V4 N43 -  3 April 2005

iTHINK ZONE
 

ARE THE BELLS TOLLING FOR VoIP?

The past few weeks have seen serious attacks on VoIP instigated by governments and the telecos and cablecos. Two excellent analysis pieces have appeared and are worthy of reading if you're interested in the future viability of VoIP.

READ ON
http://cyberzone.pacific-tier.com/iThink.htm
[Posted March 24 ]
 

CYBERZONE

IT'S NOT JUST A PHONE, IT'S AN ADVENTURE Practically every new iteration of cellphone promises more: digital music, streaming video, 3-D video games, location-based navigation and full Internet browsing, not to mention a camera.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/technology/circuits/31fone.html?th&emc=th

W. VIRGINIA PLAN TO BOOST STATE's NET CAPACITY W.Virginia's Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced a plan to expand broadband services in the state, which supporters say is needed to boost West Virginia's economic competitiveness. Under the proposed Electronic Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Act, or ETOPIA, the state would promote the growth of the fiber optic infrastructure and give authority to local governments to become Internet service providers.
FULL ITEM

OCEAN POWER FIGHTS CURRENT THINKING
Ocean waves provide a predictable source of energy that is easily tapped, and will likely have minimal impact on the environment.
Recent advancements in the technology indicate that with a relatively small investment from the government, wave energy could soon compete with other renewable sources.
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/03/wo/wo_gartner032805.asptrk=nl

MODEL SUPPORTS ARCHIVING OF DIGITAL INFORMATION The Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany has created a toolkit to aid in the preservation of digital content. The project was funded by an $800,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, and the toolkit will be distributed to states and territories as part of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. Federal laws specify requirements for the preservation of paper documents, but the arena of electronics records remains largely unregulated. According to Brian Burke, the Center for Technology in Government's project manager, this results in inconsistent procedures from state to state for preserving digital material. Librarians and archivists from around the country are saying that "thereís tons of information that's being lost or predicted to be lost," said Burke. The toolkit focuses on establishing predictable policies and communication among states and territories so that various agencies can work together to preserve digital content consistently.
http://www.fcw.com/article88434-03-30-05-Web

VoIP ZONE

ONE MAN's EXPERIENCE WITH SKYPE ME
http://tech2.nytimes.com/mem/technology/techreview.html?res=9905E4DB163FF937A15750C0A9639C8B63

TOY ZONE

PIONEER TO LAUNCH DVD RECORDERS WITH BUILT-IN HARD DRIVE Pioneer Corp said it will introduce the world's first DVD recorders with a built-in hard disk drive that can record up to 24 hours of video content. The DVR-530H and DVR-555H will be available in Japan in early May and early June, respectively, Pioneer said. The company did not provide suggested retail prices.
FULL ITEM (Kyodo News)

TOSHIBA's NEW BATTERY BOASTS ONE-MINUTE RECHARGE Toshiba said Tuesday it has developed a new lithium-ion battery that drastically cuts recharging time thanks to the use of nanotechnology.  The new battery requires only one minute to recharge 80 percent of its capacity, approximately 60 times faster than standard lithium-ion batteries.
http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=32011

SAMSUNG INTROS PHONES WITH FILE-VIEWING CAPABILITIES Blurring the boundary between smart phones and regular handsets, Samsung on Tuesday introduced its first "file viewer" phones that allow users to view standard PC documents and images.
http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=31979

BIO/NANO/MEMS ZONE

HUMAN BLOOD CELLS COAXED TO PRODUCE INSULIN A new treatment returned blood sugar levels to normal in mice - it may mean humans with diabetes could be cured with their own cells
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7212

WORLD's MOST SENSITIVE SCALES WEIGHT A ZEPTOGRAM A zeptogram is roughly the mass of a single protein molecule and its detection sets a new record - very sensitive detectors could follow
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7208

BIZARRE WEED BREAKS GENETIC RULES
A small weed that inherits its genes from its grandparents rather than its parents is baffling scientists, say US researchers.
http://abc.net.au/science/news/tech/InnovationRepublish_1331068.htm

NANOTECH IS BOOMING IN U.S.
Americans are investing more money, publishing more scientific papers and winning more patents than anyone else in the quickly growing field of nanotechnology, according to a new report.
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W2RT04361F29F09A7C77F3CC109E81

BIO-BRIEFS ZONE

Philadelphia--BioStrategy Partners offers help to promising newcomers
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1336868

Philadelphia--Life-science assignments keep search firms humming
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1336869

Philadelphia--Shifting gears: After bubble bursts, ViroPharma regroups with new focus http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1336870

San Jose--Local biotech pushing for anti-cancer drug
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/1336871


ASIA ZONE

PHILIPPINES TO REGULARIZE VoIP
National Telecommunications Commission of Philippines in its memorandum has suggested that the voice over Internet service is a value added service and that the Internet service providers and other non telecom companies can also offer these services. According to sources this opinion of the regulatory body will result in the substantial fall in the cost of the international call. According to the commissioner Ronald Olivar Solis this will also help in the rates of international calls coming down and the consumers can avail of the cheap and efficient service. This is also going to help the Internet service providers as well as the local exchange carriers.  The Commission has yet to put the draft of the rules and regulations for the public hearing in a month's time.
FULL ITEM

WIRELESS ZONE

WiFi ON THE ROAD
Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly popular for travelers. Learn what Jim Geier found while traveling by auto throughout much of the South Eastern U.S.
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,1hqo,1,aw2,5b07,jcj3,9ffi

HOTSPOT HITS
The Dell Diamond ball park goes entirely wireless; San Diego getting wireless broadband from the top of Dictionary Hill; EV-DO wireless debuts in Tampa, Akron & Cleveland; and more.
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,1hv6,1,l0p5,ecft,jcj3,9ffi


SITE CITES

HOW PORTABLE MEDIA CENTERS WORK
With portable media centers, you can store and access nearly all of your digital entertainment files on a single, lightweight unit about the size of a paperback novel. They can handle recorded television programs, movies, home videos, music and digital photos. You can even connect a portable media center to a television or stereo using the A/V-out jack when portability isn't necessary.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/pmc.htm
 

Marty Plotnick's CyberZone is a weekly review of Hawaii technology and international technology news.  The Hawaii Technology Calendar is available on the front page of this site, with links and descriptions of events relevant to the Hawaii technology and telecommunications community.  CyberZone takes special interest in researching and collecting links to stories from international technology news sources of interest to CyberZone's readers.  If you have any comments or suggestions for improvements to his site and information resource please contact Marty Plotnick at martycri@lava.net