As most of you know, I spend lots of time looking at new tech stuff and reading reviews, press releases and feature articles. Most months also feature technology oriented trade shows where companies unveil their latest innovations…some of which, BTW, never make it to market. Nevertheless,  I enjoy looking at and reading about all of them. There was a show in San Diego (DEMOfall08) the second week of September, where a bunch of new stuff was announced. Obviously I don’t have room for all, or even a lot of them, so I picked a couple I thought you would enjoy reading about…mostly what the company, or in one case a reviewer says, with a couple of my own comments thrown in for the heckuvit. Then, I have listed some with just a short summary along with a link where you can go for much more info.

To begin, the title of the column refers to a program I think is really pretty clever…and who knows, it might work well in Honolulu to relieve some of our traffic woes. It’s called Avego

Avego is looking to replace the thumb as the tool of choice for getting rides on the road. The service uses an application that runs on the iPhone and other mobile devices to help match drivers and passengers traveling in the same direction.

Avego is designed to augment public transportation, and save fuel by encouraging drivers to share rides. Most people driving during rush hour are alone in their vehicles, surrounded by empty seats that could be carrying passengers. Public transportation in the U.S. is inadequate. "The problem with most of us in the United States is that public transit goes from where we don't live to where we don't work," said Sean O'Sullivan, chairman of Mapflow, the company that produces Avego.  Here’s an excerpt from their home page: Avego.com is where travelers cooperate to make the whole transport system more efficient, saving us all money, wasted time and reducing pollution. A 5-seat car traveling with only a driver is inherently inefficient, and yet 85% of the time, that's how cars travel in much of the world. With our iPhone GPS technology, web services and your participation, we can fill up those empty seats. As a driver, by putting Avego in your car, you are becoming part of the public transit system... and cutting the cost of your transport by perhaps thousands of dollars per year! As a passenger, by using Avego you can leave your car behind... cutting the cost of your transport and taking advantage of HOV lanes (where available).  Avego is an innovative, user-based system to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gases, and traffic. Once membership grows to a reasonable scale, riders will be able to book a request at 7:30am and get picked up by a driver going the same direction a few minutes later.  As I said, maybe this would work here? For a detailed look at Avego, visit http://www.avego.com/ui/index.action

This is a really interesting one…communicating without web sites. The review is written by Dean Takahashi, a regular on VentureBeat who gave his permission to use it.

FYI,  VentureBeat’s mission is to provide news and information about private companies and the venture capital that fuels them. It is the successor to SiliconBeat, co-founded and written by Matt Marshall.

To see how you might use it, visit: http://www.telnic.com/individual-landing.html

DEMOfall 08: Telnic shows how .tel domains can communicate without web sites
Dean Takahashi  September 8th, 2008 

Mere mortals who aren’t technically inclined do not need to know how Telnic’s new .tel service works. We can just think about the benefits. Basically, without using a web site, you can now list your information on the Internet so that people can contact you directly. It’s the mother of all telephone books.

Using a new kind of Internet domain name dubbed .tel, the service allows you to embed your contact information in an Internet address book known as a DNS server (domain name server). You can then direct people to your contact info with a simple moniker, such as justin.tel. Using your phone or a web browser, you can look up that person’s contact information, related web links, and keywords. In spite of the recent DNS server hacks, Justin Hayward of Telnic says it is secure.

You can contact the person but also learn where that person is, if the person wants you to know. This service is far from intuitive, but it comes from a deep understanding of how the Internet works and it may very well be one of the most innovative ideas for improving communications. Beyond contacts, you can use the .tel database to navigate through hotels and location-based services. You can, for instance, use .tel to find a hotel. Once you get there, you can see how close some of your friends are by looking at their .tel data.

Anyone who makes a living providing you with contacts is a competitor, including social networks such as Linkedin and Facebook as well as online phone books such as the Yellow Pages. Investors include angel Juan Villalonga and institutions including Banexi Ventures and Berggruen Holdings.

The .tel domain was approved by the Internet governing body ICANN in 2006. It doesn’t host web sites but directly links domain names with contact information stored in the Internet’s infrastructure. The company showed a plug-in for the BlackBerry which lets you import .tel data into a phone.

This one’s my favorite considering all the spinning going on as we are almost to the election. It’s a long read, but worth the time. Also, remember it’s a beta. For more, visit: http://spinspotter.com/home   
 
                                                                              

Welcome to SpinSpotter
All the news that's fit to de-spin.

Spin doesn't belong in the news. It's like putting motor oil in the mojito. We have tremendous respect for journalists, but who would argue that the media circus isn't out of control? A full 66% of Americans think the press is one-sided. Now there's a website and software tool that exposes news spin and bias, misuse of sources, and suspect factual support. At SpinSpotter, you'll experience the news in a profound new way. Yes, the truth is back in town. Start your truth engines.
Exposing spin is fun, quick, and mind (life?)-altering. The first step is to install the Spinoculars™ toolbar on your Web browser. Spinoculars let you see, share, and edit spin wherever you go online. Installing the Spinoculars toolbar takes less than a minute. Just go to our download page and follow the simple instructions.

Using Spinoculars
Once Spinoculars are installed, using them is easy. Here’s a quick overview of Spinoculars’ features.

From left to right:

The “S” Icon 
The “S” icon (which we call the “SpinSpotter Bug”) doubles as an indicator light to alert you to when spin has been identified on the page. Whenever there are Spin Markers on the page, the “S” icon will reverse colors so that the white “S” becomes red, and the red swoosh becomes white.

ON/OFF Button
Switch Spinoculars On and Off to show or hide Spin Markers on the page.

See Spin/See Edits
When “See Spin” is selected, the Spin Markers (i.e., the red highlights on the page) show the original text. When “See Edits” is selected, the Spin Markers show the text as edited by SpinSpotter users.

Spin Level
This slider gives you control over the Spin Rating of the Spin Markers that appear on your page. The highest setting of “5” will show only the highest-rated Spin Markers, while the lowest setting of “1” will show all Spin Markers. The effect is that the higher the Spin Level you set, the fewer Spin Markers you will see on your page.

Create Marker
This allows you to create your own Spin Marker wherever you see spin. Simply select the word of phrase you feel is spinning you, click on the Create Marker button, and you’re on your way!

Share Article
This allows you to share the article you are reading through popular services such as Digg, StumbleUpon, and others.

Email Article
This allows you to email the article to a friend.

Settings
This allows you to control the settings on your Spinoculars toolbar.

Spinoculars Help
This will give you information about your Spinoculars toolbar, and will provide a quick link to the Support/FAQ page on the SpinSpotter website.

Markers Found/Markers Shown
This indicator will tell you how many total Spin Markers have been created for the page you are reading, and how many of those Spin Markers are actually being shown based on the setting you’ve selected for your Spin Level (see above). To increase the number of Spin Markers showing on your page, simple decrease the Spin Level (“1” is the lowest setting, while “5” is the highest).

How to Open a Spin Marker
When you see a Spin Marker on your page as indicated by a red highlighted word or phrase, you can learn more about it by placing your mouse over the red highlight text until the SpinSpotter Bug (i.e., the “S” icon) appears over the top-right corner of the highlighting, then clicking on the SpinSpotter Bug. This will open the Spin Marker Window. See below for instructions on how to use the Spin Marker Window.

Using the Spin Marker Window
Reading an Existing Spin Marker
To read an existing Spin Marker, follow the instructions above regarding “How to Open a Spin Marker”. Once the Spin Marker Window is open, you will see (a) the highlighted text from the article; (b) the top-rated Description of the spin, including the Rule of Spin being violated; and (c) the top-rated Edit to correct the spin (if one has been created). You will also have the option of reading all Descriptions submitted for that Spin Marker by selecting the “Descriptions” tab, or all Edits submitted for that Spin Marker by selecting the “Edits” tab. For each Description or Edit presented, you have the ability to rate Up or Down the respective Description or Edit, and your vote will help to determine which of the Descriptions or Edits presented will move to the top of the list and be the default Description of Edit displayed within the Spin Marker Window.

Across the bottom of the Spin Marker Window, you will see buttons to (a) Add your own Description, (b) Add your own Edit, (c) Email the Spin Marker to a friend, or (d) Share the Spin Marker using popular services such as Digg, StumbleUpon, etc. You also are invited to Rate the Spin by voting “High” or “Low”. Your vote will help to determine the overall Spin Rating for the marker, which will consequently influence how many SpinSpotter users will actually see that marker (based on their respective Spin Level settings–see details about Spin Level settings above).

One important note: Your votes in regards to Descriptions, Edits, and Spin Rating help to determine the Trust Rating of the person who created the marker, and your own Trust Rating as well. So vote often and judiciously!

Create a New Spin Marker
To create a new Spin Marker, select the word or phrase in the article that you feel is spinning you, and click on the Create Marker button on the Spinoculars toolbar. If you are not yet logged in, you will first be asked to provide your Username and Password. You will then be asked to specify the Rule of Spin that’s being violated. A brief description of the rule will appear for each rule selected. For an overview of the Rules of Spin, go to the Rules of Spin page on the SpinSpotter website. After you have selected a Rule of Spin from the dropdown menu, click “Select Rule of Spin” at the bottom of the Spin Marker Window. You will next be asked to provide a brief description of the way in which the specific Rule of Spin is being violated. Once you have entered your description, press “Submit” at the bottom of the Spin Marker Window. If you’d like to add an Edit as well, simply select the Edit tab, or select “Add Edit” after the marker has been created. To exit the Spin Marker Window once you’ve finished, either click on the “Close Window” button on the top right, or simply click anywhere on the article itself.

Tips on Creating Good Spin Markers
What’s essential is for you to work within the Rules of Spin. These rules come from our own Journalism Advisory Board and the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. To have the greatest influence on the SpinSpotter community, adhere to and never cross these Rules!

The cool benefit is that once you gain experience and hone your skills, you’ll actually drive the mathematical part of what SpinSpotter does. Your juicy intel will expose the spin, and the engine will gain another talent.

We think there’s a deep hunger for objective news writing. To a large and exciting degree, you have the ability to bring that back.

The following, as promised, are short summaries followed by a link where u can find more detail.
                                                                                       

I don't know how u keep track of stuff, but I haven't had a very good system for a long time, but now I think this is what I've needed to get organized!  http://www.alerts.com/ is your personal information management (PIM) destination where you are in control of the information you need, such as updated news, your favorite team results, birthday or party reminders, airline fare price changes, severe weather warnings , and product price reductions to help you fight inflation. We help you control all time-sensitive information and events that shape your life.

This one is an all-in-one travel planner which even lets u invite family and friends to collaborate with u to plan a trip.

TravelMuse is the online destination for finding inspiration, planning trips and booking travel. Whether you are looking for destination ideas on where to take your next family vacation or you have all the details figured out, TravelMuse makes the entire planning process easy for you. TravelMuse combines original editorial content and destination city guides with powerful planning tools. Start your trip plan here: http://www.travelmuse.com/plan.htm

If I'd had this a couple years ago when my cell phone disappeared I could have saved a bunch of bucks, not to mention the time I had to spend to cancel my old one and get a new phone and set it up!  

What is Maverick Secure Mobile (MSM)?  

Maverick Secure Mobile (MSM) is a security application. Secure mobile helps you protect your data, track your stolen device, retrieve your phonebook & disable the stolen device remotely. The application works in hidden mode and cannot be viewed in the device, To launch / customize this application one has to press pre defined short keys and password. After installing MSM in the device one must add “Reporting contact” in the application. Reporting contact can be your second number/friends number or any other mobile number on which you want to receive all the reports. Visit:  http://www.maverickmobile.in/maverick/msm.jsp  for a complete rundown on this security app.

Since I have Pinnacle’s PCTV HD Pro Stick installed (see my May column) this one really appeals to me!

So far, we’ve relied on TV Guide — or TiVo — to know when and what television programs are scheduled on TV. But we haven’t had anything of the sort for Internet video. Partly that’s because Internet video runs when we want, not at a scheduled time: You simply click in a video link, or type in a URL for the video, and hit play. But even if you throw out the timing guide, you still want to a way to track the news, entertainment and other video you like — especially since so much of it is coming online. Invision TV helps you organize the videos you want to watch by topic, search for more videos, and then share them all from a personalized interface. But here’s the real goal for Invision TV: Eventually, it wants to be your start guide for your living room TV — once households embrace Internet video on demand as their primary source for viewing. Check it out at:  http://www.invision.tv/

Last on my list of interesting and useful programs is RealDVD. Real networks has been around a long time. In 1995 they gave the Internet a voice with the first-ever Internet broadcast via the release of the RealAudio® Player. This mainstream PC application allows consumers to easily save their DVDs to their hard drive. RealDVD makes it easy to save DVDs to a PC or portable hard drive and watch them later without the physical discs. Unlike existing consumer applications on the market today, RealDVD is licensed DVD software that saves a secure copy of a DVD to the hard drive without removing or altering the CSS encryption. They say this is a legal solution for those of us who want the extra copy and want the capability of watching  DVD programs on our laptops without having to carry the discs around. Visit http://www.realdvd.com/  for a full writeup on this program.

That’s it for now, please remember to register/signin at the top of this page so you can comment and ask questions in the space below.

Also, remember to keep safe out there on the net while you’re having fun with all the new goodies.
Aloha, Lou

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