Partnership bolsters wireless instant messaging [IDG InfoWorld]

Once again, The Shifted Librarian has beaten me to the punch. I can see the following uses; 

1. Warehouse inventory management - speeds audits as you simply ahve to tag the barcode and IM it into the system. Compare before and after, reconcile, and you have your adjusted inventory.
2. Using a messaging device as a means of purchase to:
   Make reservations/buying tickets
   Verify the store is not out of the one thing you need
   Order a pizza
   
3. Vehicle tracking with real time reporting of location and speed 

Neat stuff!

11:24:47 PM    

New kits help police ID shooters at the scene. A $20.00 kit reveals residue that is on the shooters clothing and hands. This kit can be used in the field and will help police ID the people responsible for actually doing the shooting.

4:20:33 PM    

Vendors: CRM apps might have prevented terror attacks [IDG InfoWorld]

Commentary: Pooling data to make for a central law enforcement database was something that a friend and I had in a screenplay we were writing years ago. Now it's becoming a reality, as differing law enforcement agencies are coming to terms with the idea that sharing knowledge is key.

The problem I have with said shared knowledge is this: False positives and possibility for abuse. Further, who will pay for the new systems?

2:20:38 PM    

'Marked' Mom Births Clean Baby. A woman with a gene that causes early-onset Alzheimer's has her eggs screened in a lab, then gives birth to a baby free of the defect. [Wired News]

9:18:45 AM    

Sprint to Deploy 3G Imaging. Announces platform deal with LightSurf [allNetDevices Wireless News] (Credit where due: I saw  this first over at The Shifted Librarian.)

Commentary: This is the ideal way for local/WPAN type image management. Police officers could stream shots of a crime scene to the station so that dispatchers have a live feed of what is going on. It could also be used for gathering evidence from crime scenes before they get "contaminated" by a lot of foot traffic*. Combine it with a UV light for revailing organics (blood splatters etc) and you can map an area for forensic evidence and minimize contamination of said evidence.

Rescue workers could get feeds from robots that are burrowing through rubble in search of survivors. Tie that in with new head mounted displays and AutoCAD's latest visualization software and workers could get an idea of what was still standing as well as what pockets might remain where survivors could be found. Digression: Buildings could have internal location based services for important things such as cutoff valves and exits, making it easier for emergency workers to find their way through smoke filled or collapsed buildings. For workers have a transponder that feeds out their vitals and POV and you are well into the tech from Aliens. End Digression

Folks on vacation could upstream shots to their dataspace and then edit/delete at their leisure. Ditto for journalists working in the field.

Gargoyles as described in Snow Crash are closer to reality as well, combine this feed with some voice recognition, earbud microphones,  and you'll have some crazy data gathering capabilites. 

12:05:57 AM