Lee Garber

Will 3G really be the next big wireless technology

It appears that wireless technology has reached a turning point, as vendors and researchers prepare to take it to the next level. Most industry observers agree that next-level wireless technology will offer more bandwidth, security, and reliability, making it more suitable for multimedia, e-commerce, videoconferencing, and other advanced applications. A key issue for wireless is what form the technologys next generation will take. Many vendors, and other industry observers contend the next level will be the much-discussed third-generation wireless approach, which is actually a set of digital, packet-based, broadband technologies. Vendors are just starting to implement 3G, but some experts in the field are already questioning its functionality and usefulness.

Gestural Technology: Moving Interfaces in a New Direction [Technology News]

Gesture-based interfaces - which let users control devices with, for example, hand or finger motions - are becoming increasingly popular. These interfaces utilize gesture-recognition algorithms to identify body movements. The systems then determine which device command a particular gesture represents and take the appropriate action. For example, moving a hand sideways might mean that a user wants to turn a page on an e-reader screen. Proponents say gesture recognition-which uses computer vision, image processing, and other techniques-is useful largely because it lets people communicate with a machine in a more natural manner, without a mouse or other intermediate device. Although the technology has long been discussed as a potentially useful, rich interface and several gesture-control products have been released over the years, it has never achieved mainstream status.

Analytics Goes on Location with New Approaches

Businesses are increasingly using location analytics-which integrates organizational and geographic data-to help identify trends, develop more accurate predictions, and make better decisions.

Tangible User Interfaces: Technology You Can Touch

To make computer and communications technology easier to work with, vendors are beginning to release products utilizing tangible user interfaces, in which users interact with physical objects that both represent and control digital information.

Turning on the Lights for Wireless Communications

In the ongoing search for better ways to transmit data, researchers have turned to a wireless approach that has been discussed for years: visible light communications.

Using In-Memory Analytics to Quickly Crunch Big Data

In-memory analytics-which probes data stored in RAM rather than on disk, as is traditionally the case-is becoming popular because it speeds up the analysis process, even as data volumes explode.

Have Java's Security Issues Gotten out of Hand?

In the past year, security experts have found many vulnerabilities, some critical, in Java. This represents a serious trend because Java is so widely used.

Robot OS: A New Day for Robot Design

The Robot Operating System promises to make designing robotic software easier and less expensive.

Converged Infrastructure: Addressing the Efficiency Challenge

Vendors are combining computing, storage, and networking systems into one integrated IT infrastructure, promising more efficiency and flexibility than traditional silo-based approaches. There are three things that datacenter and cloud-system operators most look for in their technology: efficiency, efficiency, and efficiency. Many companies work with large amounts of bursty data, which places growing demands on their computing, storage, and networking infrastructures, which adds complexity and cost to their operations. Vendors are taking a radical approach by releasing product packages that offer customers a converged infrastructure, with a preconfigured, scalable pool of computing, storage, and networking resources run by a centralized management tool. The rise of cloud computing- which requires a flexible pool of resources-is a major force driving demand for and development of converged-infrastructure systems. However, the new approach may not appeal to all users and must still overcome several obstacles before being widely adopted.

GPUs Go Mobile

Mobile GPUs will need substantial improvements to enable wireless devices to perform the complex graphics-related functions that many manufacturers, developers, and users want.