Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Thinking of a flip? Check out the Vado HD

Creative readies the Vado HD: Is it better than the Flip Video Mino HD?

Things are heating up in the HD mini camcorder space as Creative gets set to release its new Vado HD next week. The camcorder retains many of the design traits of the original Vado but it doesn't share the exact same body. However, it does have something that neither the Kodak Zi6 nor the Flip Video Mino HD has: an HDMI connection (plus an included cable) for outputting 1080i video to your HDTV. And it comes with 8GB of built-in memory--all for around $200.

Click Here for full story...

Merry Christmas from iJustine!


Saturday, December 13, 2008

4G Mobile Internet in 12 months?


AreaCable.com and TechTVshow.com are pioneers in Internet Broadcasting. To take the show on the road fast mobile Internet access is a must. To meet the need Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are planning to roll out 4g Mobile Broadband.

Verizon Wireless is taking a stand - in the race to deploy 4G LTE mobile broadband service, they don’t want to come in second to or Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, the latter of which said it would offer such a network commercially in 2010. According to executive vice president and chief technology officer of Verizon Communications, Dick Lynch, they plan to begin rolling the enhanced network capabilities out by about this time next year, ahead of the original 2010 timetable.

The original plan called for initial rollouts in 2010, with a wide commercial launch in 2011 and true mass availability coming shortly after. But according to an IDC analyst, Verizon’s new, more aggressive deployment schedule was likely inspired by the threat of launching after another company. Verizon wants to be first! Can you blame them? They don’t have the ...

If you’re wondering what LTE is, it’s a fourth-generation wireless data system expected to be the next step up in speed and capacity for carriers using the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) platform, which is dominant in most of the world. Like Sprint Nextel’s already deployed (in one city) WiMax, it should deliver multiple megabits per second of throughput.

After introducing LTE, Verizon plans to offer subscribers small in-home base stations known as femtocells, which will extend the signal indoors - likely including built-in Wi-Fi, which will allow newer personal electronics such as cameras to automatically exchange information over the air. Imagine getting home from a trip and having your pictures automatically upload to the internet once you walk through the door. This may be a reality sooner than you think.

Full Story:

http://www.gearlive.com/news/article/q408-verizon-rolling-out-4g-lte-mobile-broadband-in-2009/

Related story:

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/12/11/tech-rogers.html

Related Announcement:

LG develops handset chip for fast downloads

ANYANG, South Korea (AP) — LG Electronics Inc. claimed a step forward in the commercialization of the next generation of Internet capable handsets, demonstrating a modem chip with a download speed eight times that of the fastest mobile phones currently on the market.

The South Korean company unveiled the chip, created for a technology standard known as Long-Term Evolution, or LTE, at a research lab in Anyang, just outside Seoul, on Tuesday.

The so-called fourth generation technology, still under development, is vying with the rival WiMax standard to usher in super-fast Web browsing and downloads over mobile phones and other wireless devices.

"Now that LG has developed and tested the first 4G handset modem, a commercially viable LTE handset is on the horizon," Paik Woo-hyun, LG's chief technology officer, told reporters.

LG's claim to be first could not immediately be verified.

The company said that mobile carriers have built test networks and the first mobile phones using the technology will probably be available to consumers in 2010.

LG said it achieved wireless download speeds of 60 megabits per second and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The fastest phones on the market use a different technology, known as HSDPA, and download at a maximum speed of 7.6 Mbps, according to LG.

The company said that with the technology a 700 megabit movie file can be downloaded in less than one minute at speeds of 100 Mbps.

LTE also allows consumers to stream high definition movies without needing a buffer, which ensures smooth play.

LG said that companies such as Qualcomm Inc., Vodafone Group PLC, Verizon Wireless and Japan's KDDI Corp. are supporting and contributing to the development of the long-term evolution standard.

The rival WiMax, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, technology is similar to the WiFi signals available at coffee shops and airports but provides wireless data over long distances and is already in use on a limited basis.

WiMax has been backed by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Intel Corp., Motorola Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. of the United States.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Chevy Volt

GMs CEO Rick Wagoner will be driving one of the Chevy Volt mules in Cruze bodies through Washington DC tomorrow on his way to give testimony to the Senate Finance committee in support of government loans. He won’t actually be driving it all the way from Detroit.

He will first drive to Detroit in a hybrid Chevrolet Malibu, then he will drive a route from his hotel to GM’s Washington office,and then to Capitol Hill in the Chevy Volt running prototype, or mule.

Then he will be pulling up and stopping to talk to the public. This will occur at 9:30 AM at the corner of Delaware Ave. and C street just outside the Russell Senate Building.

If you’re able to be there, do so!

One of the production Volt show cars will be there on display as well.