Vision - November/December 2007 - (Page 16)

goiNg global news around the world ] • [ by carolyn slater ized parts manufacturers and a specialized workforce. The LG facility in Pyeongtaek, Korea will continue to manufacture DVD players, optical storage devices, and other products, but not mobile phones. Pay-As-You-Go Microsoft Software Microsoft has made available a unique payas-you-go computing system in South Africa and Romania. Designed to make access to its Office software more affordable to the populations of emerging markets, the threemonth subscription will cost roughly $28.54 (in South Africa) with first-time users receiving an additional three months for free. Only available on new computers, the technology allows subscribers to “top-up” their access as needed rather than having to fund the upfront fee all at once. If successful in these two test markets, Microsoft will offer similar plans in other developing countries. Primarily aimed at students, home users and small businesses, the Microsoft offering will compete with Linux—the free open source operating system software. Natalie Behring-Chisholm/Getty Images customers may soon be able to use just their fingertips to serve as a credit or ATM card. The advanced biometric technology scans the veins in the customer’s finger as identification and verification. To use the system, the customer simply holds their finger in front of the screen (without making contact) which scans the image of their veins and compares it to customer records in the database. Hitachi and JCB claim the technology offers a higher level of security to ward off identity theft. Initially the system will be used by 200 Hitachi employees to test its reliability and commercial viability and, if successful, it will be introduced to banks, stores and other businesses in Japan. In Afghanistan Cell Phones are Crucial to Recovery HP Partners with Irish Company on New Use for Inkjet Technology A small company in Galway, Ireland has In a country devastated by war, cell phones licensed a novel use for a technology develare proving to be a major factor in oped by Hewlett-Packard (HP). The agreethe economic recovery and qualment between HP and Crospon Ltd. is an ity of life in Afghanistan. Now outcome of HP’s relationship with Entersome 150,000 Afghan nationals, or prise Ireland, a government agency that roughly 12 percent of its 25 million supports and grows business in Ireland. population, have cell phone subThe product is a medical patch that delivscriptions. With the recent launch ers drugs to a patient using thermal inkjet Credit at Your Fingertips of the nation’s fourth cell service technology similar to that used in inkjet in Japan provider, Emirates Telecommuni- Carolyn Slater Biometric technology already is printers. Microneedles in the patch inject cation Corp., or Etisalat, the growth in use as identification at several drugs just below the skin but short of the should continue at a brisk pace. Most of the Japanese banks but now, thanks to Hitachi nerves so there is no pain to the patient. 34 provinces now have cell service. Many Ltd. and credit card maker JCB Co. Ltd. Visit: www.crospon.com. • who live in remote rural areas have skipped landlines entirely and moved directly to cell phones. By bridging the gap caused by damaged roads and chronic electricity shortages, The members of the 27-nation European Union (EU) soon could impose an import cell phones let individuals communicate tariff on higher-end digital cameras. Several Japanese digital camera producers includsafely with family and friends and even coning Canon, Nikon and Sony are concerned it would increase the price of cameras thus making them less competitive in the EU. Currently video recorders incur an import duct trade with the outside world. duty of 4.9 percent when shipped to an EU member country but regular digital camLG’s PC Production Moves to China eras enter tariff-free. But now EU trade experts are debating whether By year-end, LG Electronics will cease advanced video functions on some of the cameras its computer manufacturing operation in warrant the duty being expanded. Their criteria for a camera being classified as a video recorder Korea and complete the two year transition are that it can record at least a 30-minute single to its plant in Kunsan, China. This also will sequence of video at 800 x 600 pixels or greater mark the end of laptop production in Korea, and at 23 frames per second or higher. Since 2006 with Samsung Electronics having already exports of digital cameras from Japan to Europe moved its production facility to China two ran at about $5 billion, the impact of the tariff years ago. Kunsan is the birthplace for would be significant. A formal decision by the more than 80 percent of laptops produced European Commission is expected this fall. worldwide by Dell and HP. Key advantages of the relocation include available special- EU Import Tariff Likely on High-End Digital Cameras 16 November/December 2007 www.ce.org http://www.crospon.com http://www.ce.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vision - November/December 2007

Vision - November/December 2007 Contents Shapiro's Spectrum In This Issue The Economist C4 Visionary Tech Speak Going Global Eye on Business Tech Policy Special Supplement: CES Unveiled 2008 CES Technologies to Watch Eastern Europe Embraces CE M&A Fest Displaying the Future CEA Newsline Market Insider Just the Stats

Vision - November/December 2007

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