Blur anti-photography spray

Blur anti-photography spray, by Troika and Kok-Chian Leong, prevents photographers from taking unwanted pictures.

Blur’s highly reflective nanoparticles reflect the flashbulbs of peeping and stalking photographers. They blind camera sensors and whiten part of the image.

[via we-make-money-not-art.com "The Science of Spying - Part 3"]

'Side-Loading' Could Kill Wireless Carriers' Entertainment Plans

Despite spending billions of dollars to deliver entertainment to subscribers, wireless carriers are unlikely to dominate in providing music, video and games to mobile phones, a market researcher said Tuesday. TechWeb reports.

"The biggest challenger to operators is a practice known as "side-loading," which is the loading of content in phones via PCs or other devices. The practice essentially bypasses premium services sold by mobile communication providers, iSuppli said.

By 2010, the number of phones that include USB ports is expected to number 764 million units, making the wired connection to a PC or other device the most ubiquitous interface in the industry".

... Consumers' preference to tap multiple content sources for mobile devices has already been established. For example, most of the music played on the highly successful Apple iPod are ripped from CDs, not bought from Apple's tightly integrated online music store iTunes, analysts say.

Students' Internet video provokes rage

A video posted on the Internet of an unruly classroom berating and elderly teacher, made web surfers angry - and led to a witch hunt. China Daily reports.

"Many viewers started to look for the name of the school and identities of these students. By examining the video, the students' uniforms, the layout of the classroom and the content on the blackboard revealed this event happened in Beijing Haidian Art Vocational School, according to some netizens.

After the school was identified, some hackers attacked the school website several times and left messages on the site to condemn the involved students.

This event entered a new stage on May 28 when people appeared in front of the gate of the vocational school hoping to find the involved students. This confused and scared innocent students, who dared not to go out of the school to buy lunch during the break. Some students even asked their parents to accompany with them to the school.

Sun Xinmao, the nearly 70 year-old teacher who was insulted that day was interviewed by the Beijing News. He said he was not angry since he was not severely abused by these students, and they apologized to him after class.

Xu Suxia, a vice president at the school has reported the incident to the district education department and the Beijing Municipal Education Commission has started its own investigation."

Welcome to movie phones

An opinion piece by The Los Angeles Times on how movies on a cell phone memory card could challenge carriers and remake the content experience.

"... Device manufacturers are boosting the processing power and storage capacity of mobile phones to entice consumers to spend more on a handset. They're no longer selling phones, but miniature computers that take the place of iPods, camcorders and portable video players. And they're built to connect to a PC or the Internet without using up minutes from the owner's monthly airtime quota.

The most vivid example of this is Apple's iPhone, which is due next month. Just like its iPod brethren, the iPhone will be able to copy the music, TV shows and movies stored on its owner's computer. To connect to the Internet, it will not only be able to use AT&T's relatively slow EDGE data network, but also any free or commercial WiFi network in range.

With those capabilities, iPhone owners won't even need AT&T's wireless network to make a call, let alone download a hit song (AT&T has, so far, refrained from offering full-song downloads through its wireless network).

... The effect on the entertainment industry, though, is not so clear. The control that carriers have wielded over their networks and the devices that connect to them has been a mixed blessing for Hollywood and the record companies."

Photographs of Photographers

Pictures of those who take pictures, both professional and amateur. [via dérive]

Japan tries cameraphone diet scheme

The AP reports that Japan has launched their own (government funded) version of myFood - a service offered in 2005 to Sprint camera phone users, enabling them to take a picture of the food they eat at each meal, and send it in for review by a nutritional advisor.

"Public health insurance offices in the Osaka region in western Japan have launched the service on a trial basis. About 100 heart patients signed up in the first year, followed by diabetes and obesity patients in the second.

Osaka is using a system developed by Asahi Kasei Corp., a Tokyo-based chemical and medical equipment manufacturer. The system is operating at about 150 health care providers and local governments around the country, company official Naoki Yoshimura said.

Nutritionists can work with photos from one day's meals to several weeks' worth, he said. Results come back in three days. Participants also can log onto a website to get more dietary information and upload photos from digital cameras."

Hurdles to mobile video

Despite the increased bandwidth and improved capabilities of the mobile-phone networks in the U.S., relatively few people use their cell phones to watch video -- according to analyst Mark Donovan of M:Metrics, less than 2 million people watched programmed TV on their mobiles. The Los Angeles Times reports.

One of the problems is the existing business model that does not offer a report on the number of people who see an ad. There is no single standard for measurement for mobile-phone carriers.

Another reasons is that carriers have been handicapping the market by charging too much for mobile video services; some of the early offerings were 40% to 50% of the price of the typical mobile voice service.

Other hurdles include bandwidth, the supply of video-capable handsets, the programming that's available, and consumers' lack of awareness. There's also the issue of finding what's available.

Fatal swan attack filmed on phone

An eight-second film sent to the BBC shows a person with a hood drawn up over his head tempting a swan with some bread, then kicking him in the head.

"The person who kicked the swan and his companion who filmed the incident could both be heard "squealing in delight at what they've managed to accomplish", said Steve Knight, a trustee of the Swan Sanctuary.

According to Knight, "we started getting information coming through that there was this footage going round the local schools on mobile phones. We put up posters with my mobile number on and somebody anonymously texted me the footage."

Local residents have helped accumulate at least £3,000 towards a reward to catch the perpetrators. "

French Mobile TV Delayed Until Summer 2008

Franch mobile users won’t be won’t be watching TV from DVB-H on their mobile phones this fall.

While the launch of broadcast mobile TV was planned to kick off this autumn in time for the Rugby World Cup, a conflict between French mobile operators and broadcasters has led to a delay - until at least next summer.

Broadcasters seem to want an advertising funded free-to-air service, while mobile operators were looking at a paid service, and so far both sides have been unwilling to budge. Until this is resolved mobile TV from DVB-H will remain off the air in France.

[Screen Digest via TechCrunch]

São Paulo’s motoboy ethnographers

Francois Bar, who has been doingfascinating work with Francis Pisani on appropriation of phone technology, reports on Sao Paolo's "motoboy ethnographers." [By Howard Rheingold on Smartmobs]

"Earlier this year, 12 motorcycle couriers in São Paulo started using camera-phones to chronicle their daily lives. They get together periodically to discuss each other’s finds and decide collectively what stories they want to cover. The result is Canal*MOTOBOY, a real-time account of life on the Paulista streets.

This is part of “Colectivos transmiten desde teléfonos moviles” at xene.net, and the motoboys are simply the latest addition to a growing network of “citizen ethnographers”.

They join 17 taxi drivers in Mexico City, 25 young gitanos in Leida, and 16 in Leon, 10 prostitutes in Madrid, 40 people with disabilities in Barcelona, and 19 immigrants from Nicaragua in Costa Rica. "

Mobile TV will reach 244 million by 2011, says report

TV enabled handsets will reach a staggering 244 million devices by 2011, according to a new report, writes The Register.

"This is almost double the number previously forecast, and was reached by a detailed look into the likely mobile TV launch dates and the uptake rate expected in 55 countries.

The report was published in the US by Multimedia Research Group, but was written by Rethink Research Associates in the UK.

"There are over 80 mobile TV trials all over the world and already there are a handful of services launched. The bulk of those trials are already committed to turn into genuine services, in some cases with a nationwide footprint, in other countries in limited regions," said report author Peter White, principal analyst at Rethink.

This forecast is not including video services which are streamed over a cellular network, because that has largely been a slow burn business, due to its low screen resolution and the careful management it needs so that it doesn't interfere with voice."

China Launches CDMB Mobile TV Technology Standard

The China Association for Standardization has approved and issued the China Digital Multimedia Broadcast mobile TV handset standard as the association standard, CSA158-2007. [via China Tech]

Cannes Film Festival 2007

Directors David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and Roman Polanski all made 3-minute short films included in a tribute movie screened the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday called “Chacun Son Cinema.”

They also took part in a news conference that erupted into a debate over whether digital video, cell phone texting, Web downloading and home entertainment threatened traditional movie theaters with extinction.

“The form of cinema as we know it already is a thing of the past,” said Cronenberg.

[via Blogs Reuters]

Camera Phones Take Over

Research by market forecaster Gartner Group indicates that in 2010 over 1 billion camera-equipped cell phones will be sold worldwide, nearly double the 589 million predicted to sell this year. [via Switched]

Samsung Develops 8-Gbyte Mobile Phone Memory Card

Samsung Electronics on Thursday said it has developed a fingernail-size 8-Gbyte MicroSD memory card for mobile phones. [via TechWeb]

"The new card is capable of storing 2,000 MP3 music files, 4,000 digital photos, or about 5 DVD-quality movies, the company said. It has a read speed of 16 Mbps and a write speed of 6 Mbps."

RFID "skin patches" could provide post-surgery monitoring by cell phone

A device to monitor the progress of damaged tissue using temperature and pressure sensors, has been created for use in conjunction with RFID-enabled mobile phones or laptops. TUB Product services

"According to the firms behind the development, it enables doctors and surgeons to remotely observe the status of patients in the period immediately after surgery, using a wireless device on to which the information from the tag is sent."

Send Images From Phone To PC Just By Waving Handset

How about waving your cell phone or digital camera in front of your personal computer or printer to transfer pictures? No cable, no setup and no keyboard strokes. Nikkei Net Interactive reports on this new functionality promised by Near Field Communication's technology, and Toppan Forms Co.

"Holding a cell phone with the embedded module next to a module linked to a computer's USB port automatically establishes a connection through which captured images and video clips can be sent to the PC. The same functions can be performed with a camera and a printer.

B>As long as two modules are within 10cm of each other, a link can be established and data can be transmitted wirelessly at speeds as fast as 424 kilobits per second."

Camera phone pioneer ponders the impact

The chilling sounds of gunfire on the Virginia Tech campus; the hateful taunts from Saddam Hussein's execution; the racist tirade of comedian Michael Richards. Those videos, all shot with cell phone cameras and seen by millions, are just a few recent examples of the power now at the fingertips of the masses. Even the man widely credited with inventing the camera phone in 1997, Philippe Kahn, is awed by the cultural revolution he helped launch. The Associated Press reports.

"It's had a massive impact because it's just so convenient," said Philippe Kahn.

... As Kahn heard the smattering of stories in recent years about assailants scared off by a camera phone or criminals who were nabbed later because their faces or their license plates were captured on the gadget, he said, I started feeling it was better than carrying a gun."

And though he found the camera-phone video of the former Iraqi dictator's execution disturbing, Kahn said the gadget helped "get the truth out."

Kahn also thinks the evolution of the camera phone has only just begun.

He wouldn't discuss details of his newest startup, Fullpower Technologies Inc., which is in stealth mode working on the "convergence of life sciences and wireless," according to its Web site.

But, Kahn said, it will, among other things, "help make camera phones better."

Previously:

-- Who invented the camera phone? It depends

-- Baby's arrival inspires birth of cellphone camera — and societal evolution

Africa to get citizen photojournalism

Dutch citizen photojournalism service, Skoeps, is to bring the participatory reporting model to Africa this year, reports journalism.co.uk.

"We will launch a pilot in four African countries later this spring," said Skoeps vice-president Hidde Kross.

... Kross would not reveal the destinations in the Africa roadmap, though a report from last week's Blogonomics event in Holland suggested Mozambique, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa might be in the frame."

China adopts global 3G standards

China's Ministry of Information Industry approved on Wednesday the use of European and American standards for 3G mobile phones, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported today via ZDNet.

"... No 3G licences have been awarded as yet. Although TD-SCDMA had been approved in 2006, global manufacturers have been reluctant to produce handsets for the standard, with only Samsung and Motorola developing products."

Related: - China's 3G Mobile Phone Mess

SuiPo: RFID enabled posters

RFID-enabled posters at JR Shinjuku Station called SuiPo.

When passengers show their RFID tickets (SUICA cards) to the posters, they get relevant info/ads on their cell phones.

RFID readers are between the posters. First time users need to associate their RFID ticket IDs with their mobile phone email addresses, using this kiosk terminal.

[via RFID in Japan]

Motorola Z8, the media monster

Spotted on Mobile Magazine the new Motorola Z8, the media monster that Motorola CEO Ed Zander mentioned last week during his keynote speech at Software 2007.

Read more from Motorola's press release - Motorola Presents Its “Media Monster” -- The Ultimate Mobile Entertainment Experience. World’s First Kick-Slider Phone -- with Pre-loaded Hollywood Blockbuster, Downloadable BskyB Content, Podcasts and Games Available in June.

Sprint, ABC dial in to television on the go

Get ready for Grey's Anatomy on your cellphone, writes USA Today.

"In a major expansion of mobile media, ABC today will make available episodes of Grey's, Lost, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty on video-equipped Sprint phones, along with Disney Channel series such as Hannah Montana, ABC News' Nightline and other programming."

Celli-wood

According to Sky News, budding film-makers have found a new way to break into the cut-throat entertainment industry - via the small screen on mobile phones.

"More and more movie-buffs are creating videos for the ubiquitous devices, with the three to five minute films being produced for people on the go. The mobile movie mania is already being dubbed 'Celli-wood' in the US.

Charles Golvin from the Forrester market research company, says while only about four per cent of subscribers in the US presently watch some form of video on their mobile, the idea is about to take off."

Related:

-- Healthy growth in the mobile video - Global revenue from mobile video services jumped 317 per cent to almost $200m (£100m) between 2005 to 2006 and is expected to triple this year, according to a recent report by Infonetics Research.

Hospital workers fired for taking pictures of patients

Several medical workers at the Tri-City Hospital in Oceanside (Calif) were allegedly secretly taking pictures of patients and patient records with their cell phones, 10News reports.

According to the information given to 10News investigators, on April 18, a patient who attempted suicide was brought to the emergency room at Tri-City.

A worker was caught taking a picture of the patient using a cell phone.

In another incident, patient X-rays have been photographed without permission.

... The hospital said there was no breach of patient privacy but confirmed with 10News that five nurses, three secretaries and two technicians were fired."

RFID Tags to keep track of students cheating

Exam papers are being 'tagged' with RFI to combat cheating in GCSEs and A-levels this summer, reports This is London via The Raw Feed.

"Micro-texting" technology will allow the board to identify photocopied exam papers. Genuine papers will be given tiny marks only visible under a magnifying glass.

... Under the system, bags of papers will be fitted with RFID tags. These will be scanned as the bags are despatched and again after delivery to schools to check whether papers are missing.

The tags should help identify any bags which have been tampered with."

Other ways to prevent cheating:

-- Phonebusters - Is a handheld device to fight the use of cell phones in classrooms . It works by detecting RF signals and alerts the operator when a mobile device is being used, it can then track the phone being operated. It also detects digital signals of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

-- Gadget nails texting cheats - UK schools are installing detection systems in classrooms to combat pupils’ pervasive use What's novel about this system, is that it does not block signals, which would be unlawful under the Wireless and Telegraphy Act, but detects mobile phone activity - and lets the students know, probably scaring them to death.

Universal Studios "Hollywood Movie Minutes"

According to TechShout mobile entertainment company I-play, together with Universal Studios announced a new video streaming service that offers the most memorable scenes from Universal’s catalog of blockbuster movies to fans in North America.

"Called ‘Hollywood Movie Minutes’, the streaming video service is offering blockbuster film clips on mobile phones.

Hollywood Movie Minutes also allows users to search for their favorite video clips by genre, theme or tag."

French mobile TV receives EC funding

According to UK Computing, the European Commission has authorised €37.6m in aid from the French Agence de l'Innovation Industrielle towards funding Télévision Mobile Sans Limite, a mobile TV research and development project.

"Télévision Mobile Sans Limite (Unlimited Mobile TV) will combine satellite and terrestrial TV networks to broadcast TV on mobile phones, but will be available in France only."

Motorola to launch movie-playing cell phones

Motorola Inc. is set to unveil a mobile phone with full-motion video display and the means to play feature films on small removable storage cards, reports CNN.

"Speaking at the Software 2007 conference in Silicon Valley, Chief Executive Ed Zander briefly described one of the several devices the company has said it plans to announce at an event next Tuesday.

"We are going to show a device next week," Zander told several hundred attendees of the business software conference, saying it would show 30-frames-a-second, full-motion video. "It is a media monster.".

The new device would initially be targeted on the European market, where faster "third generation" (3G) networks are more widely available ".

Mobile TV predicted to be a hit

TV could overtake gaming and music as the consumer's favoured application for mobile phone according to research, reports the BBC.

Services in Japan, South Korea and Italy are attracting millions, confounding critics who said people would not watch TV on a small device.

... Research firm Screen Digest forecasts that mobile TV will put gaming and music in the shade. It predicted that there will be 140 million global subscribers generating revenue of £3.1bn by 2011."