■ Robotics
Fujitsu creates Maron-1
Japanese high-tech company Fujitsu Ltd said yesterday it would begin sales of a robot that was capable of programming video-cassette recorders and guarding homes. The Maron-1, a vacuum-cleaner-shaped guard robot with powered wheels and rotating cameras for eyes, is to go on sale in Japan Friday for around ¥298,000 (US$2,500). The first confirmed buyer was a condominium developer in Japan's southern Oita prefecture who intends to use the robot for security, a company spokesman said. "Maron-1 will find wide use in homes, small businesses and nursing or assisted living facilities as a valuable assistant in everyday life," Fujitsu said in a statement.
PHOTO: AFP
■ Mobile phones
Swiss ban pre-paid chips
The Swiss parliament banned anonymous pre-paid chips for mobile telephones on Wednesday after intelligence warnings that members of al Qaeda were using them to make calls without being traced. Swiss law enforcement officers had warned that members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, which Washington blames for the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities, were using Swiss pre-paid phone chips abroad. "It is true that we said members of al Qaeda, people who work in the field as well as heads ... were using this kind of pre-paid card from Switzerland," said Claude Nicati, deputy attorney general.
■ Cable operators
Netcom stakes grabbed up
Newbridge Capital Ltd, a US$1.2 billion San Francisco-based fund, and a Softbank Corp fund will each take 24.5 percent stakes in Asia Netcom, which gained control of bankrupt cable operator Asia Global Crossing Ltd. Asia Netcom "is one of the low-cost providers and has one of the most extensive and innovative networks," Lee Daniels, president of Newbridge Capital Japan LLC said in a phone interview from Shanghai. China Netcom Corp, a unit of the country's second-largest fixed-line carrier, this week completed the purchase of Asia Global Crossing's assets. China Netcom will take a 51 percent stake in Asia Netcom with Newbridge Capital and the Softbank Asia Infrastructure Fund holding the remainder, Daniels said.
■ Telephones
Smart handsets builts
Smart telephones may one day be able to sense when you are too busy to be interrupted and ask the caller to leave a message. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania are working on the technology that could be used in instant messaging systems and office and mobile phones. Tiny microphones, cameras and sensors reveal body language and computer software analyses the signals to determine whether someone is too occupied to take a call. Pounding a computer keyboard, closed office doors, speaking to another person and the time of day are possible signals of being busy. Four people at work rated how busy they were as sensors monitored the signals. The ratings were correlated with behaviours.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
VIOLATION OF NORMS: China’s CCTV broadcast claimed that Beijing could use Interpol to issue arrest warrants, which the MAC slammed as an affront to order The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for attempts to intimidate Taiwanese through “transnational repression.” The council issued the remarks after state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) yesterday during a news broadcast aired a video targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), threatening him with “cross-border repression” and saying: “Stop now, or you will be next,” in what Taipei officials said was an attempt to intimidate not only Shen, but also the broader Taiwanese public. The MAC in a statement condemned the threat, accusing Beijing of trying to instill fear and self-censorship among Taiwanese and
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