Ecobee’s eco-saving, WiFi-enabled Smart Thermostat available
January 30, 2009
When we first heard about Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat last October, it claimed the device could recoup its $385 price tag within the first 12 to 18 months of use. Whether or not that’s the case, you can now find out for yourself. The WiFi-enabled home automation tool, complete with ZigBee expansion slots, is now available to order online from the company’s website. The upfront cost includes the $35 access fee for first year of use. Now how long must we wait until someone throws an emulator on this thing?
Mobile broadband or WiFi? You betcha
January 30, 2009
Our increasing appetite for sending and receiving data on the move fuels ever increasing need for wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi access and mobile broadband are usual ways of meeting this need. So what’s best?
At this stage, WiFi is ahead in convenience terms, but it is debatable by how much - particularly when roaming - and for how long. Most notebooks shipping today incorporate embedded WiFi connectivity – which is about as convenient as it gets.
Mobile broadband today typically requires a USB dongle or data card, which a user has to buy, remember to carry around with them, as well as ensure it doesn’t get lost or damaged. But we are now starting to see the emergence of laptops with integrated mobile broadband. In terms of accessibility, this is should put mobile broadband on par with WiFi.
The gap begins to widen when assessing fitness for purpose. At this stage, users should themselves what they require connectivity for, how long they need it, and where they will be when they need to connect. Factors include what the connection is being used for, e.g. reading/sending email, document access, browsing, and whether connectivity is required at a static location, or on the move, e.g. on a train.
WiFi generally offers high speeds via a reliable connection, although speed may be affected if the wireless network is heavily congested. WiFi also limits mobility to the range of the WiFi network – typically around 100m. When locating hotspots, at first glance there ar…
Linux tablet emerges from blogosphere
January 30, 2009
Technology blog site TechCrunch has prototyped a WiFi-enabled tablet PC device that runs Linux. The “Crunchpad” is equipped with a Via Nano processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB flash, and a 12-inch, 1024×768 touchscreen, and appears to be aimed at Web-curious couch potatoes.(Click for larger view of the CrunchPad Prototype B )The CrunchPad is the brainchild of TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington, who last summer announced plans to launch an open-source project to build a prototype. Arrington’s goal was to find a “dead simple” touchscreen web browsing device that was light enough to sit on one’s lap while watching TV. At the time, TechCrunch was targeting a $200 device, but now “$299 is more realistic,” writes Arrington in his most recent post.
Prototype B of the CrunchPad uses Via Technologies’s 64-bit, 65nm Nano processor, which Arrington says performs on par with an Intel Atom in their tests. Nano-based netbooks, such as Dr. Mobile’s recently announced, Linux ready Freestyle 1300n, have the potential to outperform those based on Intel’s ubiquitous Atom N270 — though with a potential sacrifice in battery life. Third-party comparisons of the Atom and the Nano, using desktop versions of the CPUs, have shown the Nano outperforming the Atom by up to 30 percent. But, while both CPUs have similar power consumption at idle, the Nano drinks significantly more juice under load, reports say. TechCrunch did not report which version of the processor was used, but it is likely the mobile-oriented…
BoNa Coffee Company Announces New Operating Hours
January 30, 2009
BoNa Coffee Holdings Corp. (Other OTC:BCHC.PK - News) announces that its BoNa Coffee Company Westgate branch is now open to serve the public 24/7, making it the first FREE WIFI continuously open coffee shop in the Philippines.
This second, and largest, BoNa Coffee Company branch is located in Westgate Center, Filinvest Corporate City. Westgate Center is a commercial and lifestyle complex, with quality restaurants, cafes, specialty boutiques and health and wellness service centers. Westgate Center is located within a 2-kilometer radius from both upscale neighborhoods and from the newest information technology park in the city, Northgate Cyberzone.
The 18.7 hectare (47.75 acre) PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) registered IT Northgate Cyberzone is designed, master-planned and built around the needs of technology-based companies engaged in software design and multimedia, e-commerce, banking and financial services, as well as other IT support businesses.
Call centers of companies such as Convergys, HSBC, APAC Customer Services, Inc., Etelecare, Genpact, First Source and Verizon make up the majority of the businesses in Northgate Cyberzone, creating a perfect market for BoNa’s 24/7 coffee shop concept. Employees at the call centers receive special rates during nighttime hours.
BoNa Coffee Company boasts of absolutely FREE WIFI. BoNa’s serene nighttime ambiance creates the perfect environment for studying, reading, writing, relaxing, or simply enjoying BoNa coff…
Travellers ‘ripped off’ by WiFi cost says study
January 29, 2009
Holidaymakers and business travellers are paying too much for internet access when abroad, and are left baffled by misleading and confusing pricing policies, a study suggests.
Research found that hotels with lower star ratings were more likely to offer free Wi-Fi internet access than international five-star hotels, where web access rates in some cases cost as much as £19 per hour.
Online travel agent Expedia.co.uk also found that confusing pricing models – with some places charging for Wi-Fi access by the hour and others by the day – made it difficult to compare internet services. The study concluded that Europe was the most expensive place for Wi-Fi access. Venice topped the list, with hotels and cafes in the city charging an average of £6.80 per hour of internet use.
“In the 21st century, getting online while you travel should be simple and cost effective – instead it seems it is confusing and overpriced,” said Alison Couper, communications director for Expedia.co.uk “If travellers know that they are going to need to access the internet while abroad, we are advising them to do their research before they go to ensure they know the cost of web access upfront.”
Expedia, which surveyed 1,000 British travellers for its study, recommends calling ahead to the hotel to find out what they charge for internet access, and even to trying to strike a deal with the hotel to get reduced-rate Wi-Fi if travellers know they are going to need regular internet access for th…
Viable Distributes VPAD+ to Federal Employees
January 29, 2009
The Department of Defense’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) has approved the VPAD+ for distribution, at no cost, to deaf and hard of hearing Federal employees. The VPAD+ is a lightweight, standalone VOIP videophone with a 10.2″ touchscreen monitor, WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities and enables sign language users to place phone calls by videoconferencing with interpreters specially trained to relay phone conversations.
Viable, a deaf-owned and deaf-operated provider of video relay services (VRS), developed the VPAD+ so deaf and hard of hearing people could access the telephone system with forward-looking technology. The VPAD+ is interoperable with 10-digit telephone numbers and has USB ports for Bluetooth-enabled headsets, providing hard of hearing people with amplification options.
CAP was established in 1990 by the Federal Government to provide assistive equipment such as teletypewriters (TTYs) and light signalers to Federal employees who are deaf or hard of hearing so they can enjoy equal access to inter-office information and communication. CAP also provides accommodations to Federal employees with disabilities and to wounded military personnel. In 2006 CAP reported partnerships with 65 Federal agencies and in 2007 CAP distributed 8,775 products.
Ward Pettis, who obtained his VPAD+ through CAP and works for the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, MD, said, “I am thrilled with my VPAD+, it has been a great asset for my workplace. Now I can p…
New Products Usher in Age of Wireless Power
January 29, 2009
We like to think we live in a wireless world. After all, the air we breathe is absolutely packed with a spectrum of radio, TV, Bluetooth, WiFi, and all sorts of other invisible waves that bring sight and sound to our electronics.
But how wireless is our world, really? We take it for granted that every electronic gadget requires power, and that typically means wires: wires that get lost, tangled, and create aesthetically unpleasing clutter.
Two forthcoming products suggest that the world of wireless power may be a step closer.
First, a little background. When it comes to wireless power, there are two main ways of doing it: conductive and inductive.
With conductive power, electricity is sent from a charger to a device through metal contacts. This is cool and already available on a few devices (WildCharge Inc. sells conductive pads and adaptors that work with some cell phones and game controllers).
Inductive power, on the other hand, uses magnetic coils to send power short distances through the air. This technology is already used in electric toothbrushes, but current applications are only able to provide a slow trickle of power without overheating — toothbrushes typically need to be docked overnight in order to squeeze just a few minutes of brush time out of them.
Built In
That’s why the forthcoming Powermat, developed by New York- based start-up Powermat Ltd. with a promised 2009 commercial release, is so exciting. The Powermat is an inductive charging …