MS promises innovation timetable

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has told attendees of the Gartner ITXpo in Orlando, Florida, that customers will no longer have to wait three to four years for innovations, reports Information Week.

According to the report, Ballmer pledged short-, mid- and long-term innovation from Microsoft, emphasising that the company remained innovative and agile, despite its size.

In terms of a decision taken last year to follow a new release cycle, Ballmer said Microsoft now regards it as key to make sure that something new is released every six to nine months, as well as every three years.

Ballmer said it was also key to come up with services that tie into the Windows and Office franchises, as well as predictable updates to the core products.

Tomorrow`s operating rooms are likely to harness the Internet and radio frequency identification technology (RFID), according to a report by News.Com.

The report says in operating rooms of the future, communication could be as easy as pointing to a computer screen displaying a thorough summary of background data, vital signs and other strategic information designed to prevent mistakes during surgery through poor communication and human error.

This summary will reflect the big picture, minute by minute, of the patient and surgical events from various data. This represents a big change from the current situation, where nurses, doctors, assistants, surgeons and anaesthetists are typically so focused on their specific tasks and specialised computer feeds that they might sometimes miss the patient`s overall health.

In addition to patient details, allergies and vital signs, the summary display will include warning signals and a detailed list of medical staff on duty according to RFID tags they are wearing. The tags will also enable the system to identify staff as they enter and leave the operating room.

Tests in Sweden by an international research team made up of 14 partners have shown that high-speed broadband up to 120Mbps using airships in the stratosphere could be a reality within three to five years.

BBC News reports that trials using a 12 000 cubic metre balloon, flying at an altitude of around 24km for nine hours have achieved a data rate link of 11Mbps, proving that high altitude platforms like airships offer a real alternative to current broadband infrastructures, which all have limitations of some kind.

Researchers say the launch cost of the airship infrastructure is likely to be one-tenth that of satellite and one airship can support a user density a thousand times that of satellite.

Under a year since the launch of Firefox, the Mozilla Foundation has celebrated the 100 millionth download of its open source Web browser, reports ZDNet.

The report says Mozilla has seen steady adoption of its browser since its release last November, but the browser has not been without its problems. The number of reported security holes in Firefox continues to grow.

Although Symantec recently released a hotly contested report claiming that Mozilla browsers saw more reported vulnerabilities than Microsoft`s Internet Explorer in the first half of 2005, adoption rates have not been severely affected.

The next version of Firefox is expected in about two weeks to counter growing competition from Netscape and Opera, which are both said to be aiming for second spot in the browser rankings behind Internet Explorer from Microsoft.

Nokia has released three new trend-inspired mobile phones that draw on a mix of cultural and ethnic influences.

The Nokia 7360, 7370 and 7380 make up the new L`Amour Collection of colourful fashion phones to capitalise on the idea that the mobile phone has become an extension of the user`s personal style.

Nokia says every detail, from the nature-inspired graphics to the velvet-lined pouches, has been carefully considered with the style-conscious individual in mind.

Some L`Amour Collection features include mirrored displays to mask the technology, 2MP cameras, enhanced voice commands, MP3 players, stereo speakers with 3D effects, and integrated FM radio.