Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

It’s his last time to host a Microsoft CEO Summit as company chairman before answering philanthropy’s call, so Bill Gates decided to use the opportunity for one more demonstration of Microsoft Research prowess. Gates allowed the high-profile executives attending the annual meeting of high-dollar minds to see Microsoft’s Touch Wall, which threatens the existence of whiteboards and Magic Markers in all those sterile conference rooms around the world.

So far it’s been a good year for touch-screen technology, big and small; besides the iPhone and all its competitors, there’s the touch technology on display during coverage of primary elections on CNN. Microsoft’s offering is basically its Surface computer mounted vertically and expanded out to a 50-inch screen. Gates showed off interactivity with documents, Tablet-style writing and easy access to applications like PowerPoint, and promised that the technology would not be all that expensive. Still, after the showing this week in Redmond for the business elite, you can expect corner offices in corporate headquarters across America to be the first places for the Touch Wall to show up.

Read [Seattle Times]

The wrappings come off a couple of cool applications this week:

Even though Google Sky was first to allow wannabe astronomers to surf the heavens from their computers, Microsoft Research’s Worldwide Telescope is getting some good reviews for ease-of-use and the sheer wonder of its visuals. The app, previewed at the TED Conference in February, is now public and uses images from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center, among other sources. Sorry, Mac users aren’t invited to this sky party; this window on the galaxy is Windows only.

You like to watch. Admit it. You know you do. Uh...we are talking about live car chases on local TV, right? If you live in the Chicago area, you can now watch those who do the watching of vehicular perps around the Loop. AirFox Live is the Fox affiliate’s website for its chopper video, streaming live from a number of cameras on the helicopter. The nice bonus is live GPS tracking on a map. I’m linking to the AirFox Live site but I first read about this on the Lost Remote website, which does an excellent job of tracking technology developments within the news business.

Read [Worldwide Telescope] Read [AirFox Live] Read [Lost Remote]

It’s the future as seen in Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report,” but it’s happening in the here and now: advertisers and retailers tracking your every move.

In the Tom Cruise blockbuster, that tracking was done via optical recognition whenever his character walked into a Gap or walked by certain ads; in the case of the cable company Charter Communications, the tracking will be done every time you click on a favorite website.

Broadband Reports first dug up the emails that were sent by Charter to its high-speed subscribers notifying them of the “enhanced online experience” they’re about to enjoy, all made possible by technology inserted into ISP networks that tracks browsing habits and allows providers to target ads. Charter says its customers won’t be getting personalized ads or more ads altogether, just ads that “better reflect the interests you express through your web-surfing activities.”

And that’s not personal? The arguments are already being primed by privacy advocates.

Broadband Reports gives props to Charter for at least emailing its subscribers with the news, but then turning the opt-out process into a comedy routine.

Wired’s Threat Level blog goes into more detail about this technology and Charter’s reaction to questions about privacy concerns. Some of the comments on Broadband Reports talk about the lack of rewards for allowing this look at your surfing habits, and therein lies the future of this technology. As it stands now, some customers might not raise a stink about this if there is simply the promise of an “enhanced online experience.” If that experience includes coupons, discounts and giveaways, then the line for those ready to trade their Internet rights for goodies could look like opening night for a Spielberg blockbuster.

Read [Broadband Reports] Read [Threat Level]

While rumors about buyouts, mergers and partnerships continue to swirl around them, the number one and number two social network websites are announcing new features and services. MySpace, the top social site, is taking the wraps off of “data availability,” which allows members to easily share public profile information and user-generated content with Yahoo!, Ebay, Flickr and Photobucket.
And Facebook, after hearing complaints from state attorneys general about the threat from child predators and cyberbullies on its website, has agreed to tighten up security to protect its under-18 users. The social network will work with a task force to make sure identities and ages of members can be verified while trying harder to keep inappropriate content - including alcohol and tobacco advertising - from underage eyes. 

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A fascinating report by the United Kingdom’s version of the Federal Communications Commission paints a vivid picture of a technology-driven world right out of a Vernor Vinge novel: Bluetooth implants in your body warning doctors of impending heart attacks; wireless sensors in cars slamming on the brakes before collisions; reminders from doctors to take medications based on wireless vital sign readings.

The Office of Communications, known as Ofcom, is the UK’s independent regulator of competition in its television, radio, telecom and wireless communications industries. Its new report, “Tomorrow’s Wireless World,” features technology innovations being tested in some British cities and it already has some privacy advocates shouting about a digital Big Brother. But the tone of the report is generally positive about the role technology could play in saving lives, trimming health care costs and making travel safer and greener. 

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Once again, the Web works its magic in mysterious ways. I had just completed posting a comment on a favorite blog - and yes, I signed my real name - when I read about a discussion at a Digital Hollywood conference that focused on Internet comments.

The man in charge of the Washington Post’s online division told the audience he’d like to see technology ride to the rescue to get rid of trolls and flame-throwing commenters on the newspaper’s blogs. Jim Brady was describing the aftermath of what happened two years ago when the newspaper’s ombudsman erred on a political story. Hundreds of commenters high on conspiracy theory fumes blasted the website, and many were very nasty, so Brady shut down all comments. The resulting furor made its way to other websites and forums, and many there accused him of trampling on free speech.

On the contrary, says Brady. He just wants a civil discussion, and anonymity doesn’t help the cause. Maybe some form of identity authorization - credit cards? drivers licenses? - would do the trick, he argued:

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You can expect louder product announcements from Yahoo! after the Deal that Didn’t Happen. Jerry Yang and Co. want to get the word out in a hurry about new features and services to boost the stock, quench shareholder anger and convince everyone that faith in its future is justified.

Releasing the beta of SearchScan may help. Yahoo is using McAfee’s SiteAdvisor to alert users of any potential for spam, viruses or other malware. The feature appears in the upper right hand corner of your Yahoo! search results - right under the company logo - and is active by default. 

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The Yahoo-Microsoft deal that wasn’t: a victory for emotion and memory.

You saw it in Yahoo co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang’s “OK, so now what?” post on his Yodel Anecdotal blog. And you really saw it in the comments to that post.
Yang is now being spanked throughout the blogosphere for having the temerity to say no to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Allegations of Yahoo execs high-fiving each other after the deal fell through will no doubt end up in the inevitable shareholder lawsuits.

True, the shareholders are the ones losing a lot of money as they watch the stock price sink. A thousand blog posts won’t make them believe Yang when he writes that he was trying to maximize shareholder value - his executive mandate - by hanging tough for what was believed to be $37 a share.

But he’s also blogged about keeping another group in mind during this process: customers. End users. The people whose patronage ends up paying the bills. Yahoo! isn’t doing as good a job at keeping them happy as it used to, but enough fans still exist and they want an independent, Microsoft-free Yahoo!

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A mobile phone company ad slogan, “it’s all about the network” is being taken to heart by identity thieves.

We’re not just talking about the cellular networks that allow you to send text messages, surf the web and shop from your handy mobile device; if a Los Angeles Times story is any indication, social networks are becoming prime real estate for sleazy personal information harvesters, spammers and just plain mischief-makers.

Some examples: MySpace users who didn’t know they were facilitating the spamming of friends; fake log-in pages for social sites capturing user IDs and passwords; widgets for dressing up profile pages hiding malware for stealing financial information.

Then there are the incidents that fall into the creepy category, according to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center, based in San Diego.

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Plug your PC into a wall electrical outlet, and that’s all your need to surf the web at high speeds. Tell the cable and DSL service providers where they can stuff their plugs, while you ride the wave of yet another next-generation technology at cheaper prices.

Well...not yet.

It’s been a bad couple of weeks for the concept of broadband over power line (BPL), which the Federal Communications Commission has been touting since 2003 as possible pricing competition for cable and DSL providers. It’s only a pilot program in a handful of cities, but the FCC commissioned studies on the technology and wanted an accelerated rollout of the program. Now you can scratch one of those cities off the list, while the FCC studies themselves are being attacked by amateur radio operators.

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