Category: Tech

Few things come around that alter the commercial space. Giving things away for free that usually cost money, always makes a big splash. (Bless you google). I wanted to update you on this potentially HUGE game changer. If successful one company will provide free internet access across america. Now I’ve talked about this before but the difference is, it’s voting time.

First proposed in 2006, the plan calls for a chunk of airwaves called AWS-3 (now idle) to be used for wireless broadband across the USA. Under terms contemplated by the FCC, the winner of the AWS-3 auction would have to reserve at least 25% of network capacity for free broadband.

The winner would be allowed to charge for other services, including premium broadband that would offer faster speeds.

Assuming there are no last-minute snags, the AWS-3 auction will take place next year.

That’s AWESOME! That means all your devices will have network capabilities. So those outragous prices for mobile data plans, those always fluctuating comcast internet bills, the lame DSL speeds, will all have to compete with FREE. So, is anyone else excited about this?

+source

Uh oh look out Skype, my favorite IM program just added video chat, and it’s web based. Open your gmail account, chat with your bud and click the video button. No programs to download. Actual support inside the separate google talk program coming soon I’m sure.

UPDATE: You will need to install a google plugin from the page linked in the first comment

A couple of tech things this Friday morning, I’m a lil tired from Chase waking up at 3, 4, and 5 am so I found the video below to be chuckle worthy. Also I just found .74 mp3 songs for sale at Walmart.com… why am I buying crap on iTunes!? Amazon also is selling straight .mp3 files but they are using variable bit rate to encode them, which I hate. Walmart doesn’t mention if they use variable but they do say all songs are 192 or 256 kbps. So why buy from Walmart instead of iTunes you say? Here’s my handy list:

• Cheaper
• Higher quality encoding
• Already in .mp3 format
• No lame DRM like transfer protection

So will we stop using iTunes, no prob not, I like it as a player and organizer and burner, plus Chase could watch the Walle trailer about 30 times a day. But for buying songs I’ll grab them off Walmart from now on and just add them to my library.
Where do you buy your .mp3s?

Wow, watch out for this one! Were you thinking of investing in Bluray this holiday season? Might want to think again. Supposedly available Q1 2009 in some areas, DreamStream is releasing a 100GB disk that can hold up to 4 hours of 1920p HD content (yeah that’s more than 1080p) and will be as cheap as standard DVDs.

RDM has developed a high-definition system that exceeds the capabilities of Blu-ray. RDM’s technology offers storage capacity for up to 100 GB on a single disc. Blu-ray discs can only hold 50 GB of data. Due to RDM’s increase in storage capacity, their system is able to offer display qualities that greatly exceed conventional, 1080p, high-definition.

“RDM’s format will transform perceptions of high-definition,” said Diebel. “RDM’s system is able to display the next generation of high-definition: 1920p. With this advancement in technology, true digital cinema will soon be a widespread reality.”

For consumers, RDM’s increase in storage capacity allows for a single disc to hold approximately four hours of video content at 1920p resolution.

Because RDM’s system is based on inexpensive red laser technology, their players are expected to sell for much less than Sony’s, which routinely sell for hundreds of dollars. The high price of Blu-ray players has been credited for the technology’s slow public reception.

The retail prices for RDM’s players and discs are expected to “equal those of the traditional DVD format, greatly undercutting Blu-ray,” said Diebel.

So what do you think? Will you be investing in HD video anytime soon? Or are you waiting for the house sized resolution DVDs for $1 come out?

– press release

I know a lot of you use Google’s Gmail, and for good reason, and if you’re not you really should (sign up now). So I thought I would report on this cool new feature that is tucked away in the labs tab in the settings.

Google this week unveiled gadgets created by its Google Labs project that allow Gmail users to look at Google Calendar and Google Docs data without having to open the hosted applications.

For example, Gmail users can use one of the gadgets to see their Calendar agenda and get alerted when a meeting is scheduled, Google said. Another gadget could show users a list of recently accessed Google Docs and let them search across all documents from within Gmail.

I just turned these on, and they are pretty cool. You can set a mini calendar to show above your upcoming events. To turn them on, click on settings in the upper right, then click on the labs link on the right, scroll to the bottom and enable the google cal gadget and/or google doc gadget. ENJOY!

Remember that scene in Ironman when Penny types translate and it starts playing the video in english for her. I thought yeah right, maybe in 75 years or something… well I must be in a time machine. Ubiquity coming from Mozilla Labs pretty much proves that firefox is the best browser ever. This deal will be able to give you access to all parts of the internet without leaving the screen your on. And embed/lookup/access multiple services at one time. Big deal you say, I can go to multiple sites at one time. Oh yeah I say back, go find the chinese government website, translate it, email me the copy, then send me a map to the nearest airport so I can get to China. Now do ti from your mobile phone. The future my friends. Time for the movies to become reality.

Thanks Cotton

“When we spotted Electric Motorsport last year the company was pushing a high-ish performance electric motorcycle prototype, with a top speed of 100 MPH, 100 mile range, a $15,000 pricetag, and a whole bunch ugly battery strapped underneath. Lucky for us, they’ve taken a very mass-market approach to their next bike, the GPR-S. Boasting a 60-70 MPH top speed and 35-60 mile range, the sleek little bike just might be the perfect commuter ride, and the $8,000 pricetag is much more palatable. The bike can charge in about four hours, or 1.5 hours with an optional speed charger. Even better, the bike is modular in nature, which means you’ll be able to swap in a better power system once one comes along with a minimum of hassle. Electric Motorsport has sold 25 of these so far, but they’re up and running and ready for sales at volume — which is surprisingly still an incredibly rare feat in the electric transportation industry, even in 2008.”

I am all over this bad boy if the price comes down a bit. I mean think of it, you normally pay what? 40 bucks a month for lawn care… 40 x 12 = 480 x 5 years = 2,400. Gimmie!

Husqvarna’s plain old battery-powered Automowers have been available in the US for some time now, but it looks like the company’s solar-powered hybrid model is now finally making the trip across the pond as well. From the looks of it, the model is the same one we caught sight of back in March, with the 22-pound mower promising to handle lawns up to half an acre in size and not emit a single emission whilst it does its business. As with the regular models, it’ll also return to its base to speed up the charging process when it gets low on juice.

“I was fully prepared for Flash Player 10 to be totally underwhelming, but it looks as though Adobe has gotten things right this time around.

After looking at the beta back in July, the new features – 3d effects, hardware acceleration, custom filters and effects – intrigued me. I also noted a slight improvement in performance on my workstation. You can view a full list of v10’s features on Adobe’s web site and try out some of them in an interactive demo.

What I didn’t expect was Flash Player 10 actually making my MSI Wind and its piddly Atom CPU capable of finally watching stutter-free FLV clips on the web. Thanks to the new dynamic streaming quality of service abilities and the general performance enhancements, playback is silky smooth even on my underpowered netbook.

Overall, v10 is impressive, and reminds me how exciting Flash was when it first burst onto the scene. It’s well worth the download.”

+Full list of new features
+Download Now

Maybe this will be the wave of the future? Who knows. This car supposedly is powered by air and the movement of magnets. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for us, hopefully not $5 a gal. Keep your eye out for magnet/air cars