Barely a month after Nokia's North American E71 went on sale at the Chicago / New York flagship stores, we've received word that the QWERTY-less sibling (that'd be the E66) has now arrived at the same locales. The quad-band slider boasts support for AT&T's 3G network, and there's also a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi and all the other goodies you'd expect from another solid S60 contender. Snap it up now in Grey Steel for $540.

[Via IntoMobile]

Chicago residents are no strangers to the city's many CCTV cameras by this point -- if anyone knows exactly how long to stop at Roosevelt and State to avoid the red-light cam there, you let us know, okay? -- but it looks like this summer is going to bring a new twist to the city's surveillance racket: automated camera monitoring. Video from the several thousand cameras in Chicago's Operation Virtual Shield project currently comes into the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communication's ops center, but starting this summer, it'll also be watched by an IBM-developed autonomous system that can be programmed to watch for specific activities or objects, like certain cars or unattended backpacks. Since the video is stored on a 60TB storage array for 30 days, law enforcement can also do retroactive searches using the tech. That's a huge step up from San Francisco's useless CCTV system, sure, but we've never really believed any of this stuff is actually effective at deterring crime -- hopefully we'll be proven wrong. Check out the full news vid at the read link.

[Via Boing Boing]

So, you've got an outstanding ticket from talking while behind the wheel in Chicago, do you? Meet attorney Blake Horwitz, who is now likely to be the best friend you don't even know. Reportedly, Mr. Horwitz is suing the city and claiming that arrests of citizens caught driving and talking were in fact illegal, and furthermore, he's demanding that Chicago "dismiss any outstanding tickets and refund almost $2 million in fines collected since 2005." Apparently, the actual law that prevents users from yapping and motoring requires that the city erect signs that instruct drivers not to converse while driving, yet such signs have purportedly not been posted across Chi-town. The devil's in the details, we suppose.

[Image courtesy of ImportTuner]

Simply swiping one's credit / debit card at the pump is probably sufficient for the bulk of us, but for certain Shell customers in Chicago, paying for gasoline is getting even quicker. Ten stations in the Windy City are trialing biometric payment systems -- crafted by California-based Pay By Touch, which has units in a variety of other stores already -- that enable customers to scan their fingerprints, fill up and cruise off. The machines are purportedly linked directly to checking or credit card accounts, which customers initiate at the store or online. Unfortunately, we've no idea if Shell plans on expanding this to other locales after the pilot program has concluded, but Chris Susse, Shell's manager of global refueling innovations (nice title, eh?) did note that he hoped the initiative would increase customer loyalty at the very least.

Part of the WiMAX World festivities taking place this week, Motorola was on hand in Chicago last night to demonstrate fragments of the Mobile WiMAX build-out it's been throwing together to support the upcoming launch of Sprint's Xohm service. A leisurely cruise took curious onlookers down the Chicago River while Moto demonstrated a variety of WiMAX-friendly goodies like VoIP and streaming video, with handoffs flawlessly (apparently) transitioning the signal from access point to access point amongst canyons of skyscrapers, steel, and cement. The company also took its demo onto the "streets along the Chicago River while driving at speeds beyond 50 mph," a clear violation of local traffic laws, so we're hoping Moto's got some money socked away in its meager coffers to pony up some fines. Anyway, if all goes well, the demos foretell a late '07 soft launch of Xohm's Chicago network, with a commercial release in April of next year.

You know that the future's here when technology arrives that allows vehicles to be controlled with nothing but a thought. Ambient, in partnership with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, has developed a wheelchair that can be instructed to move when the driver thinks about certain words. The key component is a larynx control system called the Audeo, developed by the founders of Ambient, Michael Callahan and Thomas Coleman. The New Scientist has a video demonstration of the unit, which is surprisingly eerie without the usual subtle twitch of a hand that accompanies regular motorized wheelchairs. The next stage in the project -- externally recognizing individual words imagined in the brain -- is apparently a while off: still, we think a thought controlled anything at this stage in the game is a major feat.

Believe it or not, Chicago policeman Thaddeus Martyka isn't the first cop to chase down a crook with the help of a Segway, but nevertheless, the two-wheeled wonder is to thank for yet another arrest. Whilst patrolling the streets and enjoying the summer breeze, the officer heard shots fired and decided to wheel over and see what the commotion was all about. Sure enough, the baddies were found scurrying away from the scene of a crime, and while one suspect managed to escape, the other wasn't so fortunate. Purportedly, the Segway reached a top speed of 12.5mph, which proved plenty fast to capture (and likely humiliate) at least one of the ill-willed individuals.

[Image courtesy of PoliceOne]

We just stopped by the Chicago Apple flagship store and were greeted by chaos -- at least 35 to 40 people in line and a media frenzy of interviews taking place. Tyler Tessmann, the first guy in line, had gotten there at 2:30 and was holding court with NBC 5, while the rest of the media patiently waited to pounce. The store seemed busy but ready -- employees told us that most of the prep was done, and that the store was closing down tomorrow just to manage to crowd flow.

If there was ever a slick way to get folks to willingly carry around an RFID tag, MINI USA has it all wrapped up. Catering to every person's egotistical side, MINI has begun a pilot advertising campaign in Chicago, New York, Miami, and San Francisco, which gives select Cooper owners the chance to get an RFID keyfob in the mail, and moreover, a reason to consistently drive under MINI billboards. Users can select a custom message to be encoded on their RFID chip, and when they cruise near an overhanging MINI billboard, their particular message lights up for the world (or at least nearby motorists) to see. Of course, we're sure messages will be edited before delivery, and you still need to be down with toting a homing signal around with you each time you cruise, but let's face it, the mastermind behind this ad campaign probably got the raise we all wanted, but didn't come close to. So if you're a MINI owner in one of the four lucky cities, keep a keen eye on that inbox, and word on the street is that MINI USA is planning on hitting up more cities if (read: when) this proves to be a smash hit.

[Via Slashdot]

Sprint's been rolling this whole WiMAX idea around for quite some time, but it finally looks like all the pieces are actually coming together. The firm chose CES to announce that Chicago and Washington, D.C. should get that coveted 4G service "by year-end 2007, with a larger rollout encompassing at least 100 million people by year-end 2008." Apparently Sprint's not backing down either, as it's named Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Intel, and LG as critical partners for making this happen, which ought to be enough corporate manpower to get something launched, eh? Although we're not positive as to when Chi-town and the Capital City will get their WiMAX fix, we've got just over 11 months to find out, and hopefully by then Sprint will be a bit more forthcoming about who those "other 100 million" are.

If you've driven overseas or any mildly large city in America, there's a good chance you slipped by (or not) a red-light camera at a busy intersection. If you happened to be in the unlucky bunch that had to endure a stiff fine for trying to squeeze the lemon tomato, you'll certainly be interested in what Cobra's uncoiling next week. The company so widely known for its speed / radar detectors and GPS units is breaking into the stoplight camera detection game, giving haphazard and flustered drivers a second chance that ticketers would rather them not have. The device will reportedly sync with GPS satellites to determine when a red-light camera, "black spot" (highly watched area), or school zone is being approached, and will give an early warning to the person behind the wheel in order to save them a few bucks, and potentially their life. A spokesperson for Cobra insinuated that the unit would cause drivers to take extra precaution when approaching a target zone, which would also cut back on the daring attempts to blaze through intersections when the light is red; folks who profit mightily from the fees, however, aren't as enthused about the forthcoming device. Nevertheless, Cobra should have its red-light warning device on display at next week's CES, and while we're not sure how much it'll cost just yet, we're certain there are those who'd pay anything to avoid yet another ticket.

[Thanks, Chris L]

Possibly fearing an invasion by the South Korean gun-toting sentry army, the city of Chicago has just purchased a trio of $135,000 bomb-diffusing robots (paid for by your Department of Homeland Security!), dubbed Frank in honor of the local flesh-and-blood bomb squad commander. Frank (the bot, not the man) is equipped with four pan-tilt-zoom cameras, x-ray vision, night vision, chemical sensors, two sets of treads, a mic, speaker, and our favorite part, a high-powered water cannon. Although all of those things sound like the perfect recipe for a rave, Frank will unfortunately be assigned boring tasks like taking down booby-trapped meth labs or standing on call at Chicago O'Hare Airport. However, before it gets assigned to such tasks, the CPD probably will want to work out some of the kinks in its design -- according to the Chicago Sun-Times, Frank took a half-dozen attempts to climb a two-step riser at Navy Pier during a demo on Thursday. Let's just hope those clever would-be bombers don't barricade themselves atop the Sears Tower after sabotaging the elevators, because then Chicagoans would really be screwed.

Read - Chicago Sun-Times
Read - CBS
Read - Medill News Service

Did you get the memo? Navigation systems aren't just for pilots and geeks anymore. And it's not like they're content staying put in your car, either; they've migrated to your wrist, your bike, and your phone. They've gone so mainstream, in fact, that Garmin decided earlier this year that they could justify springing for a brick-and-mortar store in the heart of one of North America's trendiest shopping districts, Chicago's Magnificent Mile. For the record, yes -- this is the same Magnificent Mile fellow tech companies Motorola and Nokia have also decided to call home in 2006 (in fact, you can see Motorola's joint across the street). Spending big bucks on the glitz and glamor of a Michigan Avenue address is all well and good, but realistically, what sets the world's first Garmin Store apart from, say, your local Best Buy or Circuit City when it comes time to mess around with Garmin's latest navigational wizardry? Read on for our sneak peek!

Just in case you thought getting out from behind that computer screen to hop on your bike was too boring and low-tech for you, then you may want to talk to Michael Una. This Chicagoan has just built what he calls the Beat-Bike v.1, a "bicycle-controlled drum machine." He's loaded up this bike with sensors on the frame, which are activated by turning the front wheel, or, y'know, riding the thing. As Michael writes: "Once activated, they trigger a momentary sounding of a single drum sound- kick drum, snare, tom-tom, and "disco-bleep" from a kids' toy drum machine. As the wheel spins, the sensors are triggered in a sequence which becomes an audible, repeating drum beat." Nope, we can't think of a better way to get our "funky outer-space disco beat" on, either. Now while you're contemplating your weekend plans, go check out the video of the Beat-Bike in action on Michael's site.

[Via MAKE: Blog]

It seems that yet another mobile electronics outfit is diving head first into the GPS arena, and this time its Route 66. The company's Chicago series GPS units is its first venture into automobile navigation, and although they manage to include a dash of unmistakable Americana in both the company and device's name, these units are strangely and ironically restricted to our pals across the pond. The Euro-only Chicago series sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, SD / MMC slot, MP3 player, integrated speaker, 4.5 hour battery life, and a variety of European maps depending on model. The low-end 6000 (€299.95; $384) and 7000 (€349.95; $448) units are tailored for the "regional traveler," and pack mostly major highways, while the 8000 (€399.95; $512) and 9000 (€449.95; $576) flavors house broader, more descriptive NAVTEQ maps. The 6000 / 7000 versions can be upgraded to match their more continental siblings via the Route 66 "Map of Europe" DVD (€79.95; $102), and the 7000 and 9000 units support free traffic information thanks to the integrated RDS-TMC receiver. The foursome also comes with automobile hookups and a (presumably) ho hum carry case, and are slated to hit stores far, far away from Chicagoland in November.

[Via GPSLodge]