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"can you here me now?"
Verizon Wireless Surprises Customer "can you here me now?"
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Motion-powered phone charger
M2E Power, a company formed last year to charge electronic gadgets with human motion, has reported back that its system actually works.
Next year it expects to release a charger that can harvest enough motion from walking to replenish cell phones or other small gadgets, like GPS devices.
It says that six hours of cumulative motion can add 30 to 60 minutes of talk time to a cell phone.
Inside is a lithium ion battery and a series of coils and magnets. When it moves, an electromagnetic field forms around the coils to generate electricity.
The technology, developed in part at Boise State University, optimizes that field to match the slow frequency of human motion and draw a usable current.
The charger unit can be charged by an AC wall socket as well. M2E Power has had discussions with cell phone manufacturers to build the generator directly into a phone.
This totally owns! M2E Power, a company formed last year to charge electronic gadgets with human motion, has reported back that its system actually works... more -
IOGEAR's wireless USB to VGA kit extends your monitor sans wires
"Wireless VGA? Been there, done that. Wireless USB to VGA? Hello, IOGEAR. Said outfit has just revealed the world's first Wireless USB to VGA kit that enables users to extend or clone their desktop to another monitor sans wires. Certified by the USB-IF, this unit enables any machine with a spare USB port to stream video to a TV or projector with resolutions as high as 720p. So long as your USB dongle is plugged into your machine and the VGA adapter is connected to a display, you'll be good to go within a 30-foot radius. According to IOGEAR, the product is only compatible with Windows XP 32-bit or Vista 32- / 64-bit, but those with no qualms about that can grab one next month for $229.95. Full release after the jump." "Wireless VGA? Been there, done that. Wireless USB to VGA? Hello, IOGEAR. Said outfit has just revealed the world's first Wi... more
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Wireless recharging one step closer to reality
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Imagine juicing up your laptop computer or cell phone without plugging them into an electrical socket.
That's a luxury that could be provided by wireless power transmission, a concept that has been bandied about for decades but is creeping closer to becoming viable.
Building off work unveiled last year by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers, Intel Corp. on Thursday demonstrated how to make a 60-watt light bulb glow from an energy source 3 feet away.
The Intel team did it with relatively high efficiency, losing only a quarter of the energy the researchers started with.
"That to me is the most striking part about it -- transmitting 60 watts at 75 percent efficiency over several feet," Intel's chief technology officer, Justin Rattner, said in an interview.
"The power pack for your laptop isn't that efficient ... it's one of those things that's almost too good to be true."
Wireless transmission of electricity makes use of some basic physics. Electric coils that resonate at the same frequency can transmit energy to each other at a distance.
But this technology has a long way to evolve before it becomes a commercial product. In both the MIT and the Intel work, researchers used charging coils far too large for wide-scale use.
Even so, Rattner said Intel is in the early stages of trying to modify a laptop to accept wireless power. One challenge is figuring out how to prevent the electromagnetic field from interfering with the computer's other parts, he said.
Eventually, a homeowner could attach a large transmitter to a wall -- or even bury it inside the wall -- and plant many smaller receivers inside nearby tables and chairs and other pieces of furniture, creating the ultimate in recharging convenience. SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Imagine juicing up your laptop computer or cell phone without plugging them into an electrical socke... more -
Debate rages over free wireless spectrum
"Google and other technology companies such as Intel, Microsoft and Motorola have been lobbying the FCC for months to open up what's known as "white space" spectrum for unlicensed use after the digital TV transition early next year. These slivers of spectrum that sit between TV channels as buffers to ensure that TV channels don't interfere with each could be used to provide broadband wireless services..." "Google and other technology companies such as Intel, Microsoft and Motorola have been lobbying the FCC for months to open up wha... more
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Streaming, syncing, squirting: new Apple patent
A newly-published Apple patent discusses the comeback of streaming in the form of wireless to iPhone. The document details 'remote access of media items' from a remote device, increasing the virtual capacity of devices such as iPhones and iPods. When you want to play a song, your device would establish a connection with your home computer, either over WiFi or through the mobile network. The feature is not necessarily limited to music, and could be used to transmit 'audiobooks, TV shows, movies, photos, podcasts, and computer games'. A newly-published Apple patent discusses the comeback of streaming in the form of wireless to iPhone. The document details 'remo... more
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Cell phone carriers' early termination fees dashed in CA!
$150 or more to cancel your service - robbery without a gun!
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Wireless internet should be banned from schools, say teachers
The rush to install wi-fi may have a "significant impact" on young pupils, it is claimed.
It comes after claims last year, which have been disputed by officials, that wireless networks give off three times as much radiation as a typical mobile telephone mast.
Official guidance recommends a "precautionary" approach to buildings masts near schools, saying parents must be notified first.
Teachers say the same rules should be extended to wi-fi systems.
But architects suggest wireless networks are likely to become increasingly important for schools.
Philip Parkin, general secretary of the teaching union Voice, said: "I don't know whether wi-fi is safe but there is an accumulation of evidence that suggests it can have a significant impact on growing children, in particular the development of the nervous system."
Around three-quarters of primary schools and almost all secondaries in England already have wireless technology.
But Mr Parkin insisted that - until research proves it is safe - all further expansion of networks should be halted.
"Our view would be that nobody should move in any significant way until the results of that review are known," he said. "We need to be absolutely sure it is safe. We need more clear and definitive evidence."
The union first began examining wi-fi when one of its members, Michael Bevington, became ill after a wi-fi network was installed at Stowe School, Buckinghamshire.
The classics teacher, who had taught at Stowe for 28 years, claims he suffered from nausea, headaches and a lack of concentration.
However, there is no conclusive proof of its dangers.
The Health Protection Agency has consistently advised that there is no problem with the safety of wi-fi. The rush to install wi-fi may have a "significant impact" on young pupils, it is claimed. ... more -
A San Marino collegamenti Wireless gratuiti
San Marino, piccolo ma dinamico Stato, ha deciso di produrre nuovi servizi da offrire ai turisti che decidono di visitare le bellezze di questo Paese. Servizi di ultima generazione che strizzano l’occhio ai giovani e ai così detti “power users”.
In pieno boom di iPhone, di Eee PC che richiedono collegamenti wireless, San Marino decide di dotare il proprio territorio di punti d’accesso Wi-Fi gratuiti liberamente accessibili da tutti.
Sarà sufficiente dotarsi di una card apposita dove saranno inclusi dei codici d’accesso, che daranno la possibilità di navigare per 60 minuti in piena libertà. Allo scadere del tempo concesso sarà sufficiente rifare l’attivazione per navigare per altri 60 minuti.
Le card si potranno reperire nei negozi autorizzati di San Marino. I punti d’accesso si troveranno in 10 zone del Paese e saranno ben identificabili da cartelli e pannelli pubblicitari. Sarà dunque difficile non trovarli e l’elenco completo sarà disponibile comunque in rete. San Marino, piccolo ma dinamico Stato, ha deciso di produrre nuovi servizi da offrire ai turisti che decidono di visitare le bellezze ... more -
Please select your wireless network ...
Just, you know, not my wireless network, OK?
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AT&T’s Text Messages Cost $1,310 per Megabyte
Check out the prices for a text message plan on AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone 3G in the United States. AT&T wants twenty cents ($0.20) per text message if you don’t sign up for a plan. A text message is nothing more than 160 bytes of data. The max is 160 characters, and one character equals one byte of data. Great.
In other words, if AT&T charged data downloads at the rate they charge text messages downloading 1MB of data would cost you $1,310.72. Check out the prices for a text message plan on AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone 3G in the United States. AT&T wants ... more -
Obama addresses US mayors in Miami
Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama was the keynote speaker at the luncheon for the US Conference of Mayors June 21st in Miami, FL. While the Mayors' issues and Obama's address were the issues and highlight of the day, there was a special group in attendance by invitation for whom the Senator's messages truly hit home. In the back of the luncheon hall was a gathering of high school students from Miami's Young Women's Preparatory Academy, the first single sex public school in the County.
While the Mayors listened intently to Obama's proposals to help their cities and towns with problems ranging from high energy costs brought on by Washington catering to Big Oil, to the effects of unchecked immigration, this attentive and polite group of young women focused on his comments related to issues they felt had a direct impact on them. Specifically, they were impressed with his dedication to education and commitment to expanding wireless access for all.
Isis Gottlieb-Guidance Counselor to the girls encouraged them to speak about what Obama's proposals meant to them. The girls said that his plans for helping schools and teachers suffering from budget shortfalls would have a direct impact on them. When schools are forced to reduce the number of textbooks to keep their buses on the road, education suffers. They also were most impressed with the Senator's focus on the Internet and wireless access. Many politicians today aren't of the "Tech Generation" and perhaps don't realize the potential of opportunities for learning and growth when wireless is more accessible. Senator Obama said that "surely the country that invented the Internet should be able to make access more widely available." He envisioned a time when all cities and towns would be able to offer wireless access to all schools and libraries as well as their communities.
Some highlights of Barack's speech included observations on how Washington has failed cities and towns when it comes to disaster relief, immigration problems, the effects of high energy costs on services and education and said that "neglect is not a policy. Communities should not be succeeding despite Washington but with a helping hand from Washington."
Obama added that while he respected and admired his opponent's service to his country, he would not be the partner to communities that is necessary going forward. He said McCain has different priorities than the average American. For example, he said, "McCain wants to give $2-trillion in tax breaks to big corporations and wealthy individuals at the same time that he opposes expanding funding to the COPS program and community development programs. That's just more of the same in Washington," he said.
More pictures of the event can be found here: http://s162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/barkway/Obama/ Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama was the keynote speaker at the luncheon for the US Conference of Mayors June 21st in Miami, FL... more -
FCC chief presents plan for early termination fee
Kevin Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has announced a plan that will regulate the early termination fees that wireless carriers charge their subscribers when they want to give up a contract.
Over the last few years there have been numerous complaints from people who have been charged fees amounting from $150 to $200 when they have announced their mobile phone providers that they want to cancel their contracts with them. Advocacy groups think that this sort of policy forces people into keeping a contract with a company they would normally leave.
If Martin’s plan will be adopted, people will still have to pay an early termination fee, but this time its value will vary depending on the price of the phone that had been bought by the subscriber when he or she closed the contract with the carrier. What is more, the longer the subscriber will remain in the network, the less he should pay when he chooses to change the wireless carrier. Kevin Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has announced a plan that will regulate the early termination fee... more -
ADDIO FILI: DA OGGI IL CELLULARE (E NON SOLO!) ME LO RICARICO VIA WIRELESS!!
Addio cari vecchi caricabetterie. Addio fili. Avete mai pensato come sarebbe più facile e comodo muoversi, viaggiare senza dover pensare a spine da trovare per attaccare i caricabatteria, o, all’estero, preoccuparsi di adattatori necessari per ricaricare i nostri cellulari, i nostri pc portatili?
Bene, da oggi potrebbe essere possibile.
I ricercatori del MIT hanno proposto un modo per dire addio ai normali caricabatterie a filo che ogni giorno siamo costretti ad usare. In pratica la ricarica dei dispositivi portatili potrebbe avvenire senza la presenza di cavi ma tramite una tecnologia di irradiazione: siamo dinanzi ad un vero e proprio sistema di ricarica wireless.
I ricercatori del Mit hanno lavorato per dar vita ad un sistema teorico per il trasferimento senza fili di energia che carichi dispositivi nel raggio di un paio di metri da una 'stazione energetica'. Il fenomeno alla base di questa idea è quello dell'accoppiamento induttivo che avviene quando una corrente elettrica passa attraverso un normale cavo: intorno ad esso si forma un campo magnetico e a sua volta questo induce corrente bel cavo vicino.
Per creare un raggio più vasto, i ricercatori propongono uno schema nuovo: un stazione energetica collegata alla rete elettrica emette una radiazione elettromagnetica a bassa frequenza tra i 4 e i 10 megahertz. L’indubbio vantaggio dei sistemi di alimentazione wireless è quello della universalità, potendo caricare con un solo dispositivo attaccato alla rete elettrica un’ampia gamma di dispositivi, senza dover ricorrere al trasformatore proprietario, come ogni accade anche troppo spesso.
Ma dopo la teoria del Mit, arriva sul mercato il dispositivo creato dai ricercatori dell'Università della Florida, capace di trasferire fino al 70% dell'energia assorbita dalla rete ai dispositivi posti sulla superficie attiva. Nel frattempo, Epson e MuRata hanno stertto un accordo per arrivare allo sviluppo di un caricabatterie wireless che utilizza la tecnologia denominata AirTrans, che fornisce ebnergia nel modo più sicuro possibile con sistemi di riconoscimento e autenticazione. Intanto Powercast adotta la tecnologia teorizzata dal Mit.
Uno dei primi problemi che i ricercatori dovranno presto risolvere se si vorrà davvero avere la tanto agognata universalità, è quello di sviluppare un’elettronica per imparare a gestire le combinazioni diverse della vita reale.
Keep in touch!
Fabio 31183
CREATIVE VIDEO PRODUCER Addio cari vecchi caricabetterie. Addio fili. Avete mai pensato come sarebbe più facile e comodo muoversi, viaggiare senza dover pensa... more -
Technology Review: TR10: Wireless Power
"Physicist Marin Soljacic is working toward a world of wireless electricity."
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Zippy iphone at a lower price
A next-generation iPhone with faster Internet access that runs on advanced wireless networks, and cut the price of entry-level units by half. A next-generation iPhone with faster Internet access that runs on advanced wireless networks, and cut the price of entry-level units b... more
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FCC Delays Free Wireless Internet Plans
The FCC had hoped to vote on a proposal that would require the winner of a spectrum auction next year to build out a free wireless broadband network in June, but those plans have been hindered yet again.
The network would be required to cover half of the country's citizens within four years, and 95 percent within a decade. However, certain types of content wouldn't be viewable on the network. It is this censorship that is part of the reason for the delay. While the efforts are meant to keep children protected from inappropriate content, it is not exactly clear how this would work, although the chairman apparently supports allowing adults to opt out.
The proposal might be up for a vote again at the July meeting. If voted and approved, the auction could occur by the end of the year. The FCC had hoped to vote on a proposal that would require the winner of a spectrum auction next year to build out a free wireless bro... more -
New iPhone release
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com)
Expect to hear new details about the future of Apple's Mac OS X and Web business next week at the Worldwide Developers Conference--and we think there might be a new iPhone, too.
On Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs will take the stage at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco to address a gathering of Apple's developers and the media. This year's WWDC is sold out to the development community, who will be hearing formal presentations by Apple on both Mac and iPhone development during the week's sessions and meetings.
Anyone with even a passing interest in consumer electronics is probably aware that Apple is expected to unveil the next generation of the iPhone in the near future. The older version has been sold out for weeks as we approach the anniversary of the first model's debut, and anticipation of a model that can connect to 3G cellular networks has been building almost since that date last year.
One of the primary drawbacks of the first iteration of the iPhone has been its reliance on the slower EDGE network outside of Wi-Fi hot spots, which can make downloading a Web page an exercise in patience. Upgrading to a faster connection should encourage people to do more Web browsing outside of Wi-Fi connections and could open up a whole new class of applications that need a faster pipe to work effectively.
Apple is also expected to include GPS technology inside the latest version, another development that could pique the software development community's interest in the iPhone. Location-aware services are available on several phones that use GPS technology, and the iPhone developers could soon be ready to join the party.
Will the new iPhone be available immediately following Jobs' keynote? It's not clear. There have been conflicting reports, but Brian Tong of CNET TV is hearing from his sources that Apple Retail employees have not yet been told whether they'll need to report early on Monday for a special training session, which the company has done in the past before major announcements.
While the iPhone gets all the attention as the new kid on the block, WWDC is always, in large part, about the Mac. Apple chose a picture of two Golden Gate bridges branching off in different directions to illustrate its WWDC invitation, and while the iPhone branch might account for the sold-out conference, the Mac branch is the bread and butter of this conference.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog reported on Wednesday that Apple would be providing developers with an early version of Mac OS X 10.6 during the conference. It's unclear whether that means Apple is ready to start demonstrating features from that release, but the report said the new version is expected to focus on "stability and security." (Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com) ... more -
The Uk's BT commited 113 million allegedly illegal acts in 8 days
nodpi.org
[EXCLUSIVE]
An article summarising an internal report by BT regarding their covert trials of PageSense (Phorm) in September 2006. IP addresses were used (despite BT assuring the public and ICO that no personally identifiable data was used) and 130 000 charity ads were hijacked and replaced with Phorm's ads.
http://nodpi.org/?p=10
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BT covert trials in 2006 - The FACTS about PageSense
I recently acquired an internal BT report regarding their covert trials of Phorm (then called PageSense) in September 2006. I read the 52 page document earlier today and the evidence it presents left me with a knot in my stomach and one part of the report concerned me so much I have fired off an email to Google’s legal department. I will try to summarise the report below without getting too technical, but if people need any clarification, please leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.
Ad Hijacking - Were Google a Victim of the Trials?
One of the most concerning aspects of the report is first mentioned on page 7 in the last paragraph which states:
“The advertisements were used to replaced [sic] a ‘default’ charity advertisement (one of Oxfam, Make Trade Fair or SOS Children’s Villages) when a suitable contextual or behavioural match could be made by the PageSense system.”
...
" nodpi.org [EXCLUSIVE] ... more -
Access your Smart Bro Motorola Canopy Page and Speed up your Wireless Internet Con...
Why will i wanna go and access my Motorola Canopy Page, you ask? Well, it can help you to speed up and manage your Smart Bro internet connection or any internet connection actually that uses the Motorola Canopy Lite or even the older Canopy. By default, your Internet Service Provider may have disabled access to it Why will i wanna go and access my Motorola Canopy Page, you ask? Well, it can help you to speed up and manage your Smart Bro internet ... more
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