What is RFID, really? What are the advantages and issues? In our quest to provide you with an in-depth understanding of the topic, we’ve been very fortunate to enlist the help of Martyn Mallick, one of the leading experts on RFID technology. This is the second of three articles where we have the pleasure of talking to Martyn and learning all about RFID. If you’re interested in emerging technologies, this is a series you won’t want to miss.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

BoxWave has released a variety of accessories for the Palm Treo 680, including the Styra, standard Replacement Stylus, and Active Case, as well as Replacement Stylus for the Palm Treo 750.

BoxWave has released their FlexiSkin case for the Asus P535 and E-TEN Goldfish X500, and their Armor case for the Asus MyPal A639a and HTC Trinity.

Cisco Systems’ trademark lawsuit against Apple over the iPhone name went from “silly” to serious when Apple asked for a last-minute extension to the Jan. 31 deadline for responding to the suit. In a joint statement from the two companies released on Jan. 31, Apple and Cisco said they agreed to a new deadline of Feb. 15. The agreement was filed in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Apple’s initial response to the Cisco lawsuit was much more casual.

SanDisk introduced the TrustWatch integrated suite of applications that transform off-the-shelf USB flash drives from a security threat to a competitive advantage in the enterprise. TrustWatch is built around a secure network appliance and a management console, through which IT administrators can easily configure and deploy secured USB flash drives, while preventing information from being copied to unapproved devices. The TrustWatch solution allows the IT department to select from SanDisk’s line of standard flash drives for issue to employees.

Scientists at Purdue University have developed a portable generator that uses trash as its primary fuel source. Called a tactical biorefinery, the device was designed at the behest of the U.S. Army. But researchers say the generators could also be used in civilian situations, such as emergencies that require portable generators. About the size of a small moving van, the diesel generator can process several types of refuse, including paper, plastic, Styrofoam, cardboard, woodchips and food waste.

The Gadget Bag from Proporta is the perfect way to store all your gadgets and gizmos–you can keep everything together but prevent any annoying scratches that can occur when transporting your goodies around. The Proporta Gadget Bag has one main bag compartment, and two large detachable pockets. Inside the main section of the bag is a small, removable compartment–attached with Velcro it can be used separately or in conjunction with the entire bag. Pockets allow headphones not to get tangled and smaller accessories not to be lost.

ATP Electronics announced the launch and immediate availability of the 2GB microSD flash cards. In addition, also available will be the 2GB versions of ATP’s award-winning flash solution products: the SD Trio Professional, the SD Trio

A massive cash download from rival Apple brought Creative Technology back to profitability in the previous quarter but the Singapore-based MP3 maker’s prospects are far from rosy, analysts said. Creative, which has been struggling to erode the dominance of the digital music player market by Apple’s iconic iPod, may even find it hard to remain in the black in the current quarter as it tries to streamline costs, they said.

Triggering the start of a new evolution in the company’s award-winning workstation line, Alienware has introduced its most powerful workstation to date: the MJ-12 8550i powered by the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series. As the first Alienware workstation to offer quad-core processing, the new MJ-12 8550i represents the initial offering in a series of upcoming workstation solutions from Alienware during the first quarter of 2007. The Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series injects the MJ-12 8550i with 50 percent greater performance than previous-generation Intel Xeon processors. This helps Alienware’s latest workstation deliver unparalleled performance-per-watt and expanded virtualization capabilities, great news for demanding creative professionals like CAD engineers and digital content creators.