Wireless sensors extend Internet's reach
But critics say networks can be prone to malicious security attacks
!!!
LOS ANGELES - To the untrained eye, the sleek, airy building
constructed atop a decommissioned nuclear reactor at the University of
California, Los Angeles could pass for high-tech office space.
A closer inspection of the glass-and-steel facade reveals dozens of
miniature, low-resolution cameras and sensors. They're wirelessly
linked to computers throughout the 6,000-square-foot space, keeping
tabs on traffic flow in public areas and monitoring temperature,
humidity and acoustics.
The building serves as a testing ground for developing and perfecting
wireless sensing technology to connect major chunks of the real world
to the Internet. Such networks could monitor the environment for
pollutants, gauge whether structures are at risk of collapse or
remotely follow medical patients in real time.
"I see this as the next wave of extending the Internet into the
physical world," said computer scientist Deborah Estrin, who heads the
Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, a UCLA-based consortium of six
schools.
The researchers at the consortium have already scattered wireless
networks of nodes in the rice paddies of Bangladesh, rain forests of
Costa Rica and wilderness of California's San Jacinto Mountains -- all
for the sake of keeping a closer eye on the world.
Once the stuff of science fiction, wireless sensor networking is
quickly catching on, attracting the attention of the military,
academics and corporations. Just as the Internet virtually connected
people with personal computers, the prospect of wireless arrays
sprinkled in buildings, farmland, forests and hospitals promise to
create unprecedented links between people and physical locations.
Advances in miniaturization and integration of hardware have enabled
the design of smart sensor nodes ranging from a square inch to the
size of a matchbox.
However, the rush to cram tiny cameras into the nooks and crannies of
daily life raises security and privacy concerns among some observers
who fear rogues could hack into the networks. Corporations are beefing
up safeguards, and academics are studying privacy pitfalls and trying
to build stronger networks to protect against security breaches.
The commercial possibilities have already spawned a cottage industry
of startups intent on developing cheap, reliable wireless nodes.
Several of the ventures, including Dust Networks and Arch Rock Corp.,
have connections to the University of California, Berkeley, which was
involved in early efforts to develop "smart dust" or sensors the size
of dust that could be sprinkled in hard-to-reach places.
Today, the technology is primarily used to monitor pipelines and to
control climate conditions inside factories. Demand for more uses in
the home, agriculture and health care could push the market from
several hundred million dollars currently to $8 billion worldwide by
2010, according to San Diego-based wireless market research firm ON
World.
That growth has been slowed by compatibility issues, with many sensors
now custom-made for specific tasks. The ZigBee Alliance, comprised of
more than 150 companies, is developing rules to make networks
interoperable, but a universal standard is still years away.
Wireless nodes, or motes, are made up of microprocessors, sensors and
low-radio radio transceivers to communicate to the outside world. The
capability of the sensors varies and can measure temperature, light,
stress or other conditions.
Motes are usually densely packed in an environment _ like a vineyard
or waterway _ to monitor the surroundings. Most are battery-powered,
while smaller versions are solar-powered. The cost ranges from $20 to
several hundred dollars, depending on the type of sensors.
As with any wireless technology, sensor networks can be prone to
malicious security attacks or illegal eavesdropping, said Adrian
Perrig, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
at Carnegie Mellon University. He has written extensively about
security and privacy hurdles of wireless sensor communication and is
working to create more secure networks.
"If poorly secured networks are deployed and exploited, people may
have significant concerns about sensor technology," he said.
Research at the UCLA building, which opened last year, is funded by
the National Science Foundation, which committed $40 million over 10
years for the center. The building serves as a central hub for
scientists in various fields of wireless sensor networking to work
under one roof.
A sign posted in the lobby makes it clear the space is not private:
"Research in progress. Electronic sensing and monitoring devices in
use within this space, including cameras and microphones."
"These are not toy systems," said John Cozzens, a program director at
the foundation.
Researchers labor behind white cubicles analyzing data spit back by
wireless sensors nestled in the real world.
One of the fields where researchers believe wireless sensor technology
could be commonplace is in the health care setting.
Graduate student Sasank Reddy is working on a project to determine if
it's better to measure caloric intake by toting around a cell phone
camera and taking pictures at mealtime or self-reporting eating habits
on a standard dietary questionnaire.
He recently hung a primitive mote around his neck -- actually, a
camera phone -- as he lunched. The camera snapped away every 10
seconds as he nibbled on his Italian sub.
Later, as he browsed through the images on his work computer, Reddy
saw some red flags and determined the technique wasn't ready for
prime-time: Some pictures came out too blurry. Others showed the faces
of fellow diners in the background, raising privacy issues.
Posted by NABIL at 1:28 PM 2 comments
Labels: CELL PHONE REVIEWS N PREVIEWS
Microsoft to update Windows for wireless
Microsoft is expected to disclose details of Windows Mobile 6 on
Monday!!!
REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. plans a launch this spring of its
next-generation operating system for wireless devices, Windows Mobile
6, which is important for the company's efforts to grab market share
beyond the desktop.
Microsoft is expected to disclose details of Windows Mobile 6 on
Monday at a telecommunications conference in Barcelona, Spain.
The company pledged that the new software would render e-mails and
other documents much as they appear on desktop computers. The software
also will have deeper connectivity to Microsoft's "Live" suite of
online services, including instant messaging.
Those features are part of a broader effort by Microsoft to use
connectivity to its prevalent desktop software as a strategy for
catching up with the worldwide leader in mobile operating systems,
Symbian Ltd.
Posted by NABIL at 1:25 PM 0 comments
Labels: CELL PHONE REVIEWS N PREVIEWS
Samsung unveils iPhone-like handset
Ultra Smart F700 has slide-out key pad, large touch-screen!!!
SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics Co. has unveiled a new mobile
phone that features some of the sleek design and functions of Apple
Inc.'s much-hyped iPhone.
Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 will be exhibited at next week's 3GSM World
Congress, a telecommunications exhibition in Barcelona, Samsung
spokeswoman Sonia Kim said Friday.
Mobile phone makers have been scrambling to match the iPhone, unveiled
last month by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The device, which will be
available starting in June, marks the iPod and Macintosh computer
maker's entry into the mobile phone business.
The ultra-thin iPhone is controlled by a large touch screen. It plays
music, surfs the Internet, and runs a version of the Mac OS X
operating system, among other functions.
Samsung said the Ultra Smart F700 also has a full touch screen as well
as a traditional QWERTY key pad that slides out "for users who are not
yet familiar with a touch-screen-only user interface."
The phone can also access the Internet, play music, take pictures,
show videos, handle e-mail and share photos, said Samsung, the world's
third-largest manufacturer of mobile phone handsets.
Its third-generation (3G) technology is considerably faster than the
iPhone's EDGE system, and its 5-megapixel camera outclasses the
iPhone's 2-megapixel camera.
"The Ultra Smart F700 is a good example of how (the) mobile phone will
evolve in the future," Choi Gee-sung, president of Samsung's
Telecommunications Network Business, said in a statement Thursday.
Apple's iPhone will cost $599 for the high-end model.
Kim, the Samsung spokeswoman, said marketing plans for the Ultra Smart
F700 remain unclear because the company wants to see what kind of
reaction it receives at the Barcelona show.
Last month, Samsung rival LG Electronics Co. announced its own
touch-screen mobile phone, the KE850 Prada.
The LG phone, produced in partnership with the Italian fashion brand,
is to go on sale in late February for $780 at mobile phone dealers and
Prada stores in Britain, France, Germany and Italy. It is to be
launched in Asia in March.
Posted by NABIL at 1:21 PM 0 comments
Labels: CELL PHONE REVIEWS N PREVIEWS
Search engine trawls Castro speeches, not Web
HAVANA - Cuba built an Internet search engine that allows users to
trawl through speeches by Cuban leader Fidel Castro and other
government sites, but does not browse Web pages outside the island.
The search engine unveiled at a conference this week underscored
restrictions on Internet access in communist-run Cuba, which the
government blames on U.S. trade sanctions.
Cubans cannot buy computers and Internet access is limited to state
employees, academics and foreigners. Cubans line up for hours to send
e-mails on post office terminals that cannot surf the World Wide Web.
Passwords are sold on the black market allowing shared Internet use
for limited hours, usually at night.
Cuba's first search engine can search any subject, but only on Cuban
servers, or the Cuban intranet, including 150,000 government sites and
the state-run media. It has a special function key on the homepage to
browse through hundreds of Castro's speeches since day one of his
revolution in 1959.
"The aim is to search Cuban Web sites without having to rely on
foreign engines," said its creator, Leandro Silva.
Cuba has the lowest rate of Internet usage in Latin America, 1.7 users
per 100 inhabitants, according to the International Telecommunication
Union.
Critics, such as rights watchdog Amnesty International, say Cuba
restricts Internet usage to limit freedom of expression.
Cuba says Internet access is not available because of sanctions
enforced by its longtime ideological enemy the United States that
block connection to broadband fiber optic cables running undersea just
12 miles (18 km) off shore.
Opening this week's IT conference in Havana, Communications Minister
Ramiro Valdes said Cuba was forced to "rationalize" use of scarce
Internet bandwidth in priority sectors such as scientific research,
education and health care.
"Despite the fact that international fiber optic cables run very close
to Cuban shores, the rules of the blockade prevent connection to
these," Valdes said.
Cuba is forced to use a costly satellite channel with only 65
megabytes per second (mbps) for upload and 124 mbps for for download,
he said.
Venezuela connection
Cuba has turned to its main ally, Venezuela, to bypass the U.S.
embargo and increase its Internet capacity by laying a 1,000-mile
(1,500 km) fiber optic cable between the two countries.
"A fiber optic cable will allow faster connection and significantly
lower costs," Valdes said.
Havana initially saw the Internet as a U.S. Trojan horse designed to
undermine its one-party state and quickly decreed its "selective" use
in the "national interest."
Cuba harnessed the Internet as a tool in developing one of the most
advance biotech industries in the Third World. It has also been a boon
to the Caribbean island's tourist trade and provided a medium for
Havana to get its views on the Web.
One expert on Cuba said Washington blocks Cuban access to high-speed
Internet to hinder Cuba developing a knowledge-based economy based on
a well-educated low-wage population.
"It is Venezuela that will give Cuba the real-time connectivity it
needs," said Nelson Valdes, a professor of sociology at the University
of New Mexico.
"This will open the huge world of Internet business to the island and
Cuba's human capital could transform Havana into another Mumbai," he
said.
Posted by NABIL at 1:16 PM 0 comments
Labels: TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS N PREVIEWS
Scientist: Frog could be 25 million years old
Tiny amphibian was found completely preserved in amber!!!
MEXICO CITY - A Mexican researcher announced the rare find of a tiny
tree frog completely preserved in amber on Wednesday that he estimates
lived about 25 million years ago.
The chunk of amber containing the 0.4-inch frog was uncovered by a
miner in southern Chiapas states in 2005 and was bought by a private
collector, who lent it to scientists for study.
Only a few preserved frogs have been found in chunks of amber -- a
stone formed by ancient tree sap -- mostly in the Dominican Republic.
Like those, the frog found in Chiapas was of the genus Craugastor,
whose relatives still inhabit the region
Biologist Gerardo Carbot of the Chiapas Natural History and Ecology
Institute, who announced the discovery, said it was the first such
frog found in amber in Mexico.
Carbot said he would like to extract a sample from the frog's remains
to see if they contain well-preserved DNA, in order to identify the
frog's species.
However, he expressed doubt that the stone's owner would allow
researchers to drill a small hole into the chunk of amber. "I don't
think he will allow it, because it's a very rare, unique piece," said
Carbot.
Posted by NABIL at 1:11 PM 0 comments
Labels: TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS N PREVIEWS
Shuttle begins trek to launch pad
Preparing for 11-day mission to the international space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis began a sluggish move to
the launch pad on Thursday in preparation for a mid-March mission to
continue construction of the international space station.
The shuttle started the 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly
Building aboard the massive crawler-transporter vehicle at 8:19 a.m.
The trip was expected to last six hours.
Atlantis is set to launch on March 15 for the first space shuttle
mission of the year.
The six-man crew will deliver a new segment and a pair of solar arrays
that will be used to power the space station.
NASA is hoping to launch four or five space shuttle missions this
year, the most ambitious schedule since 2002.
Posted by NABIL at 1:08 PM 0 comments
Labels: TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS N PREVIEWS
Daylight-saving glitch threatens mini-Y2K
Software bug could skew everything from Outlook to airline schedules
!!!!!!
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Daylight saving time arrives a little earlier -- March 11 -- and stays
a little later -- Nov. 4 -- this year. And it's bringing a problem
along with it that could affect everything from stock trades to
airline schedules to your BlackBerry.
Software created before the law mandating the change passed in 2005 is
set to automatically advance its timekeeping by one hour on the first
Sunday in April, not the second Sunday in March. Congress decided that
more early evening daylight would translate into energy savings.
The result is a glitch reminiscent of the Y2K bug, when cataclysmic
crashes were feared if computers interpreted the year 2000 as 1900 and
couldn't reconcile time appearing to move backward. If banks and other
institutions aren't properly prepared, automatic stock trades
reportedly might happen at the wrong hour, buildings that unlock at a
certain time could stay shut, and airline flight schedules could be
scrambled.
A different Outlook on life?
And for three weeks this March and April, Microsoft Corp. warns that
users of its calendar programs "should view any appointments ... as
suspect until they communicate with all meeting invitees." That's
because Outlook may not work the way users expect it to.
The problem won't show up only in computers. It will affect plenty of
non-networked devices that store the time and automatically adjust for
daylight saving, like some digital watches and clocks. But in those
instances the result will be a nuisance (adjust the time manually, or
wait three weeks) rather than something that might throw a wrench in
the works.
Cameron Haight, a Gartner Inc. analyst who has studied the potential
effects of the daylight-saving bug, said it might force transactions
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