SMS calls garbage disposal robots.

In a small village in Tuscany will start in March, a field in which garbage collection and street cleaning robots take over. Instead of fixed times to come to the house empty bins as soon as the inhabitants of an SMS to send the city clean.

 

The Italian Peccioli town has about 5,000 inhabitants, winding streets and stately historic buildings. In view of the village which is about 50 miles southwest of Florence in Tuscany is, one thinks involuntarily of the attributes of a classic holiday Italy: elegant landscapes, ancient architecture and traditional food. It will soon Peccioli in an experiment carried out, which sounds like science fiction: robots refuse collection and street cleaning will take over.

Dustbot homepage: In Tuscany, in future, the robots take on dirty work

The practice test is a robot named DustClean the streets Pecciolis independently of waste clean up, while his colleague DustCart the trash pick up. The latter does not happen at fixed times, but according to the needs of residents. If the trash is full, they send an SMS to the headquarters of the rubbish collection send whereupon the sheet metal garbage man hopefully will set into motion.

DustCart and DustClean are variants of the robot
DustBot who in the past three years by researchers at the
University of Florence and the
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna was developed. The scientists collaborated with seven other institutions from five European countries. A large part of the around 2.8 million overall project budget comes from the European Union. The name of the Sauber-bot was developed by a Disney character-inspired, but also has direct ancestors: Under the name "DustBot" brought
The Japanese company Tomy in 1985 a series of vacuum cleaners and staubfegender robot on the market, but rather as a toy to understand.

The result of the previous development, the platform is DustBot that their orders depending on the application area is done in different ways. As the vehicle rolls DustCart upright like the Segway scooter. It looks like a dustbin on wheels, the only antenna and monitor their high-tech appearance receives. The DustClean variant, however, is tipped to four wheels, in-style vacuum cleaner to clean the streets. This orients them to role models, their practicality has already demonstrated, such as
the robot vacuum cleaner "Roomba".

From the living room on the road

Both garbage man robots find their way in principle with the GPS satellite navigation system. But the Sauber-bots would not be everyday, they would stubbornly on the routes to be calculated. Road to fitness by ultrasonic sensors receive those other road users and obstacles of all kinds, not in their digital maps are evasive.

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If the tests in Peccioli successful, this would be a crucial step in the direction of the often cited pervasive everyday robotics. "Whether behind the bar, at the airport or in the garbage disposal: Robots are used in 10 to 15 years belong to everyday life, like the washing machine, which 40 years ago has kept its withdrawal," said, for example,
Jens Hanke of the Berlin high-wrought Robowatch Technologies last year to blogs ONLINE.

And the researchers DustBot of the project are always looking for other areas of their platform. Thus, a variant DustBot soon in Osaka, Japan elderly carrying shopping bags to help, as project manager Paolo Dario opposite "
pressetext "said.

Google's phone books have hiccups.

Classic phone: With this promise applies a mobile version of Google Book Search Google Books. So far, however, the pocket library only two mobile phone models - and which do not always.

 

The G1 does not want to read. Definitely not "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens and the poems of William Blake is not. First test runs with the Google mobile phone in the editorial of blogs ONLINE allowed no free reading on the mini-screen. The Google Books is now also available in mobile, in a pocket for phones optimized version. In a subsequent trial could then glances cast in books, both on a G1 phone as well as on an iPhone. On the Apple ran the phone book application, surprisingly even better than on Google's mobile phone.

Google Books for mobile phone: "Oliver Twist" until three band

On Google's other mobile phone books are not currently have - a guerrilla attempt with a Nokia E71 has failed all along the line, except a white screen, the address supplied
books.google.com / m nothing. Also in the Web browser can retrieve the mobile sites, as well as experienced on the first day mainly waiting. Presumably, the crowd was simply too big.

"Sometimes we yearn for more than just playing games or videos," remarked the Mobile Search team at Google would be entirely correct in a corresponding
Blog entry. Therefore we have the books available for free from the Google Book Search now specifically re-digitized, ie converted into text files. The can be attributed to a phone much easier and with less data volume than the show scanned book pages, the Google Books else has to offer.

"Alice", the software can not read

This extremely complex task you have to Google a so-called OCR software. It stands for Optical Character Recognition - and has been a concern of all those who like everything that ever was written, in file format had. The OCR works good times and bad times, as in the aforementioned blog entry with an example of an "Alice in Wonderland manuscript is impressively documented here recognizes the software as good as nothing.

Even in the books for mobile phones are numerous logical errors, breaks records, spontaneous breaks in the middle of the sentence and lonely and just standing around to find scraps of words. Because you are aware of this problem is to keep Google as the original backdoor scans with before. If a piece of pure text can not understand, it is the relevant section by clicking in its original version scanned to retrieve - as an image file.

In the current quality of Google's telephone books but then that is more a gimmick than a serious alternative to paper or magazine for long train journeys (except that on cellphone screens perhaps prefer not Shakespeare plays would like to read). The targeted 1.5 million books to date are also far from being fully accessible to all - "Oliver Twist", for example, begins in the mobile version of somewhere in the middle - telefontauglich has been made so far seem only volume number three.

French court bans mobile phone mast.

The verdict is in force: Because a health hazard not be ruled out, a cell phone in France Funkmast again dismantled. Residents were against the giant antenna sued.

 

Versaillles - The company apparently had trouble coming. Instead of the simple cellular antenna at the edge of the city to build, had opted for a more complex procedure, the structure, as well it just went, disguised as a large conifer. The local residents but were advised by the mummery not mislead, complained against Sendemast - with success. The Court of Appeal of Versailles ordered the phone company Bouygues Telecom now, the relay antenna again to remove.

DDP
Mobile antenna (archive): In France, such a transmitter according to a court decision removed from the vessel

A decision at first instance was thus confirmed. "Nothing makes it clear the impact on public health to exclude people if electromagnetic waves or fields are exposed," says the evening on Wednesday published opinion.

Although the risk of "hypothetical" that showed scientific studies and different rules in different countries, that there is "uncertainty about the safety of mobile phone radiation was, explained the judge. Bouygues had the antenna in 2006 on the verge of a settlement in the town of Tassin-la-Demi-Lune built. Residents subsequently complained about insomnia and eczema.

Antennas "on probation"

The lawyer of the plaintiff, Richard Forget, said that Bouygues Telecom now be 500 Euros for each subsequent day pay on which the antenna will remain. At the same time, get each of the three plaintiff couples Euro 7000 damages. This was a precedent had been created. "All of relay antennas Bouygues are only on probation."

Bouygues announced that the plant dismantle, but criticized the decision. They contradict a higher court decisions, said a spokesman. The company examines why an appeal before the Court of Cassation, France's highest civil and criminal authority. The company pointed out that after the verdict was virtually impossible, by the state required coverage of mobile telephony services to reach.

MOBILE: FREQUENCIES, AND HEAT RADIATION

"Cellphone radiation" SAR poor radiation equipment

The word makes for some concern, especially among physics novices. Mobile phones (and the associated transmission towers) to build high-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields. In Germany, in GSM mobile networks to frequencies 900 and 1800 megahertz used. Mobile telephony is not the only technology that generates these fields. Also, for example, cordless (DECT) phones do das

About possible health effects of mobile phone technology is much controversy among laymen. Thousands of scientific studies have thus - so far no evidence for a harmful effect to be able to deliver. Well known, however, is that cell phones for a slight warming of a few degrees can make the head. Among insiders, this is also known as "Wollmützeneffekt known.

The measured SAR describes how much energy in an electromagnetic field is transmitted. The acronym stands for "specific absorption rate". This unit can easily understand what readings are linked here: W / kg stands for watts per kilogram. The energy (in watts) is in the body tissue (in kilograms), especially in heat.

The specific absorption rate is determined by six minutes, the heating of body tissue to measure and represents an average. It is expected that after some time an equilibrium between supply and heat-duty arises.

The manufacturers of mobile phones than SAR value for the respective models, the maximum values.

Following a recommendation from the Commission on Radiological Protection in Germany is the limit for the SAR of a mobile phone with 2 W / kg. This is based on a guideline of the International Commission for Protection against Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP).

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) in Salzgitter lists on its Web site 814 phones at 26 different manufacturers. For 742 of them a standardized SAR could be determined. All were below the statutory SAR of 2 W / kg. The differences between the models are, however, some huge.

As of December 2006, the BfS to: of 465 mobile phones are currently produced almost a third below a SAR of 0.6 W / kg. The Office has been calling for years that such radiation particularly poor equipment with a special seal, the blue angels environment, be labeled.

The manufacturers submit their equipment so far but not a certification.

  ->

About possible health risks from mobile phone radiation, scientists argue, mobile companies and critic for many years. Regularly, conflicting research results are published, the times
an increased cancer risk for mobile phone forecast times
no evidence of potential risks can be found. Tangible evidence of links between cell phone radiation and health complaints were not previously demonstrated.

Mobile phone explosion kills 20-year-olds.

The death came suddenly in China is a young man apparently by the explosion of his mobile phone had been killed. The tragedy is not an isolated case. Already several people died or were injured when their cell phones detonated. The cause is usually the battery is seen.

 

Chinese media reports that the man had just finished a new battery for his cell phone purchased, the current memory immediately charged and used his mobile phone. Shortly after he set the phone in his breast pocket had had the explosion occurred. A woman in an adjacent shop in a shopping street in Guangzhou, South China worked, said journalists that she had heard a loud bang. Subsequently, it was immediately adjacent to the Lenovo store gone.

REUTERS
Hidden cellphone: This device is planned for 2007 the death of a Korean worker caused

There they had the 20-year-olds already on the ground are seen. The explosion was a neck artery of the injured man was a pool of blood spread quickly across the floor. As a cause of death is therefore not the explosion itself, but the high blood loss approved. Which mobile phone manufacturers and the battery came from is unknown.

Similar cases have occurred in Asia in recent years has repeatedly given. Sun died in November 2007, a worker in the South Chungcheong Province on the effects of a mobile phone explosion. Doctors had suspected that the pressure of the explosion had the heart and lungs so damaged that it came to death. The battery of the mobile in question was when the incident completely together.

No individual

Some months earlier, was a welder in the Chinese Shuangcheng died after his mobile phone had exploded. As in the current case was the explosion but not the direct cause of death. Rather, the man by the blast broke a rib, which is drilled into his heart. Although the welder was still provides doctors, he succumbed to the injuries.

A
Chinese newspaper reported in its online edition of at least five similar cases which have occurred since 2002.

The cause of such cell phone explosions are always low-battery suspects. In Europe, in 2003, several cases of exploding cell phone batteries reported. At the time, were inferior copies of branded batteries as a cause identified. Cell phone manufacturers like Nokia characterize their original batteries, since then, with hologram stickers.

In order to avoid such accidents, it is a few simple safety rules:

Use only the best batteries and chargers from the respective mobile phone manufacturer. As an alternative to brand products from companies serve. From low-cost batteries, such as in online auction houses and flea markets are offered, you should leave the fingers.

Protect your cell phone and battery against excessive heat. High temperatures can be uncontrollable chain reactions in the battery to trigger even fire. Insert the phone while cooking, ironing or welding so dear to the side.

Protect your cell phone and battery against moisture. Although they can be dry again, but possible corrosion effects may lead to malfunction.

Treat it carefully batteries. Excessive pressure, deformations, bruises and scratches can damage the internal structures, to short circuits or chemical reactions. When in doubt, you should prefer to replace the battery - and properly dispose of the old.

Google knows where you are.

With the positioning service Google Latitude manifests the end of privacy. By cellphone tracking can be seen in Google Maps to display where friends and relatives right now. In principle, this could be fun - if only someone would join it.

 

Google heralds the end of all excuses On. Sayings like "I'm standing in a traffic jam," "am already on, just go to mom," you can now save on your mobile. At least if you use Google Latitude. The expansion of the online map service Google Maps showing family and friends anytime, where you're staying. This works of course in the opposite direction by the location of the delights in the Google Maps display.

Whether you really want is another question.

To use the new service you need not just a Google Account, you must also have the right mobile phone. From Google's perspective would be the fact the T-Mobile G1, the so-called Google phone. Ironically, the Latitude software for the G1, but is not ready.

Even Apple's iPhone is already on the list, but also still waiting on the software adaptation. Nevertheless, the localization system according to Google, however, on most Symbian S60 devices, so Nokia's smartphones, on many BlackBerrys, and most mobile phones with Windows Mobile 5.0 or higher.

They are found

The application is simple: From the Google Directory, select the contacts whose locations you would like to know. By e-mail the chosen ones then post, must first give their consent before Google is trying to make their site to find.

The actual location is then according to the motto "we take what we get." If the searched around a GPS mobile phone, the satellite tracking certain position. If not, Google calculates the approximate position of the mobile phone via the mobile network.

However, PC users are not excluded. Who around the office on a standard PC is sitting, his whereabouts can also manually enter in Latitude. With Google's Chrome browser is that, as Google, also can be completed automatically. The midday performance in the canteen then logically remains unnoticed.

Motion without movement Profiles

But anyway the system displays only the approximate position of its user. A meter precise positioning, using GPS as they would theoretically be possible, the company promises not.

Above all, however, leaves it to the respective users to determine how closely one's position to communicate. For each location scouts can be adjusted, whether his current position, the only city in which it resides, or no position data may be communicated. That is at least a degree of anonymity and one can, for example, the pre-Christmas shopping before the family hide. Who knows everything on the other hand, in principle, is the service provider in the middle - Google.

After all, Google promises that the position data is not saved. A motion profile can be derived from the Latitude data do not create - at least not automatically. Who sets the value, you can of course also just a regular decent data retrieve a specified item, and then manually save it to a profile together. Good also conceivable that for this task is a software program.

"If you do nothing on!"

But by such paranoid ideas will not know about Google. Fun is the new tool do not create fear. Therefore, you can also simply the symbol of a friend on the digital map Click on him or her via SMS, email or chat to contact us. So should arrange spontaneous meetings, or just tips on what you just enterprise could be replaced. And because the whole thing within Google Maps is running, you may wish to also get directions for a meeting on the cell phone can beam.

In essence, Google has thus the promise of the so-called location-based services, the location service, a good bit more redeemed. It remains only the question of whether you actually want.

Those who are already on the Internet under the slogan "I have nothing to hide" digitally exposes will love Latitude. A test well in a dozen Google users send their request to release location data remained completely unsuccessful. Exemplary should notify one of the answer be: "If you do nothing to."

Since Google still has some convincing to be done.

Import iPhones with side effects.

Contract Free iPhones to import is a risky business, even if those from EU countries. The sale itself can Apple not prohibit, but also detours lead to Rome: Apple goes with warnings against the use of Apple's promotional pictures before.

 

At the end of January of the fax machine spat Kristof Loll a twelve-letter from a law firm in Cologne. Loll was surprised that screenshots of their online stores 3Gstore.de recognition. The lawyers wanted to with the warning not to sell the iPhone does, but the use of Apple's images. From a legal perspective, is perfectly legitimate: Apple holds the copyright to the images.

Prohibitions for Impoteure: Official Apple-promo-pictures of the iPhone to independent merchants can not be used

It's just unusual, "This is absolutely incomprehensible to me," says Kristof Loll. Every other manufacturer was happy when the original image material used. No brand manufacturer looks like badly lit amateur photos of its products on the pages of online shops.

iPhones from Italy

It sells no Loll by software (Jailbreak) hacked iPhones. The equipment comes from Italy and are responsible for the European economic space. You do not have a network lock, are Simlock-free. Glad to see that Apple still does not.

Because Apple actually leaves the exclusive distributor in Germany, its partner T-Mobile - and captivates the devices to his network. In many other countries, however, Apple has with the introduction of the second-generation iPhone on exclusive contracts with cellular providers waived. How can the Italian iPhones with any SIM card in Germany.

Also, the software updates and installing applications via the Apple iTunes software are easily possible. So enjoy the great demand for imported equipment. Exact sales figures will not betray Kristof Loll, but supposedly will be worthwhile for him: He does not abandon.

Trouble with Gmail

This allows the dealer does not have a shortage of anger complain. He had been warnings for a specific cost center established joked Loll. Because the iPhone has other import reactions.

In December he reached on behalf of Daniel Giersch a warning. The young entrepreneur offers at the address Gmail.de postal services. The free mail service from Google is actually also Gmail. But in Germany, Daniel Giersch has this brand on the Prozessweg secure for themselves. So Google's service in Germany and Austria now Gmail, as otherwise only in Britain, where the brand is also someone in Gmail could only ride.

In Italy, however, says Google's mail service as anywhere else in the World: Gmail. And this mail service is in the import iPhones preconfigured. Of course you can see the logo. Exactly Giersch warned that the traders from Kiel. In Germany, the iPhone may sell the Gmail logo is not used. Kristof had Zähneknirschen Loll acknowledge the warning.

Illegal image use

The current warning he will sign it and the attorney's fees in the amount of 1,780 euros at a fixed value of 100,000 euros to pay. Now the question arises as to whether Apple's lawyers to other bloggers and site operators are released. The probability is large, because in the use of ties to the U.S. Apple site is clear that the images only for editorial purposes and analysts may be used. The use for advertising, brochures, books and T-shirts is strictly prohibited.

"Our terms of use, there are quite clear," says Georg Albrecht, Apple spokesman in Germany. When asked whether import more equipment dealer must reckon with the warnings and how to trade with Apple devices simlockfreien is like no Albrecht information.

Meanwhile Loll Kristof makes a virtue out of necessity. Since he has new images for his shop with a professional photographer had to be carried out, he thought, he could also contribute to the PR purposes. The different, he offered views of the iPhones may now use any and even change.
Creative Commons license called das

The only condition: The user must specify where the images he has. So the copyright notice at the photos now every time a little advertising for Lolle shop.

30 percent interest loans for 30 days.

The fast and easy credit via SMS is a phenomenon that is particularly rife in northern Europe: After the Scandinavian countries, measures against excessive debt have taken the mobile credit now a problem in Estonia.

 

Banking transactions with the phone to execute, this country is still an exotic niche phenomenon. True success as a mobile wallet account, and probably only in high-tech nations such as Japan and South Korea as well as in emerging countries. It replaces the mobile phone in Japan are increasingly cash when making purchases for daily needs, while in countries like India the mobile phone assets now account for the first But for millions of poor people.

Serious offer already on the homepage of SMS Laen we learn that for 30 days credit up to 30 percent interest is charged

Less well known is another form of mobile financial transactions, although this in northern Europe is widespread: Spontaneous credits via SMS. In this special kind of mobile banking companies promise to quickly and easily transfer money to pump. They hold the provider with old-fashioned practices such as the review of the creditworthiness of, but they require, however, unfortunately, annual interest of up to one thousand percent.

The mostly young borrowers are these exorbitant interest rates but most do not realize, because the loans are usually only for a few weeks are awarded.

Estonia indebted to mobile

Currently, the SMS is booming lending business, especially in Estonia, where no fewer than ten companies that operate business model questionable. Overall, the company is an annual loan volume of up to half a billion Estonian crowns (32 to 64 million euros) awarded - exact figures are obviously not to be identified because the credit transactions in their companies generally do not publish.

The undisputed leader of the SMS-loan industry in Estonia is
SMS Laen, the company will be around for half of sales responsibility. In a press release SMS Laen, said last November that about ten percent of his customers are serious problems with the repayment would have. This is contrary to that already in April a representative of the company Julianus collection from the good order situation in its sector through the SMS-loan case geschwärmt had.

Accordingly, it is for most of the insolvent debtors to amounts from 1400 to 1600 euros. And not even the global financial crisis, including through the rotten loans to U.S. home buyers was triggered, it seems that the questionable lending in Estonia to disrupt. Consumer loans without collateral have their permission to
SMS Laen, said CEO Aare Sosaar late last year because they allow for "unforeseen bottlenecks" to be bridged.

The first wave

Your first big boom experienced SMS credit wave two years ago in the Scandinavian countries. And after more and more young borrowers headless in the case of credit had fallen, the phenomenon has been appropriately critical perception. So did the Finnish Financial Supervision FIN-FSA in 2006 a study has concluded that with the SMS credits a new problem had arisen.

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In the Scandinavian countries, but the regulators are now responding to the problem. In Sweden, for example, since early 2008, a scheme under which the loans are no longer within a few minutes to be allowed. On the payment must be in Sweden since then until the next day wait, so the SMS credits are no longer for spontaneous shopping adventures are suitable, which can then be immediately regretted it.