Archive for November 25th, 2009

This boring-looking box from Remington-Elsag Law Enforcement Systems actually puts a pretty powerful tool in the hands of cops.  The device, known as the AutoDetector, is installed in police vehicles, and uses four cameras mounted around the cop car to automatically ‘read’ the license plates of surrounding vehicles.

This is valuable for cops, who would normally have to enter in license plate numbers by hand.  With AutoDetector, the cop doesn’t have to do anything – the system continuously reads and crosschecks plates without human interaction.  And when a suspect vehicle is identified, the cop is alerted and the location of the suspect vehicle is recorded with GPS.

The AutoDetector updates its database of suspect vehicles over WiFi, so the system is constantly updated.  Information about indentified suspect vehicles can also be uploaded to law enforcement databases via WiFi.

Sure, the AutoDetector is a bit Orwellian, but it is comforting to know that people out on warrants will be identified.  From a revenue perspective, this could also be valuable for police departments who could issue tickets for cars driving with expired registration, for example.

If you don’t want to be one of those guys who walk around with a Bluetooth headset in their ear all day, check out Planex Communications’’ BT-MiniHS2.  This tiny headset barely protrudes from your ear, a big improvement over most headsets that extend a few inches down your cheek.

Sure, you have to wonder how well the mic works on this thing.  But overall, I like the compact design of this device, not to mention the use of miniUSB for charging.