Up 25% from a year ago, and up from 1 billion text's per year in 1999 it doesn't seem to be letting up. Ease of use and price seem to be the largest factors for this staggering number. Prices have always been on the high side for mobile carriers in Europe and this may be the leading reason.
Code named "Maka-Maka" is going to be a more free and open app based social site that may compile Orkut, iGoogle and gmail accounts in order to compete against an ever threatening Facebook. The people over at good ole Goog are no dummies and if they utilize every web users need for their search results and link them to everyone they care to contact then I see this as a vital step towards the Google mission of "Organizing the world's information."
While the condensing of a few sites is always a good thing and the fact that they support RSS feeds is nice they fail to give any props in Link form to the sites that made their content from random internet image to image of the day. Not only is this suspicious but this community could also use more of a community cause after last check there were no comments under any of the top photos. So Picurls we love you but show your fore-fathers some lovin' and link 'em.
[via http://www.downloadsquad.com]
Throttling Torrent speeds during peak hours is their solution...instead of say spending profits on increasing their network strength. It is important to mention that some customers pay more for higher speeds which should be used for whatever they want. You would think.
What's next no more than 10 YouTube videos a day ? Stateside, Verizon hasn't been accused of this activity so I suggest checking them out.
Google has announced Android as its mobile operating system. Partnered with nearly all of the industries heavyweights sans Nokia, Apple, MSFT, RIM. The OHA, or Open Handset Alliance is a group made up of Motorola, Deutsche Telekom, T Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm and 28 other companies that are partnering with Google for an OS that will be Linux based and no doubt take over the way we think of mobile devices. So does this mean the end to Windows Mobile and all other mobile OS ? The partners of the OHA, including Apple board member Eric Schmidt does not think so. The OS will be open platform and will be open to most hardware sets. A 200mHz ARM9 processor is needed and this platform will work on both QWRETY and non QWERTY keypads.
And for the Billion dollar question: "The networks these devices will run over... how does this platform relate to the 700MHz auction?"
Eric Schmidt:"Two sep initiatives; Android will run very well on all existing data networks. We think the 700MHz network auctions are a matter of public policy and for public benefit, but Android will run well on it..."
Well that wasnt enough information but I guess you cannot have everything in one conference call. The long and short of it is that Google has taken a HUGE step into the mobile phone industry by developing a Linux based OS that many phone, chip, and Telecom companies will adapt in the upcoming year. 2008: The year of Google.
The iPhone's popularity has really fueled a touch screen revolution in the mobile phone market with all the major players releasing very attractive handsets in the past few months. Now it is Samsung's turn. It calls itself the M4650 Multi-touch, which we will cough up to a translation error because unlike the iPhone and Touch it has only single touch features. It will however support haptic feedback (maybe in the form of small vibrations?) to let the user know the tap was recognized which will be nice on its sizeable 2.8" screen. It's hard to guess what percent of handsets will be touchscreen only a year from now, one thing is certain; As screen size becomes more important those qwerty key pads may look more and more like a valuable waste of space. So go on tapping away on your silly Blackberry with real keys it may soon be an antique.
Oh yeah, unless you want to travel via Seoul Air to pick up a domestic only (for now) release then sit tight with the rest of us...if you do however don't forget to pick one up for Technofilic!
[via Textually.org]
For the past four years researchers from America's top universities have assembled extremely intelligent SUVs that are run entirely by remote for the purpose of racing other teams of life-sized remote control SUVs over a difficult desert course in a remote part of southern California. It may sound a bit silly but it has helped spawn a wave of new technology and help inch humanity closer to that elusive dream of SUVs that can drive themselves across California...The prize of $2 million is nothing to balk at however and CMU loves winning it every year a winner has been awarded.
In 2004 with only three teams participating CMU did the best. This year there were three teams out of eleven that finished in the 6 hour maximum. Finishing first was Stanford followed by CMU and Virginia Tech in 3rd. CMU was declared the winner on sunday because of other criteria such as safety and control, however, Stanford and VA Tech didn't go home empty handed with a $1 million and $500,000 second and thrid place prize money respectively.
