GPS semiconductor vendors are increasingly focusing on GSM handsets as their next target market for GPS chipsets. While until now CDMA handsets and navigation devices have been the main GPS product categories, GSM mobile phones are expected to increasingly feature GPS-chipsets as handset-based navigation and a wide range of location based services such as local search and social networking become popular. GPS already has become a standard feature on smartphones, with recently launched products from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Palm and Samsung and the iconic iPhone, expected to become important drivers for LBS uptake due to their large screens and text input facilities.
“Despite its appeal, the handset form factor poses a series of new challenges to GPS chipset vendors”, says ABI Research director Dominique Bonte.” While minimal power consumption, price, and small footprint are even more important in handsets than in PNDs, the bigger issue is related to indoor coverage, as handset-based LBS services will be frequently used in urban canyons and indoor environments such as shopping malls where GPS reception is impaired.”
The very important trend of “combo” chipsets – integrating different radio technologies such as FM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS on a single chip – promises to provide a solution to power, footprint, and price challenges, while also allowing integration of alternative positioning technologies such as Wi-Fi to provide better indoor coverage and a seamless positioning experience to the end user. This is evidenced by the recent announcement of Broadcom’s partnership with Skyhook Wireless. The expected availability of combo chipsets in 2009 from major GPS chipset vendors such as Broadcom, Atheros, NXP, and Texas Instruments will play an important role in accelerating the adoption of GPS in mass market handsets, ultimately making it a standard handset feature.
Written by Maximus on October 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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The Russian carrier, the company ASVT, announced the start of testing equipment head station and subscriber devices that support the format MPEG-4/H.264. Testing is conducted in its own testing laboratory company in the long-term program to broaden the range of services.
An important step in implementing the program, according to the operator, will provide services to clients IP-TV. Note that today many operators of such services are using video compression algorithm is MPEG-2. Compared with the standard, more modern standard MPEG-4 allows four times to reduce the amount of video while maintaining the quality of TV broadcast standard resolution. Accordingly, the use of this standard will reduce the burden on the transport and distribution network ASVT and use the freed resources for the transmission of high definition video (Full HD).
Note also that the company ASVT considering the possibility of inclusion in an expanded package of high-definition video services. Support for the network ASVT H.264 standard simplifies the implementation of these plans, because the standard has become a key in the SCC HD / teleprisutstviya.
The company estimates that consumers of services, IP-TV will be, first and foremost, residents of luxury housing and cottage villages near Moscow.
Written by Maximus on October 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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Sprint's mobile WiMAX business unit, XOHM, recently launched its WiMAX service in Baltimore, and Intel has announced that it is now shipping its combined WiMAX/Wi-Fi module, formerly code-named "Echo Peak," as part of the Intel WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 Series that is an optional feature for Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks.
PC OEMs including Acer, Asustek Computer, Lenovo and Toshiba joined the announcement saying that Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks featuring WiMAX support will be available soon.
Acer America has unveiled the WiMAX-enabled 14-inch widescreen Aspire 4930-6862 and 16-inch 16:9 Aspire 6930-6771. Both models have a suggested retail price of US$899.99.
Lenovo's WiMAX lineup addresses all types of users, the company stated. It is targeting business users with the thin and light ThinkPad X301, mainstream business users with the ThinkPad T400 and small-to-medium businesses with the ThinkPad SL300 and SL500. In addition, Lenovo will be expanding its notebook offerings with built-in WiMAX later this year to include models from its business-focused ThinkPad W500, W700, SL400 and X200 range. Lenovo will also offer WiMAX-enabled models of the IdeaPad Y530 notebook designed for consumers.
Lenovo indicated that pricing for the notebooks varies with WiMAX-enabled models starting at approximately US$720.
Toshiba also announced a WiMAX-enabled Satellite U405 (Satellite U405-ST550W) though the product is not currently available. Dell, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony also plan to support WiMAX in their notebooks starting in 2009, according to Intel.
Written by Maximus on October 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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The company Nikon Corporation has submitted its development of multimedia - Media Port UP, is a multimedia headphones can access the Internet and play not only audio, and video files. For this purpose, these headphones are equipped with embedded memory (4 GB models in UP300 and 8 GB - UP300h), Wi-Fi module and miniature turning the LCD display, in spite of the user, there is equivalent to 50 inch screen from a distance of 3 meters . This unusual product Nikon will be sold in Japan in online shopping company at a price of about $ 600 for younger model and $ 700 - for later.
Brief specifications Media Port UP300x and UP300:
• Display: 0.44-inch, vector borne LCOS, permission 640h480h3 points, displaying more than 16 million colors
• Fiber: Double lens of diffractive optical elements with a diagonal of approximately 24 °
• Playable band dynamics: from 3 Hz to 25 kHz
• Power source: Two finger (AA) Battery
• Memory: 4 GB (UP300) / 8 GB (UP300x)
• Vosproizvodimye file formats: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV9 (DRM 10); MP32, WMA9 (DRM 10), AAC2; JPEG; SWF (Flash Player 7)
• Interface: Hi-Speed USB
• WLAN: 802.11b / g (with a range of up to 20 meters)
• Video input (UP300x): NTSC, 1 Vp-p/75Ω (video); 500 mVrms/47 KΩ (audio)
• Browser: HTML 4.01, with support for frames, JavaScript and Flash Version 7
• The duration of continuous playback: 120 minutes (video) / 270 minutes (audio)
Written by Maximus on October 9th, 2008 with no comments.
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Trademark Digma recently introduced new products in its range - Digital Picture, which until recently were considered expensive accessory. The company Digma breaks that stereotype and offers Picture at an affordable price.
Digma PF-800 - a modern accessory for your digital home. The set is attached wireless remote control. Convenient and friendly rusifitsirovannoe menu offers a great opportunity to view the individual images are available zoom function and the photographs. You can start a slide show with musical accompaniment, or just listen to your favorite tracks, using Digma PF-800 as an ordinary MP3-player.
Picture a function of playing video from popular computer formats MPEG-1, MPEG-4, M-JPEG. As savers, the calendar can be used by your photos. The function «alarm clock» will not give sleep in the morning or report on planned activities.
Recommended retail price: 3700 rubles.
Written by Maximus on October 8th, 2008 with no comments.
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Japanese firm aims for Guinness book with paid-for download
If you've got little to do this weekend and are interested in incredible tedium, then you could always download what its maker claims is the world's longest mobile phone ringtone.
The 61 minutes and 40 seconds that the melody takes to play through are being submitted for inclusion in Guinness's big book of records, probably to be filed in the 'Huh?' section?
Dogged by daftness
Supplier Dwango has previously made a ringtone that is audible only to dogs, so it has some form in the field. All Dwango's ringtones are available as part of a ¥315 (£1.70) monthly package.
Alas for readers in the West, the Dwango service is available only in Japan, so the weekend will probably be over anyway by the time you get yourself out there.
source
Written by Maximus on October 8th, 2008 with no comments.
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The network appeared rumors that the company Sega will release next year, portable media players under the name Sega Vision. This device is interesting because it will be very functional and can even, according to some sources, to compete with such products as the Sony PlayStation Portable and the Sony Reader, because the game will support and electronic books. In general, for Sega Vision said 8 of multimedia options: Take pictures and videos on a built-in camera, watching television (there is a built-in TV tuner), play music and video games, recording audio (dictaphone) and the ability to read electronic books.
According to unofficial information, Sega Vision put on sale early next year, initially - in Britain. The cost of this device all-in-one yet unknown.
Written by Maximus on October 8th, 2008 with no comments.
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Officer Steve Kodak Sesson (Steve Sasson), the inventor of the world's first digital camera, at a solemn ceremony in Cologne, was awarded Prizom culture - the highest award of Germany's photographs and imidzhinga granted to the German photographic society (DGPh). Awarding was held during Photokina, the world's largest industrial exhibition.
The German photographic society, numbering more than 1000 members since its founding in 1951, represents the cultural interests of photographs in Germany.
Sesson began to develop in 1975, and in 1978, has been patented technology, applications for building the first digital camera that uses a charge-coupled device (CCD, CCD).
Culture Prize awarded since 1959 in recognition of outstanding contribution to photography in the artistic, humanitarian, social, technical, educational and scientific spheres. Among the previously awarded this prize - known around the world, scientists, inventors, authors, publishers, educators, art directors and photographers.
This is the sixth award, presented by Sessonu for the development of the first digital camera. Last year he entered the Hall of Fame Consumer Electronics USA, received the prize for prescience Association photographic manufacturers and distributors. In 2006 he was awarded the prize for scientific achievements, Peking University School of Journalism Prize progress and photographic society of America, and in 2001, Kodak has said his achievements Prizom behalf of Eastman for innovation.
Sesson - fourth researcher of Kodak, was awarded the Prize of Culture. In previous years the award were Dr. Leopold Godovski (1973), Dr. Wesley T. Hanson (1977) and Dr. Paul B. Gilmen (1989).
Written by Maximus on October 7th, 2008 with no comments.
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