Industry Briefs

One candidate for the next generation of battery technology may just be based on a technology called solid electrolyte polymer. A Japanese company called Yuasa has been working on developing the battery, which can be molded into just about any type of configuration, and operates without using a liquid solution (thereby removing the possibility of leaks). Samples of the new battery should be available by April suitable for inclusion in notebooks, handhelds, and smart phones.

Polaroid has introduced a new high resolution digital camera, the PDC-3000, employing a single-lens reflex design, along with support for CompactFlash and image compression. The camera captures images at a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, and carries a price of $2,495.

Samsung issued a tantalizing release describing the SCS-100, the dual mode Windows CE 2.0-based CDMA/AMPS wireless phone that we saw at Fall COMDEX. All that was missing from the release was an estimated release date, availability schedule, and the expected price.

By the second half of this year, Polaroid will also be offering a dual mode digital camera which can be used to capture still images anywhere, and video while connected to a PC via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection. The camera will incorporate Intel’s camera silicon, including the company’s Flash Miniature Card, USB support, and FlashPix file format.

Borealis Communications is offering a new tool for the home inspection market based on the Newton MessagePad 2000 platform. Dubbed Borealis Home Inspector, the product automates the data capture process, and eases data transfer to desktop PCs. AmeriSpec, the largest North American home inspection firm, is using the product to automate its procedures, which involves examining over 400 items in a typical inspection.

The North American GSM Alliance has endorsed the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) accord, recently approved by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). UMTS defines next-generation wireless systems, and provides for optimized high-speed packet data services, opening the way for easier integration with the Internet. The Alliance is a consortium representing the seven largest North American wireless service providers using GSM.

NEC has agreed to sell and market the Molicel Lithium Ion battery in North America. Molicel is an SBS-compliant battery that is interchangeable with NiMH batteries, while offering lower weight and higher energy densities compared with the batteries they replace.