[MobileRatty] tag: cover

Printed Sheets of OLED Lights Will Light Up Your Life [Oled]

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:30:00 +0000

CNN reports that General Electric has created a giant OLED panel printer to be specifically used for lighting. The "semi-trailer" sized machine prints out thin layers of flexible plastic, covers them with chemicals, and seals them with foil, so they'll glow a frosty blue-white if an electrical current is applied. But these OLED sheets aren't exactly lightbulb substitutes.

Our current incandescent and CFL bulbs are super bright and super small, which is why we have to artfully cover them with lampshades or, in my case, a purple silk scarf, because I know what the ladies like. These new OLEDs are substantially dimmer, so they'd be used in large panels to create a softer light. Imagine a windowshade of the new lights, so when lowered at night, light still seems to be filtering in from outside. Or hell, just wallpaper your bedroom in the stuff, since no fixture is required. The caveats: they do, of course, still need a power source, their lifespan isn't up to par, and they're incredibly expensive right now. GE hopes to get the kinks worked out and the panels into production by 2010. [CNN]

There is a cover for your Kindle too

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:08:44 +0000

The popularity of the notebooks and lappie's may have led you to believe that there is no haven for your precious e-book where you store all your key information. But the sellers sure know it's important and necessary for...

Nokia 6600 slide review: Beautiful to use

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:12:00 +0000

Gsmarena have posted their review of the Nokia 6600 slide. Here are the key features, main disadvantages and final conclusion.

Key features:
•Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support, dual-band UMTS
•Accelerometer for tap-for-time and tap-to-mute
•2.2" 16M-color QVGA display
•3 megapixel camera, autofocus and LED flash
•VGA video recording at 15fps
•S40 user interface, 5th edition, FP1
•Bluetooth (with A2DP) and USB-on-the-go
•Stereo FM radio with RDS
•microSD card slot (up to 8 GB), 512MB included
•Rich preinstalled application package
•Nokia Maps
•Compact and extra smooth
•Sweet oval shapes and neat slider design
•Large capacity BL-4U battery (Li-Ion 1000 mAh)

Main disadvantages:
•Fingerprint magnet, hard to clean
•Rigid battery cover latch
•Memory card slot under the battery, no hot-swap
•No camera shutter key
•Below par camera quality
•Display easily gets scratched
•No smart dialing
•No multi-tasking
•No office document viewer

To wrap it up, Nokia 6600 slide rounds off a nice little family get-together. It's a neat cross-section of the Nokia midrange from the basic comfort of the 3600 slide through the exquisite elegance of the 6600 flip. With some 6500 slide and classic in the distant background, Nokia 6600 slide is put right in the middle of a rich tale of family ties and heritage.

To begin with, 6600 slide tops the 3600 slide right where it counts: screen estate, 3G and looks. So, we guess, it's a point won for the 6600 slide.

The compact and suave slider is a good match for the outlandish charm of the 6600 fold. The 6600 pair does well to achieve cohesion and distinct identity but we can't help the thought that the specific targeting of the girly flip makes it a little bit more focused. Not to mention that it's a lot easier for the 6600 fold to get away with being overpriced.

So, we end up exactly where we were with the 6500 classic / 6500 slide duo. One is outspokenly driven by looks, the other tries to bring an extra dimension of skill but ends up harder to define and exposed to a lot more pressure.

Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro CPU Cooler

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:47:44 +0000

Thermaltake BigTyp14Pro CPU Cooler is without a doubt an impressive upgrade; the innovative stream shaped fan cover is not only there for styling purpose, but it also serves to speed up the air circulation. The mirror coating copper base seamlessly contact with the CPU and works with the 6 copper heat pipes to efficiently transfer the heat to the fins and 14cm large fan for heat dissipation process. VR fan control has also been included to give users full control over the fan speed for different demands. With Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro, DIY enthusiasts and gamers will be able to achieve the highest overclock performance easily. Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro will be available very soon.

Triple Play Moving to Quintuple Play?

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:59:26 +0000

If you thought the "triple play" offered by cable and phone service providers was pretty cool, it's time to think again.

Various providers now are looking at ways to bundle not just TV, phone and the Internet, but also a home's security and control systems into a great, big package that is being called the "quintuple play."

For the service providers whose quadruple plays currently include digital television, internet, phone, and wireless, the fifth service in the five-for-one bundle could be home control, remote monitoring and/or safety and security devices and services (sometimes referred to as SMA or security, monitoring and automation).

This new package will bring easy-to-use home control devices and applications into the home, enabling remote monitoring, simple lighting and HVAC control and remotely-accessed home security.

The devices would be available through the service provider in the form of a "starter kit" of some sort, with an up-front cost that may or may not include installation. A monthly fee would cover remote access to the system and -- in the case of the security application -- professional monitoring.

More at ElectronicHouse.com.

Tags: home security, internet, quadruple play, quintuple play, triple play, wireless

Related Entries

Microsoft develops Vi-Fi (Vehicle Wi-Fi). VoIP while driving baby! - Aug 27, 2008
Aepona enables Fixed Mobile Convergence - Jun 13, 2007
Siemens, Time Warner Cable Successfully Demo IMS - May 03, 2006
Wireless Zune on the Way - Sep 11, 2008
IEEE standardizes 801.11r fast Wi-Fi roaming - Aug 27, 2008
Presto! Intel Wants To Make Wires Disappear - Aug 21, 2008
Internet Finally Takes Off into the Clouds - Aug 20, 2008
Cheap Broadband is the Oil of the Modern Economy -- Shouldn't This Have a Greener Hook? - Aug 05, 2008
FCC to punish Comcast over Internet blocking - Jul 26, 2008
Tom writes 'iHate My iPhone Because its iDead' - Jul 12, 2008

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 delayed (again)

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:31:27 +0000

Just heard from Clove Technology that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is subject to further delays.

The X1 was due to start shipping to customers this week but it would seem that there are further supply issues with the device. No word on the extent of the delay at the moment but I suspect maybe another week rather than any lengthy delay.

I know this will come as a disappointment and frustration to many of you but I know that SE are keen to get things right rather than release a product that needs patching or updating a week after you purchase it.

I'll try to get official word from SE in the morning.

On the more positive side I've just managed to get my hands on a pre-release (PR Unit) X1 and I'll be starting off the review shortly. I'll take plenty of photos over the weekend for you to drool over.

Please do get in touch with me by commenting below if you have any questions that you would like me to answer of if there is anything specific that you think that we should cover in the review.

Posted by: Matt

[ Post Tags: sony ericsson, xperia X1, windows mobile, smartphone, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Review: Motorola's New Cameraphone Not Quite Picture-Perfect

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:00:14 +0000

Motorola Motozine ZN5

Oh snap! There's a new cameraphone on the block — and this skinny, pixel-packin' newcomer's got Nokia and Sony Ericsson squarely in its sights.

As the unlikely lovechild of a sweaty fling between Motorola's engineers and Kodak's imaging wizards, the ZN5 aims to give cameraphone mainstays like the N82 and the K850i a serious run for their money.

And on the hardware front, this 5-megapixel pocket shooter does just that. Not only does the unit feel velvety smooth in the hand — thanks to a slightly concave back that gently cradles your index finger — but it's made to weather the inevitable phone fumblings with grace and style, too. Featuring a rubberized base and a smokin' dark grey metal body, the ZN5 flat out runs circles around the plasticy competition.

Combine that with relatively artifact-free images, a high-res 2.4-inch screen plus the ability to save pictures with TIFF lossless compression (instead of JPEG), and you have yourself a solid first entry in the cameraphone arena.

Unfortunately, once you get past the handset's formidable design jujitsu, the ZN5 does little to raise the cameraphone bar. While photos were clear and natural, we found they were considerably dimmer than those produced by our cameraphone fav, the Nokia N82 — even after using Kodak's PerfectTouch tech.

There are also plenty of rough edges Motorola and Kodak need to smooth out if they want to give Nokia and Sony Ericsson anything to worry about. In particular, our review unit was plagued by an overzealous xenon flash, which, when used in close proximity to a subject, tended to wash out faces (and even parts of the background) in a sea of blinding white light.
Turning off the flash doesn't help matters, either. The cameraphone's low light performance (sans flash) was abysmal. And despite optimized settings for precisely these kinds of conditions, nighttime shots were noisier than a My Bloody Valentine show.

Equally, disappointing is the ZN5's video implementation. While the handset flaunts a TV out and lets you shoot in two resolutions (176 x 144 and 128 x 96) at 15 fps, the footage we shot made YouTube videos look like the pinnacle of high-def splendor.

A fairly bare bones photo editor rounds out the phone's feature set, allowing ZN5 users to apply basic effects to saved photos, including image rotation, mirroring, cutting and resizing. Essentially, there's nary a feature here you can't find on similarly equipped cameraphones.

Don’t get us wrong: None of these quirks are necessarily deal breakers. But at 500 bones, we'll admit we were hoping for some big brains to accompany the ZN5's banging body. In the end, Motorola didn't need to shoot the moon, but it did need something a step above other cameraphones that have been on the market for a year or more now. Unfortunately, the ZN5 is not that phone…yet. —Bryan Gardiner

WIRED Access camera mode with a flick of the lens cover. Skinny, with curves in all the right places, the ZN5 is one of the most attractive cameraphones out there. Big, beautiful 2.4-inch screen. Backlit keypad is simple and elegant. Flip the phone sideways in camera mode, and dedicated camera and gallery shortcuts buttons magically illuminate. Panorama mode lets you stitch together multiple horizon shots into one sweeping mega image. 3.5mm headphone jack lets choose your own soundtrack while snapping up a frenzy.

TIRED Indexed zoom (4x) is clunky and makes noisy images downright deafening. Disappointing low light performance. 15 fps looks craptastic even on the ZN5's screen. WTF! Moto's still cramming the MicroSD card behind the battery.

$500, Motorola

(Photos by Jonathan Snyder for Wired.com)

NASA wants to build a gigantic, liquid telescope on the moon

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:53:06 +0000

Why are we spending all this money on telescopes on the surface of the earth when they have to be able to see up through our atmosphere to get to the good stuff: space? What we need to be doing is building gigantic telescopes on the surface of the moon, where they'll have room to spread out and won't be bothered by a pesky atmosphere.

That's exactly what NASA is planning on doing, and using liquid mirrors, no less. In order to create absolutely massive telescopes, they'll set a new form of ionic liquids spinning on the moon. The spinning will cause the liquids to naturally form a parabolic shape, perfect for telescopes. Due to the liquid nature of the mirror, the telescope wouldn't be able to be tilted, but due to the natural rotation of the moon, a telescope pointed straight up would still cover a good chunk of the sky. Cool, cool stuff.

Space Fellowship, via Slashdot

Review of GSM/UMTS-smartphone Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (Tube)

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:34:00 +0000

Mobile-review have posted their review of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Here is their final impression.

Call quality was never an issue with the 5800, as it easily lived up to our expectations of a Nokia-branded phone. Ring tones sounded quite loud and we were happy with them even in noisy environments. The vibro alter was of moderate strength.

You also can mute the 5800's notification sounds and ringtones simply by flipping it face-down.

So, first things first, when the 5800 Tube is going to arrive? On October 5th it will kick off in Russia and several other markets; however the rest of Europe won't see it until early 2009 solely because Nokia don't want to tear up their own portfolio before the Christmas season. The 5800 XpressMusic will retail for 279 Euros before subsidies and rebates on all European markets. Intestingly, while they will face some deficit early on, nobody is going to alter the phone's price tag. It's vitally important for Nokia to stick to the price point they announced several days ago to get themselves another bestselling phone.

Nokia's first touchscreen smartphone isn't a mixed bag by any means. Going for it are a stable OS, decent sales package that very few other phones have, and a wealth of multimedia features onboard. For a moment it may feel like a perfect phone, but there is no such thing, right? In fact it does have some glitches in the way of software (for example when adding the Birthday field the phone automatically closes the contact menu), but we certainly expected to see more of them in this newly designed operating system.

On balance the 5800 Tube offers pretty decent sound quality, audible stereo speakers, WiFi connectivity, and a sizable display that will remain the best on the market for a quite a while. Frankly, I can hardly find anything to criticize the 5800 for, given how little it goes for - there has never been a phone like this before and now it raises the bar to a wholly new level. Well, it's about time I wrapped it all up - no point in praising this phone any further, I suppose.

Another thing of note about the 5800 Tube is that it simply won't face any challenges on the market - the Apple iPhone is a steep, fashion-savvy offering that has been deprived of many standard features, so a comparison between these two phones would seem a little too far-fetched. It does have smoother and more eye-candy menus, similar video capabilities, but that's about it - in fact the iPhone packs in around a tenth of what the Nokia 5800 has to offer in terms of functionality. It wouldn't be right to put them in one league and then berate the iPhone for lacking so many useful feats. So let the iPhone remain the ultimate choice for all fashion-conscious users, while the Nokia 5800 will be the way to go for everyone who is after a well-rounded do-it-all solution.

The revolution is already here and its name is "Nokia 5800 XpressMusic" - there will be no other similarly geared and at the same time well-balanced phone in 2009. It sports an unparalleled price/quality ratio and changes the rules for all phone makers out there, including Nokia itself.

In the next installment of this review we will cover the 5800 Tube's OS - S60 5th edition - as well as all its features and abilities. Don't forget to check back for more!

Vonage slams Skype for not following emergency rules

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:32:29 +0000

Vonage lays down the smackdown for Skype's refusal to adhere to Ofcom rules, an independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. Last month, Ofcom introduced rules mandating access to emergency services (999 in the United Kingdom) for VoIP providers whose customers make calls that connect to the public switched service. The rules also specify that caller address information is to be made available to emergency services so that, as far as possible, emergency service operators know where a call is originating from.

Vonage points out that since it started offering services in the UK in 2005 that all Vonage customers have been able to dial 999. Vonage also makes available caller address information (CallerID) to emergency operators.

According to Vonage, "Skype is choosing to flout the new rules by claiming that they do not apply and that they could be harmful to public safety. Skype In and Skype Out services offer their customers calls that connect to the public switched service and are therefore caught by Ofcom's new rules." Vonage added, "Skype's statement that compliance could be harmful to public safety is in Vonage's view an abdication of social responsibility - especially when you consider that the telephone provided by Skype is designed to resemble a regular telephone. To deny consumers the ability to dial 999 is socially irresponsible and potentially very harmful."

Vincent Potier, Managing Director of Vonage UK comments: "This is an absurd position. How can refusing to allow customers to dial 999 in cases of emergency ever be in the interests of public safety? It is Skype that is causing harm to public safety, not Ofcom."

So who's right? Is Vonage simply making a stink to drum up some free publicity by attacking the #1 popular VoIP application? Is Vonage attacking Skype because Skype has millions more customers? Let's examine. First off, Ofcom explained that research revealed that as many as 78% of VoIP users who cannot use their service to call 999 thought they could, or did not know whether they could. As such, Ofcom set out to propose guidelines for 999 to ensure VoIP users were aware if they could or could not dial 999.

Ofcom stated in their rules, requiring only certain types of VoIP service providers to allow users to call 999 by early 2008. In Ofcom's list of VoIP service provider types it would appear that P2P apps, such as Skype is specifically EXCLUDED. However, Skype also falls under another VoIP type, 'VoIP Out' services, which would make them fall under Ofcom guideliness.

In March 2007, Ofcom put in place a code of practice that requires all VoIP providers to make it clear to consumers whether or not their service includes access to emergency services. From this code of practice statement, it does seem clear that Ofcom is asking Skype to at least make it clear to their customers that you cannot dial 999 using SkypeOut and expect emergency services to work.

Let me break out the four main types of VoIP services according to Ofcom's definition:

'Peer-to-peer' services that make and receive calls to other PCs and connected devices (Type 1);
'VoIP Out' services which allow users to make calls to ordinary phone numbers but not receive them (Type 2);
'VoIP In' services which allow users to receive calls from ordinary phone numbers but not make them (Type 3); and
Full-service VoIP which allows users to make and receive calls to and from ordinary phone numbers (Type 4).

Under Ofcom's proposals, providers of types 2 and 4 services would be required to offer access to emergency services. Most Skype users fall under Type 1 (P2P), so in these cases, Skype must at least make it clear to their customers that 999 emergency dialing is not available.

However, many Skype users have SkypeOut accounts and fall under Type 2, which requires providers of type 2 (and 4) services to offer access to emergency services. So it would appear Vonage is right.

Let's start with Type 1 Skype customers (P2P), which is the vast majority of Skype customers. How exactly would Skype go about notifying customers that they don't have emergency dialing? They could issue a popup statement the first time you launch Skype or maybe even the first 10 launches to cover any liability issues that 1 notification wasn't enough. Simple enough to do.

The issue with actually providing 999 access is much trickier. Skype is a mobile application, so even if you specify your home address, you could be in a London cafe when an emergency strikes.

Also, suppose I am a UK citizen but I'm travelling to the U.S. In the U.S. I dial 911 not 999. So if I dial 999 while in the U.S., should Skype still route the emergency call to the U.K. 999 emergency services? Obviously, there are problems with this. You would need to route the emergency call to the closest emergency services center and not across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, each country has their own emergency phone number. Routing a call to the closest emergency center using geocoding (by IP address) could be leveraged, but even that isn't perfect. It still wouldn't send accurate location information and it would could only send the call to a 911 emergency location center with an accuracy of 30+ miles.

VoIP Out services that are mobile (i.e. Skype, Jajah) and that are not fixed (i.e. Vonage, Packet8) need their own classification for Ofcom rules. Skype can't possibly offer 999. Maybe one day technology with solve this problem. While technically Vonage is right when you look at the "letter of the law" with regards to the Ofcom rules, Vonage knows full well Skype can't easily offer 999 services and it seems to me that they're using the battering ram of FUD to scare British citizens into signing up for their services instead.

Tags: 911, 999, emergency calling, emergency services, Ofcom, p2p, skype, voip, vonage

Related Entries

South Korea VoIP Number Portability Shenanigans - Jul 07, 2008
P2P or ENUM Saves Vonage? - May 11, 2007
Cops Befuddled by Vonage 911 Crying baby emergency call - Sep 08, 2008
FCC to punish Comcast over Internet blocking - Jul 26, 2008
Comcast - We won't block Vonage or any other VoIP provider - Jul 10, 2008
Propel PBM improves QoS for VoIP, Skype, Online Gaming and more - Oct 24, 2007
Skype Offline Latest Update - Aug 17, 2007
Packet8 Outlook Toolbar - Jun 05, 2007
magicJack - New VoIP Player launches - Mar 08, 2007
Free phone calls to 40 countries using VoIP - Oct 17, 2006

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