Technology

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have come up with an inexpensive way to prevent digital cameras and digital video cameras from capturing that secret shot.

You're at an internet café and get an important business call--on your laptop. You're on the road and receive an urgent voice mail--in your e-mail inbox. Your business has a phone number with a Florida area code--even though your office is in California.

A backpack that converts a plodding gait into electricity could soon be charging up mobile phones, navigation devices and even portable disc players, U.S.-based researchers said on Thursday.

Their backpack design converts mechanical energy from up-and-down movement of the backpack's cargo to electricity during normal walking.

Fueled by a snack, hikers can put the spring in their steps to good use, the researchers write in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

A New York stock clerk who had his camera phone swiped from his car this month says he was able to peer into the life of the gadget's new owner. The thief evidently didn't realize the copious photos and videos he was taking with the hot phone were accessible through a web account.

A trick reminiscent of a fun-house mirror might improve the security and privacy of the identification technology that examines fingerprints, facial features or other personal characteristics.

In such systems, known as biometrics, a computer generally reduces an image to a template of "minutiae points" -- notable features such as a loop in a fingerprint or the position of an eye. Those points are converted to a numeric string by a mathematical algorithm, then stored for later analysis.

When describing the business plan of his biotech startup, Cambrios Technologies, Mike Knapp is accustomed to seeing raised eyebrows.

You've heard of the long arm of the law: In New York, eyesight and memory stretch pretty far, too.

The New York State Unified Court System recently put the finishing touches on a network of more than 350 IP video surveillance cameras. These network-attached eyeballs record every minute of every day in all New York court facilities statewide and link to a multi-terabyte storage system, giving court security officials a powerful tool to monitor and protect their facilities.

SYDNEY's spate of seven carjackings in two weeks has prompted Mercedes-Benz to examine bringing its satellite-based tracking system to Australia.

Bandits, targeting expensive high-performance Mercedes, Porsche and BMW models, have forced the owners to hand over the keys and have used at least one of the vehicles as a getaway car in a later robbery.

The remote Teleaid satellite assistance service has been available in Europe and the US since 2000, but Mercedes-Benz has not brought it to Australia yet, citing low customer interest and lack of satellite coverage.

Ever wonder if that spouse, friend or co-worker on the other end of the phone is really paying attention? The "Jerk-O-Meter" may hold the answer.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing software for cell phones that would analyze speech patterns and voice tones to rate people -- on a scale of 0 to 100 percent -- on how engaged they are in a conversation.

The British government is preparing to test new high-tech license plates containing microchips capable of transmitting unique vehicle identification numbers and other data to readers more than 300 feet away.