Cameraphones in vogue

HAPPENINGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

This year, almost 40 per cent of all phones sold will also include cameras as compared to 14 per cent of the total just a year ago, states a Gartner report.

The research firm predicts that slightly less than 300 million cameraphones will be sold worldwide in 2005. That total represents about 38 per cent of all of mobile phones sales. Last year, cameraphones accounted for 14 percent of all mobile phone sales.

Cameraphone sales will increase in coming years as the cost of creating them decreases, the study concluded.

Latin America will pace growth of cameraphone sales, with an annual growth rate through 2009 of almost 57 per cent, the study predicted. Africa, Asia and the Middle East all will boast sales increases of between 40 and 50 per cent while sales will be flat in Japan, where the cameraphones already account for 92 per cent of all mobile phone sales.

Cellphone for your pets

Next year, your pet dog and cat can have their own cellphone with PetsMobility Networks planning to launch the first-ever PetsCell cellular telephone for pets.

The patent pending PetsMobility PetsCell will be compatible with existing cellular and satellite GPS technology. The PetsCell will allow pet owners to talk to their pets as well as allow owners to request assistance should they require help.

Moreover, they do not have to worry if their pet has strayed or is lost. If someone finds their pet wandering the streets, s/he simply has to press a button on the mobile device which will trigger the auto dial. This, in turn, will dial the owner's home, alerting the owner to retrieve their pet.

The PetsCell, a two-way communication device, will also be available with an optional GPS tracking chip and a fibre optic camera for search and rescue applications.

To make the PetsCell easily available to its primary targeted customer base, the unit has been designed to operate with most major cellular network service providers. The usage plans will be sold as a bundled service through existing conventional cellular providers in the US.

Computer: Heal Thyself

Now we have software that automatically finds and fixes problems. IBM recently announced that the release of this software marked the beginning of an era of self-healing technology.

IBM compares the self-healing software to the body's nervous system's ability to heal without conscious thought.

The software, which includes a monitoring tool, a composite application manger and automation for multiplatforms, can prevent Internet logjams, bring systems back online after power disruptions, and fix naturally occurring glitches in complex intertwined systems. The self-healing software prevents systems from slowing down and freezing before an online organisation loses customer information.

Next-gen voice technology

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) announced that the next generation of VoiceXML will include specifications for speaker verification.

VoiceXML technologies are usually used to enable commands to be issued by voice, rather than with keystrokes. A number of businesses rely on it to improve profits by automating processes and reducing employees.

But users and businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about the security of those transactions, given the influx of cases where security has been breached. W3C has completed its desired requirements for VoiceXML 3.0 and expects to have a working draft by the end of the first quarter.