Archive for: satellite
- September 27, 2010 12:25 pm
If there’s one thing I could say I miss most about my Android device after moving to an iPhone 4, it’s Google Navigation. It was free and it was awesome. There’s several free options for iPhone as well, but they’re not all that great (prove me wrong and recommend your favorite in case I missed). But a newcomer that will soon grace the US and European App Stores (already available in the UK and Ireland) looks like it may just cure my homesickness for Google Navigation once and for all.
Developed by Navmii, Navfree for iPhone brings turn-by-turn in a much cleaner and polished package than other apps. However, what notches Navfree one step higher than Google Navigation is the fact that all the maps are stored locally — You don’t need a cellular connection to continue navigating. For users who traverse sparsely covered terrain, this is a god send. Of course, local storage means several GB’s of space on your phone will be taken up by downloaded map data. Again, Navfree isn’t the first to do this, but it’s certainly a rarity in the $0.00 market space.
For now, Navfree is only available in the UK and Ireland App Stores, but the company is actively working on bringing their product to US and other European App Stores. I for one can’t wait. While I don’t venture out into the wilds of the planet that often, having a quality, free, turn-by-turn app is certainly more than welcome.
Stay tuned…
- September 21, 2010 2:03 pm
One of the things most consumers look for when shopping for a new phone usually has to do with physical attributes such as the style, color, layout of the keyboard, and as of late, the number of apps one can get. The last point is still a rather small consideration, as it is generally the more nerdy folk who care about such things. But one thing I know for a fact that is no where on anyone’s list is satellite calling. For the 3 people on the planet who do care, the new TerreStar Genius smartphone on AT&T does just that.
The phone is the culmination of 2+ years of development and testing. For data-hungry users in remote locations, a cellular signal is hard to come by. (Even more-so if you’re on AT&T. /cheap shot) A couple of things that may turn potential customers off is the older design of the device and reality that it’s powered by Windows Mobile 6.5.3. Of course, when you’re in a geographic location with spotty/no coverage, you’ll take what you can get. And what you can get is a TerraStar Satellite phone from AT&T.
It’s worth noting that the TerreStar Genius does away with the traditional radio tower-esque antenna that usually adorns your typical satellite phone. It’s no less than a major feat. Still, AT&T has stated that in some of the darker corners of the earth, a separate add-on external antenna will need to be purchased to continue on your merry way. Whatever it takes I guess. Any consumers biting or is this strictly a love child for emergency/outdoorsy people?
**For interested parties, visit AT&T’s site for more information.
Take a stroll through any large city and you’ll see houses butting right up against each other, and roof tops chock full of antennas and satellite dishes. We are an entertainment driven society after all. So why not take a chance to stand out from the crowd? Why not slap a Mickey Mouse face on your satellite dish? Actually, I can think of plenty of reasons why not to. Reason #1: It looks stupid.
But to each their own. If a themed dish is what you seek, brush up on your Japanese and follow the link.
As if we needed another reason to hate the MPAA — SOC will live on, invading our homes and gadgets effectively neutering them. Now, if you’re one who doesn’t record videos via analog outputs on devices, you have nothing to worry about. But for those who do, you have plenty to worry about. From here on out, any media the MPAA feels is “too new” or valuable will have the switch flipped, rendering those analog outputs on your TV, cable, or satellite boxes completely useless, leaving you without your paid for content thanks to the new, official bill by the FCC (PDF)…
With all good things that technology brings us, there is a much less talked about “dark side”. Normally it deals with the freedoms or liberties that politicians wrongfully use various technologies for. At other times it’s merely for the love of money. Greed is a powerful motivator. Perhaps that’s what is pushing local governments to tap into the wild world of space in helping snatch the very numbers and letters off of your license plates.
Getting bored with modern mapping and navigation technology or do you just want something cool to look at? Traversing the planet via direction from a normal map is what it is. But what if you had to stare at something a bit more old school. What if Google Maps was around in 1982? What would it look like? A quick stop by 8bitnyc.com will help you with that one. The pixelated image above showcases 8bitnyc in all it’s classic gloy, compliments of the synapses of Brett Camper.
“I created 8-Bit NYC, mixing the lo-fi overhead world maps of 1980s role-playing and adventure games with the kind of geographical data that drives today’s web maps and GPS navigation. It’s interactive (like Google Maps), letting you zoom from a view of the whole city, down to an individual street — any address, anywhere in the city.”
What could be seen as a one-off goof off project has some actual traction, with Brent seeking funding to construct 15 more of these 8-bit city maps. While they wouldn’t be much help in the way of nitty gritty details for new trips to destinations unknown, they’d at least make the trip more fun. Heck, walking around my city (if it were 8-bit-ified) would be like a whole new adventure.
Am I weird?
TechCrunch
- February 16, 2010 1:58 pm
Google may be the talk of the town with their proposed 1Gbps super-network, grabbing headlines for it’s crazy fast speeds and reported “competitive cost”, but the FCC would like to remind you that they aren’t just sitting idle while Google steps forward and does their job, making them look like the fat lazy kid in gym class. No sir.
In an effort to better the overall lives of US citizens, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski announced (Warning: PDF) plans to boost the speed of internet access within the US border to 100Mbps+. Such a move is long overdue according to many in the tech sector who site other developed countries such as Japan and Korea both as being close to or surpassing the 100Mbps mark. Considering we ourselves are a developed country, having to see/hear/read people calling 6Mbps “fast” or “high speed” is depressing. One nifty addition to the chairman’s announcement was his nod to Google, commended their 1 Gbps “super-network” ambitions.
Simply decreeing that it shall be done and actually getting it done are two different stories however. One of the biggest hurdles for a nation wide 100Mbps rollout will be hampered by old, aging technology — hardware and services alike. A fair amount of the country’s internet is provided via DSL/phone line services and hit’s it’s absolute max at a mere quarter of the FCC’s goals (25Mbps). Current DOCSIS 3.0 hardware in place that is capable of hitting 100Mbps is being limited to only half speed as well. Furthermore, getting that DOCSIS 3.0 hardware moving closer to the 100Mbps limit is going to take, yet again, more hardware upgrades — upgrades that don’t come quickly or cheaply.
100Mbps speeds will come at some point. It’s inevitable. While landline/fiber methods may linger for now, 4G/LTE/WiMax and emerging wireless technologies are making the expansion of high speed networks easier and faster. But as we wait until that speed filled day I can’t help but feel impatient. You know, I would like to enjoy 100Mbps+ internet speeds wherever I decide to call home and before I start counting my age with three digits.
Are you ready for 100Mbps internet?
Electronista
Would you call yourself a music connoisseur? I’ve found that as each year goes by, I’m constantly searching for more and more music. Perhaps that’s the reason I stopped listening to “terrestrial” radio several years ago. The same 50-60 songs get all of the airtime, making each radio station nothing but a cesspool of boredom. Don’t go ending it all just yet. There’s hope for our kind.
If you find yourself tired of the radio stations that come via traditional waves and don a BlackBerry at least a few hours each week, the freshly launched SIRIUS/XM BlackBerry app is just the ticket to a more rewarding day. Kick to the curb the senseless and pain in the ass commercials that pollute the airwaves and instead take back control of your mobile music experience.
Similar to the iPhone app, the SIRIUS/XM app for BlackBerry gives users access to 120 channels of commercial free radio and requires that you have a paid subscription of some sort. Simple stuff really.
I don’t use satellite radio as I don’t have any money. Hard fact of life it is. But I live on. For me, streaming services such as Pandora and Last.fm are my top picks. But I’m curious, how is the experience of satellite radio on your phone? This question isn’t open to just BlackBerry users, but any mobile device with SIRIUS/XM access. Anyone care to share?
BlackBerryCool
- December 17, 2009 8:10 am
Unmanned aircraft are one of the greatest tools the US Military currently has in their arsenal. The humanless aircraft are able to go into remote regions and zones that would otherwise be too dangerous or inhospitable for human engagement. The only human interaction with the aircraft comes by way of a guy sitting behind a little TV screen controlling a few buttons and joystiqs. Easy. Safe. Simple.
The data captured by these drones is as one would expect, highly classified as the usual missions for these bodiless wonders often consist of spying with an ultimate focus on be covert. Not being physically seen is good and all, but this is the 21st century. The world is becoming increasingly digital, opening up new doors for all kinds of bad guys and attack methods.
With that said, would it shock or surprise you to know that the US Military is having feeds from unmanned aircraft “hijacked”? According to the WSJ, insurgents abroad are basically pointing their satellites up into the sky and using a widely available $25 piece of software (aka: network snooper) to hone in and download the drone/unmanned aircraft’s video feeds sailing through the wireless airwaves. Naturally, this presents a fundamental national security problem. What good is sneaking up on the enemy with a drone if the enemy can see exactly where it’s going?
The question that comes to my mind first and foremost: Why is the US Military of all people using unencrypted video feeds in such a volatile area? You’d think given the insurgents insatiable appetite to blow us all away would make the US Military a tad more careful with these sorts of things. Any admission of this story whether an actual admission or flat out denial will never mean anything. Regardless, if they are in fact running drones around the world with any link in the system unencrypted, we’ll never know. It will ultimately be labeled a “false rumor” for all eternity as the military will deny deny deny.
Scary stuff.
CrunchGear
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