Amber alerts were created after the 1997 kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman.

Now a technology debuting in 12 US states will extend Amber alerts to mobile phones, e-mail and handheld computers, and could also be used to transmit weather and terrorism alerts.

The system relies on a simple broadcast technology that takes the information into a Web portal and reconfigures it for different types of broadcast.

With the new system, people with mobile phones can sign up for Amber alerts in with county or state authorities. The text of an alert can be shot immediately to local TV news programs' Web sites, with automatic updates.

Found on Textually.

The Traceabili-Tea allows Japanese consumers to view the information about the tea manufacturer by taking a picture of a 2D barcodes (QR codes) with their camera phones.

From RFID in Japan.

Spanish software company Innova Telecom, has developped Hydra a software to create interactive applications based on SMS.

Let's say that the mobile phone users wants to get information about the opening hours of his favourite shopping centre. He sends a "key" message to a phone number and "Hydra" automatically consults the database of this shopping centre to deliver the appropriate answer to the user.

Innova Telecom believes that 'Hydra' would be a great tool to subscribe automatically to any service through mobile phone. The product targets public organizations (transport, administrations, etc.), clubs or any other entity in relashionship with a large public.

Via Leader Digital.

At the other end of the world:
Korean mobile operator KTF is launching a new service allowing users to send SMS to a virtual user and to receive appropriate responses chosen from the company’s large data base. The service was designed to send different replies to messages of the same content according to situation.

KTF expects the virtual user will evolve to a comprehensive information service providing useful information such as biorhythm, stock prices, English vocabulary and postal codes.

From Telecom Korea, via Textually.

Food company Dole has introduced a new service that allows mobile phone users to check vegetable information while shopping: where the product comes from and how it arrived on the shelf, along with cooking tips. The service only works on items packaged with a "QR'' barcode, a super-code storing the information. The shopper needs a mobile equipped with a camera and scanner to read the codes.
So far, only Dole's broccoli has the QR code, but the company plans to expand the service to other vegetables.

From Asahi, via Interactive Media Division Weblog.

One of the biggest problems in Spain over the past few years has been the increase in the number of cases of domestic violence. This year more than 30 women have died as a result of mistreatments.

The Fundación Telefónica and the City of Motril (Granada, Spain) are collaborating to set up a system based on mobile phones and GPS to help women mistreated by their partner.

The mobile phones, developped by the Telefónica Foundation and equipped with GPS technology, can send SOS messages to local police whenever the woman feels in danger. A control centre will be installed at the headquarters of the Motril police and the handsets will be distributed to five (only five!) women who will be taught how to use them.

The programme has previously been pionneered in other Spanish cities, including La Rioja, Pamplona, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Avilés or Santander.

From Telefonica Moviles.
The picture is from a very moving film on the subject "Te doy mis ojos".

Japan is testing the future of live sport in trials involving large numbers of wifi access blanketing all points around motor racing circuits and streaming live video to race fans at the circuit.

The objective is that people can bring along their wifi device (be it a laptop, PDA or mobile phone), and watch the race live from a variety of video feeds, with a choice of language commentary and access to the circuit's time-keeping features.

Fans would be able to follow a particular car, with camera views switching to keep the vision on or in the car.

During trials, three types of image streams are used, with attendees choosing from MPEG-2 , MPEG - 4 and Windows Media. They could also hire a Sharp Zaurus for the day (oversubscribed even on practice days.)
Users were reportedly satisfied with the quality of the service.

From Gizmo.