TECH TRENDS
Roaming With VoIP
Imagine not having to use your cell phone minutes when talking at home, in the office or near a Wi-Fi hotspot. Or, if you have terrible mobile coverage in the office (or at home), imagine being able to walk into your office and have the phone automatically switch from the poor wireless connection to your VoIP network. VoIP-to-mobile service is the next big idea for phone service, and it could prove to be quite the money-saver for entrepreneurs. While some phone manufacturers have developed or are developing phones that can handle both wireless and VoIP calls, the reality of this service isn't quite here as the technology is still developing and there's much infrastructure to be developed by providers. But it's something to keep your eye on--be an early adopter and you could save big bucks on your phone bills.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/howtoguide/article79252.html
T-Mobile Samsung t409
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Detail.aspx?device=93369e8f-a580-49b2-93bd-88fcd1321b85
T-Mobile Calling over Wi-Fi
http://www.t-mobile.com/company/PressReleases_Article.aspx?assetName=Prs_Prs_20070627&title=T-Mobile%20Introduces%20Unlimited%20Calling%20Over%20Wi-Fi%20With%20the%20National%20Launch%20of%20T-Mobile%20HotSpot%20@Home
Use Wiki to Ease Collaboration
Chances are, you may be familiar with wiki by way of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia fed by contributions from thousands of people. A wiki is a web page that multiple users can collaborate on--it's generally basic in design and easy to use. Now, like the blogging phenomenon, wikis are starting to work their way into the business arena.
Ross Mayfield, CEO and co-founder of Palo Alto, California-based Socialtext, a group productivity and wiki solution provider, says wikis have two main benefits: They boost group productivity and also act as a business knowledge base where information is logged and easily accessible. The constantly-changing nature of wiki means it may never be completely finished, but it does remain up-to-date. Mayfield says candidates for wiki use include companies that generate a lot of documentation through groups, are team-project-oriented or seek a collaborative writing environment. Just freeing your inbox from the heaps of cc'ed e-mails and boosting productivity can be worth the investment.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/howtoguide/article79252.html
Socialtext
http://www.socialtext.com/
No More Passwords with Biometric Fingerprint Identification
Biometrics is the use of body measurements to identify people. These technologies rely on the uniqueness of the human body to identify individuals, literally measuring your biological features and behaviors. The technology can scan your fingertips, hands, face, iris, retina, voice pattern or even behavioral characteristics. Eventually, passwords may become unnecessary since biometrics provide a convenient replacement and don't require memorizing obscure combinations of letters and numbers.
Fingerprint identification is making its way into portable devices like cell phones, PDAs and laptops--hardware that's vulnerable when lost or stolen. Since businesses can't afford to lose their data, fingerprint readers make more sense than password protection. The appearance of fingerprint readers in cell phones is the most recent development (coming soon to the US), but they already exist on some laptops and PDAs. External fingerprint scanners have been available for a while, and are growing in popularity.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/howtoguide/article79252.html
APC Biometric Security
http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=246
Microsoft Fingerprint Reader
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/features/fingerprint.mspx
Web Activated Telephony
Web-activated telephony uses voice over IP to connect traditional phones (landline or mobile). Calls are made without download or user-installed software, and in most cases at rates lower than those of traditional phone companies or even free of charge. Callers type in their own number and their desired destination number in a Web form. The service first rings the caller. After the caller picks up the phone the destination number is then dialed and the connection is established.
Jajah
http://www.jajah.com/