Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Qualcomm's FlashLinq long-range peer-to-peer communications tech demoed at MWC (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/qualcomms-flashlinq-long-range-peer-to-peer-communications-tech/

Taken a look at our AllJoyn hands-on here at Mobile World Congress? You should, and then pick up here. Back? Good. Qualcomm's FlashLinq is a quasi-extension of AllJoyn, but unlike the latter, this is a proprietary solution that actually requires Qualcomm hardware to run (for now anyway; licensing deals could be in the works). Basically, this wireless technology allows FlashLinq-enabled devices to sense up to 4,000 other FlashLinq devices within a radius of up to 1km, which puts things like WiFi and Bluetooth to shame. Of course, that's under "ideal" circumstances, but even in subpar situations, the range should still beat out existing short-range alternatives. Why develop a solution like this? For one, businesses will be all over it; imagine a Yelp! instance that specifically hones in on businesses that have a FlashLinq-enabled device in their store, which is advertising deals for those who stop in and mention that FlashLinq sent 'em. Secondly, social networking / Latitude addicts will be head over heels for something like this. Once a connection is made, there's a steady 15Mbps beam available between the users -- that's more than enough for videochats, media streaming and multiplayer gaming.

The major difference between this and WiFi (aside from the range) is that unlike WiFi -- which operates in unlicensed spectrum -- FlashLinq requires licensed 5MHz TDD spectrum. That enables control over interference, which in turns boosts range and device density. Moreover, this system uses dramatically less power than BT or WiFi to sense other devices -- you're only using power for discovery two percent of the time, we're told. Beyond that, a lot remains up in the air. The company is still hammering out which chips will ship with FlashLinq support, and it'll be waiting for results from its SK Telecom trial (which starts in April) before committing to a commercialization date. Sadly, none of this can be retrofitted into older devices, but the good news is that it's hardly limited to mobiles. FlashLinq-enabled televisions, laptops, in-car infotainment systems, etc. could all be used to create a discoverable network of interactive goodness, but of course, it's hard to say how much success Qualcomm will have in a world already loaded down with connectivity options. The technology itself is fairly fascinating, though, as is the social networking demonstration that's embedded just past the break. Hop on down and mash play, won't you?

Continue reading Qualcomm's FlashLinq long-range peer-to-peer communications tech demoed at MWC (video)

Qualcomm's FlashLinq long-range peer-to-peer communications tech demoed at MWC (video) originally appeared on E ngadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 9:17 PM

Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/keyport-slide-can-now-store-your-files-open-your-beers/

Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers
Sometimes it's hard getting drunk and downloading files when you have a pocket full of keys. The Keyport Slide is finally ready to manage those inebriated backups, with the USB key version we've been waiting for now up for order, letting you streamline your keychain and your thumb drive too. There's also a new slide-out bottle opener available. A 4GB key insert will cost you $18.99, $28.99 if you want 8GB, and a Keyport with five blades and USB starts at $89. Cheap? No, but just how much longer were you going to tote around that cacophonous mass of metal in your pocket?

Continue reading Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers

Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 9:17 PM

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/motorola-xoom-vs-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-vs-lg-g-slate-batt/

Hello, Moto -- no wait, Samsung... or is it LG? Three of the world's biggest smartphone makers have leapt at the opportunity to serve up Google's brand new Honeycomb build of Android, however their selection of menu items looks to be somewhat lacking in diversity. Motorola's Xoom matches Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in both screen size and resolution (1280 x 800), while LG's Optimus Pad / G-Slate offers only marginally smaller measurements with an 8.9-inch display spanning 1280 x 768. More than that, all three tablets run the bone-stock Honeycomb UI and are built around NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 system-on-chip, leaving little room for differentiation on the basis of user experience or internal performance (LG would have you believe its 3D camcorder is a big advantage for its slate, but we're not so sure). Most choices between the three, then, will come to things like brand loyalty, ergonomics and pure, basic aesthetic appeal. To help you judge the latter of those three points, we've prepared an exhaustive barrage of side-by-side photos below -- we expect you to view every last one of 'em... at least twice.


Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 2:28 PM

Intel's Otellini insists company is committed to MeeGo, says he 'understood' why Nokia moved to Microsoft

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/intels-otellini-insists-company-is-committed-to-meego-says-he/

We've already seen some evidence that Intel was still pushing strongly ahead with MeeGo despite Nokia's deal with Microsoft, and now CEO Paul Otellini has chimed in on the matter to reassure folks that the company is still committed to the mobile OS. Speaking with Bloomberg at Mobile World Congress this week, Otellini said that he doesn't see that "Nokia changing its strategy changes the industry strategy," and added that "operators still look for an open, operator-friendly operating system." Otellini further went on to say on a panel discussion that he "understood" why Nokia made the decision it did, and even said that if he were in the same position he would have made "the same or a similar call." That doesn't mean he wasn't disappointed by it though -- in fact, he revealed that he used a word that Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz "has often used" when he first received the news from Stephen Elop himself (we'll let you look that up if you don't know it).

Intel's Otellini insists company is committed to MeeGo, says he 'understood' why Nokia moved to Microsoft originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobileburn  |  sourceBloomberg, PC World  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 2:27 PM

Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro tablet sneaks out, coming this spring

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/huawei-ideos-s7-pro-tablet-sneaks-out-coming-this-spring/

Can you handle one more Android tablet? Let's find out. That one up there is Huawei's IDEOS S7 Pro, which is not to be confused with its new IDEOS S7 Slim. The Pro didn't get a formal introduction here at MWC 2011, but it was lounging around the Huawei booth with a placard revealing its specs. Unfortunately, this one won't be launching with Honeycomb -- it packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3, HSPA+, WiFi 802.11bgn, and two cameras. The metal model on display seemed to be just a mockup, and despite the LED buttons lighting up, it wouldn't actually boot. We overheard a company representative say that it would be launching this spring and our comrades at Engadget Spanish have also heard that it will launch at 10-inch version later in the year. You know what that means? Yep, even more Android tablets!

Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro tablet sneaks out, coming this spring originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 2:27 PM

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