What’s New
January 23, 2009 Computer News
Email with a Ribbon on It
Goodmail Systems Inc. has developed a way to fight email fraud like phishing, the scam that uses what appear to be 
legitimate email messages from companies or other organizations to get victims to reveal information like Social Security numbers or credit-card account passwords.
Goodmail’s clients are companies, nonprofits and government agencies that want consumers to be able to tell that the email the organization sends them is legitimate. Clients route their email to consumers through Goodmail, which tags each message with a blue-ribbon icon to show it isn’t fraudulent. Goodmail currently handles about three billion messages a month.
Hazard Signs
Evogen Inc. has received a fresh round of funding as it prepares to start selling a portable device that quickly detects pathogens in the air, food and water. It plans to launch the device in the research market by year end.
Evogen Inc. was formed this summer by two makers of pathogen-detecting devices, with Sceptor Industries Inc. acquiring Evogen Ltd.
Synchronized Saving
Syncplicity Inc. is trying to make it simple for business professionals to synchronize digital files and folders across multiple computers.
The San Francisco-based company’s downloadable software automatically keeps files and folders in sync on a user’s various computers.
Files and folders can also be synchronized across several users’ computers. And users can access their files from any computer by visiting the Syncplicity Web site. The software also automatically creates backup copies of everything.
Rise of Robots
As the costs of equipment and technologies drop, it’s becoming simpler for companies to develop affordable robots.
That’s creating opportunities for start-ups like Evolution Robotics Inc. of Pasadena, Calif., which recently raised $14 million in Series B funding led by CMEA Ventures. Evolution supplies technology to robot makers.
Evolution’s NorthStar technology, for instance, is used in Rovio, a camera on wheels made by WowWee Group Ltd. The robot, which can be steered by remote control, uses a Wi-Fi network to send video over the Internet. It also allows two-way voice communication.
