IBM has started a two-year research programme that aims to make cellphones easier to use for groups including the elderly and the illiterate.

As growth in developed markets such as Europe, Japan and United States has stalled, the wireless industry is looking especially towards the elderly who have so far thought they could do without a cellphone, or who can’t use the one they have.

IBM said on Wednesday software developed in the programme, which also involves the National Institute of Design of India and Tokyo University, will be made available on an open source basis, and other materials developed will also be made publicly available for governments and businesses.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE62808320100310

http://www.stickybits.com/

(via Mitch Kapor)

Will engender interesting reflections on both the power of the crowd, and the power of the mob.

“Up to 1,000 “share cabs” outfitted with LED screens and special meters will display the destinations of passengers so they can be hailed by others heading in the same direction. As long as there is more than one passenger, everyone will get a 50 percent discount, and new smart meters will cleanly break up and display each rider’s fare on screens facing in the back seat.”

It will be interesting to hear how it works. I read a short piece in the NYT saying that initially it was not getting much ridership, and another news piece confirms this, though some of the problems may be addressble via better design and PR: http://www.ny1.com/5-manhattan-news-content/top_stories/114734/new-yorkers-slow-to-catch-on-to-taxi-sharing-program

Patients put a drop of blood on one side of the slip of paper, and on the other appears a colorful pattern in the shape of a tree, which tells medical professionals whether the person is infected with certain diseases.
[...]
Patients simply can take photos of the chips with cell phones and then send them to larger cities for diagnosis. And Whitesides said his group is also working with a cell phone maker to develop apps that would tell patients the results of their tests automatically if doctors aren’t available.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/25/whitesides.chip/index.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/760

iHub incubator/cybercafe launched in Nairobi this week with participation from Google, Nokia Research, and more

• Sweden tops ICT ranking for the second year in a row
• Broadband prices drop 42 per cent from 2008-2009
• Demand strongest in developing countries

Regional top 5:

http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2010/08.html

(click for detail)