XplanaZine

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• With millions of visually impaired people in the country, software and hardware tools can help them realize their dreams through access to the same study material and communication mediums used by the rest of us. Webel Mediatronics Limited, a West Bengal Govt Company, has a R&D unit that has developed a complete portfolio of tools to help people with visual impairment get access to better educational facilities. — Express Computers Online

• Access Granted, the premier provider of online training and education focused on interaction with the elderly and disabled, is pleased to announce that its Elderly and Disabled Training Module is completed and fully deployable. Access Granted is the only provider of eLearning modules that equips employees with tools to provide a high degree of customer service to elderly and disabled customers. — PR Web

• Microsoft, whose software powers about 95 percent of the world’s personal computers, reached an agreement on licensing terms that will allow open-source products to connect to the Windows operating system. Microsoft will license proprietary information on how Windows shares files and printers with the non-profit Protocol Freedom Information Foundation, which will make the data available to open-source developers working on a file and printing system called Samba. — The Mercury News

• Nate Anderson from Ars Technica looks at the 2007 Horizon Report on education and technology and talks about six technologies expected to make an impact in the classroom over the next five years: user-generated content, social networking, mobile phones, virtual worlds, new forms of scholarly publication, and multiplayer educational gaming.  – ars technica

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• Destiny, a UK leader in mobile data solutions, is to buy from Logitech the assets and intellectual property rights relating to Logitech’s io2 digital pen. The latest generation io2 pen facilitates rapid data capture and transmission from digital forms using either a Bluetooth or USB connection, and incorporates a barcode reading facility. — Marketwire

• Washington-based Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has created an “innovation incubator” project to help small developers of educational technology products and services find potential backers. The innovations that SIIA is working with include a digital collection of animated scientific illustrations of the human body, a Web-based service that enables school district to hold online meetings, and a four-button keyboard for children with disabilities. — Education Week

• PC Magazine offers a preview of the Consumer Electronics Show 2008: High Definition TVs with invisible built-in speakers, touchscreen technology used in all kinds of devices from cellpones to remote controls, and Near Field Communications (the chips that make it possible to tap a credit card instead of swiping it) incorporated in cellphones for mobile commerce. — PC Magazine

• In Korea, Wireless Broadcasting (WiBro) technology is used in place of traditional satellite and optic cable systems. WiBro allows remarkably quick transmission, using only laptops or handset-sized terminals, allowing users greater mobility. — chosun.com