Author name: Doug Felteau

By Jonathan Skillings, CNET News.com

The U.S. Army is playing up its ability to get high-tech tools to soldiers in the field more quickly and more affordably. Rather than weapons, the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force is focusing on devices such as surveillance systems for searching out explosives, or handheld computers with voice recognition that carry a stockpile of phrases in Arabic. The goal isn’t to devise the gadgets from scratch; instead, the unit looks for commercial products or items already in the production pipeline. The use of off-the-shelf technology means that even with modifications for military use, the gear can get to soldiers much faster than it would through the traditional acquisition process, according to the head of the Rapid Equipping Force.

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Army speeds high-tech tools to soldiersRead More »

By Shelly Decker, Edmonton Sun

Kids heading back to school may be hauling more gadgets than books in their backpacks. From the wildly popular iPods to ubiquitous cellphones, an increasing number of kids are tapping into technology in the hallways. “In the last couple of years, we’ve seen a huge increase in the technology market in sales,” said Sumeer Saran, a supervisor for Best Buy in South Edmonton Common. Laptops in high school? Yup, once the domain of university students, the computers are surfacing in high schools.

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More Kids Carrying More Gadgets to SchoolRead More »

From cell phones to iPods, from PDAs to PCs, Americans love the latest gadget. Yet this profusion of innovation also creates a problem: obsolete electronic devices, many with toxic parts, are stacking up in closets and basements, and eventually end up in a dump. In all, Americans own about 2 billion electronic gizmos, or 25 per household. Each year, some 50 million computers and 20 million televisions become obsolete, according to a recent Government Accountability Office study. But only about 10 percent of e-waste is recycled. The rest is landfilled, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates. At least 25 states are considering bills that would regulate e-waste.

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Electronic Gadgets Pose Challenge For Waste DisposalRead More »

By Jinny Gudmundsen

Young children starting school in the digital age will find paper, pencils, computers, the Internet and other electronic devices in their classrooms to help them learn. If you are the parent of a young child, here are answers to some questions parents of preschool and kindergarten students often ask about how to take advantage of technology. First of all, children do not need to know how to use a computer before starting preschool or kindergarten. However, many will. “We are rapidly entering the time when students will be at risk if they don’t have knowledge of or are active users of technology before they enter school,” says Frank Bensinger, principal of the Forest Edge Elementary School for Communications and Technology in Fairfax County, Va. He can identify the kids that haven’t been using technology at home because they “seem timid and awkward around tech things.” Fortunately, “it doesn’t take them too long to get involved,” he says.

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Never Too Early To Introduce Computers To Pre-K KidsRead More »

By: Adam Balkin, New York 1

No more paper maps & tourbooks, human guide, or even those large plastic audio devices that you hold up to your ear. Racontours are new multimedia tours of Manhattan – tours you download to your digital handheld or high-end Smartphone. “You have the same type of experience you would have sitting on your couch watching a documentary, but it’s interactive and you’re actually taking it, standing right there in the place that you’re learning about, so it combines the immediacy of actually being there with the resources that you have in a complete multimedia system,” Michael Guthrie of Racontours said. “We show you old images, maps, lithographs, portraits, you get to listen to expert testimony from expert authorities on the subject, and you get to walk around at your own speed, by yourself. There are no groups, no buses – you can do it when you want [and] stop for lunch.” You can also download audio to your mp3 player.

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High-tech tour booksRead More »