Computerworld – Two BlueCross BlueShield insurance organizations in upstate New York announced today that they will offer their members and employers virtual physician visits beginning this summer, making New York the fourth state to provide these types of services.

BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, BlueShield of Northeastern New York and technology services provider American Well Inc. said the Online Care service will allow members to talk with physicians in real time through a private online chat network or through a voice-over-IP phone call.

The service also offers video chat and instant messages. Members can sign on to BlueCross BlueShield’s Web sites and look for physicians who are available online in various specialty areas. Telehealth is also playing a major role in wireless technologies that will allow physicians to monitor patients with chronic illnesses.
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Japanese phone giant KDDI Corporation has developed technology that tracks even the tiniest movement of the user and beams the information back to HQ.

It works by analysing the movement of accelerometers, found in many handsets.

Activities such as walking, climbing stairs or even cleaning can be identified, the researchers say.

The company plans to sell the service to clients such as managers, foremen and employment agencies.
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With videos of catwalk shows, pictures of glamorous models and a catalog of chic products, luxury brands are creating “digital mirrors” online as they turn to the internet to tap into growing e-commerce demand.

The traditional print advert in a glossy magazine is no longer the only way to communicate with the public and fashion houses are now reaching out to their consumers through websites, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and phone applications.

Having created brand strength by emphasizing product design and quality and on their brand aura, fashion groups are seeking to re-create their exclusive store atmosphere online.
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British cable operator Virgin Media is testing a new technology to deliver ultrafast broadband over telegraph poles which could allow it to extend its reach to another 1 million homes.

Virgin, which is looking to cement its advantage in delivering faster broadband over slower copper-based rivals, said it was launching a trial in a Berkshire village to deliver 50 Mb broadband along with its television service.

Virgin Media has already announced plans to extend its fiber optic network by 500,000 new homes. It currently passes 12.6 million homes with an underground network and said it had identified more than 1 million homes in parts of Britain which could benefit from deployment over telegraph poles.
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Motorola Inc has reached a deal with Microsoft Corp that will put Bing search and mapping services on its phones that use Google’s Android operating system.

Motorola said the partnership with Microsoft means that a Bing bookmark and search widget will be loaded on cell phones, starting in the coming weeks with phones in China.

The move follows shortly after Motorola struck a similar deal to let consumers in China use Baidu Inc, among others, as the default Web search instead of Google on Android based phones.
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Sony Corp has unveiled its new motion-controlled video game system, pitching it to both casual and hard-core gamers alike, as the company looks to ride one of the hottest trends in gaming.

The new system will help Sony keep pace with rivals Nintendo Co Ltd, which pioneered gesture-based gaming, and Microsoft Corp, which is launching its system later this year.

Sony’s new PlayStation “Move” controller is used with its Eye gaming webcam, translating users’ motions into actions within games on the PlaySation 3 (PS3) console.

Move, which resembles a TV remote with a colorful ball stuck on the end, will be available as part of a package this fall for less than $100, Sony said at a media event on Wednesday.
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Opera Software unveiled on Thursday a version of its Mini mobile browser for use on cellphones running on Google’s Android software.

Opera Mini is the world’s most widely used browser on cellphones, ahead of Apple’s iPhone browser, as Opera benefits from its wide offering across all key platforms, according to web statistics firm Statcounter.

Google’s Android, introduced only in late 2008, won 4-5 percent of the smartphone market last year, and several top handset vendors like LG Electronics and Motorola are increasingly focusing on using it.

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As they scrambled recently to trace the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds around the country, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successfully used a new tool for the first time – the shopper cards that millions of Americans swipe every time they buy groceries.

With permission from the patients, investigators followed the trail of grocery purchases to a Rhode Island company that makes salami, then zeroed in on the pepper used to season the meat.

Never before had the CDC successfully mined the mountain of data that supermarket chains compile.

“It was really exciting. It was a break in the investigation for sure,” CDC epidemiologist Casey Barton Behravesh said.
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PALM’S PROBLEM: As smart phones have gotten more popular, Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerrys have benefited while Palm has fallen behind.

ITS SOLUTION: Sleek new phones, fresh operating software and a new CEO who helped Apple make the iPod a household name. But while the products have gotten positive reviews, consumers have been slow to pick them up.

WHAT ANALYSTS THINK: Several analysts believe the company could end up needing to find a buyer or closing its doors in the next year or two.

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The sudden takedown of an Internet provider thought to be helping spread one of the most promiscuous pieces of malicious software out there appears to have cut off criminals from potentially millions of personal computers under their control.

But the victory was short-lived. Less than a day after a service known as “AS Troyak” was unplugged from the Internet, security researchers said Wednesday it apparently had found a way to get back online, and criminals were reconnecting with their unmoored machines.

The drama initially raised hopes of a sharp drop-off in fraud, because criminals could no longer communicate with many computers infected with a type of malware known as “ZeuS,” which is mostly used to steal online banking usernames and passwords. Hundreds of criminal operations around the world use the malware.
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