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In this issue:

* Wireless Hot Spots
* A New Programming Approach
* The Future of Online Consumer Auctions
* The Quest for Nanochips
* Better Prospects for Video on Demand
* Fake Fingers and Fingerprint Sensors
* The Next Internet
* New Paths for Biotechnology
* A Long Gestation for Humanoid Robots
* Continuous Monitoring in Business
* Broadband at Home
* Signals of Change


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(Full text of SRIC-BI publications is available to sponsoring 
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Wireless Hot Spots

A market is emerging for wireless "hot spots"--access points 
in public places like coffee shops, hotels, airports, and 
shopping malls that offer people roaming connectivity to data 
networks. These hot spots pose questions about the "final feet" 
of connectivity, requiring providers to understand distinctive 
use patterns in personal-area and local-area networks. 
(Wireless Hot Spots)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/WirelessHotSpots0502.shtml


A New Programming Approach

The Palo Alto Research Center in California has come up with a 
programming approach that could take software development 
beyond the object paradigm that has dominated the industry 
since the 1980s. In aspect-oriented programming, developers 
address system-level concerns, such as performance and security, 
separately from business logic. Using new types of compilers, 
they then weave program components into a coherent whole. 
(June 2002 Component-Based Software Engineering Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/CBSE.shtml


The Future of Online Consumer Auctions

eBay and Priceline.com have both achieved incredible brand 
recognition among consumer auctions on the Web, though their 
business models differ significantly. Whereas eBay's version 
of dynamic pricing fosters community building and creative 
expansion, Priceline.com's scheme has inherent limitations that 
will likely restrict its future growth. (Online Consumer Auctions 
and the Future of Dynamic Pricing on the Web)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B307.shtml - 2383


The Quest for Nanochips

The field of molecular electronics--which uses individual 
molecules to perform electronic-circuitry functions--could be 
the key to increasing microchip density to allow nanometer-scale 
silicon chips. The semiconductor industry hopes that work in 
this research area, which is still in its infancy, will 
eventually remove some of the physical and manufacturing 
constraints that plague the current generation of silicon chips. 
(June 2002 Genomics Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/GEN.shtml


Better Prospects for Video on Demand

For almost ten years, proponents have ballyhooed video-on-demand 
(VOD) services as the technology of tomorrow for delivering 
movies to the home, yet the services have had limited success in 
the marketplace. However, with current intense competition 
between cable and satellite providers, offering VOD services may 
be the only way for these players to hold on to their customers, 
and the technology could finally begin to penetrate a significant 
number of homes. (Video on Demand)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/VideoOnDemand0502.shtml


Fake Fingers and Fingerprint Sensors

A researcher at Yokohama National University in Japan has 
interesting news for makers of fingerprint-based security 
systems: He has devised an ingenious, low-cost (less than $10) 
way to produce artificial fingers and fingerprints that fool 
scanning devices. Using these fake fingers, the researcher was 
able to fool 11 commercially available fingerprint readers 80% 
of the time. (June 2002 Solid-State Microsensors Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/SSM.shtml


The Next Internet

As more and more people connect to the Web and more 
applications continue to appear, the Internet infrastructure 
is steadily approaching its limit. Unbeknownst to the general 
public, the next step is already under way in academia and in 
corporate research environments. Advanced networks in these 
venues allow more sophisticated applications than today's Intenet 
allows. The question is how and when the networks will move into 
commercial use. (The Next Internet: Hype or Bliss?)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B307.shtml - 2384


New Paths for Biotechnology

Despite biotechnology's track record in the pharmaceutical 
industry, other industries have been slow to adopt the technology. 
Competitive costs and public acceptance of the technology are 
necessary to move biotechnology into new realms. Among the nondrug 
uses that are currently finding favor are production of industrial 
enzymes through fermentation, removal of hazardous chemicals from 
the environment, and use of biofuels to provide energy. (Emerging 
Environmental and Industrial Applications of Biotechnology)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B307.shtml - 2385


A Long Gestation for Humanoid Robots

Despite the popularity of robotic toys and TV shows like 
Battlebots, analysts and early market entrants are guilty of 
raising consumers' expectations for humanoid robots beyond the 
industry's ability to deliver. Technical barriers still stymie 
developers' efforts to give robots autonomy and do away with remote 
controls. Moreover, many consumers, particularly in the West, still 
perceive robots as potential threats to their jobs or replacements 
for humans. (Humanoid Robots: Opportunities amid the Hype)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B307.shtml - 2386


Continuous Monitoring in Business

Thanks to advances in sensor, wireless, and computing 
technologies, companies can implement continuous-monitoring 
systems that enhance their traditional business processes and 
improve their understanding of R&D efforts, product performance, 
and customer satisfaction. Moreover, constant surveillance will 
likely reveal transient events and surprises that keep companies 
on their toes and broaden their perspectives. ("Continuous 
Monitoring: Transforming Industry, Trade, and Society" in Scan 
No. 2150) 
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/ScanTOC/S2150m.shtml


Broadband at Home

Broadband Internet services to the home offer always-on access, 
fast downloads, and feature-rich applications such as networked 
video games and video on demand. Such services represent a 
critically important opportunity for cable, telephone, satellite, 
and other network companies. Moreover, governments recognize that 
broadband is critical to their nations' economic well-being. 
(Adoption of Broadband Home Internet Services)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/AdoptBroadband0602.shtml


Signals of Change

The discussion at a recent Scan meeting at SRIC-BI's London, 
England, office ranged from business opportunities in China 
to the blurring boundaries between tools and toys. On the China 
front, analysts concluded that industrialization in the country 
is as likely to create international corporations that target 
the United States and Europe as it is to create new business 
opportunities for U.S. and European companies. (Signals of 
Change: March 2002)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B307.shtml - 2387


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Copyright 2002 by SRI Consulting Business Intelligenc.