November 18, 2002 (Computerworld) --
Keep an Eye on Key-Chain Fobs
In a few years, it's likely that a traveling executive will be able to show up at a conference, take a tiny memory device from his key chain, plug it into a waiting computer and have his entire presentation and desktop environment be instantly available.
Jack Gold, an analyst at Meta Group Inc. in Stamford, Conn., says the concept isn't as far-fetched as it may seem. Some road warriors already carry 2GB flash memory devices on key chains—the products are so cheap that they're even given away by vendors at trade shows. And in a few years, those devices will grow to 10GB or larger. All that's needed are software standards to ensure that traveling executives can read their data on any remote computer.
Here's the rub, however: Carrying the contents of your hard drive in your pocket has some obvious risks, including vulnerability to theft, loss, breakage and espionage. There's no way to ban the tiny gadgets, so Gold recommends that IT shops warn users not to carry ultrasensitive data on the devices—and to establish backup procedures to prevent data loss.
Patent Watch
• A flat-panel display for laptop computers that can be used in extremely cold locations. Current displays won't work below 0 degrees Celsius, yet adding a heater adds weight and uses up battery power. This invention calls for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell that can generate 30 watts of power and up to 17 watts of heat to warm the flat-panel display.
NEC's OLED display is ready for cell phones.
- U.S. Patent No. 6,469,449, issued Oct. 22
Inventors: Fee Chan Leung and Louis P. Jarvis, for the U.S. Army
• Solar cells for supplementing battery power in a notebook computer. The solar cells are "incorporated into the display screen assembly of a notebook computer in an unobtrusive and efficient manner" and lengthen the amount of time the computer can be used before being recharged.
- U.S. Patent No. 6,445,376, issued Sept. 3
Inventor: Sean T. Parrish, Boise, Idaho
Around the World In 60 Seconds
• Philips Electronics NV recently showed off a miniature, blue-laser optical disk drive—with disks that are just 30mm in diameter—at the Ceatec 2002 show in Japan. The disks hold 1GB of data. — IDG News Service
• Lilliputian Systems Inc. in Woburn, Mass., obtained a small federal grant to develop a prototype "fuel cell on a chip" for handheld electronic devices. It's expected to have a runtime that's five to 10 times better than the leading battery technology.
• NEC Corp. in Tokyo recently announced that it has integrated an organic LED (OLED) display and the drivers necessary to run it on a single piece of glass (see photo above). That will make the displays small and cheap enough for use on third-generation cell phones. — IDG News Service
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