Japanese PSPs gets Skype; what is Skype?

An article today in the technology section of CNN.com has mentioned the release of the Skype software on the Playstation Portable system in Japan later this month (nearly two months after its release in the US and Europe).

Most people are not familiar with Skype, so I suppose I should explain it. Skype is essentially a telephone system that goes between computers or, for a small fee, between computers and cellphones or landline phones. Skype has been around since 2003 and has grown exponentially since then. An article posted in February on about.Skype.com states that the software has tracked over 100 billion hours worth of phone calls since its creation nearly five years ago.

Sony has begun putting Skype's software in its PSP firmware updates in the hope that the system's new phone capabilities may draw in potential customers for the system. Calls between PSPs or between PSPs and PCs are entirely free, although the same credit card fees still apply to calls made between the PSP and phones. Sony's official press release for Skype can be read here.

Who needs privacy anyway?

I came across an interesting little news piece over at CNN.com's TECH section today. BrickHouse Security, a company that creates spy gadgets for home security and other safety purposes, has created a device called "the Ultimate SIM Card Management Solution." This innocuously titled device has been built with the ability to read stored and deleted text messages from another person's cellphone.

Of course, getting the device to read a cellphone isn't as simple as having the number ready. In order to actually active the "Cellphone Spy" (a name given by BrickHouse Security in a PR release for the device) you must obtain the other phone's SIM card in order to link up the device with your own cellphone. By placing the SIM card into a USB device and then into your laptop, all text messages and information can be read on your computer. The optimal purpose of the gadget is to monitor the messages of a possibly unfaithful spouse or to keep tabs on the texts your children are sending and receiving.

The "Cellphone Spy" is a pricey little toy ($149.99), but I suppose if you're the paranoid type you wouldn't mind spending the cash to ensure total safety for your loved ones. Of course, your loved ones may not feel the same when you're scrolling through two years worth of their own personal messages. So results may vary.

If you want to see the original news piece, you can check it out here at CNN.com/tech. The Cellphone Spy Data Extractor can be found here at BrickHouse Security's website.

I personally welcome our new robot masters.

I stumbled across a rather quirky story over at Breitbart.com. The article, titled "Automated killer robots 'threat to humanity': expert," chronicles the use of automated weapons in places such as Iraq as well as the dangers that come along with them. These range from the (slightly) more plausible scenarios, such as terrorist cells capturing the robots and reverse-engineering them, to technological limitations of current artificial intelligence, to the more Isaac Asimov-stylized idea of robo-rebellion.

The "expert" that Breitbart.com consulted was a professor at University of Sheffield in England. He is quoted as saying that "[robots] pose a threat to humanity" at his keynotes. It's somewhat difficult to sound sane when you say that sort of thing in public.

For you robot-lovers (or those wishing to know of the iron-fisted rule of our future cybernetic leaders), the whole article can be read here.

[The above photo is by Dan Coulter of Flickr.com. It is a picture of a band called "Robot Attack!"]

Philadelphia business plans on putting computers in waiting rooms

I was just reading up on the technology beat over at the Philadelphia Inquirer's website and came across this rather interesting story. It would seem that a company called InfoSlates is looking to put tablet PCs into the waiting rooms of hospitals and doctor offices as a high-tech alternative to wrinkled old copies of National Geographic. According to the article, InfoSlate finds that their PCs can be used both as a source of entertainment for those stuck in waiting rooms and also a healthy investment for advertisers. The whole article can be read here.

While the prospect of messing around with a tablet PC while waiting for the doctor to call you in sounds interesting, in a way it feels to me like an invasion. The principle behind InfoSlates' tablets is that they will allow the user to cruise the web and check email, but at the same time the real revenue to InfoSlate will come from the advertisers that invest into the tablets. While cruising the web, InfoSlate could do something as subtle as make the homepage for the tablets an advertiser's site, or they could be more obvious and have small pop-up ads appear. So essentially one of the few places in our modern society where you are not getting bombarded with ads, the waiting room, is now open for solicitation.

Satellite down

Just a quick update for you guys. Late last night the Navy took a shot at the failing satellite and they believe they have taken it out. An explosion was seen after the missile was believed to have made contact with the satellite, so the Navy is very confident that they managed to nail the fuel tank.

You can read the full story at CNN here.

U.S. Navy takes aim at malfunctioning satellite.

It would appear that the U.S. Navy has finally sat down and decided to begin its attempts at destroying the malfunctioning spy satellite before it can fall back into Earth.

The window of opportunity to take out the satellite is incredibly slim - roughly ten seconds every seven to ten days hold the only chance for a missile to hit it. Today was supposed to be the first attempt, but unfortunately bad weather forced the firing to be canceled.

The danger from the falling satellite comes from the fuel tank. Since the satellite was only launched late last year (December too be exact), it still has a tank full of hydrazine propellant. The chemical reacts much like ammonia when inhaled, so it's vital that the satellite not fall back to the ground or else it could create an international stir.

The Navy has a few more attempts at taking down the satellite before its projected fall around March 6. Hopefully next week's attempt will prove successful. The full article at CNN.com can be read here.

On the more lighthearted side of the news, the new Wii Fit game for the Nintendo Wii console has been given an American release date of mid-May. The purpose of Wii Fit is to transform the video game console into a light cardio and yoga workout program, suitable for any room in any home. The game, which comes with a balance board that doubles as a scale, gives advice on proper workout form as well as keeping track of one's statistics and weight loss. The official website for the product can be found here, as well as a video demonstrating how the device works.

Wii Fit has already sold 1.5 million units since its release in Japan on December 1. Nintendo hopes that the game's success will be just as hefty when it arrives here in the States.

Welcome to the post.

Welcome to Digital Lost & Found, my 2008 spring semester blog for Online Journalism. In this blog, I aim to provide a twice-a-week update on the latest technology news. My focus will be on developments in the computer industry, business practices between the major digital moguls as well as large-scale video game companies, as well as any truly groundbreaking innovations that should occur.

Sometimes I will collect the more interesting pieces of information regarding the biggest news in today's technology, while other times I will give my own commentary on the current state of the computer industry.

As for myself, I am a senior majoring at Rowan University. I am a commuter who spends a good deal of time on campus. My hobbies include watching independent and foreign films, discovering new (and local) bands, and personal fitness.

Please check back in the following days to read new and interesting pieces of information about our world's ever-developing technology.