest Post Contest with Bix. You can submit an entry on topics relevant to GigaOM, and the community votes on the entry which should be published as a “featured” entry. Winner gets a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate.

If you like to sponsor GigaOM, you can get in touch with us (at ads at gigaom dot com) or our advertising partners at FM Publishing.

Written by Om Malik on August 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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