Free Republic

Get ready to meet George Jetson — because he’s about to be born. The button-pushing, flying-car-riding, iconic future man entered the galaxy on July 31, 2022, according to “The Jetsons” canon. While George is having his first birthday, the show itself is about to celebrate its 60th: it debuted on Sept. 23, 1962, a century before it’s set. That means we’re supposed to be only 40 years away from the Jetsons’ world of Rosie the Robot, toothbrushing machines and apartment buildings high above the clouds. So why are we still stuck on the ground waiting for our jetpacks? And why,...

Excerpt - Skype Technologies, the Luxemburg company famous for its free Internet telephone calls, today launches an update that brings us closer to an elusive technological dream — the videophone. The new Skype 2.0 software provides the ability to see as well as hear computer-to-computer callers — provided both parties have webcams. [snip] With the Skype 2.0 update, the picture is far clearer, larger and more stable. So much so, this may be the long-awaited application that brings video telephony to the masses, especially now that webcams can be bought for as little as $30. It doesn't hurt that the...

NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) - America Online on Thursday said it will let users of its instant messenger service communicate over a live video connection for the first time, months after federal regulators lifted limitations on the company. AOL, the world's largest online service and owned by Time Warner Inc. , also said it will link its live video chat service to Apple Computer Inc.'s iChat service. The deal expands a May 2002 relationship between the two companies that linked their respective messaging services. More than 35 million active users per month send on average 1.5 billion messages...

<p>TOKYO -- Nintendo's Game Boy Advance hand-held machine will work as a videophone with an attachment that comes with a digital camera, earphone and microphone and is expected to go on sale in December only in Japan.</p> <p>The Campho Advance from Kyoto-based Digital Act, which makes mobile and Internet equipment, slips into the top of the Game Boy Advance just like any video-game cassette.</p>

Posted on Sat, Aug. 02, 2003 Cell-phone camera helps catch suspect in luring caseA 15-year-old used the new technology to take pictures of a man who tried to kidnap him and the car's license plate.Associated Press CLIFTON, N.J. - A 15-year-old boy foiled a kidnapping attempt when he pulled out his cell-phone camera and snapped photos of the man trying to lure him into a car, as well as the vehicle's license plate, police said.The teen gave the evidence to police, who arrested a suspect the next day."It's surprising the kid had the presence of mind to use the...

Anyone heard that the US Military has confiscated some French made video phones that embedded reporters are using? The French have provided Iraq with codes that enabled them to track the phones.