Gadgets and gizmos for the holidays

This is the final installment on the subject of new and exciting technology gadgets and gizmos for the holidays.

Although you are reading this after Christmas, it doesn't mean that can't get that special someone or yourself an after Christmas gift.

Let's begin with something for all the kids that is really cool and educational at the same time. The Fable is a new tablet that is totally interactive and designed specifically for kids. This device gives kids the ability to read, draw, play and establish a connection to a mobile broadband network.

The Fable has a kid-friendly, high-resolution, 7-inch LCD touch screen and it comes loaded with some of the best known kids stories that include color pictures as well.

Besides the e-books that are already loaded onto Fable, parents will have the ability to purchase more directly online, by way of VizitMe, which is an online bookstore that The Fable can connect to.

Kids will love The Fable even more because of the other features it has, like an artistic toolset with digital markers, paintbrushes, magic pens and different shapes used to draw and color on a blank page, coloring pages and photos. There are cool, interactive games that are based on numbers, reading, food, colors, shapes and a bunch of other themes.

And parents, if you're concerned about security protocols to protect your child against getting into digital content that they shouldn't, you can monitor and restrict your child's access through pin codes and a password-protected VizitMe account. The Fable is made by Isabella Products and can be purchased from most big box stores or online.

Now we are going to take a trip down memory lane. A lot of you won't remember this and I am really dating myself with the mention of this, but how many of you remember the Dick Tracy cartoon strip that was once in the newspaper and there was a comic book as well.

If you do recall the master detective, then you have to remember the cool watch that he wore and the fact that it was a walkie-talkie and also had two-way video.

You too can now be just like Dick Tracy. Behold the arrival of the Rebel sWaP Watch, which is not only a watch, but also a mobile phone with Bluetooth, camera, video player, recorder and MP3 player all combined into one sweet package.

The Rebel sWaP Watch has a 1.46-inch touch screen with a mini stylus and it supports WAP connection, enabling you to surf the web on the go. Even though the Rebel sWaP Watch has an incredible amount of varied functions, it is still a watch that does tell time accurately. To find out where to get this watch, just Google it.

I thought it would be only fitting to finish off with something from the green realm. Given that there is a big push to bring the electric car onto the automobile market in a bigger way, we should definitely review a device that, if you decide to move to the electric car, promises to turn your home into an electric car charging station.

This new technology is named the Coulomb CT500. This device is the brainchild of Coulomb Technologies and is being made available to residential consumers who own or will own electric vehicles.

The CT500 charging station is a 7.2 kw single output station intended for residential and light business applications. It features Level II (208/240 V @ 30 A) charging and is compatible with plug-in electric vehicles that meet the terms of SAE J1772 plug-in electric vehicle-charging standard.

CT500 charging station is available through Coulomb's OEM and distribution channels. Coulomb has already partnered with Ford and Chevy and has placed a significant number of the charging stations throughout the United States For more details on the device and how to get it, just go online.

From all of us at Bardissi Enterprises, we hope you enjoyed this year's holiday gadgets and gizmos and we hope that your Christmas was very merry and that you got some good gift suggestions from this series.

- Andino Ward

Gadgets and gizmos for the holidays

Last week's column on new technology gadgets and gifts for the holiday was a big hit and a lot of readers called wanting to get more information on some of the gadgets that were featured.

So, as promised, here are some more really cool tech gadgets that are under the radar, but great gifts that you can add to your already long list of treats for your family and friends to find under the tree on Christmas Day.

For you who just don't get the whole CD, iTunes, MP3 music thing and are still attached to your vinyl record collections, this next gadget will really make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Behold the iPod Turntable, which can convert the music on your vinyl records over to your iPod and you don't need a computer to do it.

With this device, you can capture the true LP sound onto your iPod, iPhone or MP3 player through the iPod Turntable's built-in iPod docking station with USB digital.

The turntable spins the vinyl and the music transfers to your iPod, iPhone or MP3 player seamlessly and without the need for any kind of cables.

There is a USB turntable computer connection for Mac and PC archiving and the iPod turntable has stereo input for converting other music sources as well.

I personally have more than 3,000 LPs and I must tell you that after checking this gadget out, I am very impressed and looking forward to getting one for myself. If you're interested in getting this gadget, you can get it from The Sharper Image, Amazon, Numark and most big box stores as well as online.

If you're a conspiracy buff or prankster and you like gadgets that allow you to catch things that people do without them knowing it or you just want to capture real-time situations from a different point of view, then I think you will find this next gadget very interesting.

The IRDC260 uCorder Pockito is a mini camcorder with webcam that can be worn on your person in an undetectable manner. This mini camcorder can also be mounted onto anything and because it is so small, it is easy to hide.

It measures at about 2.5 by 1.25 by 0.5 inches, which is why it is considered to be among the smallest and most portable camcorders on the market today.

It has incredible image quality as it delivers 720 by 480 D1 resolution AVI video at 30 fps in real-time. The camcorder can be attached to any part of your body and on a helmet, provided you have use of a sports accessory package.

The files from the uCorder Pockito can be saved to a Micro SD card and because the camcorder recordings are captured as AVI standard files, they are easily readable on any media player. The IRDC260 uCorder Pockito can be used as a webcam connected to your PC.

If you want an even faster camcorder with more memory, then you should get the uCorder IRDC250 Wearable Video Camera Recorder that has a 2 GB built-in memory to include a PC webcam.

If you're interested in getting the camcorder or you want more information, just visit www.ucorder.com/IRDC260b-pocket-camcorder.html for all the details.

Everybody's getting on the Kindle bandwagon in reading more of their favorite books and magazines without paper. Now there is NookColor eReader that says it will "color up your reading experience."

So the question becomes, what is it that makes this new entry into the eBook market different from all the other readers?

Well, for one, the NookColor eReader has an exclusive VividView color touch screen that is 7 inches and has a wonderful display screen technology with more than 16 million colors and an expanded viewing angle. It has an unlimited library due to the 8 GB of storage space.

You never have to worry about losing the book you're reading because you will always be able to get back to it at anytime and anywhere. The NookColor isn't only limited to eBooks, but is also an integrated Wi-Fi that will permit you to access the Internet.

The NookColor can be personalized and you can customize your home page, shelves and font, add virtual bookmarks and more. Barnes & Noble is where you can get the reader and it comes with Wi-Fi and 3G too.

I just love this time of year and researching the many new tech gadgets and gifts that are on the market and ready for you to run out and get.

I will end this series next week, with some more technology gifts and gadgets, one of which is specifically for kids, to include some gadgets from the green realm.

Andino Ward is vice president of marketing and operations of Bardissi Enterprises in Hatfield. Bardissi Enterprises welcomes your questions or comments. Questions you would like answered or topics you would like discussed should be sent to Andino R. Ward at award@bardissi.net. You can also visit www.bardissi.net, or call (215) 853-2266.

Part I: Great technology for the holidays

We are a couple weeks away from the most wonderful time of the year and looking forward to that big day when we wake up and see what's under the Christmas tree.

Once again this year, you can bet that the most anticipated and intensely wanted gifts will be those coming from the information technology realm.

If you have been following the consumer markets, you know that the biggest sellers in information technology gadgets continue to be smartphones like the Droid, Android, iPhone Evo and so on. The Apple iPad, iPod and Nano have also been top sellers, as well as the Kindle.

Having said that,I thought it would be good to give you a look at some of the less advertised tech gadgets that are both unique and very interesting. So, let's take a look at what's under the radar, but very new and exciting gifts for this holiday season.

Mindflex

It is often said that we use very little of our brains and if we had the capability to use more of it, we could probably do things like move objects with our minds, read other people's thoughts and maybe even make time stand still.

Of course, all of that is beyond human mental capacity, which is probably a good thing. But fear not, because there is a new tech toy on the market that may help you expand your mental powers and capabilities.

This new brainpower-enhancing device is called Mindflex by Mattel and its main feature is a headset that reads your brain waves, which allows them to interact with and levitate a foam ball.

Now if you think it is unbelievable you must simply see it to believe it. The aim of this device is to move you beyond the realm of the ordinary games that require the roll of a die or lucky draw. Instead, the advanced Mindflex technology brings an entirely new agenda of play as it prompts you to play in a whole new way using the power of your mind. The game begins with you strapping on a headset, which permits you to use the brain's power of concentration to move a ball around the game console and through a mind-altering obstacle course. The Mindflex game is suggested for players ages 8 and above. Check it out and see just how powerful your mind really is and if you possess or can master the power of telekinesis.

SkyScout

Next up is a tech gadget called, The SkyScout created by Celestron. This is an extraordinary handheld device that incorporates advanced GPS technology with point-and-click ease to locate and identify thousands of stars, planets, constellations and more. You need only point the SkyScout at any star in the sky, while clicking the target button and the device will tell you what object you are looking at.

When attempting to locate a star or planet you only need to pinpoint the object's name in the menu and then follow the directional arrows that are revealed in the viewfinder. The overall process is really simple and the SkyScout is very easy to use. It has a built-in celestial database that has information on it and can locate more than 6,000 stars, planets and constellations along with scientific information on each object. Furthermore, the SkyScout provides an extensive amount of text, history and mythology along with more entertaining information on the most popular objects in the solar system and the information comes in audio form as wll. The SkyScout is so cool and is like having your own personal planetarium that fits in the palm of your hand.

Video Glasses

For all you enthusiastic movie buffs there is a new technology in the form of Video Glasses by The Sharper Image, that allow you to watch movies and videos anywhere and at any time, without attracting unwanted attention. The Video Glasses have a virtual wrap screen that displays with a standard 4:3 and 16:9 screen formats and also plays 2D and 3D movies. Another great feature of the Video Glasses is that they support the iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch, portable DVD players, composite-video media players, digital cameras, camcorders, mobile phones with video-out, game systems, and more.

The Video Glasses are very comfortable and stylish to boot with added ability to fit over most prescription eyeglasses. The glasses have Independent left and right eye focal adjustment along with noise-isolating earphones. I have tested The Sharper Image Video Glasses and found them to be both affordable and really nice. Check in next week as I continue to unveil more high tech gadgets that I know you will enjoy, along with cool green tech gadgets as well.

Andino Ward is vice president of marketing and operations of Bardissi Enterprises in Hatfield. Bardissi Enterprises welcomes your questions or comments. Questions you would like answered or topics you would like discussed should be sent to Andino R. Ward at award@bardissi.net. You can also visit www.bardissi.net, or call (215) 853-2266.

Getting rid of old technology

With the speed at which information technology systems and software change, by way of faster processing of information, larger storage capacities, increased functionality and improved operating systems, it stands to reason that outdated IT hardware can build up and take up space in your home or office, thus eventually leading to the purchase of new systems. So, what do you do with the old PC or laptop?

We have looked at one method of disposal that a big box store uses, namely Best Buy. If you were not already aware, non-profits are another great refuge for disposing of old IT systems. There is a non-profit organization called National Cristina Foundation, which is like a clearinghouse for donated computers, laptops and various other forms of IT hardware and software. The National Cristina Foundation is joined with other, legitimate non-profits, public agencies and schools throughout the United States, Canada and internationally. The organization's main purpose is to move used computers, laptops and other types of IT hardware and software that has been donated to the aforementioned entities to be used by economically disadvantaged citizens, those who have disabilities, employment training programs and at risk students both nationally and internationally.

If you're interested in making a donation of your old system, software or other IT hardware such as printers and peripherals to the National Cristina Foundation, all you have to do is visit their website at http://www.cristina.org and you will find all of the information to assist you in making a donation. Make sure that you pay close attention to the organization's specific requirements regarding what is an acceptable, donated PC or laptop. This information can also be found on the website as well.

There is a local non-profit organization that specifically deals with securing and receiving old IT technology that is being donated in the local area as well. The organization is called Nonprofit Technology Resources and it is located in Philadelphia. The organization's main purpose is to provide donated computers and laptops to low income people and community based organizations in the city. NTR also provides hands on assistance and training, to those receiving donated systems, so that they are able to use the systems properly. Just go to http://ntrweb.org/ for more information and directions on how to make donations.

One of our business partners, in information technology, is very involved, as well, in properly discarding of old technology and although they specialize in creating and building new PCs and laptops, they will take donations of IT hardware no matter what the brand name may be. The company is DELL and its program is called "Dell Reconnect." Dell's recycling program will accept computer equipment no matter what condition it is in and they do recycle it for free. Another great thing about Dell's program is that they make sure that any and all sensitive materials that could harm the environment are never disposed of in landfills.

The final group and probably the most extensive, in terms of its outreach is the World Computer Exchange organization which is considered to be North America's leading non-profit organization that deals with finding large quantities of donated PCs and laptops which they supply to developing countries around the world. The WCE has over 570 partner organizations throughout the world and about 25 chapters located in and around the United States to which donations of IT hardware can be made.

Without question, the WCE maintains a world view on the provision of technology as it believes that the world's youths deserve an education and that this can be achieved through providing them access to the Internet and the World Wide Web. It is important to remember that the WCE deals in very large quantities of PCs and laptops which is more applicable to companies and corporations as they would be entities that need to dispose of larger amounts of technology at any given time. To learn more about the World Computer Exchange, just visit the website http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/.

Given the fact that this is a major time of the year when people will be getting that new PC or laptop under the tree on Christmas Day, thus preparing the way for the need to dispose of their old system, the information contained herein, I hope, will provide a definite resource of organizations that can be used to donate your unwanted technology to. Whatever you do, please make sure that it will be environmentally safe.

- Andino Ward

Telemedicine: The plan and privacy

As indicated, last week, there is a big push on governmentally and health insurance industry wide, to reduce the cost of delivering health-care while expanding the level of service.

Until now, there has been reluctance on the part of the health-care industry to spend money on expensive new technology today that could possibly minimize the ever-growing cost of health care tomorrow.

Ironically, since the healthcare reform process that the Obama administration passed has been implemented, there has been a residual effect in that it has prompted the health insurance industry to rethink their negative attitudes and begin to really consider the new telemedicine agenda.

Technology companies like Intel and General Electric have been actively pursuing the creation of home health-care monitoring system’s that would have the ability to transmits data from devices like blood-pressure cuffs and glucose meters directly over the Internet.

Google and IBM are throwing their hats in the ring, as they too are developing telemedicine solutions in home systems that will have Internet data transmission capabilities.

The overall aim of this new partnership between the technology companies and the health insurance industry is to create technology that will guarantee and provide a real life interaction between patients and doctors over the Internet.

It would seem the health insurance industry is finally ready to accept a nontraditional delivery system and to loosen their purse strings, kicking out a few big bucks to get the telemedicine process started along with the government, and both believe that remote monitoring technology is just the right fit to increase the degree of medical services, while at the same time decreasing the cost.

So, how does this new system work? When looking at the overall layout of this new technology, it is clear that most of it is already readily available and will only need to be modified to fit the proposed medical agenda.

The system will use high-definition cameras and monitors in a telepresence format that will create an experience between the doctor and patient that will be much like that of a visual conference call.

A certified, trained medical professional, along with an IT technician, will be the onsite presence at the patient’s residence along with the monitoring and telecommunications equipment that will be set up to connect with the same type of equipment back at the doctor’s office.

There is also another telemedicine solution that is a small telepresence room or pod that can be driven to any location and have patients be seen on the mobile unit or a pod that can be moved, inside a medical facility, from room to room.

Once all is connected, there will be an online link between the physician and the patient and it is hoped the experience will be very intimate to the degree that the patient will feel like he or she is in the same room with their physician.

That intimacy is where we look at the issue of privacy and the fact that it is not really possible, at this point, to address the issue of privacy since this can only be accurately dealt with once the telemedicine technology is in place and being used on a broad basis.

Again, the hope is that the aspect of intimacy will impart the same feeling of privacy that is now felt by a patient when addressing medical and health concerns in the physician’s actual office, but only the implementation of the technology and patient response will tell us how the issue of privacy is perceived.

There are various telemedicine systems being used in test modes throughout the country, by various health insurance groups and technology companies, with the ongoing monitoring of the new technologies efficiency, cost effectiveness and how the test group of patients perceives this new method of delivering health care.

The majority of the testing is being done in areas where there is limited access to adequate health care or rural areas where the travel distance in receiving health-care services can be problematic.

Yet, to date, there has not been a release of any information or statistics regarding how the process is being perceived by the patients as well as how the new technology is functioning.

Is there a doctor in the house? Oh, yes there is and the doctor is on your computer asking you to, “please bend over and cough”!

How do you feel about this brave new world of technology and health care?

- Andino Ward

Is telemedicine about to become a reality?

As we all know, there is an ongoing debate and battle over health care and the recently passed health-care bill.

The issue of health care and the new bill continues to be ever present and apparent in the national media and the political arena as well.

Now, there is a new anomaly that is working its way into the health-care debate and if it should become a reality, could add a whole new dimension to the debate and how health-care services will be delivered to the consumer and the costs associated with health insurance providers.

The new anomaly to which I am referring is "telemedicine" and many experts in the field of health care are expressing their feelings that telemedicine's time has come.

Over the last 10 years, technology companies have been expressing an exaggerated interest in the potential implementation of virtual technology that would permit physicians to remotely examine and monitor patients without having to actually be onsite or have the patient come into the office.

It should be clearly understood that the technology used to provide telemedicine is very expensive and, as a result of the cost, from a business perspective, makes it difficult to really take seriously.

However, all of this is about to change as recent developments regarding the health-care system and the governmental feeling that it is broken have sparked a newfound desire to find various means and ways to fix the system.

Thus, the Washington, D.C., power brokers and lawmakers are now revisiting the aspect of technologies like high-definition video conferencing and telepresence.

One of the major players in the direction of this new health-care technology is Cisco, which has developed a system called HealthPresence, which has the ability to allow a physician to examine and treat a patient remotely using the physician's system in the process.

This new system has come about as a result of the partnership that has taken place between technology superstar Cisco and the health insurer UnitedHealth Group.

As a result of the partnership, the two entities, using the new technology called HealthPresence, will direct its focus on providing remote care to people who live in remote and under-served areas of the country and eventually the world as well as.

Even though, the cost of this new technology is a big concern as is seen in the $300,000 price tag on the Cisco system, there is also the expense associated with the fact that these systems require the use of high-definition audio and video equipment and need a significant amount of bandwidth to function properly as the entire process is one that will be transmitted over the internet.

Yet, when you look at the fact that Washington lawmakers and the health-care industry, do all agree that if something is not done to stem the rising cost of health care, the ever increasing costs could very well cripple the nation, it is obvious why they are seeking and willing to consider nontraditional solutions like telemedicine.

We will take a look at some of the concerns regarding deployment of the new technology and the overall concern of patient privacy as it relates to this new frontier next week.

- Andino Ward

What is the biggest network security problem?

Computer and network security continues to be a subject of ongoing concern and I find, that I cannot write enough on this very important business subject and issue.

The overwhelming and continual problem, which compels me to revisit this subject, is that I am continuing to see business owners who just don't take seriously the importance in making sure critical information is well protected rather than the possibility of losing valuable and critical operational data as well as the network being compromised and data being stolen.

Not a week goes by that my company is not confronted with a call, from a business, identifying that their entire network and its data may have been breached and the data compromised.

So why are businesses continuing to experience problems in the area of network security breaches and what should companies do in order to combat network and computer security problems?

Most companies tend to put thousands of dollars into things like anti-virus/anti-malware protection, firewalls, password policies and security procedures. Yet, they fail to do the thing, that will first and foremost tell them what the source of their network security problems may really be, which is take a hard, in-depth look at exactly what the security problems are and where they are coming from.

When called upon, to deal with the issue of network security and a potential breach, the first thing we do is to freeze everything on the network and begin to do a systematic analysis of all activity that has taken place, on the network, over the period of the last month. Now, because the network freeze can and will create system down time, it is always smart to do this on the weekend verses normal business hours and once the process is done, without fail, at least 90 percent of the time, we find what the biggest network security issue is and the problems originate from the company.

- George Bardissi

Communications providers are hard to categorize

Throughout the course of looking into the government’s creation of new legislation that would allow for expanded and more intrusive wiretapping of all Internet communications, it is clear that the initiative is largely being spear headed by federal law enforcement and national security officials.

It is also quite interesting that these officials, along with Congress, that are working on the proposed legislation have not been able to agree on how to determine or define what makes an entity a communications service provider.

Even more interesting is that the White House tends to have a clearer profile of what a communications service provider is, or at present, it would appear that way.

The White House seems to feel that any entity involved in using encrypted e-mail transmitters and social networking sites along with peer-to-peer messaging software should be targeted.

Of course, when you look at the aforementioned profiles, it is immediately apparent that company’s like Skype, Facebook and BlackBerry will most likely come under the long arm of the new wirer tapping legislation if passed and enacted.

Companies who operate servers outside the United States, according to the White House definition, will also qualify as communications service providers, thus making them part of those companies that will need to comply with the new legislation.

When questioned about the new legislation, one of the FBI’s attorneys indicated that the security community is not necessarily attempting to expand its authority, but rather to preserve their existing capability to execute the current protocols, now in place, allowing a continuation of ongoing protection of the public and national security.

This all coincides with the fact that national security officials, for quite a while, have been actively pursuing the government to give them greater latitude and control in being able to wiretap the Internet, because of the intensified activity on the part of extremists and criminals who are inclined to do more of their conversing online and not on the telephone.

It goes without saying that the proposed legislation does raise worrisome privacy concerns relative to all who use the Internet.

In the Times article, James X Dempsey, vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, made it clear that it seems like the national security agencies and the White House are trying to send time spiraling backward, in that they appear to want the services provided on the Internet to function in the way that telephone systems once functioned.

The United States is not the only country grappling with the matter of Internet security concerns. Over the course of this year, it has been reported that India and Saudi Arabia both threatened to extinguish all BlackBerry services, because of their governments feeling that the device’s e-mail encryption was responsible for creating a potential national security risk in their respective countries.

In light of both countries’ firm stance on eliminating BlackBerry services, RIM did concede to their demands and the two countries’ security officials complete, lawful access to Internet and smartphone data. Of course, this kind of leverage is exactly what our national security agencies are hoping to gain with the advent of the proposed legislation.

The vast majority of citizens, in the United States are probably not aware of the fact that our Internet and phone networks have been under protocols that allow for various agencies to eavesdrop as a result of the 1994 law titled the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act.

Although the wiretapping authority was amended to include digital networks and cell phones as well as the already covered copper-wire phone systems, the law falls short, according to the security agencies and the government as it still fails to cover communications service providers.

So what does this mean for you and me? Well, quite simply, nothing if we are honest, law-abiding citizens. You see, if you aren’t doing anything wrong or questionable, then ask yourself, “What do I have to fear?”

Because that’s what it really boils down to. Whether we like it, or not, the days of complete privacy, as a result of the world we live in, are over.

Thus, you and I have a choice to make. Either we accept the fact that with advanced technology there will continue to be an advancing loss of privacy, or we decide to walk away from technology and return to a time of greater simplicity where we had to physically and personally communicate with one another and not through a touch screen or keypad.

Are you living a righteous life or are you one who by virtue of your unlawful or questionable activities will become afraid of what may come to be a complete loss of privacy in the ever expanding realm of balancing information technology and national security?

Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate what you’re doing on the Internet.

- Andino Ward

The White House wants to tap the Internet

Are you ready for the next round of possible government-inspired Internet security measures?

Well, get prepared, because there is big talk and even bigger plans under way regarding Internet security.

It was reported in the Sept. 27 edition of The New York Times that the White House is hard at work creating legislation that will broaden the scope of the current wiretap authority to infiltrate and intercept our Facebook, BlackBerry and Skype communications without prior knowledge or consent.

The proposed legislation would also include an agenda that will give law enforcement and security officials increased ease in being able to infiltrate and eavesdrop on your online chatter as well.

Don't be alarmed, as the proposed legislation is not expected to be presented to Congress before next year and we all know just how long it can take, before a decision is made on anything in Congress.

You can bet there will be hearing after hearing, filibusters and a host of other objections during the process.

This proposed legislation is being seen as an Obama administration-sponsored bill, which for all intents and purposes would appear to be true since it is coming out of the White House.

One of the unsettling and most prominent aspects of the pending legislation, if passed and enacted, will demand that every Internet-based communication service reset its internal protocols to be technically capable of adhering to the federal wiretap order to include the ability to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

The overall scope of this legislation has incredible implications, as it may seem to be a means of releasing the proverbial hounds of hell on an unsuspecting population, in that it will equip our government with the power to listen in on every communication that is made online.

Of course, given the times that we live in and the relentless pursuers of anarchy, terrorism and the destruction of anything and anyone that does not have a shared belief, in their opinion, philosophy, political persuasion or religion, this new legislation may not be such a bad thing.

Yet, there is always that overwhelming, sinking feeling that Big Brother is waiting, watching and listening, as well as the distinct possibility that those in the administration, intelligence community or any other entity with access to and permission to use this legislation having ill intentions could use it for all the wrong reasons and exact untold invasions of privacy.

What of the government officials working on this new legislation? Who are they and how are they attempting to define who the Internet communications providers are and what the criterion is that the government will use to move forward in exacting the new legislation on their choice of who constitutes a qualified, in their opinion, provider?

And what about the providers of Internet communications services, what are their thoughts on this new legislation?

How will the new legislation affect the realm of wireless technology, specifically the smartphone?

Make sure you're on board, next week, as we will look at these questions and attempt to provide answers accordingly.

- Andino Ward

Microsoft's Cyber Security EBook and Google TV

In an effort to keep up with the ongoing need for safety and security on the Web, especially for teens, Microsoft has developed and released a free Ebook that imparts and defines an incredible amount of diverse security topics.

Even though Microsoft created this specifically for teenagers, it became clear that the book's contents does offer such an indepth view into using the Internet safely that it can be used by anyone looking to gain advise and insight on Internet security.

One of Microsoft's main concerns in developing the Ebook was to not insult teens by appearing to be trying too hard to look cool. In checking out the Ebook, I must say that Microsoft did a fantastic job at, as the teen set says, "keeping it real."

Microsoft should be given high praise in that they really did create a comprehensive guide for teens as well as new computer users, which does cover everything relative to cyber security.

Some of the topics include catching phishing tactics, how to set up your browser so that you're protected against browser-based intrusions and crimes, how to handle cyber-stalking and bullying. The Ebook also offers up an interesting history and real world examples of the danger and harm that can and has come from cyber security vulnerabilities.

The great part is that you and your teenager can download the 253-page book for free. Microsoft has added an aspect of convenience in that you have the option to either download the entire book or you can download only those chapters that you feel are relevant to the specific concerns that you and your teenager may have.

In reviewing the Ebook, it was also obvious to me that it would be a great teaching tool for students and organizations.

I urge every parent, teacher, caregiver and youth organization to get a copy of this Ebook and to use it to help "tweens," teens and everyone find ways to be safe on the Web. If you would like to download the Ebook, all you need to do is visit "Own Your Space: Keep Yourself and Your Stuff Safe Online."

So, what's hot at Google? Well, Google has made a strong move into the Internet TV arena and is calling its new venture, appropriately so, Google TV. This new technology is planned to hit the scene within the next few months in the U.S. and will create a seamless connection between your TV and the Web.

Google TV will also connect to the Android app store as well as the Android-powered smartphones and the iPhone, with both having the capability to be used as remote controls for Google TV.

There will be three specific devices that will have the ability to initiate the Google TV platform and they will be Sony HDTV, Blu-ray players and a Logitech set-top box, both of which should connect to your TV, provided that your TV is in the recent high-definition realm.

This new endeavor is incredible as it will completely change the way we use and view our TVs and our computers, in that it will, in effect, merge the two. You will be able to get the Web at the push of a button and channeled TV with a smooth cross platform search tool ability and your TV will become an enormous digital photo frame with a slideshow mode that will allow you to have all your photos uploaded to sites like Flickr or Facebook.

Make sure you say thank you to the required Google TV hardware specs like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as they will give you the ability to load a Web page on your Android phone and beam it to your Google TV.

Also, in case you forgot, remember that whole Android and smartphone voice recognition thing I told you about in the first part of this series? Well, you can also use your Android phone's voice recognition, making it possible to change channels or search for shows just by talking into the phone and this application will become available for other smartphones in time.

As you can see, Microsoft and Google are charting a course, in their respective arenas, that is both exciting and definitely expanding our capabilities in the vast, open space we call the information highway.

So make sure you're on that fast-moving ride and strap in tight, because it's going to be a wild, fast-paced and exciting ride. I hope we can all keep up!

- Andino Ward

Google and Microsoft on the cutting edge

Google was a big standout at this year's IFA convention that was held in Europe and is said to be the world's largest consumer electronics and home appliances trade show on the planet.

Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, was on hand and gave a very revealing talk on the realm of the smartphone, cloud computing and Google TV.

Let's start with the Android platform as well as the exciting new tool for voice search recognition and mobile speech translation called conversation mode.

Because of the unprecedented development of the many variations of smartphones, it is anticipated that there will be a staggering upswing in the growth of the smartphone handset market.

The numbers are incredible and estimated to go from the current 1 billion mark to 3 billion or 4 billion in the next four years and all this movement in smartphone technology and the consumer will be tied directly to the cloud, which will provide an increased impressive array of functions to smartphones.

It goes without saying that smartphone technology is seriously becoming the driving force in the world of information technology.

When you take all of this into consideration, it really isn't a surprise that the hottest smartphone on the market, the Android, is said to be shipping 200,000 activations per day.

Now here's the really exciting part. Google has made a significant push into the area of what is referred to as the "augmented humanity" model.

This is something that seeks to make the aspect of cloud computing and smartphone apps become aligned with you and me, the human being, and what we want in the way of services from our mobile technology.

One part of the model is designed to improve the search capability by building a more defined bridge between what you search for and what you mean with a solid degree of search efficiency that will determine and find exactly what you want to the most minute detail.

But the most exciting part of the new model is the upgraded voice recognition technology app that is expected to be released in the next few months.

Google introduced voice search recognition two years ago and it is calculated that Android search in the U.S. is now being done by way of voice at a rate of 25 percent.

The move into this area by Google is doing quite well and has very fast voice search capability and voice actions to include impressive speech to text tools.

I have personally had the opportunity to play around with this new technology and I must say that it has made a believer out of me, to the extent that I can truly tell you that it will change the way we all use our smartphones in that it will end the days of pushing buttons.

There is also the new app that Google will be releasing in the next few months called Conversations Mode and let me tell you, it is awesome.

So this is how it goes: Let's say you're in Turkey on vacation or business and you are shopping at an outdoor market place or eating at a local Turkish restaurant.

Of course you don't speak the language, but fear not, because you have your trusty smartphone.

You whip it out, go to the conversation mode app and begin to say what it is you want the merchant or waiter to know, all in English.

As you speak into the handset, within seconds your smartphone will send out a spoken translation to the merchant or waiter in their language and it will do so with perfect translation, to which the merchant or waiter will, in their own language, respond into your handset and you will then receive the spoken translation in perfect English.

Just think about how easy this will make travel to a foreign country and the fact that you won't have to make the mistake of ordering sautéeed goats eye's, when you really wanted fried calamari.

Doesn't that take a load off your mind, since you're planning on going to Thailand where there is some really exotic cuisine?

Join me next week as we take a look at Google television and Microsoft's new Cyber Security EBook.

- Andino Ward

Groupon: The next level in online shopping

Here's the thing: I was shopping around the other day for some percussion instruments, as I have started playing again with a jazz band and a blues band as well.

Without thinking, I went directly to the Internet and started looking for the various pieces of equipment I needed.

All of a sudden, I just stopped surfing the Net and started reflecting on what I was doing and it became very clear to me that over the last 10 years, at least 95 percent of my shopping is done online. The remaining 5 percent is done at the grocery store and gas station.

No matter what I am looking to buy, the ease of sitting at my desk and surfing is relaxing, economical and, I must say, fun.

There is such a plethora of online stores to choose from and the deals that I find are incredible, with a 10 to 30 percent savings every time.

Every major store chain has a site that you can go to and shop and then there are all the online stores to choose from as well. One can almost never say that they cannot find the particular item or service they are looking for when shopping on the Internet.

Well, hold on to your heavily weighted down with money fanny pack, because there's a new online shopping site that has hit the ground running and is changing the way online shopping is done.

This is all coming from one Andrew Mason, a 29-year-old music major from Northwestern who in 2008, with lightning speed, created and launched the fastest growing Web-based business in the history of the Web.

The young entrepreneur has brought to life an online company called Groupon, which is a combination of the words group and coupon. Groupon's purpose is to invoke huge sales and easy profits along with creating a solid connection between retailers and online consumers.

Of greater interest is the fact that the Groupon philosophy is a direct throwback to the dot.com era and what it was supposed to have been about.

The company provides an online audience with deep discounts on a product or service and uses the "act now" slogan as its main pitch, followed by, "you have only so many hours before this offer expires." All of which can be considered familiar come-ons, yet they are still very effective, as seen in Groupon's incredible online success.

Groupon lists with vendors in every city and they list the deals of the day on the site for consumers to partake of in their own area or any part of the country they choose.

When you shop on the site, you will find everything from tickets to sports events, museum exhibits, classes at yoga studios or spas, ice cream shops, clothing stores and so much more. I found that the savings are typically around 50 percent on must items or services, while putting you, the customer, in touch with vendors you who might never have thought of patronizing since you weren't aware of their existence.

One of the main things that has made Groupon a big and fast-moving success is its use of Google and Facebook. By connecting with them, Groupon is able to gets its offers in front of a tremendous consumer base that is estimated to be around 13 million subscribers.

I have personally been shopping online using Groupon for the past year and have consistently been amazed at the ease of use and the deals that I have come across in the process.

The young Mason has definitely created a winner and you will most definitely find Groupon a fun-filled, bargain-rich site.

Have a great time shopping and try not to spend all that money in your fanny pack. Isn't it kind of geeky to still be wearing a fanny pack?

- Andino Ward

How smart is your underwear?

So, how are those new underwear that you just purchased fitting you right now? Since you started wearing them, are you getting a tingly feeling in your lower region? Is there a sudden pep in your step, dip in your hip, glide in your stride? Are you feeling a sense of free and wild abandonment, all because of your new underwear?

Or, do you think your losing your mind, because of the newfound exhilaration and excitement that you're experiencing below your waist?

Well fear not! It is not your imagination and you're not going crazy. What's really happening is that you are the proud owner of "SMART UNDERWEAR"! That's right the underwear that you have on are intelligent. This groundbreaking technology was created at the University of California San Diego by Professor Joseph Wang and a team of scientists who specialize in nano technology. Dr. Wang and his team have designed high-tech underwear that may one day save lives.

Now, of course, I was joking in the opening lines of this piece, about your undies giving you a new lease on life, but that perspective is not really far off. You see, the smart underwear that Dr. Wang and his team are responsible for have sensors in the waistband that can monitor a person's blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs. It is also anticipated that the underwear will one day have the ability to release drugs into the body that will help relieve pain and treat wounds.

All of this new technology, as wonderful as it seems, is not yet available to the public, but is actively being used by the military. Exactly what the military is using smart underwear for is still a mystery and I would guess top secret. Although the military is actively using the smart underwear, the technological range of applications does and will go far beyond the military.

Dr. Wang is very clear in indicating that one of his visions for smart underwear is rooted in personalized medicine that will move into the area of remote monitoring of the elderly at home, as well as monitoring a wide range of biomedical markers like cardiac markers that will send an alert out for a potential stroke, diabetic changes, and other changes related to a number of other biomedical situations and scenarios.

Wearable smart underwear will also have biosensors, which will be able to provide incredibly valuable information to athletes regarding their physical conditioning, and injuries. Another application of the smart underwear will be to measure blood alcohol levels, without the need for an actual sobriety testing.

Now, if you think that the new technology is only happening in your underwear, don't bet on it. If you're an avid movie goer, but hate it when you're sitting in the theater, intensely watching a movie and then someone's cellphone goes off, fret no more. There is now a cell phone-detecting shirt that is worn by the theater ushers and will detect mobile communications devices that haven't been switched off during the movie. The smart shirt is the brain child of Richard Etter and is part of a new clothing line called, "Aware Fashion."

The shirt looks much like a standard fashionable shirt. However, if a mobile phone gets near the shirt and are on, the shirt will glow unobtrusively at the end of its sleeves, alerting the usher to the fact that there is a cell phone active in the theater.

Don't think that what I just talked about is it in smart wear. There is so much more. What about the question of privacy and whether you will even know that you are buying a piece of smart clothing? Think about that. You could be walking around, right now, wearing smart wear and not even know it. The worst part is that someone, somewhere, could be monitoring your every move, or what's happening in your underwear.

- Andino Ward

Ethics, morals and the information highway

In several past columns, we dealt with the aspect of the ever-changing realm of information technology as it pertains to you, the private citizen and businesses.

There has been an emphasis on how the changes will affect each one’s pocketbook as the technology expands in strength, capabilities and functionality .

Well, this time we are going to take a look at the growing concern with what is felt to be a problem that is and continues to reach beyond the scope of everyone’s ability to correct and navigate through.

Some of the greatest minds of our times are completely baffled and stumped at how to institute a means of providing a sustainable moral and ethical roadmap for the information highway, and the effects of the void are growing increasingly obvious with each passing day.

Consider the recent e-mail intrusion that claimed several high-ranking U.S. senators had died, even though they had not; and to take it even further, the e-mails appeared to come from each of their offices.

This, of course, created a panic and potential security breach throughout the capitol as there was a move to beef up security around the senators in question.

It is obvious that this was a case of hackers breaking into their e-mail accounts and, if you recall, I did recently write a column on this very matter indicating just how ramped e-mail hacking is becoming.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the government is supposed to have the top cyber security hardware and software in place with protocols that should make it almost impossible to penetrate.

Yet it happens all the time and more than we will ever know or hear about.

One must ask the question, “What kind of ethics and moral understanding did the person or persons have who, without any feelings or conscience, felt it was perfectly acceptable to hack the Senate e-mail accounts? And then falsify obituaries indicating that they had died and send it out to numerous news agencies, both print and TV?”

I remember watching an episode of a TV show called “The Closer” that centered around a young woman who was the daughter of a prominent senator.

The woman had been murdered in a most horrifying and brutal way by a teenage boy, who frequented a particular Web site that specialized in bringing people together who were into what is considered S&M sex.

Now for the clincher! As the investigation progressed, the real situation began to unfold and it was determined that it was not a true murder in the sense of break in and robbery.

Without going into all the gory details, what had really happened was that an ex-boyfriend of the women was angry at the fact that she broke up with him and wanted to get his payback.

So he hacked into her computer, created an online profile relative to her being into S&M and then, from her own e-mail account, he posted it on a Web site requesting an S&M sexual encounter, which was false, as the woman was never involved in that practice, and as a result of what he did she lost her life.

This an extreme case, but it is something that is very possible as there are individuals and groups who operate in the dark and evil recesses that are void of ethics and morality in our society.

Consider that ethics and morality, relative to the information highway, have been studied and continue to be under intense scrutiny for the last 30 years and yet, to date, there is still an overwhelming amount of unanswered questions and the list grows ever longer with each passing day.

As the power and reach of the technology increases, it has a residual effect that comes with it of those who are going to be unethical and immoral having a greater playground on which to exact their sinister plans and desires without being seen, as well as being able to more effectively and easily link up with those of like mind on a global scale.

So how do we survey our society in an attempt to find out just how we, human beings, view and perceive ethics and morals on the information highway?

We will look at the groups that are studied on this issue and what has been determined about their viewpoints as a result of the information obtained from the studies.

Do you have an opinion or negative experience relative to ethics and morality on the World Wide Web or the Wild Wild West? Whichever you prefer!

- Andino Ward

Can data traffic clogging be resolved?

We now know that the cellular companies are in dire straits due to the proliferation of data traffic and the fact that they were not prepared for the overwhelming amount of use by cell phone users all over the world, to the degree that their systems just cannot handle the overload.

So what did AT&T Wireless do to combat the huge data demand from devices such as the iPhone and iPad?

Instead of trying to make things more efficient, they decided to take away unlimited data or Internet packages.

AT&T believes that devices like the iPhone are more computers with phone capability rather than phones with Internet capability and now they have changed their pricing model in order to capitalize and make more profit.

This change came mere days before the launch of the new iPhone 4 and the iPad.

Why is unlimited data so important?

Imagine you have a 600-minute cell phone plan and you go over your minutes. Unless you have something similar to AT&T’s Rollover minutes, you are probably going to get hit with some outrageous per-minute fee, like 3 to 10 cents per minute for each minute over the 600 minutes during “peak” time.

Let’s apply this idea to data plans. For people who get a lot of e-mail and attachments, or who listen to the radio on their cell phone, or are using a data card to get online — they can very easily go over the limit and get charged 6 to 10 cents per kilobyte over their limit.

Just to put this in perspective, a gigabyte is 1,000 megabytes and a megabyte is 1,000 kilobytes. The average digital picture size is 5 megabytes and the average e-mail size is 5 kilobytes.

AT&T claims that most data users do not need an unlimited package and use less than 400 megabytes every month, and this is why they decided to discontinue the unlimited package and lower the cost of a “limited” data package in order to make things more affordable for customers.

Why didn’t they simply leave the unlimited data package alone and come up with a lesser expensive limited data package for customers that do not need unlimited?

Why do customers now need to watch their cell phone Internet usage like their cell phone minutes?

There are many cases where customers were slammed with multiple thousands of dollars in data usage from cell phone companies — upwards of $10,000. I know this is an extreme case; however, there has to be a red flag at some point and it looks like the customer in the end will get hurt.

Well, I am not an AT&T subscriber, so what does this have to do with me, you ask?

Verizon Wireless has already hinted that they are going to follow suit in cutting their unlimited data package. Verizon has yet to pull the trigger, as they don’t want to cut the cord as abruptly as AT&T has; however, at some point in the not so distance future it will happen.

If the top two carriers in the country press the red button to kill the unlimited data plan, the question then becomes, will the other carriers follow behind them?

There is no clear answer to that question. Maybe other carriers like Sprint, T-Mobile and lower-tier carriers like MetroPCS, Cricket, Boost Mobile, and so on, may find it a selling feature to bring subscribers over to their side.

The only problem is that the cell coverage areas for high-speed data, from the lower-tier carriers, does not compare to the top two carriers.

The bottom line is that you need to seriously pay attention to what is going on and babysit your cell phones or else you could end up with an outrageous cell phone bill one day.

I am sure at some point you have either gone over your minutes or your text messages. Well, now be ready to go over your data package.

This is yet another mechanism for the cell phone companies to generate profit, as cell phones are becoming less phone and more multimedia devices.

Be aware and you won’t despair.

- George Bardissi

Is this the end for unlimited wireless data plans?

Have we seen the end of unlimited data plans for wireless carriers?

Did you know that cellular companies are barely making money on voice plans?

Apparently the big operators like Verizon and AT&T are making fractions of a penny per minute in actual profit.

I am sure when you are the conveyer of billions of cellular minutes each month that are being used up by an ever-growing and hungry consumer base, you will see a nice high number in profits — or so one would think.

However, let’s set the record straight and identify the fact that as of five years ago, cellular companies were making exponentially more than they are today and they are not happy with the loss in revenue.

So, how did the cellular companies adjust to regain and recoup the lost profit?

The answer is add-on products like text messaging, picture message and data plans. It is clear that cell phones are more than just phones for more than 50 percent of cellular subscribers in the U.S. alone.

Processing text messages costs the cell phone companies almost nothing, yet they charge quite a bit for people to be able to send one.

According to multiple sources, about 72 percent of all cell phone customers in the U.S. have a texting plan, which is about 207 million Americans.

More text messages are sent daily than phone calls are made.

On average, a person sends 357 text messages versus 204 phone calls per month.

For something that costs virtually nothing for the cellular companies to provide, they definitely have found a money maker and are milking it without question.

Even more than text messaging, the cellular or wireless industry has been inundated with Internet or data traffic.

It has more than consumed the airwaves that we rely on for cellular technology and has been growing far beyond the capacity the cellular providers were ready for due to devices like smart phones, data cards, tablet PCs, etc.

The airwaves are so clogged up now that the FCC is looking to take some satellite spectrum or frequencies and auction them off to the cell phone companies because there just isn’t enough space to handle the growth.

Well, the obvious question is, “What are the cellular providers going to do about the problem and what effect will their solution have on you and me?”

We’ll take an up close and personal look at the answer to this question next week.

- George Bardissi

Fed control of the Internet: Good or bad?

We ended last week’s discussion with the fact that a proposed bill has now been introduced and is at the congressional level, which would give the president the power to not only seize control of the Internet, but lso shut it down should it pose a threat to national security.

Furthermore, we asked several important questions, which as promised we will now answer.

Because of the intense nature of the proposed bill and the unlimited power that it would give our president, there has been an attempt to put a means in place that would try to impose limits and restraints on the extent to which the president could go in carrying out the power given him in the proposed bill.

This has been done by way of the creation of a new paragraph that has been included in the bill and that seeks to create what would be termed a National Center for Cyber Security and Communications (NCCC).

This agency would have incredible oversight capability, but would be restricted from having the ability to order any entity to conduct surveillance of Americans unless it’s legally authorized to do so.

Don’t forget that thanks to the Patriot Act the government could claim they have authority to seize the Internet or spy on anyone and then get a warrant after the fact.

Now, when you put all of that and this new bill together, in my opinion it is a disaster waiting to happen.

I am a movie buff and I know that “Enemy of the State: starring Will Smith may have seemed like a far reach, but when you look at the pending bill that is now on the table, it is very clear and overwhelmingly obvious that if passed, the bill will put the Internet totally at the mercy and control of the federal government, thus making it very possible to enact what we saw happen in the movie.

I think we all can understand the government’s concern for cyber warfare.

Just recently the military created, appointed and opened the doors to a Cyber Security division aimed at protecting the military networks from an outside attack.

It is very clear that the Internet is open to attacks, especially when other countries do not have as much control set up to shut down piracy and hacking.

If the U.S. government wants to try and put up the brick wall before something happens, I call that being prepared.

However, if being prepared also comes with the fact that the control of the private Internet would basically be handed over to the federal government with no questions asked, I don’t know about you, but I call that a real big “deal breaker.”

Whatever happens and whatever your view is on the subject, we would love to hear your feelings and opinions.

Do you feel like you’re being watched, like right now while you’re on the Internet?

- George Bardissi

Feds not ignoring the internet anymore

Several months back we wrote an article about how the government seemed to be quite far behind in terms of the Internet and the laws that we are governed by in today’s digital age.

It seems like the federal government may have read our article or, more likely, is finally starting to understand the legitimate threats that are possible through the Internet.

A proposed bill is now at the congressional level that is being sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is an independent senator out of Connecticut.

Let’s take a look at the main points of this proposed legislation to see how it will affect the everyday American citizen and business.

The mainstay of the bill is surrounded by giving the president the emergency power to basically seize control or even shut down all or parts of the Internet in the United States.

This is not a small request nor should it be taken lightly. If this bill were to pass, private companies, which the government will name at a later time, such as Internet providers, search engines, or even private software companies, would have to comply with the federal government’s request to shut down, suspend or release control immediately, at the order of the president.

According to this proposed bill, the reason the federal government is claiming they should have this power and control is “to preserve those networks and assets that our country depends on for financial matters, security, power, transportation and so on. These are all areas of extreme importance in protecting the citizens and our country,” according to Lieberman.

As is the case with any law, there could be adverse affects that can be created by a legislation of this kind and could directly affect the private-sector companies.

Could there be unauthorized government access to private systems? What if the government shuts down a company or Internet provider by accident?

What happens to private server access that runs over the Internet?

These are all very important and pressing questions, but does the government have answers for them?

Apparently, in a recently added, revised bill there has been an additional paragraph added that in many ways is directed at dealing with the previous questions asked and we will both outline that bill and discuss its implications next week.

- George Bardissi