Two recent developments, however, have pushed on-screen reading back to the forefront and signal an interesting opportunity for e-book readers.

First, there’s Apple’s introduction of the iphone, which got the masses thinking about what’s possible, including reading, on an easily portable device.

Perhaps more important has been the introduction of other new devices such as the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader, and they’re really turning heads!

Both are small and light, both use new technology that makes each device read more like paper than a screen, and the Kindle allows fast downloads wherever cell service is available. Gomes even mentioned in his WSJ article that it was much better ergonomically to read something on his BlackBerry screen than it was to hold a book.

The Kindle is currently the most popular e-book reader option. While it currently works exclusively with content delivered via Amazon, it’s helping to rapidly expand e-book readership, and like a rising tide floats all boats, that’s good for all of us.

smartphones, which use the Kindle, are equipped with complete operating systems that determine what kinds of functions and applications are available for that device. They provide a convenient way to carry several hand-held digital devices in one body. They allow you to easily sync e-mail accounts so you can get e-mail messages as they arrive on your phone, but they also allow you to view e-mail attachments and read e-books on the web.

Clearly, this is all good news for e-book readers/ publishers and smartphone owners. As more and more consumers become acclimated to reading a variety of materials on a screen rather than on a printed page, and as PDAs and other smartphone devices make it more and more convenient, the market for digitally delivered books, magazines, and newsletters across multiple platforms will only continue to grow.

Suffice it to say, “smartphones are so smart” as evidenced by the fact that these feature-packed mobile phones are becoming so pervasive, so overwhelmingly useful, that they could very easily become the default physical interface for ubiquitous computing applications, providing the foundation for a new, interaction paradigm. Try saying that three times real fast!

Tags: pocket pc, people finder, mobile, gadgets, smartphone

The Kit is not physical in the sense of something you can hold in your hand, at least not all of it. Actually, the kit is USB device, loaded with a software program that was developed to make it easy for parents and guardians to use.

In the event of an emergency, you simply present the USB device to a law enforcement agent and provide them with the password so they can quickly start the process for issuing an Amber Alert.

The process begins when local law enforcement is notified that a child has been abducted. They verify that the abduction meets AMBER Alert criteria. If it does, they will issue an actual AMBER Alert and provides the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with relevant information to include in the outgoing Alert.

AMBER Alert designed and developed the software using their in-depth experience with the requirements of law enforcement agencies, and by evaluating other ID Kits on the market. Kingston Technology, the worlds leading supplier of memory products, provides the USB device (hardware) for the Child ID Kit.

No one is suggesting that your child will be abducted, go missing or get lost. The possibility exists, however, since “children run a mile a second.” The software was created primarily for emergency situations where time is of the essence, and the more prepared you are (before the fact), the faster law enforcement can proceed with finding your child (after the fact).

The Kingston USB device is only 2.5″ long making it very easy to attach to your key chain to carry with you or keep in a safe place. Also, the device is password protected and encrypted, so if you lose it, no one can access that information without your password and there are no “back doors.” If you forget your password, the Child ID Kit has to be reset and you’ll loose all the information previously stored on it. Hence, it is highly recommended that you remember the password for the Child ID Kit.

Again, when/ if you find yourself in an emergency, you should give the Child ID Kit with the password to the police. The police will then use the information for their investigation and attempt to issue an AMBER Alert.

According to Amber Alert,

“With the Child ID Kit you can easily keep [an] old photo and simply add a newer one, at the same time update the information. Some organizations offer similar devices to the AMBER Alert.com Child ID Kit, for example they will give you an option to send information over the internet (unsecure).

You will need a personal or laptop computer that runs Microsoft Windows, and has an open USB port — these are quite common on most recent computers. Just insert the Child ID Kit (i.e., the USB device) into the port and wait for the software to launch automatically. There is no need to install any software, nor is any internet connection needed. The Child ID Kit has a memory of 512MB, which is large enough to hold up to 100 photos of your child!

Children grow pretty fast, so they recommend you update your child’s information and photos either every six months or once a year on your child’s birthday. And, for those who want to take matters a step further: Under the heading “Support,” they provide ideas that may help you find where to fingerprint, scan or even get DNA samples of your child in your local area!

And, of course, if you’d like to read more, we’ve got more information on the Wireless Amber Alert service provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Thanks for caring!

Tags: nokia, gps, cell phone, mobile, obama

Mobile Computing is becoming increasingly relevant due, in no small part, to the rise in the number of portable computers, and as well, in the desire to have continuous network connectivity to the Internet, irrespective of one’s physical location.

Mobile computing is all about providing access to computers and associated computer services while on the move. Ubiquitous computing complements this by surrounding users with very large numbers of computers typically embedded in the physical environment. Mobile computing is concerned with the connection of mobile or portable computers, and with the migration of software from a home platform to a remote one.

In other words, we want (and need) access to computing and communications not only from our home base/ apartment, but also while we’re in transit, and when we reach our respective destinations.

Mobile Computing Around the World

Mobile computing is becoming popular all over the world. Especially, notebook and pocket PCs are playing an important role in mobile computing.

In the typical business environment, mobile computing can be utilized while traveling on an airplane or working in a hotel room. Mobile computing is not a `scaled-down’ version of the established and well-studied field of distributed computing. The nature of wireless communication media and the mobility of computers combine to create fundamentally new problems in networking, operating systems, and information systems.

Mobile computing is rapidly rising to the top of the strategic investment list within many enterprises. These enterprises see the competitive advantage to a mobile computing business that includes mobilizing their existing enterprise applications and implementing new mobile applications.

In many respects, mobile computing has already exploded — but, if you want a peek at its imminent future, check out a smartphone, like the Nokia N95. Mobile Computing is expected to be next major paradigm in the evolution of computing. Technological advances are bringing about two major changes that have the potential to reshape the existing network computing into mobile computing. Mobile computing’s associated with the concept of any-time/ any place access to information and computation resources. Timely information, like what’s provide below:

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Now, if we consider the Web as today’s biggest, distributed information system, it seems only natural to add mobility to the web and a lot of research efforts and developments have been undertaken towards a “mobile web.”

Tags: smartphone, public records, ipod, iphone, online security

Apparently, our Canadian friends seem to “get it” … I found the above clip from CBC-TV’s “Cell Phone: The Ring Heard Around the World,” aired in Canada on April 3, in which Professor Paul Levinson talks about the intersection of the Obama, and the cell phone, revolutions . . . .

Barack Obama has been intelligently using cell phone technology (not to mention, mobile computing and web 2.0 technology — I know because I’m on his mailing list) to communicate and motivate the American populace like no other presidential candidate ever has. The effectiveness of his campaign has proven out in his superb numbers.

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If you want to read more along these lines, you might want to view this clip from CBC-TV’s “Cell Phone: The Ring Heard Around the World.” See this video clip for the complete program. Also, see this website for more on Professor Levinson’s book, Cell Phone: The Story of the World’s Most Mobile Medium, and How It Has Transformed Everything.

Personally, I think it’s nice to hear that so many Canadians have been paying close attention to what Dr. Levinson calls the “cell phone revolution,” and especially to the American Presidential elections; many people, both here and there, are already convinced that Barack Obama will be our next President. What do you think?

Tags: lookup cell number, free check background, free cell number phone, reverse phone number, cell phone, cell phone reverse lookup

If you’re into gadgets as much as I am, and you haven’t heard of SeV Clothing, or if you think you know all there is to know about the gadget world, you better just think again! SeV sells clothing that is both fashionable and functional.

SeV’s patented Technology Enabled Clothing-TEC® system provides the ultimate Gear Management Solution™ for your mobile lifestyle. Electronic devices, like cell phones and iPods, are supposed to make your life easier and more fun. Yet, without a manageable way to carry these devices, they quickly become an inconvenience.

To address this problem, they hired a team of designers and engineers to study the gadgets/ devices people tend to carry and how they use them. The conclusion was obvious. To get any benefit from these devices, you need to be able to access and use them easily, yet keep them hidden. That in mind, they designed a clothing line around this premise and patented the concept, calling it “Technology Enabled Clothing,” or TEC®.

Cameras are designed a certain way because 100+ years have “taught us how to design them.” But computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants, game consoles and the like have had less time to evolve. So, this is where good, intuitive design has come in.

Good design “cares” in the sense that it makes the learning/ using process intuitive; learning how to work one’s iPod or iPhone is made easy by a good and “caring” interface design. Attention-grabbing interface features like iPhone’s touch screen and swipe gestures, and Wii’s motion-sensing Wiimote probably turn consumer heads more than any marketing tag line ever could. Design-driven hits like these (which now include Technology Enabled Clothing) demonstrate the commercial value of “caring” about users’ experiences.

The Basics Of Wiring Your SeV®
SeVs are designed to be used with most electronic devices, but they don’t include any electronic equipment or wiring themselves. There is no “one correct way” to connect your devices using the Personal Area Network (PAN). So, while almost all of the pockets are connected to the PAN, its primary use is to connect hands-free headsets/ microphones/ earbuds to your cell phone, iPhone, iPod, and/or MP3 player. This is especially helpful if you live in a jurisdiction that requires hands-free headsets while driving.

On jackets and vests with a lining, the PAN is hidden within the lining of the garment and can’t be seen from its exterior. Other products, like t-shirts, hoodies, pants and shorts, have strategically-placed holes and loops to manage the wires (not described here). These garments incorporate a series of ergonomically-designed conduits hidden throughout their linings. Pockets, in turn, have small, well-placed holes that enable you to access the PAN, to connect your devices.

In the meantime, here’s how you wire-up that vest!

1. Insert the “male” end of the wire through the collar loop (on the same side of the jacket where the device is located);

2. Run the wire though the main access hole into the lining (near the collar);

3. Open the pocket, find the access hole, pull the wire from the lining through the pocket hole and connect to the device;

4. If you’re using PAN for a hands-free device, the microphone would be placed though the loop and near the collar.

D-Rev, a new organization focused on boosting Third World incomes through smart design, is developing a small, powerful generator fueled by bicycling. The peddler, the idea goes, can run a “cellphone-charging business” while going about other tasks…

But, whether we’re talking about tiny generators, the iPhone’s touch screen, or jackets that store computers, one thing is certain. Designers are finding more and more ways to adapt technology to our bodies and our usual behaviors. The upshot for us, fortunately, is a more natural experience . . . and, perhaps, less back strain.

Related Posts on the ‘Net:

• More Choices on SCOTTEVEST/SeV New Look/Feel -your opinions wanted
• SCOTTEVEST/SeV 7th Anniversary 50% Sale is NOW Open to the Public …
• Secret Sale by ScotteVest
• SeV on TV this Weekend

For more information, take a few minutes (or more) to check out the Scottevest/Sev: Blog and/ or sign up for their RSS feed on Scottevest/Sev: RSS News and Deals. Looks really great…

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I’ve actually got much more to say about mobile computing, but I’ve saved it for another post. So, if you’ve got a minute, you can pick through some of the “Cell Phone Topics” I found on the web!