Developages - Development and Technology Blog

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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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]

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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]

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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.

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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).

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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 A318 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]

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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.

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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]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

Pricey flash drives are a dime a dozen (so to speak), but just in case you haven’t found one quite ugly enough to call your own, why not feast your eyes on the Adamant? The limited edition drive will be limited to 50 units worldwide and will feature 16GB of capacity, a trio of diamonds, a dash of yellow gold and a sleek black box that’ll quickly get tossed moments after it arrives. Granted, you’ll have to shell out $5,650 in order to even have that luxury, but you better act fast.

[Via CNET]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

We hear it’s pretty tough being a gadget with an identity crisis, and unfortunately for Asus’ MS71, it definitely feels that pain. Thankfully for consumers who aren’t turned off by rectangular (or atypically slender) mice, at least it provides a bit of extra utility. Quite simply, the base of the critter snaps off to plug into any open USB port; from there, it enables what’s left to function as a wireless mouse and allows users to store an undisclosed amount of files on the appendage. No word on pricing or availability, but unless you place absolutely no value on ergonomics, we’d probably look elsewhere.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

No, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of innocent consumers snagging some new kit only to find random bits of unwanted garbage in place of the actual product, but unfortunately, we’ve all ideas it’s not the last. This go ’round, a couple waltzed into Best Buy, snagged a “brand new” $300 hard drive and zoomed home to start packin’ those platters. Much to their dismay, no HDD was found inside the box — rather, three bags of dried beans weighed it down enough to not seem suspicious. As expected, Best Buy wasn’t about to refund any money for fear that the actual purchasers could be the culprits, and while that’s certainly understandable, we’re quite relieved to know that a little outside intervention netted the two a $300 gift card to the retailer. We bet they’ll inspect that package a bit more closely before taking it home next time (sad though that may be).

[Image courtesy of DKImages, thanks Craig]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

Our tip jar, it brings us so much joy — and it brings you, dear reader, this printout of what’s purported to be the Best Buy database listing for one of those heretofore-unknown MacBook model numbers. You’ll note that whatever MB402LL/A turns out to be, it’s said to be in stock on March 2nd, which is just a few days away — but also note that current MacBook Pros have MA-series model numbers, while the regular MacBook has traditionally carried the MB designation. That’s interesting, but we doubt a $1,999 MacBook is about to surface — besides, the current MacBook box is 15 inches square, smaller than the 17 inches listed here. (Yes, we measured.) As always, we’ll see when we see — come on Tuesday, you’re almost here.

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Original post by Nilay Patel