Vision - September/October 2008 - (Page 32)

gOing glObal news around the world ] • [ by carolyn slater Telemedicine or Diagnosis by Cell Phone George M. Whitesides, Ph.D., of Harvard University is leading an international team of researchers to develop a system of cell phone cameras and simple paper-based diagnostic tests as a medical resource for remote, medically underserved and disaster areas, as well as war zones. The cell phones would transmit data to a medical facility for analysis and diagnosis. In trials, scientists took pictures of color-changing test strips with a cell phone and sent them to an off-site expert. The trained expert correctly measured glucose and protein levels, used to diagnose various kidney diseases. In other studies, images of wounds were transmitted for medical review. Funding for the study comes from the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, Harvard University’s Center for Nanoscale Science, the National Science Foundation, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (Brazil) and the American Cancer Society. Colin Anderson/Jupiter Images France is First with Femtocells SFR, France’s second largest mobile provider (after Orange) with 18.8 million customers, is the first to introduce femtocell service. The soft launch of the service is scheduled for September 2008, and if successful, will make France the leader in global femtocell deployment. A number of factors make France a good market for the technology including: high-speed broadband services, widespread adoption of home gateways by consumers and consumer knowledge of FMC services. SFR is partially owned by European mobile giant Vodafone and plans to work with fixed-line operator company Neuf Cegetel, which currently provides DSL service to 3.3 million subscribers. Bangladesh Provides Free Internet for School The government of Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries, has made broadband Internet service free to nearly 40,000 state-run elementary schools. Nearly 40 percent of the country’s population subsists on less than a dollar a day and poverty is particularly prevalent in rural areas where 70 percent of the 144 million population lives, according to the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC). In addition to the free service for elementary schools, state-run high schools, colleges and universities will receive reduced rates on Internet service. Before this service Charles Sturge/Alamy began, Bangladesh reported only three million Internet users. Cell Phones Outnumber People in Australia The land “down under” has been steadily growing new cell phone users. The Australian Communications and Media Authority reports that with 21.26 million phones operating, cell phones officially have surpassed the population of 21.1 million in Australia, as measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Media Authority also said that during the last fiscal year, the number of public pay phones in Australia dropped by 8,368 to 49,862. Cellular Abroad says that cell phone service coverage on this sparsely populated continent is surprisingly good. Australia uses GSM service with the more populated coastal regions offering better coverage than the interior areas. Beijing Microsoft R&D Center Means More Research Jobs By 2010, when its new research and development center is complete, Microsoft plans to double the number of researchers in its China Research and Development Group. The company recently broke ground in Beijing on a facility that cost roughly $280 million. The twobuilding campus can accommodate 3,000 researchers and will incorporate environmentally friendly features like solar water heaters and motion-sensitive lights. About 80 percent of Microsoft’s China R&D Group develops software for worldwide users and the remaining 20 percent focus on emerging markets like China. Microsoft opened its first R&D facility in China in 1995 and also has research www.ce.org centers in Shanghai and Shenzhen. • 32 September/October 2008 Michele Westmorland/Getty Images

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vision - September/October 2008

Vision - September/October 2008 Contents Shapiro's Spectrum In this Issue The Economist Visionary C4 Trends Coming to a Neighborhood Near You IPv6: Connecting People and Things Israelis Spend Big on the Latest CE Devices Tech Speak Tech Policy CEA Newsline Going Global Eye on Business Market Insider Just the Stats

Vision - September/October 2008

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