Intel has announced the release of a new processor family called Atom that will begin appearing in devices later this year. The ultra low power chip can reach speeds of 1.8GHz. These processors offer a dramatic reduction in power requirements down to less then 2.5 watts from 35. Such a large decrease means longer battery life in ultra portable laptops without compromising performance, and will pave the way for a new category of powerful hand held devices.
Researchers at IBM have discovered the exact amount of force necessary to move individual atoms. Previously scientists used a trial and error based method to get atoms to go in the right direction. Now researchers can figure out that it takes 210 piconewtons to move a cobalt atom on a platinum surface, but only 17 piconewtons on copper. The advancement will prove valuable to the development of faster computers and high-density data storage.
Google launched a pilot for its health profile service, Google Health, in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. The clinic already has a sophisticated internal electronics record system, but patients are not able to access their records remotely. Patients will request to have their records uploaded to Google Health and will be able to access their records online and view, print, or share that data with other health providers. Microsoft launched their health profile offering, HealthVault, last October. The electronic health profile space is going to be a hot topic in the upcoming years. Today Hospitals, Doctor Offices, and Pharmacies have advanced internal systems, but are still disconnected despite major advances in web technology. Offices still fax records and mail imaging results back and forth. Often the quickest and most reliable method for transferring records is to have the patient physically carry the records to each location. The lack of portability is in part due to an industry with many competing software developers that don’t work to connect their technology platforms. Google and Microsoft have an opportunity make a major impact on this industry and the lives of millions of people if they can put the patient in front of profit. Both are members of the DataPortability alliance, and though that organization is primarily focused on portability of online identity, hopefully some of the same sentiment is seen in these health services. By cooperating to connect their offerings they can lead the way on an industry standard for portable health information. They can then put combined pressure on the smaller software vendors to incorporate the standard into their products. The government also needs to get involved by updating HIPAA and providing new standards for patient privacy without stifling innovation. Patients deserve a system that allows easy access to the information that belongs to them and delivers better care at reduced costs.
Google Sponsors a $30 Million Dollar X Prize to land a robotic rover on the moon and transmit data back to earth. The first team to accomplish the feat gets $20 million and the second team $5 million. Additional prizes are available for visiting historic landing sites or accomplishing other tasks. This is just the latest in a growing number of X prizes that offer substantial rewards for advances in science and technology. The rewards help to jump start interest in technology that can help shape our future. Similar rewards helped spur innovation at the turn of the 20th century. The $25,000 Orteig prize encouraged Charles Lindbergh to make his flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
The military will attempt to shoot down a spy satellite that is losing altitude and could possibly cause damage if it were to crash on land. An intercept missile will be fired from a Aegis cruiser as the satellite approaches the upper atmosphere. This will be the first time the U.S. has attempted to destroy a satellite and will be taking advantage of the missile defense program to accomplish the mission. Though the missile defense system has shot down faster moving targets a successful hit would still be a valuable proof of concept for the program and prove the U.S. is capable of reaching satellites in orbit. The Chinese were able to destroy one of their weather satellites on the third try early last year. Not only did the test cause an international uproar, but it also littered Earth’s orbit with over 150,000 pieces of debris. The political outlook for the U.S. will be different considering the circumstances and the current plan to hit the satellite as it enters the atmosphere should cause any debris to burn up.
Over the last few days severaltechblogs have been discussing the possibility that the iPhone will not be coming out with a 3G version this year or ever. This is based on two rumors. One is that Apple told Citigroup it will be releasing the 3G version in Asia and Europe this year, but did not mention the US. No mention is much different then denial. Also, we can’t forget that At&t already confirmed a 3G iPhone for this year and there are rumors of a $100 price drop which could be a move to clear out current inventory. The second rumor started when UK Macworld made the mistake of referring to WiMax as WiFi and then Macenstein picked it up and decided that we would all benefit substantially from a nationwide network of access points with a range of 300 meters. Granted there are methods to convert a normal 2.4ghz WiFi signal to 700 or 900mhz like the Ubiquiti SR9, but it requires hardware on both the access point and client side. Such a network would be completely incompatible with all current forms of WiFi including the iPhone. Now a future version of the iPhone with WiMax capability would definitely be something to see, but it won’t happen before the 3G version.
Canary Wireless is releasing the latest version of the Digital Hotspotter, model HS-20, wi-fi detector on Feb 15th for $60. I have the earlier version model HS-10 and it still is a valuable and reliable tool for finding an open wireless network when you need one. The latest version adds support for 802.11n, encryption type, and reports on the top speed of a network. Wi-Fi Networking News provides the video below and has a full review.
Google has just released a new version of their online apps suite called Team Edition. It compliments the current Enterprise, Education/Non-Profit, and Free editions by allowing members of an organization to collaborate together without their entire company signing up for the service. Employees simply verify their email address and they will be able to share and work together using Google Docs, Calendar, Talk, and Start Page. Students can also add their school email address to get access to the team edition features. The whole verification process would be similar to adding a network on Facebook. This is a great way for Google to get a back door into a company and may lead to more businesses paying for the Enterprise version. The requirement to verify an email address is an attempt to appease corporate IT managers worried about security. It is doubtful large corporations will be embracing the service anytime soon, but many small and medium sized operations may find benefit in free collaboration tools while maintaining local control of their email services. However, the requirement to verify email addresses limits the utility of Google Apps for cross company teams, and projects that consist of consultants and employees from multiple companies. It would not be surprising to see Google drop this requirement in the future when everyone becomes a little more comfortable with the idea of cloud computing.
