Technology Viewer

The race to 4G wireless broadband is on, and while most of the world is gearing up to release some form of LTE, (Long Term evolution, a gsm based 4g system) Sprint is hanging it’s hat on WiMAX and hoping that just by being quicker to roll out WiMAX than LTE will be enough garner a foothold in the marketplace.

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However, I think everyone is sick of having competing network types. We need a standard and as much as Verizon and Sprint tried to fight the GSM standard here in the states, Verizon’s European owners have said no, you too will be LTE.

So that leaves just Sprint, fighting pretty much the whole world for a competing 4G standard. I don’t think that bodes very well for them, and… I am not alone. Alcatel Lucent and Cisco, both major internet hardware manufacturers have thrown in the towel on WiMAX.

Cisco cites a desire to be “radio agnostic.” Which really means they aren’t willing to bet any more money on a lame horse.

The real problem is, if WIMAX goes down as a useful 4G standard it’s likely to take Sprint with it. And less competition in the US wireless space is not a good thing, Not at all.

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amazon.com: Samsung NC10-12PWBK WiMAX Netbook

They never touched the floor — that would have set off an alarm. They didn’t appear on store security cameras. They cut a hole in the roof and came in at a spot where the cameras were obscured by advertising banners. They left with some $26,000 in laptop computers, departing the same way they came in — down a gas pipe that runs from the roof to the ground outside the store.

growingup:

— Why Ad Blocking is devastating to the sites you love

Android Game Vacuum Pays Out In Cold, Hard Cash

An android based game is going to give away cash prizes.

The game itself is an endless tunnel you need to fly through collecting points, and avoiding obstacles. It seems simple enough you just tilt your phone to fly through the “vacuums” and do your best.

The first tourney starts April 1st, and the game is slated to hit the android store March 20th.

Although… there is no word on how much the game will cost, or how much money will be given away, but still… it’s an interesting concept.

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amazon.com: Dyson DC25 Ball All-Floors Upright Vacuum Cleaner

So there it is… We have an official launch date for the iPad. The question is… will you be lining up for one? Will you be pre-ordering one?

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Personally I am tempted but honestly I really want to have some time to play with one before one before I make the commitment. I want to see how that LCD screen is going to perform as a reader. I need to feel how big its going to be to carry around. So I guess I will be waiting until they have a model to show off in the store…. or someone I know gets one.

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amazon.com: Accessory Power Scratch Defense Neoprene Sleeve for the Apple iPad

I might of made the title “could be awesome” but for the most part I concure. I’m still not sure about the backlit screen for long term reading, but… we can’t know that sort of thing until it hits the market, hopefully later this month.

Penquin’s Vision For Books On The iPad

This video shows just the sort of thing everyone hoped the iPad would do to revolutionize ‘print’ media. Children’s books add interactive learning elements; textbooks can add video and other mediums to enhance their value; novels can become online forums or clubs where you can not only read the book but can interact with other fans and play with games and such to elevate the experience.

I know some of these things are already being done on computers but the key to the iPad’s success will be whether or not they’ve found the sweet spot between being small enough to be portable and being big enough to take advantage of more possibilities. Right now, we use multiple devices to keep us connected to the digital world and I don’t think that will ever change because certain form factors suit different functions better than others.  Smartphones not only fill the need for a cell phone but now they are capable of performing functions we used to have to do on a computer and they take the cake as far as portability goes. We use laptops frequently for their larger screens, bigger hard drives, full-sized keyboards, faster speeds, and other intangibles you don’t have on a phone. The question for the iPad is: has Apple created a product that will bridge the gap between the two?

knightofday:

JOYCE iPhone Cases by Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Marni, Etro, Bless and Anna Sui joyce-iphone-cases-4 – Highsnobiety.com

So umm yeah, it’s an iphone case, that makes it look like a rock. I suppose this could be useful if you needed to hide your iphone in a garden or park or something… maybe. Or if you are like a caveman wannabe…. maybe.

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amazon.com: Lortone 3A Lapidary Rock Gem Rotary 3 Lb. Tumbler New

Forget Touchscreens, The Future’s Going To Be Skinput

The future is here… but is it our future. Somehow I can’t see this sort of thing catching on. But, it’s damn cool all the same.

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amazon.com: GIGABYTE TouchNote T1028 10.1

Starting tomorrow, selling, renting, importing, making & distributing video games will be illegal in Venezuela and punishable with 3 to 5 years in prison, so I decided to treat myself for the last time.

guillee:

Wow, the first phrase that comes to mind is one I havn’t used since I was like 17…. “That’s messed up.” At least you can own and play the ones you have…. for now.

So this little (well really quite big) earthquake that just struck Chili, may have done some long term damage to the Earth itself.

Beyond the upset to the planet’s crust, the quake changed the Earth’s rotational speed, shortening our days by approximately 1.26 microseconds (1.26 millionth of a second)

Also Nasa is reporting that the “figure” axis, which is the axis that the Earth’s mass is balanced around, not the north/south axis was moved by this quake as well, somewhere in the neighborhood of three inches in total.

No one is saying what the long term effects of these changes are, but no one is jumping up and down saying it’s a problem either. I’m sure as more data comes in we will get a clearer picture of what happened, but in the mean time, enjoy the fact that tomorrow will be here 1.26 microseconds faster than you thought. ;-)

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amazon.com: Earthshaking Science: What We Know (and Don’t Know) about Earthquakes