Thanks to XatakaMovil we’ve got noticed of this interesting trial performed by researchers of Radboud University (Netherlands) at the annual Four Days Marches of Nijmegen. After 2006 edition, with the death of 2 participants and 69 hospitalizations, the University began studying ways to monitor the health of marchers during the event.

The system trialed included several elements:

  • RFID Pill for checking body temperature
  • Backpack-RFID reader
  • Mobile phone

Every volunteer swallowed the pill that sends the measure of temerature every ten seconds to the RFID receiver in his backpack. That data was then transmitted via Bluetooth to a GPS-enabled mobile phone and then to the operation center.

“Based on their height, weight and age, the system was able to alert the volunteer if their core body temperature had reached a dangerous level,” in words of Martijn Bakkers, branch manager of healthcare at Progress Software, the firm that provided the event processing technology, based on CEP (complex event processing).

And, what is more important, thanks to the mix of real-time time processing, location aware and push services, in case a volunteer were at risk he could have been notified to have a rest or rehydrate. In fact, not only the participant at risk, but that ones in her vicinity and the medical team.

This is a fantastic example of how near field communications, mobility and real-time messaging technologies can be combined to provide useful services that can make our life easier and more safe.

Via XatakaMovil
Link RFIDUpdate HQInc


Posted in Development, Hardware, Mobile Devices, R&D, rfid
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Openmoko Freerunner

July 7th, 2008 by Rafael García

OpenMoko Freerunner came out past July 4th, after some months waiting for this new release of the most open cellphone in the market. We have talked about it a couple of times.

As Neo 1973, the target of Neo Freerunner is mainly developers and hackers more than mainstream users.

It includes some very interesting features:

  • AGPS
  • WIFI
  • 3axis Motion Sensors
  • 2,8” touch screen VGA (640×480)

… but lacks some others like 3G and camera.

Anyway, the release seems to have been succesful since OpenMoko’s web store has sold out the GSM 900 model. OpenMoko also has a handful of distributors, but no data about availability is provided.

Link OpenMoko


Posted in Development, Hardware, Linux, R&D, Software
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Orange testing a Kindle-like device in France

April 25th, 2008 by Rafael García

Past April 17, Orange started tests of their new Read&Go device, involving 150 users that will have free access to the service for 2 months.

Read&Go service follows the same scheme of Amazon’s Kindle. It makes use of e-paper for a more comfortable reading of books and newspapers and wireless technologies for providing contents. In this case, Orange seems to bet on adding WiFi support to 3G technologies - opposing Amazon support of only Sprint’s EVDO network.

Five mainstream French daily newspapers have team up with Orange for provinding contents: Le Monde, Le Parisien, Les Echos, L’Equipe, Télérama… Of course, information will be houly updated.

Users will also initially get 30 preloaded books, stored on the reader’s 1GB of internal memory.

We have no data about commercial plans for Read&Go, but I think it’s time for such a device/service to hit European market.

Via blogWimax
Link Boursier.com


Posted in Business, Carriers, R&D
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Smart card web server, by OMA

January 21st, 2008 by Rafael García

Via Ajit Jaokar’s Open Gardens blog, a very recommendable one, we have known about one of the ongoing developments in OMA, that seems to be quite interesting.

It’s none other than a ‘Smart card web server’.

According to OMA documentation, as OpenGardens says, “SCWS is a Web server running in the SIM card ((U)SIM, R-UIM, CSIM) that implements a network operator’s services and is portable across handsets. It provides static and dynamic web pages and allows transactions between the card and an HTTP based application running in the handset – for example a Web browser. (…) It also enables the deployment of secure services with standard Web technology by leveraging inherent smart card security features.”

For sure, carriers are very interested in this kind of stuff, as they have a lot of control over SIM cards. So, this could be used as a new way for homogenize the branding and the user experience regardless of device manufacturers.

Via OpenGardens


Posted in R&D
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DVB-H official standard in February ‘08

November 30th, 2007 by Álvaro Arregui

Standards usually are as controversial as needed. This time the European Union has announced that is working with a industry consortium, including Nokia , in order to give a push to the new mobile TV standard: DVB-H.

This standard will be the only one for mobile television because the EU wants to avoid any possible techology fragmentation that could end in the loss of any competitive advantage. Right now, almost eighteen european countries are testing it, while some others are studying whether start doing it.

Anyway, this standard has been rejected by some countries like Germany, Britain or Netherland who see it as a unnecessary mandatory requirement. So far, this rejection has failed because it lacks the two thirds of the votes needed.

Read the oficial press release here.


Posted in R&D
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Intel Ultra mobile vision video

November 2nd, 2007 by Daniel Vecino

[youtube HrzeiUvDZog nolink]

If you are a techie, one of the funniest things you can do in Internet is watch vision videos. In that way, one of our best SevenClick followers has sent us a great Intel Ultra Mobile vision video. Titled “Ultra Mobile: It lets me be me”, the video shows us how mobile technology is going to complete and make easiest (not change) our way of life.

Pay attention because you will discover some devices and technologies very similar to another ones that today are available.

  • Nike+
  • iPhone and multi-touch screens
  • Media Center

Enjoy it! Thanks Santiago N.


Posted in Hardware, Interfaces, Internet, Marketing, People, R&D, Services, eHealth
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Play on your S60 with WiiMote

October 5th, 2007 by Rafael García

Playing your favorite game on your mobile phone can be very disapointing due to keyboard constraints, if we can admit the bunch of keys that cell phones includes is a keyboard.

Some students from the University of Applied Sciences in Hagenberg, Austria, seem to have thought the same and they have developed a Bluetooth driver for S60 for connecting to WiiMote, the remote control of Wii console. Moreover, they have developed a freeware motorcycle racing game as a proof of concept. And they have released the source code, as well. Thanks a lot!

Just odd stuff, but very interesting. Perhaps we could use the WiiMote for controlling more things… or use its accelerometers as sensors for our cell phones and start to play with it for new applications.

Via TheRegister
Link SymbianResources


Posted in Games, Hardware, R&D
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NFC goes beyond: New DoCoMo payment system

October 4th, 2007 by Álvaro Arregui

DoCoMo presented on Tuesday, a prototype cellphone featuring a brand new contacless payment system. The main feature of this system is that instead of waving your phone in front of a  payment terminal, the phone send the data over electric signals through the human body without even get your mobile phone out of your pocket.

 These sort of improvements are quite logical when performed in a country like Japan, where contacless payment is a common way to pay relative cheap goods (ticket gates, vending machines or train fares). Anyway some other countries are developing, testing or deploying their own contacless systems (i.e. South Korea, U.S.A.,…).

The transmitter technology has been developed by a start-up called Kaiser Technology Co. while the handset integration has been done by IBM and Matsushita Electric Works.

Although this system is currently at an early stage of development its applications are huge, from presence control to security systems. You can read an introduction article here explaining the current contacless payment system used in many stores in Japan.


Posted in R&D
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Contactless payment system being tried by Visa

September 27th, 2007 by Álvaro Arregui

The future shown in Minority Report might be closer than you expected. Visa has launched a trial of a new system that will send NFC-enabled phones merchant direct marketing offers and will allow to make payments through Visa payWave.

The trial is being conducted in Taiwan between Visa,  Chunghwa Telecom, Chinatrust Commercial Bank (CTCB) and Nokia as well as 500 people acting as customers and will last for six months. Nokia 6131i handset are being used to make contacless payments at 3.000 stores.

The trial objetive is to make payments along to send and receive marketing offers according to pre-registered preferences using NFC (Near Fiel Communication) by passing by some special posters located in shopping areas.

Via: TMC.net


Posted in R&D
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Saving power on video decoding

September 14th, 2007 by Rafael García

Video decoding is one of the most processing intensive task, thus compromising battery life, very important in mobile devices. In the most recent issue of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems, researchers at the University of Maryland, describe a simple way for multimedia devices to save power.

The algorithm just take advantage of human tolerance to failure on frames decodification. While much digital vido plays at rates about 30 frames per second, human eye only catch up to 24 frames per second. So, if we miss 6 frames per second on decoding process no one will notice.

Then, researches proposal is not to try all the frames, but only the 24 easier to decode. This way a great saving of power has been reached in first lab experiments.

For sure, many research projects related to the topic of power saving on multimedia decoding will go on. We encourage to read the whole story. And, very important, don’t miss the comments, where this project is harshly criticized.

Via TechnologyReview


Posted in MobileTV, R&D
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