Cellphones may take banking to the rural poor in the third world

In many third world countries, where bank branches are few and far between, the development that finally may make financial services practical for the rural poor fits in the palm of a hand.

Mobile devices like cellphones have the potential to effectively bring financial markets to the countryside, allowing banks and other lenders in urban areas to provide services like loans and savings accounts to a new population, according to a report by Vodafone and Nokia published last week.

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Hi-tech tool tracks city graffiti

US cities are battling the problem of vandalism head on with a hi-tech system that analyses and tracks graffiti and its perpetrators.

In the US, cleaning up graffiti is estimated to cost about $10bn (£5bn) per year. Rather than simply obliterate the graffiti, the system keeps a permanent record of it which allows police to compile a database of similar daubings.

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Mapping Traffic Flow

New trafficking software will enable drivers to find the quickest route to their final destination.

Drivers are always searching for the fastest route--whether they are traveling home on a busy Friday afternoon or rushing to the airport for an early-morning flight. Now Tele Atlas, a Boston-based company that provides digital maps and navigational content, has integrated new trafficking software into its map database so that drivers can find the most optimal route based on speed rather than distance--for any stretch of road at any hour of any day of the week.

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A Big Ball of Connectivity

An antenna that blows up like a balloon brings satellite communications anywhere, anytime.

No, it's not a giant beach ball. It's an ultralight, ultraportable antenna tucked inside an inflatable shell that can pull down a superfast broadband satellite connection at any location. The GATR-Com is designed for disaster-relief responders, far-flung video producers and front-line troops—anyone whose job (or life) depends on getting digital information—video, Internet, calls—in and out of remote places.

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Drought resistant tomatoes made

A variety of drought resistant tomato has been created by Italian scientists.

The fruit has been crossbred so it can grow in a quarter of the water that is normally required, the Italian news agency Ansa reports.

The lead researcher said a large-scale trial of the plants had recently been carried out in the Mexican desert with "excellent" results.

"You can grow a kilo of tomatoes with 15 litres of water instead of 70 litres," Massimo Iannetta said.

The research was carried out by the Organisation for New Technology, Energy and the Environment (ENEA) in Italy.

Source: BBC