Trucking Technology Alert - July 12
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Both the online report and e-mail are sponsored by @Track Communications, a supplier of wireless communications and dispatch services.
Today's Technology Headlines:
- FCC Delays Wireless Licenses Sale
- ShipLogix Acquires nPassage Assets
- Solar Power Devices Are Coming
- Senate Bill Would Guard Privacy
- Technology Used to Boost Cab Driver Security
FCC Delays Wireless Licenses Sale
The FCC has announced it will postpone its auction of wireless licenses that was set for September so that it will have time to review issues brought forth by multiple parties.The auction is centered upon frequencies that many broadcasters currently use on channels 60 to 69. Once they migrate from analog to digital television, the broadcasters will return those channels to the FCC and will use channels 2 to 51 exclusively.
The license auction is expected to attract aggressive bidding despite the fact that wireless carriers will have to wait to use the licenses. Associated Press (07/12/01)
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ShipLogix Acquires nPassage Assets
ShipLogix, an Internet-based transportation management system, has purchased the assets of nPassage and merged that company's technology with its own.ShipLogix's Internet-based, multi-modal transportation management system is designed to allow business-to-business online marketplaces, third-party providers, carriers, and shippers to work together with their trading partners in real time. Seattle-based nPassage, formerly known as ITM, specialized in track and trace software for management of inventory, and its software includes tools for transportation quote requests, reporting, invoicing, export-landed cost, scheduling, optimization, rating, track and trace, tender, and routing guide.
ShipLogix announced that it had already implemented the combined ShipLogix/nPassage system with a number of customers, including Matsushita Avionics Systems and Dedicated Logistics. Journal of Commerce (07/11/01); Atkinson, Helen
Solar Power Devices Are Coming
Within one to three years handheld devices that run on solar or fuel cells may become available to consumers, courtesy of the Fraunhofer Institute in Freiburg, Germany.Fraunhofer introduced a pair of solar-powered prototypes at the InterSolar conference--a Casio palmtop organizer and a Siemens mobile phone. Only a few mechanical problems with these models need to be ironed out, and Dr. Christopher Hebling, head of Fraunhofer's energy and technology department, is confident that time-to-market could only be a year away. As an alternative to battery-run handhelds, solar-powered devices are cheaper to operate and have greater mobility.
The institute also debuted a hydrogen-powered fuel cell system that could be used in laptops or Camcorders. Hebling contends that such fuel cells are economically viable because the metal-hydride receptacles that contain them are much cheaper than rechargeable batteries. What needs to be done, he says, is to devise a method for distributing hydrogen and also to boost consumer awareness.Wired News (07/10/01); Gaertner, Reiner
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Senate Bill Would Guard Privacy
Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) recently introduced the Location Privacy Protection Act in an effort to require wireless service providers to obtain consent from customers before using location information.The measure will apply to any wireless product that can be used in finding a person's exact location by homing in on the signal transmitted by such devices as cell phones, pages, and handheld computers. According to the Senator, the new legislation will not create obstacles for public safety and rescue services, which use location information to find distressed callers.
Edwards also introduced a bill earlier this year designed to limit use of software programs that track users' Web surfing without their knowledge.Newsbytes (07/12/01); Krebs, Brian
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Technology Used to Boost Cab Driver Security
Toronto's Diamond Taxicab Association is using SiGem's GPS technology to offer city-required security measures for its drivers and improved service to customers.SiGem, a maker of wireless location-tracking systems, has incorporated its E-ping GPS tracking technology into 450 of Diamond's taxis. Diamond's Dell PowerEdge 1400 series servers were upgraded with SiGem's electronic dispatch and fleet-management system after the city of Toronto mandated that all car service companies provide taxis with security in the form of GPS or video cameras.
GPS allows a driver in danger to contact a dispatcher, according to Diamond general manager Jim Bell. InformationWeek Online (07/11/01); George, Tischelle
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