Hewlett-Packard, Epson and Canon have started a group to promote standards for printing images taken with the increasingly popular gadget known as the camera phone. Through the Mobile Imaging and Printing Consortium the three printer companies plan to implement guidelines for the mobile phone industry to deliver reliable wireless printing options to consumers. Mobile phones with the ability to snap photos have been catching on and the three printer companies cited research from Strategy Analytics, which says camera phones will account for 55% of global handset sales in 2008, up from 15% in 2003.

A test of an iris-scanning system is set to be tested at the Frankfurt, Germany, airport as part of a project involving 18 European countries. Airline passengers will be required to stand in front of an identification device whose cameras will automatically capture images of their iris patterns. The iris systems--seven of which have been installed at the airport--will then identify the passenger's iris and match that information with the passport data captured by a scanner. If successful, the iris system could replace conventional systems for checking identity at airport immigration counters. Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, airlines and high-tech companies launched a number of security experiments, such as card readers and biometric devices. The complexity and randomness of the eye's iris patterns make them more difficult to fake than other biometric patterns, such as fingerprints.

Venture capital investments in the U.S. continued to surge in the fourth quarter of 2003, two independent reports show. Among highlights, investment in life sciences companies outpaced other industry sectors. For all of 2003, investments totaled $18.2 billion in 2,715 companies. The life sciences sector, which includes biotech and medical devices, attracted $4.89 billion in 2003, or 27 % of all dollars invested. Detailed information for the fourth quarter of 2003 is available by region, industry and stage of finance at http://www.pwcmoneytree.com .

IBM and Cisco Systems have agreed to integrate their respective technologies for enterprise customers battling the growing threat from worms and viruses, Cisco focusing on the network and IBM focusing on computing systems and applications. For end-users, this means improved security accuracy and will eliminate the need for customers to purchase services that bridge the network and system. Specifically, Cisco's Secure Access Control Server will be integrated with IBM's Tivoli Identity Manager software to reduce common security risks, such as invalid user accounts that plague large organizations and can lead to identity theft or intellectual-capital theft.

PROCUREMENT AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

The following is a listing of recently published technology procurement or Federally funded opportunities with various governmental entities. We hope our readers take the opportunity to investigate these postings and increase their business :

DON - Naval Supply Systems Command
FISC NORFOLK DETACHMENT PHILADELPHIA
T -- Graphic Design and Layout services for the Navy's ALL HANDS publication, including the Flash version Solicitation 01 http://www.eps.gov/spg/DON/NAVSUP/FISCDETPHILA/N00140%2D04%2DR%2DL906/listing.html

NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Office of Procurement
A--INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION (IV&V) OF SOFTWARE SERVICES Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/NASA/GSFC/OPDC20220/4200049826%2DGGU/listing.html

USA - U. S. Army Materiel Command
US Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Corporate Management / Acquisition Center 70--General-purpose information technology equipment Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USA/USAMC/DAAE07/W56HZV04R0358/listing.html

NASA - Headquarters
Office of Procurement (HQ)
A--RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS ON PROGRAM AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/NASA/HQ/OPHQDC/PHASE1%2DRA%2D04%2D01/listing.html

DISA - Acquisition Directorate
DITCO-Scott
D--INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/DISA/D4AD/DITCO/VARIOUS%2D18%2DFeb%2D2004/listing.html

DON - Naval Supply Systems Command
FISC NORFOLK DETACHMENT PHILADELPHIA
R -- Engineering and Technical Services
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/DON/NAVSUP/FISCDETPHILA/Reference%2DNumber%
2DN0014004D1505/listing.html