Will WiFi Hotspots Replace Cell Towers?

You may not realize it yet but your home will soon become a cell tower.

Every coffee shop, airport, book store, mall, stadium will have them too.

When a wi-fi router is added to a broadband Internet connection, it becomes a wireless broadband “cell tower”.

GigaOm discusses the future of the cell phone network saying the future of cellular service the Wi-Fi hotspot will have a starring role. link

The rapid increase of data being sent across the mobile network will force mobile carriers to push this traffic to a more efficient and faster highway, the wifi hotspot.

Technology that enables this has been called The Next Big Thing For Mobile

The easiest and most cost effective solution for wireless carriers to solve this upcoming bandwidth bottleneck is to enable a cellphone on their network to seamless switch to a wi-fi network when the signal is too weak or it becomes cost effective.

Most cell phones are equipped with the necessary hardware to do this, the only thing missing is the software.
 

Want to know the company that has this software?

Think about it, every router represents a personal cell tower. Cities dont want to build more towers so why not use the hundreds or thousands of "towers" already established.

I found the company with software that enables seamless switching across any frequency that I call the Wireless Wonder.

One of the most prestigious consulting companies in the world gave this company their "Technology of the Year Award" and called this patented wireless technology "revolutionary".

If you would like to see what this technology is and what company owns it, email me with subject line "Wireless Wonder"






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Google's ChromeBook...The End of the PC?

When Google launches their Chromebook it will disrupt the personal computing industry.

Why would anyone need a PC? You wont.

All of your data and computing will be on the "cloud", not on the PC. It will have NO programs, everything will be web based.

Do you know which industries and products will now face extinction when this device is introduced?

(Update Sept '11)
Coming soon..the end of the media player too. The company with the "playerless patent application" has some media players concerned.


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A Decade Of Disruption

We are always in search of disruptive technologies.

That is, a technology that will either create a new industry, and or destroy a current one.

As an example. The automobile was disruptive technology by creating a new industry and eliminated the horse and buggy space.

BusinessInsider lists the 21 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade

Disruptive technology made these obsolete.

1. PDAs
2. Email services
3. Dial up
4. Getting film developed
5. Movie rental stores
6. Maps
7. Newspaper classifieds
8. Landline
9. Long distance charges
10. Payphones
11. VCRS
12. fax machines
13. Phone books, dictionaries, encyclopedias
14. Calling 411
15. CDs
16. backing up data on floppies or CDs
17. Getting bills in the mail
18. Buttons
19. Losing touch
20. Boundaries
21. Paper
22. Record stores



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Pop! Technology Bar Codes...Disruptive Technology For How Long?

In my opinion, this technology is a must have for any retailer involved with perishable items. ..until RFID becomes widely adopted.

It would have been disruptive about 10 years ago, but more advanced technologies are coming that will disrupt this shortly.

Pop! Technology's 'smart' barcodes provide users with real time information about the status and condition of their products at all points of the supply and distribution chain, from manufacture to end-user.

The Company's barcodes, which are compatible with current scanning devices, can provide users with a range of critical information, including product temperature, retail placement, fraud detection and shoppers' buying patterns.

Here's the problem, the item still has to be scanned manually. RFID tags will offer the same function, and many more (dynamically). This bar code is still passive.

Example: their barcode can detect if a carton of milk or package of meat has been exposed to improper temperatures (the barcode is able to determine if the packaging went over x number of degrees) preventing the item from being sold to consumers.

The barcode contains irreversible temperature sensitive ink.

They just announced they have retained Growthink to raise $2.0 million in Series A capital for Pop! Technology, a creator of 'active' barcode.

"Pop! Technology's smart barcodes are indeed very smart, and have the potential to be a disruptive technology that can be utilized by a wide range of industries. We're excited about our client's potential for growth," said Emily Burg, Growthink's Director of Strategy.

In my opinion, disruptive yes, but length of impact very limited.

Growthink is a very reputable and forward thinking investment banking firm, but I am a little surprised they are working with this technology. I wonder how long before various forms of RFID tags leapfrog Pop!'s smart barcode technology.

More on Pop! Technology from Texas Startup

Am I missing something, let me know.

Gartner Lists Disruptive Technologies

Engineer Live summarizes a speech given by Gartner's David Cearley on upcoming disruptive technologies.

Multicore processors are expanding the horizons of what is possible with software, but single-threaded applications will be unable to take advantage of their power, Cearley said.

By 2010, Gartner predicts that web mashups, which mix content from publicly available sources, will be the dominant model (80 per cent) for the creation of new enterprise applications.

According to Gartner, within the next five years, information will be presented via new user interfaces such as organic light-emitting displays, digital paper and billboards, holographic and 3D imaging and smart fabric.

According to Cearley, chief information officers (CIOs) who see their jobs as 'keeping the data centre running, business continuity planning and finding new technology toys to show to people' will not survive.

Gartner’s top 10 disruptive technologies for 2008-2012 are as follows:

* Multicore and hybrid processors
* Virtualisation and fabric computing
* Social networks and social software
* Cloud computing and cloud/web platforms
* Web mashups
* User interface
* Ubiquitous computing
* Contextual computing
* Augmented reality
* Semantics

Top 10 Daily Disruptive Technology Combinations...And Two More Potentials

Each "disruption" had the ability to create and destroy wealth. Disruption, like change, is inevitable.

Dan Tynan, from PC World offers his The 10 Most Disruptive Technology Combinations

Dan offers another way to look at disruption. Instead of looking for disruption from one technology/solution, it comes when two technologies converge.

Readers should note the disruption that Dan lists as #1, because it is just starting to occur.

Disruption is rarely the result of a single gadget or innovation, however. It's typically when two or more technologies converge that the real changes start to happen.

10. Time shifted viewing + Digital video recorder (Tivo)

The whatever/wherever/whenever model of media consumption is turning both Hollywood and the consumer electronics industry on their heads, and forcing advertisers to rethink ways to capture our attention.

9. YouTube + Cheap Digital Cameras and Camcorders

Digital video has made mini-Hitchcocks of everyone. YouTube and its many cousins give the masses a place to put their masterworks. Journalism, politics, and entertainment will never be the same

8. Open Source + Web Tools

The Net is seeing a new boom in Web 2.0 companies that are more stable and more interesting than their dot-com-era predecessors. And with phones usingGoogle's Linux-based Android operating systemslated to appear this year, open source could disrupt the wireless market as well.

7. MP3 + Napster

The idea that media should be portable is disruptive. The notion that it should be free--and that some artists can survive, or even thrive, despite a lack of sales revenue--is even more so.

6. Blogs + Google Ads

Blogs give everyone a public voice, while Google gives bloggers a way to fund and market themselves--and the economy of the 21st century is born.

5. Cheap Storage + Portable Memory

Where would we be today without cheap, capacious, portable storage? No iPods. No YouTube. No Gmail. No cloud computing

4. Cloud Computing + Always-On Devices

For enterprises, cloud computing provides the benefits of a data center without the cost and hassle of maintaining one. For consumers, it offers the promise of cheaper, simpler devices that let them access their data and their applications from anywhere.

3. Broadband + Wireless Networks

Broadband has created an explosion of video and music Web sites and VoIP services, while Wi-Fi is bringing the Net to everyday household appliances such as stereos, TVs, and home control systems. Together, they're making the connected home a reality.

2. The Web + The Graphical Browser

Media firms, publishing companies, and advertisers now think Web first, and broadcast or print second.

1. Cell Phones + Wireless Internet Access

The ability to be reachable 24/7 is morphing into the ability to surf the Net from any location. And it's forcing monopolistic wireless companies to open up their networks to new devices and services.

I would like to add my top two disruptive technology combinations.

Physical World Connection

Cheap RFID tags, or any machine readable identifier + ubiquitous Internet access

When any physical object is able to be "turned on" or connected to the Net, the ability to deliver and receive information will create a true Internet. Scanning a Coke can's barcode/RFID tag to receive a video clip or coupon on your mobile phone (Physical World Connection)...to controlling a semiconductor machine in China from Silicon Valley (device relationship management DRM)

Cognitive Radio + "the next Windows for wireless devices"

The wireless space will experience unprecedented growth when any Internet connected device is able to change its transmission or reception parameters. I think the operating system (software) that is able to manage hardware for this is "Next Microsoft"

A listing of other potential disruptive technologies.

What is your top disruptive technology combination?

Solar Powered RFID, Solar Paint

Solar Powered RFID Tracking

Lockheed Martin subsidiary Savi Technology has begun deploying solar-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers and signposts, saving energy and negating the need for installing electrical infrastructure in remote areas.

Designed for use in the defense and commercial sectors, the solar-powered signposts activate RFID tags attached to vehicles or pieces of equipment.

Solar Paint Yields Cheaper Power

What does Google invest in? (also named Popular Science's Innovation Of The Year)

NanoSolar produces its PowerSheet solar cells with printing-press-style machines that set down a layer of solar-absorbing nano-ink onto metal sheets as thin as aluminum foil, so the panels can be made for about a tenth of what current panels cost and at a rate of several hundred feet per minute.

With backing from Google’s founders and $20 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, Nanosolar’s first commercial cells rolled off the presses this year.

Re-engineered NASA Technology Set To Create A Boom For CleanTech Industry

“the cheapest and most available source of new energy is the energy we waste”.........U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.

Billions of dollars are wasted on electricity that is being provided, but not required.

What happens when Electric Motors Go "Green"?

The 200 year old electric motor is about to be transformed with some re-engineered N.A.S.A. technology.

Visionary Innovations specializes in finding disruptive technologies that have the ability to change or create multi-billion dollar industries.

We found disruption in the CleanTech industry.

Find out how billions of dollars can be saved when Electric Motors Go "Green"

Internet Advertising Set To Be Disrupted With Do Not Track List

Internet advertising and the pay per click model could undergo a major transformation.

That hissing noise is the air starting to come out of the Web 2.0 bubble. For an ap and coming "industry" that is basing its business model on advertising, this could be devastating.

Relevant and targeted Internet ads based on Internet traffic monitoring. A delicate balance. Opting out of cookies might lead to more subscription services/sites.

Does the price per click go up drastically because of a reduced number of users?

Will this include both text and video ads?

Would you let a company(s) allow you to track your Internet activity in exchange for other services? Is there another opportunity for Google?

Privacy Groups Seek "Do Not Track List"

A number of privacy groups Wednesday called for creation of a "Do Not Track List" that would prohibit advertisers from tracking consumers' online activities.

The growing popularity of online ads is due in part to the sophisticated technology available to target ads.
Computer users should be notified when their Web surfing is tracked, argue the Consumer Federation of America, the World Privacy Forum and the Center for Democracy and Technology, among other groups in a coalition promoting the idea.

Ari Schwartz, deputy director of CDT, said the do-not-track list would not block ads, but would prevent companies from tracking users' Web behavior.

Rather than burying privacy policies in fine print, companies should disclose them more fully and provide easier ways to opt out, the groups said.

When will we see a "Do Not Spam" list?

Would you sign up for this Do Not Track List?

Spherical Solar Cell, Plants As Solar Cells, Baby Boomers Start To Retire

Koreans Develop A Spherical Solar Cell

The advantages of the Sphelar is its unique ability to capture the sun in all directions and utilize indirect and diffuse light. The other feature is in production. It utilizes a method wherein there is little waste of silicon.
How could this disrupt the leading solar plays?

In addition, more disruption in that space:

Bioplastic materials from renewable plant sources that will reduce the cost of solar cells


Doppler Radar Detects Speeding Heart

The Army has turned to a Honolulu company for Doppler radar and advanced algorithm technology to be able to detect and monitor multiple subjects based on their heart rate, even through walls.


First Baby Boomer Files For Social Security Benefits

A major transformation is set to occur and today officially marks the start. Giving shifts to taking as Baby Boomers start to tap Social Security.
Lots of industries and applications will be affected with this transformation.

AT&T Buys Spectrum, Bittorrent Goes Legit, WalMart Offers Broadband, FAA Says No To Mobile Phones

AT&T Buys 700 MHz Spectrum From ALOHA

The transaction enhances AT&T's spectrum position by adding 12 MHz of spectrum covering 196 million people in 281 markets. The spectrum covers many major metropolitan areas, including 72 of the top 100 and all of the top 10 markets in the United States.

Bittorrent Goes Legit With Streaming Video

the developer of a software program widely used to share pirated music and video over the Web, plans to start helping media companies stream videos over the Internet.

WalMart Introduces Broadband Service

Wal-Mart Stores plans to announce Oct. 9 that it will resell high-speed Internet access from Hughes Communications , the world's largest provider of broadband services via satellite. Will satellite service fly with these consumers?

FAA Says No To Mobile Phones On Planes

Green Collar Jobs, Sony OLED, IPv6 Ramifications,WalMart RFID, Revolutionary Plastic, Akamai's Final Call

Green Collar Jobs

First came CEO Chief Emissions Officer, and now job section for Green Tech. Silicon Valley meets Mid-West for employment opportunities.

Sony Introduces OLED TVs

LCD and DLP TVs already outdated? 85% of high def TV owners happy with their TVs, too little too late?

What The Next Generation Internet Protocol IPv6 Could Mean For Illegal Downloaders

Soon identity no longer anonymous on the Web. Say goodbye to SPAM and phishing. What advertisers will be affected?

WalMart RFID Mandate Losing Steam

What other forms of RFID are gaining traction? More opportunities for the closed-loop "blue collar" RFID tag than tag on consumer goods? Could medical applications play a role too?

New Plastic Is As Strong As Steel

By mimicking a brick-and-mortar molecular structure found in seashells, University of Michigan researchers created a composite plastic that's as strong as steel but lighter and transparent.

The Final Call For Akamai?

Because Akamai doesn't own the backbones of their network, they have to buy bandwidth from companies like Level 3 to offer CDN services to their own customers. What other applications could disrupt content delivery?

Daily Disruptions

LA Asks For Power Conservation
What other energy saving technologies could be used instead?

Bandwidth Monitoring Service? Unlimited Internet access no more.
Will bandwidth become a utility and be charged as such?

Fingerprinting For Kids? Will kids be the first to adopt a cash-less society?

Alien Technology Changes RFID Strategy Closed-loop applications offer greater margins. What companies and industries will be affected? What companies now represent take-over candidates?

Daily Disruptions

Tipping Point For Solar Energy Adoption?

Universal DNA Database The ramifications for this could be enormous.

A couple radio frequency (RF) stories involving disruptive technology in the medical industry.

1.Scarless Cosmetic Surgery No more scars with any surgery? What medical device companies are affected? Demographics and scarless surgery...the right time for the right product?

2.Using RF To Eliminate Wrinkles Is a consumer anti wrinkle device far behind?

First Nuclear Plant In 30 Years What companies will play a role in this reemerging industry growth.

Blackberry Killer Or A Rebirth For Palm? This new mobile phone could have a major impact on Blackberry, Sprint and Palm.

Is there a "killer app" in one of these stories?

Daily Disruptions

New Chemical Catches Terrorists Literally Red-Handed

DuPont Develops Breakthrough Soybean

Price Of Gold Hits 27 Year High What industries/companies/products does this affect?

Eavesdropping Advertising On Calls Has long distance calls become too expensive that people will resort to this?

Major trend emerging...
Climate Change Moves Up On Firms' Priority List Will CEO now stand for "Chief Emissions Officer"?
The world's biggest companies are making climate change a higher priority, in part through more widespread disclosure of carbon emissions.

Daily Disruptions

SCO Files Chapter 11
A lesson for those without deep pockets when fighting the big boys on patents.

Bottle Cleans Water In Seconds The filthiest water drinkable in a matter of seconds.

Free Local And Long Distance Calls How does OOma affect the VoIP players? One time fee for free calls.

The New Fuel Station? Airports across the country are getting upgrades in order to handle flyers who want to recharge their portable devices between flights. The electrical charging stations, which are often kiosks, are covered with advertising.


Turning Off Genes In Plants The revolutionary technology is being used in more than 3000 laboratories worldwide to create new plant varieties ranging from blue roses to virus-resistant cereals and nutritionally improved crops.

Lung Cancer Blood Test

McDonald's waste to power buildings" Could McDonald's food actually have value?

Daily Disruptions

Phone Displays Double Battery Life
What technology could lead to better reception?

Revver Pays For Online Content
What are your home videos worth? Will YouTube be next?

Verizon Files Suit Over 700MHz Wireless Auction This could have a big impact on many companies and applications. Lots of people affected here.

Facial Scans Diagnose Genetic Disorders

Google Targets The Moon

California Outlaws Teens Driving With Mobile Phones The new law bans teens from driving with their cell phones and a few other devices while driving.

Daily Disruptions

The next great investment is usually found from emerging trends, disruptive technology or government mandates.

Things that make me ponder.

Inkjet technology replaces hypodermic needles
Can Hewlett Packard be classified as a drug company?

Free Mobile Calls

Open-airwaves Internet Access Project In Question Could both Google and Microsoft lose? Who stands to be the biggest loser?

New Approach To Fighting Obesity Could a change in starches be the key?

Could Peer To Peer Networks Solve Bandwidth Issue? Could this lead to a virus mess?

500 Mile Electric Car Battery Would this make internal combustion engines unnecessary?

Tangerine Peel Could Help In Fight Against Cancer Salvestrols may offer a new mechanism of dietary anti-cancer action. Many people no longer eat the skin of fruits and this may be a major contributory factor to the increasing incidence of some cancers in the human population.

Starbucks To Target Kids Morally wrong or great marketing?

Daily Disruption feed

Daily Disruptions

YouTube Becomes Big Problem For Net
Find out what the real problem is. It's not what you think.

Lawmakers Take Aim At Patent Trolls
A new wrinkle for patent speculators.

Minimally-invasive, Closed-chest Bypass Procedures
Outpatient bypass surgery?

Tracking Ad Exposure Through Cell Phones

Specially designed software on cell phones study which ads (anywhere) work best.

RFID Implants (Chips) Linked To Cancer

A link between radio frequency identification chips and malignant tumors. How could this affect Verichip ?

Could Radio Frequencies Solve The Upcoming Water Crisis? Most remarkable science for water in 100 years.
Scientists excited by the prospect of using salt water, the most abundant resource on earth, as a fuel.

Have a disruptive technology story? Let me know about it.


Archive of Daily Disruptions

Daily Disruptions

Daily Disruptions are news stories and technologies that in my opinion, could have a disruptive impact and lead to tomorrow's "killer app". They can also be a great way to spot emerging trends and the next great investment.

These are the headlines that got me pondering this week.


Software Blocks All Internet Ads
What/how big of an impact will this have on Google, and the Internet advertising space?

Radio Frequencies Transfer Large Data Faster For Gadgets
Wi-Fi , and for larger distances the next leap is WiMax. Will this short distance data transfer create a new network called "Oh-Mi"?

Bandwidth As A Currency?
How much is your content worth?

Chinese Airline Offers In-flight Mobile Service
Many airlines are close to offering Internet service, but this is for mobile communications.

Fed OKs Fee For Priority Web Traffic
An HOV lane for high level Internet traffic. What is classified as "priority"?

System Helps Aircraft Avoid Turbulence
An FAA mandate in the works? or just a value added service?

Detect Cancer Without Drawing Blood
Could this method offer disease treatment next?


See the archive list of Daily Disruptions


See a story or technology that you think is disruptive? Let me know.