CNet Asia is reporting that the Tokyo Book Fair has a demonstration showing the use of RFID (Radio Frequency ID) technology to track shoppers within a book store. The concept is to station the receivers on shelves, so that you can see where the shoppers go while browsing for the …

Users of AT&T Wireless mobile telephone services have a new way to get information on their cell phones. The new TXT-411 service provides "411" information services via SMS messages (text messaging) for $0.40 per request, which is about a third of the cost of using the voice 411 …

An article from the NY Times describes one Austin, TX businesswoman who decided to add free wireless to her coffee shop. In the end, she figures the service is costing her about $40/month in addition to her $80/month internet bill and an additional $700 for the hardware to …

Airostep has a series of programs and services that allow Macintoshes to communicate with SMS, MMS, and other GSM- style mobile services. Check out XMobile, which sends SMS messages to over 100 services. I haven't used it, and it appears to require the Airostep service, but it looks very nice …

An article in Sensors1 (a magazine devoted to sensors and sensor technology) describes a new proposed standard for describing sensors and their data using a new XML dialect called SensorML. The idea is to provide a standard language for describing the sensors and the kinds of data that they …

Networking products and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) manufacturer, Cisco is preparing to release a VoIP wireless phone that uses 802.11b (WaveLan) technology to communicate with the internet. According to an article from InfoWorld, the new phone (called the 7920) will be intended for LAN use in corporations, but there are talks …

Finnish cellular telephone manufacturer Nokia is planning on releasing a camera in the US this summer that will send its output directly to cellular telephones. Using the GSM (Global System for Mobile) system, the camera will respond to text messages by sending camera pictures to the sender's phone. An article …

I'm tempted to agree with the analyst quoted in the article1 on CNet who commented about UPS's new Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD) that "It reminded me of 'shock and awe. There are just so many different kinds of weapons, tools and technologies." The device connects to 6 networks …

Adding to their existing Borders and Starbucks locations, T-Mobile has signed an agreement with Kinkos to provide HotSpot access points inside of their stores. This agreement1 will provide an additional 1500 locations for T-Mobile's HotSpot system, bringing its total to nearly 4,000. Original link (http://www.kinkos.com …

So far, the FCC has been holding to its thrice-postponed November 11th deadline for number portability despite clamoring from the major cell carriers to postpone it yet again. At issue is the ability to keep your telephone number when you move from one cell carrier to another. Hidden inside is …

An article on MobileMag details some upcoming robots from Seiko-Epson that will use Bluetooth as a control mechanism. The robots aren't going to be available to the public (unless there is a large demand for it), but will be showed at ROBODEX next month. The robot's stats are impressive: it …

OK, I admit it, I'm a cellular phone and portable gadget addict. There, I said it... now, to heck with the remaining 11 steps, because I ENJOY being an addict. The fact of the matter is that this industry is moving so quickly that (with the sole exception of the …

There is a global wISP (wireless Internet Service Provider) directory now available from Brainheart Capital. I don't know how comprehensive it is, but it has over 192 entries now.

So, I understand from this article that Free Space Optics (FSO) have been around for a while, but this is the first that I'd heard of it, and the technology is cool. Basically, PowerBeat International provides high speed data (400Mbps+) over visible light spectrum. That's right, no licenses to procure …

In the first announcement in the UK, Hutchison 3 has announced that their network is live and that they expect to begin providing service by March 15, according to an article on BBC News. 3G is the next generation of wireless telephone technology that provides true high-speed communications (at speeds …

According to an article in the Wall Street journal, a number of companies (including Motorola, Samsung, etc.) are working on portable devices that will compute and provide phone communication over WiFi and cellular networks. The article shows one-such device already available in South Korea.

Leave it to Sony to come up with a Portable Wireless Web Server to drag your web site around with you. The info here is in Japanese, but you'll get the idea from the pictures. If somebody wants to read the Kanji and post a translation, I'll be happy to …

According to an article on CNet, much-beleaguered Lucent Technologies is releasing a new cellular phone technology for data that will be ten times as fast as today's fastest cellular network, NTT DoCoMo. According to a Lucent press release, the chip that powers this speed has been developed by the same …

An article on the BBC site describes experiments in New York and Britain to create messages that "linger in the air." Basically, the idea is that the system sends you an alert via SMS when you approach a location that has messages connected with it.

CNet is reporting that the Pentagon and WiFi technology companies have reached an agreement intended to protect military radar frequencies while expanding the availability of WiFi. This agreement will dovetail into the proposed additions to the 5GHz spectrum. Those familiar with the spectrum will note that the 5GHz spectrum (used …