Spot enhances safety

Spot has introduced the Spot Satellite Messenger, the first messaging device that allows users to notify friends, family or an international 911 emergency call centre with status messages based on their situation and need, reports eCoustics.com.

It incorporates GPS and commercial satellite technology that provides coverage beyond that of cellular phones. Spot gives users three message options, plus the ability to create a record of their progress for later retrieval using Google Maps.

"Spot represents a quantum leap in personal safety devices, it gives users a family of features that until now have not been available, and it does it at a fraction of the cost of the more limited devices presently available," said Darren Bassel, director of retail marketing for Spot.

Mobile phones are increasingly being used for services other than calls and texts, according to The Press Association.

A study of 15.4 million Orange customers revealed a 37% increase in picture messaging since May this year.

Customers uploaded more than a million photos from their handsets on to online photo albums in August alone, Orange said.

Red Hat has released Red Hat Enterprise MRG (messaging, real-time, grid), which offers new capabilities for deployment on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and third-party operating platforms.

Red Hat Enterprise MRG is a distributed computing platform that provides enterprise messaging, real-time capabilities and advanced grid and high-throughput computing technologies.

It builds on Red Hat`s Linux Automation strategy, announced last month, which focuses on enabling any application to run anywhere, at any time.