Handheld Homeland Security, plus this week's news

[Computing Unplugged]

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February 14, 2004 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Handheld Homeland Security This week's news

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HANDHELD HOMELAND SECURITY
Facing nuclear proliferation threats, Los Alamos National Laboratory gets creative with handhelds
By Christine Harland Williams

To help border patrol officers, police and emergency workers prevent someone from getting a nuclear weapon into the US and detonating it, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) scientists have developed a hand-held nuclear isotope identifier that can detect and identify a source of radiation and wirelessly send data about it to experts who can provide further analysis.

Handhelds and homeland security
What makes this device so unique is its use of a wireless palmOne handheld, already popular among law enforcement and government agencies across the country. The device carries a $20,000 price tag and consists of two parts: (1) a palmOne handheld that provides the user interface, communication device and data archiving, and (2) a high-end radiation detector with a microprocessor.

According to William Murray, the LANL scientist who led the development effort, the LANL's Palm CZT Spectrometer is lighter, smaller and easier to use than any radiation detector currently available on the market, and the only one that can identify a radiation source and communicate its findings via a wireless link. This makes it the ideal device for non-technical field personnel such as officers protecting U.S. borders and ports of entry and emergency responders.

Small and simple solution
"Most of the monitors in use by border officials today that can identify the source of some radiation are very difficult for non-technical people to use, and are quite large and bulky, weighing in around 7 pounds," Murray explained. Their greatest weakness is that when those monitors detect radiation, they can trigger false alarms when they detect radiation coming from non-threatening sources, such as people who use isotopes for medical purposes, according to Murray.

This is a fascinating article. Read the rest by clicking here.

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COMPUTING UNPLUGGED NEWS CENTER
This week's news
Want to get the very latest mobile and wireless news? The Computing Unplugged News Center is updated every day with news of product releases, industry info, tips, techniques, and pointers to great mobile and wireless resources on the Web. Here's this week's news:

Spam seen as security risk
Marguerite Reardon of CNET discusses how at the corporate level, spam isn't just a nuisance, but a security risk as well.

MessagEase for Palm Tungsten T3 released
EXideas has released their MessagEase keyboard for the Palm Tungsten T3. The MessagEase keyboard can replace the virtual graffiti in either portrait or landscape mode on the T3.

Leak of Microsoft's code reported
A report from SearchWin2000 says that source code from Microsoft's Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 has been leaked onto the Internet.

Asus adds Wi-Fi to MyPal
The MyPal A716 is the first Wi-Fi enabled Pocket PC from Asus. The A716 also offers Bluetooth connectivity, a 400 MHz processor and runs Windows Mobile 2003.

Cutting the cord
Bill Howard of PC Magazine examines many of the available wireless appliances and devices and how you can integrate them into your lifestyle.

PalmSource expands Java support With IBM WebSphere
PalmSource officially announced that they have licensed WebSphere MicroEnvironment J2ME and WebSphere Studio Device Developer for integration into their Palm OS platform.

Brighthand's impressions of Palm OS Cobalt
Ed Hardy of Brighthand gives us his impressions of the new Cobalt OS in this article.

Nagel talks Palm OS
This article on Brighthand covers PalmSource President and CEO David Nagel's address at the PalmSource Developer Conference and PalmSource's agenda for Cobalt and Garnet, the new versions of the Palm OS.

Motorola unveils new models for 3G
Motorola has unveiled four new models for the 3G, or third-generation, mobile phone market. The announcement was made in Beijing and has the first two models available in the latter half of this year, with the other two to follow in 2005.

PalmSource drops Mac with Cobalt
PalmSource announced at the Developer Conference that the new OS, Cobalt, will not support Mac synchronization.

Palm OS 6 Cobalt screen Shots
PalmInfocenter has some screen shots of the Cobalt Palm OS taken at the PalmSource Developer Conference.

SanDisk announces "consumable" memory cards
SanDisk is introducing a lower-cost line of memory cards in a move to entice more users to switch from film to digital photography. The new cards will offer a permanent storage solution for digital images.

SanDisk introduces 4 GB card
This press release from SandDisk profiles their new 4 GB CompactFlash memory card. It can hold 2000 high-res images, 1000 digital songs, or 8 hours of video.

Sony's stand-alone printer
With Sony's new DPP-EX50 PictureStation, users can load and print photos directly from their camera, MS Pro, or CF cards. The dye-sub printer can also connect to a TV for image viewing, or to a PC in the traditional manner via USB.

Windows loses to Lindows
A federal judge has ruled that a generic term, such as "windows" cannot be trademarked, dealing a major blow to Microsoft and their suit against Lindows.com.

Microsoft to end NT4 support
Microsoft says that support for their NT4 software will come to an end this year with no more service extensions. Microsoft has already extended support twice, but it will come to an end on June 30 for NT4 Enterprise Edition and Dec. 31 for NT4 Server.

Handhelds enhance love life
The results are in from palmOne and PalmInfocenter's Romance Survey, and 67% say that their handheld or smartphone plays a role in their love life.

First memory card to DVD copier
The DVD/CD Digital Photo Copy Station from Aleratec will accept CF, SD, MMC, SM, MS, and MS Pro card formats and burn the information from them directly onto a DVD or CD. The Copy Station is a stand-alone device, but can be connected to a computer via USB.

Palm news galor
With the PalmSource Developer Conference going on this week, there's a lot of Palm news today.

Mac synchronization with Palm OS Cobalt
mark/space, makers of Missing Sync, have announced they will produce a version of their synchronization software for Palm OS Cobalt devices to synch with desktops running Mac OS X. The new version's release will coincide with the first Cobalt devices and will include support for USB, network, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth access and will accommodate all Palm OS 4.0 and higher devices.

New Version of Plug2Net
Corsoft, makers of Plug2Net, have updated their handheld wireless Internet connectivity application to include support for USB and Bluetooth.

SplashData updates SplashID 3.0
SplashID, the virtual wallet application for mobile devices, has been updated to version 3.0 for Palm OS handhelds. The update contains enhanced security that allows users to customize the settings to their personal preferences.

palmOne delivers Treo 600
T-Mobile customers now have the new palmOne Treo 600 available. The smartphone will have an estimated price of $500, and palmOne is offering an upgrade price of $400 for Treo 180, 270, and 300 owners.

PocketSensei Announces VideoHound
PocketSensei's VideoHound Golden Movie Retriever for Palm will be released to coincide with the Academy Awards. This will be a handheld version of the movie-industry insider guide to to over 26,000 movie reviews.

Audio enabling technology for PDA developers
Astraware has made their Aurora Audio Engine availabe to third party developers. Aurora allows developers to include high quality audio effects and music in their Palm OS applications.

Network file access comes to Palm devices
Bachmann Software announced the release of version 3.0 of their FilePoint Palm OS file management software. This update brings the ability to access, browse and copy files to and from shared network drives.

Canon unveils 24-inch wide-format printer
This press release from Canon covers the release of their new imagePROGRAF W6200 24-inch, wide-format, pigment ink printer.

Delkin expands Efilm Pro line
Delkin has added the SD format to its Efilm Pro line of memory cards, as well expanded the available capacities to include 1 GB and 2 GB cards.

Microsoft Warns of critical Windows flaw
Microsoft has announced a flaw in most versions of the Windows OS that could allow attackers to run malicious code. A security patch has been released to address the issue.

Email postage by Bill?
John Hogan of SearchWin2000 examines the likelihood of Bill Gates' email postage proposal as a solution to spam that was discussed at the World Economic Forum.

MyDoom infection spawns new viruses
Two new viruses have come to the surface that take advantage of systems already compromised by the MyDoom virus. See this article on CNET Security for further details of the Doomjuice and Deadhat viruses.

Upcoming handhelds, smartPhones
In this article, Brighthand outlines the new models of handhelds and smartphones that are scheduled to make their debut over the coming months.

8 GB Type II CompactFlash
In this press release, SimpleTech announces their release of an 8 GB CompactFlash card. The new card, that offers a 10 MB/second write speed, will be unveiled this month at the PMA tradeshow in Las Vegas.

Bluetooth wireless office
Michelle Speir and Patrick Marshall of FCW.com have their take on the viability of the Bluetooth wireless office. Is it fact or fiction?

Disney bans Segway use
In a move that alienates those with muscular and neurological disorders who rely on the Segway for mobility, Disney has banned the two-wheeled motorized scooters from their theme parks. Company spokesperson Jacquee Polak cited the difficulty of accommodating two-wheeled vehicles in explaining Disney's stance on the Segway.

Protoype PenPhone
Siemens has developed a prototype for a PenPhone. The PenPhone will accept input by means of handwriting recognition software and will be aimed primarily at the SMS market.

Canon's new i80 mobile printer
Canon's new i80 mobile printer, successor to the i70, will offer increased resolution, borderless printing, built-in IrDA port, an optional Bluetooth module and an optional car charger. The i80 is scheduled to be available in mid-February with a list price of $250.00.

Nokia to get control of Symbian
Looking to gain a controlling interest in Symbian, Nokia will be buying around one-third from Psion, giving them a 63 percent stake in the cell phone software company.

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