infoTECH Feature

January 16, 2009

TMCnet Industry Sites Week in Review

Welcome to the newest edition of TMCnet's Industry Sites Week in Review. Many things are changing in the world around us. One of the most talked about things lately is the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama, who will step into the White House next Tuesday, January 20th.  

In the technology space, innovations and advancements keep surprising us with all the amazing things they can help us accomplish.
 
Dr. Alan Solheim, vice president of product management at DragonWave, and author of Technology Marketing Corporation’s The Middle Mile column, reported this week that the mobile industry could be immune to the chaos currently experienced in the financial markets, but says that “no one can argue that the spending levels will trend down in most sectors over the next few months.”
 
As he looks through the “cracked crystal ball,” Dr. Solheim says that the good news is that the backhaul segment remains unaffected by the technology that is deployed on the edge.
 
He writes:

"The hand-off to the backhaul is either in T1s, SONET or Ethernet and is independent of the radio access technology. The only interaction is the capacity demand, which is driven more by the applications than the RAN technology."
 
Dr. Solheim also believes that the user demand for bandwidth will continue to rise, and the rate of increase could even speed up as more people are forced to find ways to become more productive.
 
Here are some similar articles published this week on TMCnet:
 
inCode, an independent advisor to telecommunications companies and enterprises in North America, released its sixth annual Top 10 Telecom Predictions for 2009. The company’s predictions identify emerging economic, technology, and marketing trends that affect consumers and business.
 
In its analysis, the company makes an interesting point that while companies like AT&T and Verizon continue to grow by acquiring companies, it might be those in the middle that suffer.
 
One of the companies that has fallen victim to the merging of bigger corporations is Tyco Electronics, which designs, manufactures and markets engineered electronic components, network solutions and wireless systems in over 150 countries.
 
The company completed its second round of layoffs on Thursday, as part of its plan to cut 2,500 jobs globally throughout 2009. According to an e-mail from Tyco CEO, Tom Lynch, the company will also suspend increasing salaries this year. Before January 1st, the company had already cut close to 20 jobs, mostly jobs in the sales division, in China, accounting for 10 percent of the total in the country.
 
Also in news this week, reported by Computerworld.com on Wednesday, MIT researchers are said to be testing a robotic forklift prototype for transporting and unloading military supplies in a war zone in an effort to keep military personnel out of harm’s way.
 
MIT (News - Alert) scientists created a prototype of a “semi-autonomous” forklift, supported by robotics and artificial intelligence technology. The machine can lift and move pallets loaded with tires, water containers or construction supplies, and uses situational awareness software.
 
Click here for more stories on robotic technology.
 
Nokia is helping health-conscious consumers get in shape for the New Year with the release of its N79 Active, which comes packaged with the popular Polar Bluetooth WearLink heart rate belt.
 
Avid runners will love the device’s A-GPS tracking and new edition of the popular Nokia (News - Alert) Sports Tracker application, which will help them record and publish their favorite routes and fitness data on the Web.
 
Check out some of this week’s other gadget-related articles:
 
That does it for this week, but make sure to visit TMCnet throughout next week for all the latest happenings in news related to WiMAX, Cable, Robotics, Satellite, Green Technology, Information Technology, Gadgets, and iPhone

Michelle Robart is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Michelle's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Michelle Robart
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