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Delta Air Lines is finally getting on board with modern technology–one baby step at a time. The Atlanta-based company announced today that it will begin rolling out Wi-Fi on select flights, beginning with small shuttle flights between Reagan National Airport in Washington, LaGuardia in New York, and Logan in Boston.

The Washington Post points out, however, that the plan won’t last. Beginning in March, the company will be swapping DC-to-New York planes out with those from a company called Shuttle America–which doesn’t provide Wi-Fi. However, by that point, Delta will likely be providing wireless in more flights. Delta hopes to have provide the service to its entire domestic fleet in 2009.

The Wi-Fi provided on shuttle flights will be free. Moving ahead, however, Delta will begin charging $9.95 for the service on flights of 3 hours or less, and $12.95 for longer flights.

Original post by Brian Heater

Keynote Systems released their latest VoIP quality report with some interesting findings. For one, Comcast, a cable company dominated the voice quality rankings beating the closest competitor by nearly 300 points. As for reliability, to no surprise AT&T won this category, no doubt to their decades of experience in building reliable voice and data networks.

Keynote Systems measures VoIP quality (MOS scores), call completion, etc. by automatically placing calls from corporate apartments using residential VoIP services and network services just like a typical residential customer would.  Service Reliability scores are based on the key performance metrics of Service Availability, Average Answer Time and Number of Dropped Calls. Additionally,  Audio Quality is an aggregate of Audio Clarity and Audio Delay (latency, jitter) performance factors. The study compares the relative performance of PSTN (regular analog) service, Broadband VoIP providers (e.g. Vonage, Verizon VoiceWing, EarthLink trueVoice, AT&T CallVantage etc), and cable voice services (e.g. Time Warner Digital Phone, Comcast Digital Voice). Test calls were placed from residential locations in New York and San Francisco.

Keynote ranked VoIP Service Providers in two categories: Reliability and Audio Quality. The Service Availability, Call Completion, Average Answer Time, and Dropped Audio performance factors all contribute to the Reliability ranking.

In the summary report they only list the top 3 VoIP provider names and then have Provider D - I as anonymous. You have to purchase the full report to see the names. I’m guessing Packet8 and Vonage are somewhere in this anonymous list.

Provider                   Reliability Points    Rank 
AT&ampT Landline                    996                1
Time Warner Digital Phone        925                2
Verizon VoiceWing                872                3
Provider D                       859                4
Provider E                       793                5
Provider F                       687                6
Provider G                       643                7
Provider H                       408                8
Provider I                       374                9

Audio Quality
Provider                   Reliability Points     Rank 
Comcast Digital Voice            901                1
Verizon VoiceWing                609                2
AT&T Landline                    506                3
Provider D                       500                4
Provider E                       487                5
Provider F                       480                6
Provider G                       462                7
Provider H                       252                8
Provider I                       0                  9

General Observations
• The best providers always deliver dial tine and connect the call to the number dialed in a timely fashion.
• Only one of the providers in the study failed to provide dial tone 99.9% of the time or better.
• All providers had very small percentages of calls with dropped audio, but only two providers had zero calls with dropped audio.
• One VoIP provider required two seconds more than any other voice provider to connect calls after dialing.
• Most providers had slightly more audio delay and slightly lower MOS in Wave 6 as compared to Wave 5.
• Eight of the nine providers in the study had a better call completion rate in Wave 6 than was evidenced in the Wave 5 results.

What’s amazing is that Comcast has been adding a ton of new VoIP customers each quarter. In fact, Comcast has become the nation’s fourth largest phone company. The cable company has signed up four million VoIP customers in just the last two years. Relatedly, Forrester Research analysts have projected that Cable VoIP providers will claim up to 80% of the 28.4 million residential VoIP users by 2013. This forecast includes an expected growth from the approximately 19 million installed lines in 2008.

Check out the summary report.

Tags: AT&T, Comcast, Comcast Digital Voice, jitter, Keynote Systems, latency, MOS, Packet8, PSTN, Verizon VoiceWing, voip, Vonage

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Original post by nafiz

With oil prices in free-fall and the world’s economies in the toilet, short-sighted governments and C02-denying GM execs will undoubtedly defer priority given to clean energies in the next round of fiscal budgets. Too bad, because Korea’s S&P Energy Research Institute has just issued a press release about a new discovery it claims puts the era of clean energy within reach. Dr. Sen Kim claims to have achieved the separation of Hydrogen with the same 90% (or greater) efficiency using just 0.1kwh of energy compared to the traditional 4 - 4.5kwh required using the ol’ electrolytic method. Dr. Kim postulates that “manufacturing the H2 by our method will lower the cost of H2 as much as 20 - 30 times″ compared to electrolytic H2. That makes SPERI’s method suitable for H2 fuel production from say, an in-home hydrogen fueling station. So is this the solution to all of our clean energy concerns? Perhaps, but we′ve heard these economical hydrogen-generation claims before. Let’s wait for the claim to be more thoroughly vetted by bigger brains than our own before getting too hopeful.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

AT&ampT and Option jointly announced the launch of one of the world’s smallest HSPA USB devices today, the USBConnect Quicksilver. The latest in the carrier’s line of LaptopConnect devices, this mobile broadband unit weighs just 1.2-ounces and can roam (for a price, of course) in more than 150 countries, with 3G available in over 60. Best of all, this USB modem actually looks halfway decent for the fashionistas that care, boasting an “intelligent″ protective cap and a mildly curvaceous flair. Oh, and did we mention that it’s available today at no cost if you ink your name to a two-year DataConnect plan of $60 or more? ‘Cause it is.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

Considering that MSI’s Wind U120 is on track for release this quarter, it follows logic that we’d see a few press shots as the run-up to launch continues. Once again, we’re told that this bugger will sport a 120GB HDD (or a 20GB / 40GB SSD), 802.11n WiFi and built-in 3.5G WWAN. As you can easily see, the U120 isn’t too much different (style wise) from the U100, and unfortunately, it’s not a whole lot thinner either. Still, the unit does look a bit more edgy, and hopefully we′ll be seeing a lot more (read: in the wild) shots as December comes closer. Speaking of, check the read link for a whole load of press images.

[Thanks, TheLostSwede]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Wireless

Hot on the heels of Lenovo comes Acer, which is somehow claiming “first!11one!” in the US market with WiMAX-enabled laptops. Introduced today in Baltimore in conjunction with the formal unveiling of Sprint’s XOHM network, the Aspire 4930-6862 and Aspire 6930-6771 both include the innate ability to hop on a WiMAX network and surf at 4G speeds. As for specs, the former packs a 14.1-inch WXGA panel, 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7350 CPU, 3GB of RAM, WiFi / WiMAX capability, integrated graphics, a dual-layer DVD writer, 320GB SATA HDD, 5-in-1 card reader, built-in webcam, Windows Vista Premium and an $899.99 sticker. The larger 6930 differs only in the 16-inch 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, as everything else (price included) remains the same. Charm City residents can snatch ‘em up right now at NewEgg and TigerDirect.

[Via DigitalTrends]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

It’s a big day in Baltimore with the proper launch of Sprint’s XOHM WiMAX network, and Lenovo’s making sure it snags a bit of that limelight to announce this. Starting today, prospective customers can snatch up a ThinkPad SL300, SL500, X301 and T400 with integrated WiMAX capability, meaning that you can hop on the ultra-fast mobile internet highway in Baltimore and elsewhere if you′re really lucky. Later this year, the laptop maker will be adding the option on its business-focused ThinkPad W500, W700, SL400 and X200 models as well as the consumer-minded IdeaPad Y530. There’s no word on how much this capability adds to the cost of a machine, but WiMAX-enabled lappies can be had starting at $720 right now.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Wireless

Not too keen on snatching your WiMAX via ExpressCard? Fret not, as ZTE’s TU25 (which was leaked early last month) is fast approaching. Hailed as the only USB modem available (and certified, no less) for the launch of the XOHM network, the TU25 presumably allows users to plug it into a spare USB port, wave a magic wand and begin surfing the mobile broadband superhighway in Baltimore (and a few other places, we hear). There′s a frighteningly small amount of details on this thing right now, but hopefully we′ll have some of the more crucial aspects (price, release date, etc.) sooner rather than later.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Robots

Riding a bicycle isn’t exactly easy, especially if you′re made of circuitry, wires, and a gyroscope. That was Murata Seisaku-kun’s one trick, and now he′s sadly obsolete. Meet Seiko, a 20-inch tall, 11 pound unicycle riding robot. Like her, uh, “cousin” Keisaku-kun, Seiko relies on a chest-mounted gyro to stay upright and uses Bluetooth to communicate with a PC that gives instructions. (Yes, she’s a PC.) Lucky robot lovers can watch the whole family of robo-carnies do its stuff at CEATEC Japan 2008, but even luckier you can check out the elder bot on his bike in motion after the break without having to leave your chair.

Continue reading Murata’s new balancing robot loses a wheel, gains a trick

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Original post by Tim Stevens

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Two things: first off, craptastic pool cue Wiimote accessories are already widely available, and secondly, couldn’t you just duct tape a controller to your favorite real cue and achieve almost the same thing? Terrible ideas aside, RealMotion has just revealed that it will be shipping a RealMotion Pool Cue companion accessory for its upcoming title, American Pool Deluxe. Reportedly, the unit is a “meticulously crafted cue built specifically to take advantage of the Wii remote’s accelerometer technology for real precision and fun,” but we’ll have to envision it until the company gets smart enough to distribute a photo. Or is it really that embarrassing?

[Via IGN]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Storage, Networking

The idea of floating data centers is hardly a new one, but Google looks like it might be set to take things a big step further than most, at least if one of its recent patent applications is any indication. Apparently, Google not only plans to take advantage of the sea water for a cooling system, but generate power for the floating platforms using so-called Pelamis Wave Energy Converters as well (you can see it doing its thing in the video after the break). According to the patent application, that would allow the data centers to be moved closer to users to cut down on cross-country latency, and also make them ideally suited to more transient needs for computing power, such as after a natural disaster or when a military presence is needed. Of course, there’s no evidence that Google has moved much beyond the sketch above just yet, but we certainly wouldn′t put it past ‘em to all of a sudden deploy a fleet of data centers when we least expect it.

[Via The Earth Times, thanks Bob]

Continue reading Google patent application reveals plans for floating data centers

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Olympus and Panasonic have probably just changed the photography game (let alone the megapixel war) with the announcement of the Micro 4/3rd’s D-SLR camera system. According to PhotographyBlog, the “Micro Four Thirds sensor will remain the same size (18×13.5mm) as the current Four Thirds standard, but the optical viewfinder and mirror box are completely removed so that a Micro Four Thirds camera is 50 percent thinner. Also, lenses are smaller, due to the 6mm smaller lens mount outer diameter, and movies are set to feature on D-SLRs for the first time.”

This was done by removing the Mirror Box within the camera and by also taking out the optical viewfinder. That may or may not annoy some users—optical viewfinders tend to keep you on track of your subject while shooting. However, with the incorporation of Live View, expect electronic viewfinders to start making their way into the market. That will mean that RGB diagrams, histograms, rule-of-thirds lines, and exposure bars will all be incorporated into the viewfinder.

We’re expecting to see a range of products from Olympus and Panasonic based on the Micro Four Thirds System this September at Photokina. Anything from lenses, accessories, and camera bodies smaller than the E-420 should be expected.

Movies on a DSLR? Get out! D-SLR users previously had to take time-lapsed images and stitch them together into movie files to create a movie, but now that will apparently change with a more professional-type hybrid. What this means for photo journalists is that the eventual dream of carrying around only one camera (instead of their D-SLR plus a camcorder) is coming ever so closer. However, there is no word on whether or not the Micro 4/3rd’s system can record HD video or has stereo microphones. That’s where superzooms like the upcoming Panasonic FX28 still have the D-SLRs beat. But there’s no beating the image quality of a D-SLR.

Original post by Chris Gampat

The LiMo Foundation today introduced seven new handsets from Motorola, NEC, and Panasonic Mobile Communications. The new phones utilize the organization’s open, Linux-based LiMo Platform, bringing the total number of such devices to 21.

The new handsets include the Motorola MOTOZIN ZN5, the NEC| FOMA N906i, FOMA N906iμ, FOMA N906iL; the NEC FOMA N706i; and the Panasonic FOMA P906i and FOMA P706iμ.

“LiMo was founded on the notion that fragmentation of the mobile industry among dozens of proprietary, closed operating systems was inhibiting innovation,” said LiMo chairperson, Kiyohito Nagata. “With such a variety of industry players cost-effectively adopting the LiMo Platform for non-differentiating handset middleware, more development resources are being devoted to enhancing the consumer experience. This new wave of LiMo handsets serves as proof.”

Our own cell phone analyst, Sascha Segan has some decidedly less flattering words to say about the organization. Check those out, after the jump.

LiMo is a press-release-generation machine that also, incidentally, happens to be working on a Linux-based platform for cell phones. But their proudest product is pointless announcements of phones that are “using their platform,” when no such coherent platform exists.

As LiMo reps explained to me months ago, their upcoming Linux-based platform will consist of several “building blocks” or APIs that will fit together into a full programming environment. Those blocks are being built by several different companies. They don′t all exist yet. But LiMo’s PR brilliance is in saying that any phone containing even one of their APIs is somehow a “LiMo device.”

So these “LiMo phones” are a farce; they’re phones produced by LiMo members that contain embryonic, scattered chunks of a future software platform.

Original post by Brian Heater

Panasonic announced a slew of new digital cameras and camcorders this morning.

Among the models announced were two new high-def camcorders, the SD100 and H𔒜. Both models can record at 1080i and can save to SD cards, though the latter also offers a built-in 60GB hard drive. Both also feature 12x Leica Dicomar lenses with 3MOS sensors for increased light reception. Both will be available in September for $1,099.95 and $1,299.95, respectively.

Two point and shoots also make their debut today. The slim 10.1-Megapixel DMC-FX37 and the DMC-FX150, which features a whopping 14.7MP. Both models feature an Intelligent Auto setting, with automatic exposure, focus, ISO setting, shutter speed, face detection, red eye, and image stabilization adjustments. The FX37 offers a 25mm ultra wide-angle lens, 5X optical zoom, and a 2.5-inch display. It will be available in September for $349.95. The FX150, meanwhile, has a 28mm wide-angle lens, 3.6X optical zoom, and a 2.7-inch LCD screen. It will hit store shelves in August for $399.95.

Panasonic also showcased the 10.1MP DMC-LX3 and 10.1-MP DMC-FZ28 superzoom. Both will be available next month for $499.95 and $399.95, respectively.

Original post by Brian Heater

Filed under: Robots

All your unicellular buddies are just going to love this. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is rallying a trio of student-built nanobot teams to compete at the world’s most popular sport, which will be the second time nanosoccer has accompanied the RoboCup Open. The difference with this year’s competition is that the public will be invited to watch. Of course, with a playing field the size of a grain of rice, a microscope will be used to show the crazy antics of the remote-controlled robots as they bat around nanoballs the diameter of a human hair. Sounds harmless, but just you wait: before you know it these little bots will start marrying Spice Girls and faking on-field injuries just like the pros.

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Original post by Paul Miller