5:25 PM
The deficit reduction commission is recommending some really brutal cuts to achieve the $100 billion in annual savings desired. The V-22 Osprey helicopter is out. The Marines' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle is out. The Marines' version of the F-35 it out. The Army's Ground Combat Vehicle is out. Half of the F-35s for the Air Force and Navy are out. Military non-combat pay will be frozen for 3 years, 1/3 of the troops in Europe and Asia will come home, and the R&D budget is cut 10%:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/11/deficit-plan-scraps-pentagon-jets-tanks-trucks/
General Dynamics is using the Android OS for their next-generation arm- or chest-worn computer for soldiers. The wearable computer will weigh just 8 ounces and provide significant capabilities for soldiers in the field:
http://www.defensereview.com/general-dynamics-itronixs-new-android-based-gd300-rugged-wearable-computersecure-radio-enables-unprecedented-gps-and-situational-awareness-in-the-battlespace-for-infantry-warfighters/
Army researchers have been developing futuristic soldier helpmets with integrated headgear capabilities (night vision or thermal sensor devices, etc.). It is good that they have been conducting extensive interviews and technology demonstrations to get feedback from soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/31635/Army_Researchers_Develop_Futuristic_Helmet.htm
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope found a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way--this is like finding a new continent on Earth! This may be the remnant of an eruption from a supersized black hole at the center of our galaxy. Astronomers don't understand the nature or origin of the 2 gamma-ray-emitting bubbles:
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2010/pr201022.html
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has found its first cool brown drawf, a tiny, ultra-cold star floating all alone in space. Brown dwarfs are extremely difficult to find, but scientists have been looking for them because they represent the perfect laboratories for studying planet-like atmospheres:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/31754/Cool_Star_is_a_Gem_of_a_Find.htm
Google gave all of its employees 10% raises and $1,000 bonuses, with Google picking up the tax on the bonuses:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/google-gives-all-employees-10-raises.html
It is interesting how the US market is moving speedily to LTE in order to prepare for major data growth needs while an analyst says that moving to LTE in Europe doesn't make sense because mobile data growth is slowing. Mobile data traffic in Europe grew 110% in 2009 but is projected to grow just 35% in 2010, with not much growth expected in 2011:
http://urgentcomm.com/networks_and_systems/commentary/europe-lte-progress-20101110/
The HTC Merge was supposed to come out on 11/23, but it is delayed because they are apparently adding a LTE radio to it and the LTE version may be out later this year. The HTC Incredible HD is also going to be a LTE phone. Verizon is apparently getting 4 LTE phones in the first 3 months of 2011:
http://www.droid-life.com/2010/11/10/rumors-htc-merge-release-delayed-due-to-lte-radio-upgrade-incredible-hd-coming-beginning-of-2011/
Gartner said that worldwide mobile phone sales grew 35% year-to-year in the 3rd quarter, with smartphone sales up *96%*. Android went from 3.5% in 2009 to 25.5% in 2010, with Symbian and Apple down in market share and RIM and Windows Mobile *way* down:
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/press-releases/gartner-says-worldwide-mobile-phone-sales-grew-35-percent-third-quarter-201-0
This Infoworld columnist writes how he tried to replace his old iPhone with a Windows Mobile 7 smartphone...only to return the Windows Mobile 7 device in just 4 hours. Some problems he encountered were no access to work e-mail (cannot use Exchange servers), no WiFi connection for static IP networks, poor support for Mobile Office, no HTML5 support, etc. He *wanted* to like Windows Mobile 7 but could not take that many limitations:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/mobile-platforms/why-im-returning-my-windows-phone-7-smartphone-774
T-Mobile says that their new HSPA+ myTouch 4G smartphone averages 5Mbps download speeds with peak speeds between 10 Mbps and 12 Mbps:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-mytouch-4g-averaging-5-mbps-download-speeds/2010-11-10
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/11/deficit-plan-scraps-pentagon-jets-tanks-trucks/
General Dynamics is using the Android OS for their next-generation arm- or chest-worn computer for soldiers. The wearable computer will weigh just 8 ounces and provide significant capabilities for soldiers in the field:
http://www.defensereview.com/general-dynamics-itronixs-new-android-based-gd300-rugged-wearable-computersecure-radio-enables-unprecedented-gps-and-situational-awareness-in-the-battlespace-for-infantry-warfighters/
Army researchers have been developing futuristic soldier helpmets with integrated headgear capabilities (night vision or thermal sensor devices, etc.). It is good that they have been conducting extensive interviews and technology demonstrations to get feedback from soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/31635/Army_Researchers_Develop_Futuristic_Helmet.htm
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope found a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way--this is like finding a new continent on Earth! This may be the remnant of an eruption from a supersized black hole at the center of our galaxy. Astronomers don't understand the nature or origin of the 2 gamma-ray-emitting bubbles:
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2010/pr201022.html
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has found its first cool brown drawf, a tiny, ultra-cold star floating all alone in space. Brown dwarfs are extremely difficult to find, but scientists have been looking for them because they represent the perfect laboratories for studying planet-like atmospheres:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/31754/Cool_Star_is_a_Gem_of_a_Find.htm
Google gave all of its employees 10% raises and $1,000 bonuses, with Google picking up the tax on the bonuses:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/google-gives-all-employees-10-raises.html
It is interesting how the US market is moving speedily to LTE in order to prepare for major data growth needs while an analyst says that moving to LTE in Europe doesn't make sense because mobile data growth is slowing. Mobile data traffic in Europe grew 110% in 2009 but is projected to grow just 35% in 2010, with not much growth expected in 2011:
http://urgentcomm.com/networks_and_systems/commentary/europe-lte-progress-20101110/
The HTC Merge was supposed to come out on 11/23, but it is delayed because they are apparently adding a LTE radio to it and the LTE version may be out later this year. The HTC Incredible HD is also going to be a LTE phone. Verizon is apparently getting 4 LTE phones in the first 3 months of 2011:
http://www.droid-life.com/2010/11/10/rumors-htc-merge-release-delayed-due-to-lte-radio-upgrade-incredible-hd-coming-beginning-of-2011/
Gartner said that worldwide mobile phone sales grew 35% year-to-year in the 3rd quarter, with smartphone sales up *96%*. Android went from 3.5% in 2009 to 25.5% in 2010, with Symbian and Apple down in market share and RIM and Windows Mobile *way* down:
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/press-releases/gartner-says-worldwide-mobile-phone-sales-grew-35-percent-third-quarter-201-0
This Infoworld columnist writes how he tried to replace his old iPhone with a Windows Mobile 7 smartphone...only to return the Windows Mobile 7 device in just 4 hours. Some problems he encountered were no access to work e-mail (cannot use Exchange servers), no WiFi connection for static IP networks, poor support for Mobile Office, no HTML5 support, etc. He *wanted* to like Windows Mobile 7 but could not take that many limitations:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/mobile-platforms/why-im-returning-my-windows-phone-7-smartphone-774
T-Mobile says that their new HSPA+ myTouch 4G smartphone averages 5Mbps download speeds with peak speeds between 10 Mbps and 12 Mbps:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-mytouch-4g-averaging-5-mbps-download-speeds/2010-11-10