11:09 PM
UCSD researchers are studying the Arapaima fish's armor-like protective scales that allow it to survive in piranha-infested lakes where no other animal can survive. Their study found that the 300-pound fish can win a battle against a school of starving piranha due to its tough and flexible armor, which researchers would like to reproduce for applications such as soldiers' body armor, fuel cells, insulation and aerospace designs:
http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=1151
Harvard Biomedical Engineering Professor developed a new way for people to get caffeine--from a lipstick-sized tube. AeroShot is on the market in Massachusetts, New York, and France for $2.99 and contains the same amount of caffeine as a large cup of coffee. The user shoots a puff of calorie-free AeroShot into their mouth, so it is convenient and portable...but I don't think I'll be giving up coffee for this:
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2012/02/Life-Science-Chemistry-Health-Getting-caffeine-fix-as-easy-as-taking-deep-breath/
Satellite telephony has been using an ETSI encryption algorithm that was thought to be secure against eavesdropping, but researchers cracked the encryption algorithms in less than an hour with simple equipment and open-source software:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120209-satellite-telephony-is-unsafe
The Department of Transportation (DOT) testified at a congressional hearing yesterday that the DOT plans to work with the NTIA on regulations that would ban services that interfere with GPS...which includes LightSquared. The DOT says that LightSquared is "fundamentally incompatible" with GPS and the DOT/NTIA rules would ban LightSquared's LTE network. LightSquared said earlier that the government tests showing that LightSquared knocked out GPS usage were rigged, basically accusing the government of fabricating the test results. However, the DOT testified that the government results were independently verified by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and by the Idaho National Laboratory. LightSquared was quite upset at not being invited to testify at the hearing, calling their exclusion "outrageous" and one-sided...but I think everyone sees that LightSquared has 0% chance of getting its LTE network approved in time for Sprint's deadline in March:
http://wirelessweek.com/News/2012/02/Networks-DOT-Counters-LightSquared-GPS-Standards-Plan/
Airlines for America (Delta, Southwest, American, US Airways, United Continental) testified at the hearing yesterday that LightSquared's network would have "ruinous effects" on aviation because of its interference with airplane systems. Testing showed that a LightSquared system caused the landing system to fail, where GPS navigation used to guide planes that are landing failed intermittently due to LightSquared interference:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-08/lightsquared-would-ruin-u-s-aviation-with-system-carriers-say.html
Nokia has gone from the dominant cellular phone manufacturer in the world with own proprietary operating system to a company that has NO backup plan if they do not succeed with the Windows Phone operating system. Their Plan A is Windows Phone, their Plan B is Windows Phone, and they have no Plan C:
http://allthingsd.com/20120208/nokia-and-plan-c-is-we-end-up-like-rim/
It seems to me that AT&T is using data throttling to get their grandfathered customers to give up their unlimited data plans--AT&T has apparently told users that using 1.5 GB of data in a month puts them in the top 5% of data users, so they would 2G speeds under the data throttling rules. Those "unlimited" data plan customers are paying $30/month but only about to use about 2 GB for the month due to throttling, while regular AT&T users pay $30/month for 3 GB of data. Note to those AT&T customers: Verizon is giving 4 GB/month of data now with no data throttling and a much more extensive coverage area for LTE:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/020612-att-2g-255755.html
Samsung has a new version of its LTE baseband chip that costs half as much as its previous LTE chip. That is a huge cost savings for LTE devices for Samsung and should help drive LTE device costs down significantly:
http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-57372289-85/samsung-reduces-its-lte-chip-cost-by-half/
Apple is reportedly going to debut the iPad 3 during the first week of March, with retail availability typically being the week after the event:
http://allthingsd.com/20120209/apple-to-announce-ipad-3-first-week-in-march/
Google's Android team has reportedly been developing a wireless, streaming home entertainment system that will be available this year for sale under the Google brand. It would seem like there could be a way to tie together Android, Google Music, Google Movies, Google TV, and Motorola's hardware expertise (Google will own Motorola's cable box division) to create a full home theater system controlled by Android smartphones:
http://www.androidcentral.com/google-said-be-developing-home-entertainment-system
http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/9/2787770/google-branded-home-entertainment-center-2012-launch#91404197
Google is giving $5 Amazon gift cards for people who use add an extension to the Chrome web browser. Google says they will use the information on the sites visited and how the user use's the sites to make a better online experience for everyone. Panel members will get $5 for each 3 months they continue in the program. Google also has a program where users install a "high-end router" and get $100 on signup and $20/month for up to 1 year:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/google-pay-users-track-their-movements-online-186030?source=IFWNLE_nlt_daily_2012-02-09
http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=1151
Harvard Biomedical Engineering Professor developed a new way for people to get caffeine--from a lipstick-sized tube. AeroShot is on the market in Massachusetts, New York, and France for $2.99 and contains the same amount of caffeine as a large cup of coffee. The user shoots a puff of calorie-free AeroShot into their mouth, so it is convenient and portable...but I don't think I'll be giving up coffee for this:
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2012/02/Life-Science-Chemistry-Health-Getting-caffeine-fix-as-easy-as-taking-deep-breath/
Satellite telephony has been using an ETSI encryption algorithm that was thought to be secure against eavesdropping, but researchers cracked the encryption algorithms in less than an hour with simple equipment and open-source software:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120209-satellite-telephony-is-unsafe
The Department of Transportation (DOT) testified at a congressional hearing yesterday that the DOT plans to work with the NTIA on regulations that would ban services that interfere with GPS...which includes LightSquared. The DOT says that LightSquared is "fundamentally incompatible" with GPS and the DOT/NTIA rules would ban LightSquared's LTE network. LightSquared said earlier that the government tests showing that LightSquared knocked out GPS usage were rigged, basically accusing the government of fabricating the test results. However, the DOT testified that the government results were independently verified by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and by the Idaho National Laboratory. LightSquared was quite upset at not being invited to testify at the hearing, calling their exclusion "outrageous" and one-sided...but I think everyone sees that LightSquared has 0% chance of getting its LTE network approved in time for Sprint's deadline in March:
http://wirelessweek.com/News/2012/02/Networks-DOT-Counters-LightSquared-GPS-Standards-Plan/
Airlines for America (Delta, Southwest, American, US Airways, United Continental) testified at the hearing yesterday that LightSquared's network would have "ruinous effects" on aviation because of its interference with airplane systems. Testing showed that a LightSquared system caused the landing system to fail, where GPS navigation used to guide planes that are landing failed intermittently due to LightSquared interference:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-08/lightsquared-would-ruin-u-s-aviation-with-system-carriers-say.html
Nokia has gone from the dominant cellular phone manufacturer in the world with own proprietary operating system to a company that has NO backup plan if they do not succeed with the Windows Phone operating system. Their Plan A is Windows Phone, their Plan B is Windows Phone, and they have no Plan C:
http://allthingsd.com/20120208/nokia-and-plan-c-is-we-end-up-like-rim/
It seems to me that AT&T is using data throttling to get their grandfathered customers to give up their unlimited data plans--AT&T has apparently told users that using 1.5 GB of data in a month puts them in the top 5% of data users, so they would 2G speeds under the data throttling rules. Those "unlimited" data plan customers are paying $30/month but only about to use about 2 GB for the month due to throttling, while regular AT&T users pay $30/month for 3 GB of data. Note to those AT&T customers: Verizon is giving 4 GB/month of data now with no data throttling and a much more extensive coverage area for LTE:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/020612-att-2g-255755.html
Samsung has a new version of its LTE baseband chip that costs half as much as its previous LTE chip. That is a huge cost savings for LTE devices for Samsung and should help drive LTE device costs down significantly:
http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-57372289-85/samsung-reduces-its-lte-chip-cost-by-half/
Apple is reportedly going to debut the iPad 3 during the first week of March, with retail availability typically being the week after the event:
http://allthingsd.com/20120209/apple-to-announce-ipad-3-first-week-in-march/
Google's Android team has reportedly been developing a wireless, streaming home entertainment system that will be available this year for sale under the Google brand. It would seem like there could be a way to tie together Android, Google Music, Google Movies, Google TV, and Motorola's hardware expertise (Google will own Motorola's cable box division) to create a full home theater system controlled by Android smartphones:
http://www.androidcentral.com/google-said-be-developing-home-entertainment-system
http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/9/2787770/google-branded-home-entertainment-center-2012-launch#91404197
Google is giving $5 Amazon gift cards for people who use add an extension to the Chrome web browser. Google says they will use the information on the sites visited and how the user use's the sites to make a better online experience for everyone. Panel members will get $5 for each 3 months they continue in the program. Google also has a program where users install a "high-end router" and get $100 on signup and $20/month for up to 1 year:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/google-pay-users-track-their-movements-online-186030?source=IFWNLE_nlt_daily_2012-02-09