toursforfree.com

There are free and paid versions. No word of
iPhone support, and I have not put my hands on this product to try it. Love the idea, though.

If you’re driving to a meeting and realize you’re going to be late, what do you do? Pick up the phone and call ahead, right? But this means, possibly, trying to find the number for the person you’re meeting with, which can be dangerous if you’re in motion. And possibly illegal.

Phone ahead.

Mobile app Oops I’m Late does the calling for you. It runs on GPS-equipped Windows smartphones. If you start the app and give it access to your calendar so it knows where and when your next appointment is, it will automatically fire off text messages to the contacts in a meeting when it detects that you can’t possibly make it in time. Optionally, it can also tell people how far away you are and your ETA.

The new version works with Twitter and Facebook to send both public and private messages.

Lessin trawled through the data to find what time people checked into coffee shops in the morning (and whether they were doing this earlier or later on a given day), how much people “lost steam” over the course of a party- and conference-filled week, and how much the most popular gatherings actually matched up to the Internet Week New York official schedule. As it turns out, the hottest parties were impromptu, unofficial gatherings at the Standard Hotel and, um, Sing Sing Karaoke.

Obviously, this isn’t perfect. Foursquare updates are voluntary, which means that data can’t say a thing about what people are doing when they aren’t telling the app about it. The presence of an app like Foursquare, too, can also skew social activity: word about the massive impromptu party at the Standard Hotel bar, for example, spread when the Foursquare check-ins started snowballing.

But when you have enough people participating–which, as of yet, Foursquare does not–the critical mass starts to correct some of those issues. It’s a fascinating sneak peek at what sort of value this data could have down the road.

(Credit:
Sam Lessin)

The hottest hotspots in New York…for nerds.

Earlier this month, the second annual Internet Week New York took place, and Dropio founder and certifiable data nerd Sam Lessin crunched a bunch of numbers based on what his contacts on urban navigation and friend-finding service Foursquare were doing. Lessin was working with a group of fewer than 100 contacts, almost all of whom are involved in the tech and new-media industries (this is the scene that birthed Foursquare and its predecessor Dodgeball, after all), and yet it’s a fascinating peek at just how much this kind of data can reveal. He’s posted it on his personal file “drop” on Dropio.

What we can also look forward to: pretty infographics, Orwellian privacy concerns. Eek.

Just how powerful can the data behind a location-based application be? Extremely.

But in 2008, NORAD officially moved to the nearby Peterson Air Force Base. Still, even to this day, it maintains an alternate command center at Cheyenne Mountain that it shares with U.S. Northern Command, or USNORTHCOM.

The ACC, as seen in this photo, has certainly been “scrubbed,” meaning that personnel in the room were very careful to ensure that nothing sensitive was visible in the shot. Still, you can get a sense for what goes on in the room today. To be sure, it looks very little like the giant command center that was made so famous in “War Games.” Yet in today’s world, where everything is smaller, more compact, and more efficient than back in the early 1980s, it’s no wonder that a facility like this would have the feel of an office full of cubicles.

Now, the Air Force has provided me with this photo, of the ACC, which, since my very first step when planning Road Trip 2009 was to see about arranging a visit to Cheyenne Mountain, is a fitting way to formally close the book on the project.

When I visited, I was allowed the rare privilege of bringing a camera with me, and I took a lot of pictures. But the pictures were mainly of the infrastructure of Cheyenne Mountain, and I wasn’t able to see the alternate command center (ACC).

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NORAD’s alternate command center, at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, near Colorado Springs, Colo. While NORAD’s main operations recently moved to the nearby Peterson Air Force Base, it still maintains the ACC at Cheyenne Mountain.

Either way, you can tell that the ACC is a place that has the ability to run serious exercises, and, in the case of a real emergency, is capable of being used as NORAD’s main nerve center. Let’s hope that’s never necessary.

Photos: Inside Cheyenne Mountain, America’s Fortress

(Credit:
U.S. Air Force)

During my recently completed Road Trip 2009 project, one of the biggest highlights was my visit inside the Cheyenne Mountain Complex at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. Recognizable from the movie, “War Games,” and the “Stargate” TV series, the complex was long popularly known as NORAD, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The two chipmakers, which partner in the manufacture of flash memory chips, said Tuesday that they have developed NAND flash memory capable of 3 bits per cell based on 34-nanometer technology. This allows greater data density than the standard 2-bits-per-cell technology and will result in high-capacity USB flash drives, according to Micron.

On Tuesday, Intel and Micron Technology announced the development of high-data-capacity flash memory technology for flash cards and USB drives.

“The chip is not for all markets,” according to Jim Handy of semiconductor market researcher Objective Analysis, writing in a research note published Tuesday about the technology. “The companies explained that they need more experience in production volumes before they will be confident to position it as a chip suitable for the high-write environment of the SSD,” he said. Handy is referring to the fact that users of solid-state drives typically record data at a much greater frequency than consumers who, for example, buy flash drives for digital cameras.

Micron is currently sampling the chips and will be in mass production in the fourth quarter.

While packing more bits into a cell provides greater data densities, it is not as reliable as flash memory based on more standard technology, according to Kevin Kilbuck, director of NAND marketing at Micron. Therefore, the 3-bits-per-cell chips will be limited initially to flash drives, which don’t require the data storage reliability of a solid-state drive, which is used as the primary storage device in laptops and servers.

And in a related announcement, Intel said Monday that it has validated a fix for its new 34-nanometer X25-M solid-state drive, which is based on similar flash memory technology. The bug affects users who set a BIOS drive password. That update is available here.

(Credit:
Lexar)

Intel-Micron chip will enable high-capacity USB drives

Updated at 9:10 a.m. PDT: adding analyst comments.

SanDisk and Toshiba disclosed in February that they had developed 4-bit-per-cell technology, which the two companies said was the highest-capacity flash memory technology in the industry.

But Handy added that he expects the Intel-Micron chip by 2010 to “cause snags for the other vendors in the market: Samsung, and Hynix/Numonyx” and potentially be more profitable than the competition.

Google Voice, which allows users to receive calls placed to a single telephone number in multiple places and make cheap international calls, was deemed unfit for App Store inclusion in July, after it was released for BlackBerry and Android smartphones.

(Credit:
CNET Networks)

Vonage announced Tuesday that its mobile voice over Internet Protocol app has been approved for use by Apple on the
iPhone and
iPod Touch.

The Internet telephone service provider said it’s conducting a beta test of the app and that general availability will be announced at a later date.

That delay came to light on the heels of federal regulators opening a probe on Apple’s decision to keep the Google Voice application from the App Store. AT&T–Apple’s iPhone partner–has denied playing a role in that decision.

Apple, however, has said the Google Voice app was never actually rejected.

Last week Apple confirmed that Vonage’s request for app approval was being held up by technical issues with the Vonage software. An Apple spokesperson told CNET News at the time that Apple was working with the developer to resolve the issue but would not elaborate on the nature of the issue.

(Credit:
Green Electronics Council)

Products certified by EPEAT–which stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool–are listed in a registry. Products are judged on 23 attributes that make up an environmental performance rating. There are 28 optional attributes as well.

While the Department of Energy-run EnergyStar rates energy efficiency, EPEAT covers other factors including the amount of toxic material used in electronics, manufacturers’ recycling and take-back policies, and packaging.

“When you get outside the public sector, we are all seeing higher awareness around the environment,” Hoffman said.

Registries for monitor and PC buyers will now be able available in Canada, Europe, China, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and Mexico. The Green Electronics Council says it now has 1,300 products listed and participation of 30 vendors, which represents $60 billion in tech purchases.

The Green Electronics Council said Monday it is making its EPEAT rating system, now mandated in U.S. government agencies, available for computer gear sold in other countries.

The ratings–either gold, silver, or bronze–cover monitors and desktop computers right now. The organization, which is made up of manufacturers, recyclers, and advocacy groups, is in the process of establishing an EPEAT rating for televisions, printers, and copiers. It also expects to take on consumer electronics and servers, according to executive director Jeff Omelchuck.

Corporate computer buyers are showing growing interest in the EPEAT rating, said Steve Hoffman, director of strategic marketing and sustainability initiatives at Hewlett-Packard, which has had EPEAT-certified equipment since 2007.

To get the EPEAT certification, manufacturers need to fill out a complex form, which is reviewed by EPEAT. It also performs independent audits, sometimes through third parties, “to keep them honest,” according to Omelchuck. The nonprofit is funded by members’ fees.

Federal agencies are required to ensure that 95 percent of their computing equipment is EPEAT-certified. The actual adoption rate, however, is lower with about 13 of 22 agencies last year approaching the 95 percent purchasing market, according to Sarah O’Brien, director of communications at the Green Electronics Council.

Among the device’s features are its OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, multi-touch Web browser and the ability to send video in 720p to a HDTV (using a dock, sold separately).

Zune HD hands-on photos

If you can’t wait until September, here’s a video I shot during a brief hands-on demo I got in May (or see our slideshow above).

Microsoft will also start taking pre-orders for the device and starting September 15, it will be able to be ordered in five colors from Microsoft’s Zuneoriginals.net site, with the option of adding one of 10 engravings by guest artists to the back of the device.

The black 16GB version of the touch-screen media player will sell for $219.99, while a 32GB version in “platinum” color will cost $289.99. The pricing had already leaked via Best Buy and Amazon, while the September 15 launch date was noted as part of a retailer’s display, reported by Gizmodo.

Microsoft on Thursday confirmed several of the worst kept secrets in the industry, acknowledging the pricing, availability date, and capacities for its upcoming
Zune HD.

Although the prices put the Zune HD well below Apple’s current
iPod Touch prices for the same capacity, I would expect Apple to revamp its products for the fall, likely offering the iPod Touch at similar prices and capacities, and perhaps borrowing the video camera and other features from the
iPhone 3GS.

In a Cupertino parking lot, perhaps? Or strewn on the steps of a certain academy of sciences?

I wonder how many of you already know where you would like your ashes to live in perpetuity.

Sam’s fascinating mausoleum seems to have created an unintended consequence, however.
As he puts it: “His daughters like the look of it so much they aren’t now sure if they want to bury him.”

I would have liked to have had the chance to offer some private words myself. These might have included the words “brother” “slightly” and “nutty.”

One assumes this is what they call a SPARC of respect.

(Credit: Sam 3:14)

However, after an e-mail correspondence with Sam (who sent me Alan’s obituary), I can reveal that not only is the story true, but that this was, indeed, a loving gesture.

The deceased’s full name is William Alan Watson and his brother’s name is Dave. At first Dave was concerned to preserve the privacy of Alan’s daughters, but they now believe it’s “kind of cool” that people should know this was their Dad.

Updated 7.28am PST Saturday, following requests from readers, with details of the dead man and the full picture of the computer.

Sam continued: “The case worked quite well at his memorial party. His friends and family were able to leave their final good-byes on post-it notes. Anyone who wanted to keep their words private could just slip their note into the case through the floppy slot.”

I only ask because it seems that a geeky man called Alan seems not to have wondered about this. With the result that his eternally powdered life is now being spent inside a SPARCstation computer.

Which seems like a wise and brotherly gesture.

Sam described it thusly on his Flickr page: “I kept the floppy drive cover but for space reasons removed the floppy drive, hard drive, and most of the power supply. I left behind the motherboard and power switch and plugs to keep all openings covered.”

A Flickr member called Sam 3.14, who appears to be Alan’s brother, explained on the site that it was he who decided to place Alan’s ashes inside one of the most precious creations under the Sun.

So I wonder, please, would readers offer their ideas for an ideal ashen casket? Surely you might aspire to more than a SPARCstation? Something with an Apple logo, perhaps? Or would that be too expensive?

What was also quite delightful about the SPARCstation is the inscription “Beam Me Up Scotty I’m Done Here,” as these seem to have been some of Alan’s last words.

Some business, such as service businesses or companies that focus on energy efficiency, can be good long-term investments but not suit the venture model, she said. And many banks have become conservative in their lending, making the gap bigger.

In an interview, Khosla said that venture capitalists, many of whom joined green tech from biotech or IT, should not have been financing large-scale projects, but instead focusing on nurturing new companies.

Khosla Ventures on Tuesday said that it has raised two funds to invest in green-tech and IT-related start-ups. Khosla Ventures III has $750 million to invest in traditional early to mid-stage companies, while a newly created $250 million fund called Khosla Seed will seek out higher-risk projects.

The Khosla Seed Fund is seeking to address what many experts say is a yawning funding gap: tiny firms that need seed funding.

Vinod Khosla

Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, has become one of the most high-profile investors in green technology and an advocate of changes in U.S. energy policies.

As part of the expansion, the investment company said it has hired Gideon Yu, the former chief financial officer of Facebook, and venture capital investor Jim Kim, who joined from CMEA Ventures.

Some of the examples of the “radical approaches” that Khosla Ventures has already cited include Calera, which is sequestering carbon in the process of making cement, and Kior and HCL, which are using novel techniques to make fuels from biomass.

Venture capital funds typically aren’t structured to invest under a few million dollars in a single company as they are looking for a ten-fold return within a few years. Yet many companies, including those in green technology, would prefer to get less money from investors and not yield as much ownership to outside investors, said Susan Preston, an expert on angel investing who manages the CalCEF Angel Fund.

Many venture capital firms have cooled on energy-related start-ups because many were pulled into investing more than they were comfortable with to finance expensive endeavors, such as biofuel refineries or solar manufacturing plants.

Having funds specifically set up for seed funding doesn’t necessarily mean that venture capital is obsolete. But those VCs with larger dollars could come at a later stage of development.

The venture fund of famed venture capitalist Khosla Ventures is betting that today’s science experiments will be the companies that reinvent industry.

“We will continue to foster high-risk technology innovation and unproven but high-impact science experiments, now with greater resources,” Khosla said in a statement.

“There are lots of very valuable and economically viable companies that have great cash flow but are not venture-backable because the market potential is not very large–it could be that it’s a localized business,” she said.

(Credit:
Martin LaMonica/CNET)

“This is the 1980s style of venture capital–real technical risk with small amounts of money and small teams,” Khosla told The New York Times. “Clean-tech companies taking large amounts of money–that’s project finance, not technical risk. That’s a differentiation most people have lost.”

In a statement, Khosla said that its Seed fund will target those companies, which may have roots in university research, that can’t find funding elsewhere.

“I’ve seen more development of smaller funds in clean tech than any other sector because there’s a recognition of the need for this additional layer of funding,” Preston said.

Facebook first offered “charity gifts” for a 48-hour window to commemorate the milestone of 200 million members. A total of 16 nonprofits and advocacy groups participated in the initiative.

The blog Inside Facebook reported last week that four online gift and greeting companies–American Greetings Interactive, GreetBeatz, Someecards, and Real Gifts–would be selling virtual gifts in the Facebook gift shop as part of a test of the new “Pay with Facebook” virtual currency.

“I just received confirmation yesterday that…we’re going to be reopening up charity gifts in the Gift Shop,” said Zuckerberg (who is, yes, the sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg). “We are exploring ways for developers to use the Gift Shop to offer…virtual, real, and charity gifts.”

This will be rolling out next week with four test partners–Project Red, Kiva, Toms Shoes (which is not a non-profit, but a for-profit retailer that donates a pair of shoes for every pair sold), and the World Wildlife Fund–Zuckerberg said, and pending its success, “we may open to everyone really soon after that.”

The social network already uses “credits” to sell in-house and branded virtual gifts, a change it made last November (gifts had originally been listed in U.S. dollars). The extension of the system to third-party developers on Facebook’s platform has been talked about for quite some time now but finally appears to be nearing a wider launch.

NEW YORK–Four nonprofit organizations will be participating in a test of Facebook’s “credits” platform, marketing and outreach director Randi Zuckerberg said on Friday morning at the Social Good Conference presented by social-media blog Mashable.