OK, VoIP over 3G cuts your call roaming charges, but how about 3G data roaming charges? Miraculously waived, huh?
VoIP over 3G is spectrally inefficient, and even more so with these dinky softphone apps, which use inefficient codecs to boot.
Wireless / Mobile
The Insides of an Android
Distributing the Knowledge of Android Device Development
Submitted by Mark Murphy on Wed, 02/10/10 - 9:00am.
Overnight, I received yet another request to deliver training on Android internals: how to create Android devices, work with Android firmware, and the like. While I offer training related to Android, it's only on application development, as kernels and device drivers are not my cup of tea.
I get one of these training requests every month or two. I would love to steer these interested parties towards people offering such training. Clearly, there are some people outside of the Open Handset Alliance who know how to do this sort of thing — witness the ROM modders and homebrew device makers. I haven't found any of them who have decided to “go pro” and start teaching others what they know.
This, however, points to a larger issue with Android: long-term maintenance. Read more
Google lowers, but doesn't drop, Nexus One early termination fees
Moral of the story is if you don't like the Nexus One return it within 14 days.
Submitted by Google Subnet on Tue, 02/09/10 - 4:43pm.
Google today has said it will charge users a mere $150, rather than $350, if they quickly terminate their T-Mobile contract after buying phone at a reduced price with a T-Mobile contract. It is also giving a break to existing T-Mobile customers who buy the phone with a carrier contract, then change their plans. This is a nice happy ending to the story I reported a couple of weeks ago. Read more
Will Tablets Kill E-Readers?
Wrong question, but the answer does in fact matter
Submitted by Craig Mathias on Tue, 02/09/10 - 2:42pm.
So I've gotten a bunch of calls lately asking exactly that, no doubt spurred by the Apple iPad announcement. But I think this whole issue is much more complex than first meets the eye, begging a couple of far more interesting additional questions. But, still, it's fair to ask - will tablets kill e-readers? Read more
61 CCIEs dropped out of Cisco's highly coveted cert program over the last 30 days
For the 3rd month in row, the worldwide CCIE R&S count dropped.
Submitted by Brad Reese on Tue, 02/09/10 - 7:43am.
According to Dual CCIE #18532 R&S/Security - George Morton:
"Over the last 30 days we have seen CCIEs drop their highly coveted certifications at a much greater rate than net new CCIEs.
"61 CCIEs dropped out of Cisco's prestigious certification program during the month of January 2010 alone.
"For further clarification, let's do the math together: Read more
Why Your Computer Sucks
Fixing your PC could prevent you from needing a new one
Submitted by Keith Shaw on Mon, 02/08/10 - 4:39pm.
Today is not only the day after the Super Bowl, it’s also National Clean Out Your Computer Day – the day was created by the Institute for Business Technology as a way to remind PC users about all of the clutter on their systems.
Regardless of the day’s motive, it’s pretty clear that computer users are just as much packrats as they are in their homes. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, the average American adult has more than 1,800 digital files. Instead of cleaning up our systems, Americans are likely to just go out and buy a new system, rather than fix or maintain the one they have. Vendor iolo technologies, maker of the System Mechanic PC tune-up software, says the average computer’s lifespan is about 30 months. Read more
Gartenberg: the 'killer app' for mobility isn't an app at all
It's all about circumstances and setting
Submitted by John Cox on Mon, 02/08/10 - 2:51pm.
Don't hold your breath waiting for the "killer app" for mobility. Because there isn't one, according to tech pundit Michael Gartenberg.
Instead, what's critical is particularity: the specific requirements and interests of a particular user at a particular time in a particular place. The one-word summary is: context.
[HT to prolific tweeter Todd Smith (@Cisco_Mobile)] Read more
Cisco IP phones praised in email to then Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and First Dude, Todd Palin
Finally, the House will have decent phones instead of ones that are one step above the rotary dial!
Submitted by Brad Reese on Sun, 02/07/10 - 3:04am.
In collaboration with MSNBC.com, Crivella West Incorporated - a knowledge discovery company, digitized, analyzed and arranged this e-mail collection of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, First Dude Todd Palin and 7 members of Palin's staff.
In the following internal email dated May 7, 2007 addressed to then Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (email address: govpalin@gov.state.ak.us) and First Dude Todd Palin (email address: fek9wnr@yahoo.com), Erika Fagerstrom - Executive Residence Manager & Assistant to the First Gentleman Alaska Governor's House, praised the installation of new Cisco IP Phones in the Alaska Governor's Mansion: Read more
Online organizing for Scott Brown's U.S. senate battle
How social networking and the Internet made politics local and national at the same time.
Submitted by John Cox on Fri, 02/05/10 - 1:52pm.
[This is re-post of a version, elsewhere on this site, of the edited story]
The swearing-in yesterday of Republican Scott Brown as the junior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts caps a dramatic, come-from-way-way-way-behind election campaign that owes much, though not everything, to a shrewd use of online information technology and social networking. Read more
Multi touch
By Anonymous on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 12:14pm
News flash David,
Droid has been capable of multi touch since day 1, search for multi touch on you tube and you will see demonstrations of it. App developers have to write code to utilize it.
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Cisco's F2Q10 accounts receivable soar $1.34 billion year over year!
Year over year (YOY), Cisco's accounts receivable soared by $1.344 billion, an increase that was a whopping $618 million more than Cisco's net sales increased, which was just a mere $726 million.
Submitted by Brad Reese on Thu, 02/04/10 - 7:40am.
Source: Cisco Systems
It's my personal opinion, that it's always a "Red Flag" when a company's accounts receivable increases year over year (YOY) at a higher dollar amount than the (YOY) increase in a company's net sales.
So that's why when Cisco reported a F2Q10 accounts receivable (YOY) increase ($1.344 billion) that was a whopping $618 million more than Cisco's (YOY) net sales increase ($726 million), alarm bells began ringing in my mind.
7 Year Comparison of Cisco's 2nd Quarter Financial Numbers (In Millions)
| Cisco 2nd Qtr for the Year | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
| Net Sales Increase or (Decrease) |
$726 | (-$742) | $1,392 | $1,811 | $566 | $664 | $685 |
| Accounts Receivable Increase or (Decrease) |
$1,344 | (-$1,272) | $1,257 | $371 | $259 | $238 | $933 |
| Days sales outstanding in accounts receivable (DSO) |
39 | 29 | 39 | 31 | 35 | 34 | 34 |
Source: United States Securities and Exchange Commission
During Cisco's F2Q10 earnings conference call, Cisco CFO Frank Calderoni discussed Cisco's accounts receivable numbers: Read more
Symbian Completes The Largest Move To Open Source In History
The once and still dominant mobile OS moves to open source to better compete with Adroid, iPhone and others. What do they really have to do to win?
Submitted by Alan Shimel on Thu, 02/04/10 - 3:57am.
In the largest migration from a proprietary to an open source model ever, the most popular OS for mobile phones (over 330 million phones) in the world is now open source. The Symbian mobile OS which powers most Nokia, as well as other phones is now open source. That means it is free for anyone to use, edit, change or just view. The migration was actually finished ahead of schedule by a few months. Read more
Missed Precentral.net, major site for Palm info and homebrew resource.
By Anonymous on Thu, 02/04/2010 - 12:30am
Missed Precentral.net, major site for Palm info and homebrew resource.
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WiMax vs 3G for HSPA on GSM nets is not accurately slower.
By 3Geo and 4Geo on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 5:47pm
As the article is referencing WiMax as 4G, and to differentiate to slower 3G isn't a complete and accurate update of the GSM 3G HSPA 7.2, and impending HSPA+ data rates of up to 22Mbps. WiMax has it's uses as a Metropoliton HotSpot technology, but it isn't very elegant as a mobile (on the move) data technology. Read more
As GSM 4th Gen LTE technologies come to deploy in 2010, and beyond, WiMAX will continue to niche itself as an extention to broadband for metro areas to displace DSL opportunities where it either isn't available or for increase speeds.
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Fingerprint Scanning on Blackberry
By Arturosando on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 4:00pm
The new LG ExPO, sold through AT&T has an integrated fingerprint scanner on the phone. Will this new feature cause patent rights problems for LG or AT&T?
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iPhone brought us this trend...
By Anonymous on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 1:33pm
iPhone brought us this trend. They raised the bar for everyone else to rethink their strategies. It was just a matter of time before someone else followed in their footsteps and brought something new. I'm looking forward to see how Apple will counter the Droid market now.
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ATT & APPLE
By Anonymous on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 12:02pm
Since I live in part of the United States ( 4-state area) where there has been no ATT 3G, Apple won't even sell me an iPhone. Sure Hope the iPad has good WiFi, else it will be another product that discriminates against the "have nots"
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iPad - What!!
By Anonymous on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 9:57am
Pardon me, but what a joke!! The only people I see even wanting this are the Apple fanboys.
It is only a glorified reader and internet browser - woo-hoo!!
My basic no-nothing phone has more features for $49 so I am going to save myself over $800 by not buying into this piece of equipment looking for a useful niche in life.
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The Kernel of the Issue -- has Android forked from Linux?
Android's Contributions to Linux...Gone
Submitted by Mark Murphy on Wed, 02/03/10 - 9:40am.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post cajoling Android developers to be more self-reliant, rather than expecting Google to make every conceivable addition to Android and related technologies. The Android community doesn't need Google's help to create a better Market. The Android community doesn't need Google's help to create standardized ad network APIs. And so on.
The reason for self-reliance in places where it's possible is because there are many places where it's not possible, where Google is the only viable answer for getting something done.
Exhibit A: Linux kernel patches. Read more
Review: Star Trek Online boldly goes somewhere familiar
Star Trek MMO puts you in the captain's chair
Submitted by Keith Shaw on Tue, 02/02/10 - 6:17pm.
Star Trek Online (by Cryptic Studios, about $50, plus $15 monthly subscription, with a $300 lifetime subscription also available) is the latest entrant in the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) gaming world, joining fantasy-themed games such as World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online. Instead of a Tolkien-esque world populated by Orcs and goblins, players in Star Trek Online head to space to take on the Borg, Klingons and other species based on the popular science-fiction universe of television and films.
The game borrows from the MMO template – you create an avatar, give them a character class, you go on quests and build experience in order to get more items and to go on more difficult quests, all the while exploring the game world in different locations. In addition, you can interact with others who are also playing the game at the same time, and you can team up with them on individual quests, eventually forming a guild with like-minded players.
In the Trek world, this means you are creating a member of the Federation (with different species options like Bajoran or Vulcans in addition to humans) or a Klingon, character classes become members of the engineering (think Scotty), Science (think Spock) or Tactical (think Sulu or Chekov or any of the doomed red-shirted security officials). Quests become missions assigned by Starfleet Command (or, one assumes, the Klingon High Council), and your experience builds up to the point where you can be promoted in rank. Difficult quests that require a group become Fleet Actions.
If you’re thinking, “Hey, I want to be like Kirk or Picard!”, don’t worry – every player in the game is the captain of their own ship, in addition to being one of the other character classes. So, in effect, you can be a doctor (healer) and yet still captain a ship. Read more
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