Monday, April 21, 2008

Soon, social networking without Internet access

Washington: You may soon be able to chat with your Facebook and Orkut friends even without an Internet connection, for scientists have developed an application that may make it possible to network, chat, or share files without Internet access.Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have come up with an application that may make it possible to chat and even play collaborative games with friends who also have installed the application. There are two components to the application, dubbed “Peersonalizer”: a Facebook application and a module inside the free, downloadable WiPeer software. WiPeer makes direct wireless (WiFi) communication between computers possible – without intermediary devices such as Internet routers – at distances of up to 900 ft.
Peersonalizer uses technology that can also be applied to other social networking sites such as Orkut, MySpace, Friendster and LinkedIn. Lead researcher Professor Roy Friedman said that the technology could also be eventually used with WiFi-enabled mobile phones, such as the iPhone. “This application takes social networking to another level,” said Friedman. “Peersonalizer demonstrates that Internet-based social networks can serve as complementary mechanisms – rather than replacements – to social and business life,” he added. The application has been developed by two Technion Faculty of Computer Science students, Lior Biran and Tomer Einav, under the supervision of Friedman and PhD students Vadim Drabkin and Gabi Kliot.
Courtesy : Mumbai Mirror Online