Tyent Touchscreen Water Ionizer & Purifier: High-Tech Clean Water

Water purification is a booming business, especially in Asia where not all water coming out of the faucet is directly drinkable. The Tyent Water Ionizer and Purifier is the fancy touchscreen version, for those of you who want to insert a bit of technology into the filtering process.

The Under Counter Extreme 9000T Water Ionizer has a touchscreen to control the system for water purification. There are two distinct spouts and a turbo function. The pH of the water can be set as low as 2.0 for cleaning and sterilization processes and as high as 12.0 for drinking, cooking, and washing up. The ionizer can even be controlled by voice. Its guts use a double filter, the first one is made out of carbon and the second is made out of three different kinds of ceramics to balance the mineral content of the water.

This particular ionizer sells for $2,795(USD) directly from Tyent, so it probably won’t be finding its way into 3rd-world countries where water purification is a critical need.

Source : http://technabob.com/blog/2012/06/10/tyent-touchscreen-water-ionizer-purifier/

Tampa Business Launches New High Tech Website 

The MD247 Marketing Team addressed nationwide media on June 11, 2012 to discuss the official launch of the newly designed MD247 telemedicine website.
The MD247 Marketing Team explained that the new MD247 is meant to fill in the gaps that the original MD247 telemedicine site overlooked, providing people interested in telemedicine a greater opportunity to learn. In addition to the telemedicine program information, the new website also boasts a blog which was designed to provide “real life” explanations regarding telemedicine.
Telemedicine connects doctor and patient at any time, on any day of the week, across the miles and from home or work and any other location. The doctor’s office is really all of time and space.
Largo Florida based MD247.COM (MD247; MD/247; MD 247; M.D.247; MD-247) provides an affordable telemedicine supplement to existing healthcare services. MD247.COM telemedicine program members have unlimited telephone access to a nationwide medical support team, all with just a single phone call to the MD247.COM telemedicine Talk to a Doctor/Talk to a Nurse Hotline. MD247.COM has a virtual platoon of registered nurses; board certified physicians and a support staff available to members for all non-emergency situations. More information about MD247.COM is available online at http://www.md247.com.

Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/6/prweb9592072.htm

Fiji takes high-tech approach

Government has adopted new methods and ways of doing business using technology and this includes making Social Welfare Department assistance payments through the electronic deposit pay system.

Finance Ministry permanent secretary Filimone Waqabaca said next on the agenda was the planned payment of salaries and wages through Vodafones M-PAiSA and Digicels Mobile Money systems.
He also challenged representatives from the Reserve Bank, commercial financial institutions and mobile network operators (MNOs) to work towards implementing a system where citizens could access their bank accounts through mobile phones.
Speaking at the final day of the Fiji Institute of Accountants Congress 2012 held in Nadi over the weekend, Mr Waqabaca said the move to embrace technological developments has seen 22,000 people receive bank accounts for the first time.
"Previously unbanked people now have accounts and receive welfare assistance through this. We are now talking to mobile network operators to see how we can pay out salaries and wages through the mobile money platform particularly for people living or working in the maritime and rural areas."

Source : http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=203604

High-Tech Meets Live Music as Concertboom Launches out of Beta Version

Concertboom is launching the public version of its live music database, offering a top-class portal for the global concert and ticketing industries. Concertboom provides the most accurate live-music data information, in the fastest possible time and features a simple, desirable appearance and feel with a revolutionary two-click motion that gives live music lovers worldwide access to a database that spans all musical genres. Recently highlighted by Google AdSense for top-ranking positions and strategic marketing within the music industry space, Concertboom is an early stage pre-venture capital startup based in Silicon Valley. With state-of-the-art core technology, Concertboom has developed a comprehensive database for live music fans around the globe. Concertgoers can track their favorite bands and artists as they move around the world, while joining the Facebook app will enable music lovers to get updates on bands coming to their city. Concertboom comes with customizable tracking options that cover everything from pop concerts in New York to rock concerts in Paris and more. Concertboom was first launched in beta in September 2011 and, only eight months later, the site is attracting more than a million visitors a month, making it one of the top fan destinations. Core infrastructure optimization in search and social media have lead to a 600% increase in growth during the last six months, highlighted by 1.2 million unique visitors in May of 2012 and a record setting Grammy night in February.

Source : http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/747320

Tech start-up pitches sought 

A group of Phnom Penh-based high-tech professionals are putting on the second annual Startup Weekend Cambodia from June 22 to 24 at Yellow Tower, across the Tonle Sap from the Riverside.

Darren Jensen of Yoolk, a software company that builds content, sales and HR management systems for Yellow Pages, invites anybody who wants to pitch a good idea for a start-up business, especially with high-tech components, to pony up the $15 to join the event.

“There are 15 organisers flying in from around Southeast Asia, a mixture of investors and entrepreneurs,” Jensen said. “This is a really great opportunity for Cambodians to meet these people for the first time. Some people may get invited into an incubator which helps their business grow and may even get funded.”

Last year 25 people came to the event and 100 are expected this year.

Last year’s winner was Australian Dave Wilkie, 26, whose idea became a successful mobile dating and networking service that works all on mobile phones and does not require an internet connection. It can be seen on the website chibitxt.me.

According to Jensen, Wilkie is launching the service in conjunction with Smart Mobile.

“They’re going to launch with other partners in Thailand, Vietnam and who knows where else,” Jensen said.

Jensen describes the weekend as an entrepreneurial education experience.

“Everyone gets to pitch their business to a panel of judges, and then they announce a winner. There is a prize: some tools, vouchers, some things to help a business get started.”

When everyone arrives on Friday, June 22, Jensen will ask the participants “who wants to pitch?” and people will line up along the wall with only a microphone to conduct a one-minute presentation.

“Then there is a voting period in which the audience, including those who pitched, decides which ideas seem like good ones. That’s when you build your team with people in the room,” Jensen said.

He said the weekend is a great deal because for $15, you get food and “an amazing experience to network with new people and make a pitch in front of investors”.

“Let’s say a hundred people pitch their idea. We will have to limit it to the top 10; we take the top 10 ideas, then the top 10 form teams. The idea is to stay and join in the entrepreneurial experience. Either way, you’re going to get a brilliant experience out of it. We encourage people to be open to having founding members of a start-up they meet at the event.”

Jensen advises people not to be worried about people stealing their ideas.

“You need to get your idea validated and get it started. You need to get it to a point where you can find money. You need to open up to do that. It doesn’t matter what you do, who you are, you will get copied if it’s a good idea.”

Jensen says the main challenge once the idea is validated is execution.

“If you have an idea and really want to run with it, Startup Weekend gives you that. What you’ve got to be prepared to do is continue to work on your start-up immediately following Startup Weekend. If somebody’s copied it, it’s no one’s fault but your own.

“People of the younger generation are getting more confident in a good way. Cambodian software developers open up and are not afraid to show they know more than the foreigners. A few guys I know have broken out of the mold and started software companies.”

The Startup Weekend Cambodia is offering sponsorship opportunities, with two gold sponsorships remaining at $600 each, that includes a logo on the T-shirt, a stand at the venue, a logo on the website, a leaflet in the bag, links in emails and a thank you during the opening and closing ceremonies. Silver ($350) sponsorships are also available.

Source : http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012061156712/Business/tech-start-up-pitches-sought.html

Embry-Riddle's new VP plans high tech ventures at research park 

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has hired the former head of the University of South Florida's research park to the same position, and he has high hopes for ERAU's new 90-acre park that could bring aviation companies and hundreds of jobs to this area in the next decade.
Rod Casto will start his job as Embry-Riddle's associate vice president for research and innovation -- the same title he held at USF -- on July 1.
USF had unused land it wanted to make use of, Casto said, and in 2003 the university hired him in part to grow and recruit partnerships with the high tech industry in the Tampa area. He'll do the same thing now with Embry-Riddle and its new, mostly empty research and development park.
The Daytona Beach-based university already has relationships in place with some of the aviation and aerospace companies that are targeted for the park, Casto said. That partly is what drew him to contact John Johnson, president of the school.
"All these pieces are already in place," Casto said.
Embry-Riddle's Research and Technology Park along Clyde Morris Boulevard could bring 2,000 jobs from national companies with average salaries of $50,000 when it's fully built out in 10 years, Johnson said in March. Some dirt has been moved and the school received millions in funding for the project from the state in the most recent legislative session.
But it's Casto's job to fill the space.
Johnson said the park "is coming along very well."
The school is in discussions with "several aerospace companies" and looking at an initial project between Embry-Riddle and the University of Florida. The goal, he said, is to establish a center of excellence in the research park to work on the development of unmanned aircraft systems and robotics.
Casto grew up in Key West and Orlando and has been to Daytona Beach several times to visit his retired parents, he said. Casto earned a doctorate degree in physiology in 1985 from the University of Florida. He taught at a university in California early in his career but spent much of his time in private industry until he took the USF job.
He opened the brand new 115-acre USF Research Park in 2004. He doubled the intellectual property licenses and revenues at the school in his first four years, according to his resume. And he helped start the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator, creating more than 100 new high-tech businesses.
"I came in, and we developed whole areas of opportunities for faculty and taught them the advantages of working with industry," he said.
Casto cites his recruitment of the Cambridge, Mass.-based research and development company Draper Laboratory to the USF park as one of his biggest coups.

Source : http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2012/06/11/embry-riddles-new-vp-plans-high-tech-ventures-at-research-park.html

High tech: Khoo Swee Chiow

 
Khoo Swee Chiow uses his arsenal of sponsored gadgets extensively when travelling the globe to far-flung corners of the world.
But the 48-year-old adventurer, who's completed the Adventure Grand Slam by climbing the highest peaks on the seven continents and trekking to the North and South Poles, warns against becoming overly reliant on technology.
Khoo told The New Paper: "It certainly makes mountaineering a lot easier, but technology has the potential to give one a false sense of security.
"That's very dangerous when you're facing a challenge like climbing Mount Everest.
"You still need your skills, experience and wits when you're facing a life-or-death situation. There are no shortcuts to learning."

1) Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR

Even though it's capable of shooting at an eye-catching 21.1 megapixels, he values the camera's ruggedness the most.
He said: "The frigid temperatures at high altitudes mean that for other cameras, I'll usually have to keep the battery warm in my shirt pocket.
"On the other hand, the long-lasting battery of my Canon is very resistant to draining faster (at low temperatures).
"In fact, I was experiencing a storm on Mount Everest last year, the likes of which meant that suffering from frostbite was a real proposition.
"I was having a hard time just holding the camera steady, but I was able to shoot high-definition video (with the Canon) while facing freezing winds - now that's ruggedness!"

2) Garmin eTrex Vista HCx GPS receiver and Iridium 9505A satellite phone 

Khoo counts both gadgets as "old friends" as they've possibly saved his life and the lives of others on several occasions.
He said: "In a whiteout, visibility is atrocious and my GPS receiver, which can triangulate my position to within 5m, is invaluable for navigation.
"Even though I'm considering switching to a smartphone GPS app, my receiver is just so idiot-proof - slap in two AA batteries and you're good to go.
"It also has a barometer and altitude calculator, which is really helpful when I'm climbing an unmapped part of a mountain."
And when it comes to being connected, Khoo never fears being out of range of a mobile phone tower.
He said: "I've called my wife (Madam Tok Wee Leng) from the summit of Mount Everest!
"While serving as a mountain guide in Nepal in April this year, I also had to call for a medevac for a guy who required immediate medical attention."

3) Hewlett-Packard EliteBook laptop and Seagate BlackArmor NAS 400 2 terabyte storage server

With his extensive library of photographs and video footage, Khoo is grateful that his Hewlett-Packard EliteBook - with its shock-resistant solid-state hard drive - allows him to easily edit and process his photos.
He can also send e-mail and image thumbnails when his Iridium satellite phone is linked to his EliteBook.
And the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 400 storage server is where Khoo can archive all his data without worrying about storage capacity.
He said: "I don't think I've even hit about 10 per cent of the 2TB limit on my BlackArmor.
"I can just 'dump' all my photos and videos inside via wireless connection. It's even got Wee Leng's data inside."