Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Household

In-home power consumption monitors are trendy pieces of kit lately, with a new one popping up every few months. But, while they′re all happy to just kick back and tell you what a wasteful pig you’re being, a new service from UK security company AlertMe could actually make you more efficient. Subscribers to the company’s monitoring plans, which start at about $260 plus another $17.50/month, will be able to purchase Smart Plugs for $43 each that can communicate wirelessly to an AlertMe Heating Controller. From there subscribers can monitor their energy usage online via computer or phone. That’s all standard stuff, but the service also includes keyfobs that will automatically turn down the heat and deactivate devices when you leave, and allows users to manually control the plugs and the thermostat by text message, meaning you’d never be more than a few thumb-presses (and a 20 cent service charge) away from a warm and inviting home.

[Via SmartPlanet]

Read | Permalink | Email this&nbsp|&nbspComments

Original post by Tim Stevens

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Not that any of you would be shy from running beta software, but at least now your milquetoastian friends can experience Sling’s latest, Windows-based SlingPlayer 2.0 without fear of the beta baddies. Still no Clip+Sling sharing, but the new 60-minute buffer, EPG, and on-screen SlingRemote certainly makes this a worthwhile update. We’ve also got good new for those of you waiting for the SlingBox PRO-HD to ship — Sling says “any day now″ in accordance to their late September pre-order promise. Righteous.

[Thanks, Martin]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Thomas Ricker

According to the Seminole Chronicle, police were befuddled when they responded to a 911 call with a crying baby on the open phone line, only to discover they were at the wrong house. Apparently, the owner is a Vonage customer and moved without notifying Vonage of the change of address to update the E911 records.

The article explains:

Kelly informed Sanford police of the situation. Upon arrival at the family’s home, officers confronted a rather confused and embarrassed father who admitted his son had been playing with his cell phone.

They had moved, the father said, and had not bothered to update their phone carrier, Vonage, with their new address.

What I don’t get is how the baby dialed 911 using a cell phone that is tied to Vonage’s service. Since when did Vonage start offering cell phone service? If 911 was dialed from a cell phone, the tracing of the call should be performed from the wireless carrier not Vonage.

The only thing I can think of is that the father installed some sort of Vonage software on his mobile phone that enables outbound calling through the Vonage service. But if such a piece of software exists, I′m unaware of its existence. The closest thing is Vonage Companion, and that is designed to run on PCs not a mobile phone. I’m more confused over this than the mainstream media was over the Governor Sarah Palin VP pick.

Tags: 911, e911, voip, Vonage

Related Entries
• Texting 911 for Help & Targeting Terrorists who SMS with Hellfire Missiles -
  Jul 16, 2008
• Congress tells FCC, “We’ll Handle e911″ -
  Jun 09, 2006
• Vonage reaches 70% E911 compliance -
  Mar 30, 2006
• Vonage 911 - My house is on Fire! Please hold… -
  Mar 23, 2006
• Mitel Simplifies VoIP with LLDP-MED-Ready Open Standard -
  Dec 12, 2005
• NENA Interim/Migratory I2 Standard Published -
  Dec 08, 2005
• FCC just doesn′t understand your Lingo -
  Nov 29, 2005
• NENA 911 System Reference Guide -
  Nov 18, 2005
• FCC launches e911 taskforce -
  Nov 14, 2005
• AT&ampT solves 911? -
  Oct 14, 2005

TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Cops Befuddled by Vonage 911 Crying baby emergency call

Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Household

For whatever reason, toasters are redesigned entirely more often than most any other kitchen gadget, but the Trapdoor Toaster may actually be an alternative worth checking out. First off, the item you see above is no concept — as a matter of fact, it’s available for purchase right now at Hammacher Schlemmer. Essentially, this thing inhales bread, bagels and frozen waffles, toasts ‘em to your preferred level of brown / black and then shoots them out below onto a serving tray. Sadly, this removes that iconic eject function that makes traditional toasters so fun to watch, but it does prevent you from scalding your fingertips as you try to dig out slices from the fiery slots. Novel? You bet. Worth the $79.95 asking price? Not on your life.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: GPS, Wearables

To be fair, we haven’t really noticed a GPS watch that wasn′t at least somewhat unsightly, but the Sport Genius Watch Tracker does a phenomenal job at exemplifying ugly. Reportedly, the conglomerate not only tells time, but the built-in GSM / GPS modules enable it to make and receive calls, track your movements and beam out your current location via SMS in case you find yourself in a pickle. It also provides the means for logging runs and points of interest, and you can supposedly upload the data to mapping software to get a visual on what you accomplished. Word on the street has it that this particular wristwatch should be available on the streets of China right now, but there’s no telling how many yuan you’ll be asked to fork over in order to publicly humiliate yourself.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Moving beyond day-and-date releases via internet and HD video-on-demand, movie studios may be ready to move towards regularly putting movies online ahead of the DVD release date for a premium price — that surveys say some of us are willing to pay — but prepare to have your analog hole plugged again. The MPAA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to lift the existing ban preventing cable and satellite providers from remotely disabling analog outputs on their set-top boxes via selectable output controls (SOC). In a bit of ICT redux, the movie studios haven′t said definitively that they will use the technology, but insist on having the ability to force anyone wanting to view high definition movies to only see them through an HDCP-protected HDMI output to a compatible TV. The failure of AACS and BD+ to prevent high quality copies isn’t a deterrent to the MPAA’s push, so while ICT has gone unused on Blu-ray and HD DVD, we′re still too fond of our component outs, switchers and homemade cables — and too wary of a future change in policy — to support any changes in the law.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Richard Lawler

Filed under: Cellphones

Ah — we’d know that backside anywhere. If you were super-duper stoked about the forthcoming HTC Touch Diamond, you might want to sit down. Apparently, High Tech Computer Corp. has already sent this beauty over to the FCC, where a room is currently filled with men in white coats meticulously judging the above label placement. Regardless, this might bode well for a US release of the company’s latest and greatest… don’t you think? While you ponder that brainteaser, feel free to truck over to the FCC’s site and get all the information you could possibly want about the Diamond’s RF exposure.

Read | Permalink | Email this&nbsp|&nbspComments

Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Wireless

Google’s been making all kinds of a fuss lately over what it claims are Verizon’s plans to subvert the intent of the 700MHz open-access rules, but it looks like the carrier isn’t interested in fighting it out (for once). Verizon issued a statement today saying that it “understood the FCC’s rules,” and that “of course we’ll abide by those rules.” Of course, that doesn’t really mean anything until they build out the network and we see how they actually implement open-access — which will take years — but once again, it seems like Google is really the one in control of the 700MHz spectrum, even though it didn’t win. Crafty!

Read | Permalink&nbsp|&nbspEmail this | Comments

Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Wireless

It looks like Verizon isn’t taking those 700MHz spectrum open access rules very seriously, and a certain competing bidder isn′t real happy. In a petition filed with the FCC by Google, the company alleges that Verizon is willfully ignoring the “plain meaning of the [open access] rule” by suggesting it will allow one type of access for users who use Verizon-approved devices, and another for those using third-party units. According to the document, “Verizon’s position would completely reverse the meaning of the rule such that the open access condition would apply to none of Verizon’s customers, and thereby render the condition a nullity.” The search giant is calling for the FCC to block Verizon’s $4.7 billion bid on the spectrum unless the company agrees to comply with the previously-decided open access rules. Since this isn′t the first inkling we’ve had that Verizon wasn’t down with open access, we′re not surprised, but it looks like Google has a little more fight left in them — and that could make all the difference. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via IP Democracy; Thanks, Bram]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Remember when we caught wind that Verizon was prepping a worldband version Samsung’s i760 Windows Mobile piece? That rumor’s suddenly gained a lot more credence now that we′ve seen a so-called SCH-i770 pass through the FCC’s hallowed halls, especially considering the device outline’s uncanny resemblance to that of the aforementioned i760. We’d previously heard that there might be some HSDPA on board, and while we’re not seeing any evidence of that from the FCC’s test reports, we can confirm that it’ll feature EV-DO, WiFi, and Bluetooth in addition to all the GSM you’ll need to get by while roaming through mysterious foreign lands. No word on when we might actually see an announcement about this one, but we imagine Verizon doesn’t want to wait that much longer — the i760 design isn’t getting any younger, y′know.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Read&nbsp|&nbspPermalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones

That Air France in-flight calling trial is now well underway, and it looks like there’s still some kinks left to iron out. The New York Times hitched a ride on a recent flight featuring tests of the system, and found that things weren′t quite working up to snuff: voice quality was said to be like “talking to a small robot,” only six passengers could get a signal at a time, Blackberry email didn′t work, and calls placed from the ground to cell phones in the air went straight to voicemail. That’s a pretty long list for a system that’s been talked about for a couple years now — let’s hope OnAir manages to clear up some of these glitches before angry passengers revolt over not only having to listen to other people’s conversations, but also their screaming over bad connections.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Not even a week after hearing that Air France was forging ahead with an in-flight calling trial, the European Commission has now voiced its approval of using mobiles on planes in European airspace. After six months of deliberating, the decision was finally made to give airlines the choice of offering up services in order for guests to dial loved ones at 3,000-meters or more. The EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, went on to warn operators to “keep the cost of calls made on planes at a reasonable level,” and of course, not all is clear just yet. For starters, the European Aviation Safety Agency still needs to green-light the whole ordeal by approving any hardware that would be used, and we won’t be seeing any 3G action up high just yet. Still, at least one less hurdle stands in the way of you phoning home from over Europe (and simultaneously making enemies out of all your neighbors trying to get a few decent minutes of shuteye).

&nbsp

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

Not even half a year after Air France enabled passengers on its single OnAir-equipped Airbus Ｆ to send / receive messages and e-mail, the airline has went live with the second phase of the in-flight experiment. As of this week, guests who find themselves aboard the aforesaid aircraft can make / receive calls on their mobile at 30,000 feet. Reportedly, a dozen simultaneous calls are possible “per picocell network, as well as unlimited text messages and e-mails,” and while pricing details weren’t disclosed, you can rest assured it won’t be a bargain. Nevertheless, the voice aspect of the trial is scheduled to carry on for three months, and we′re assuming the results (read: whether annoyed passengers start assaulting chronic yappers) will determine if it gets rolled out to more of the fleet or quietly buried.

[Via WiFi Net News]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

You know something is really catching on when companies starts branding otherwise generic products as specially designed for said something, and it now looks like that’s now true for the Eee PC, thanks to these two new clever bits of marketing from A-DATA. While you could of course use any USB flash drive of SDHC card with the laptop, A-DATA’s apparently hoping that its new “special edition” flash cards and drives will sway over at least a couple of Eee PC users, and we don’t doubt that they will. Apparently available only in 8GB versions, they each come in Eee PC-coordinating white, with the USB flash drive also boasting the extra bonus of a leather carrying strap. No word on pricing or availability just yet, unfortunately, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they demand a bit of a premium over their non-Eee counterparts.

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Storage

Corsair’s Flash Voyager comes straight from the factory in a water- and shock-resistant enclosure, but for one particular owner, said chassis just wasn′t hardcore enough. Rather than swapping it out for an Iron Drive, he took matters into his own hands by gutting the innards and custom building an ultra-rugged aluminum casing. Showing off his fantastic attention to detail, a machined slot for the keychain and a LED indicator hole were included, too. Hit up the read link for the walkthrough if you’re feeling atypically industrious — otherwise, just kick back and admire.

[Via Hack N Mod, thanks Joe]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph