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Google Looks to "White Space" Spectrum
Nerdposeur writes "After maneuvering the major carriers into agreeing to open access rules via the recent spectrum auction, Google appears to be looking into a new area of spectrum that could provide internet connectivity. 'In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, the Internet leader outlined plans for low-power devices that use local wireless airwaves to access the 'white space' between television channels. A Google executive called the plan 'Wi-Fi 2.0 or Wi-Fi on steroids.' Interestingly, Google has Microsoft, Intel, and others on their side in this one. Was this spectrum their target all along?"
I was under the impression that the recent auction was for this exact spectrum that was being freed up. If this spectrum isn't forecast to be used with anything new, why are we turning off analog transmission again?
moox. for a new generation.
Just like MuniWiFi did. Google, where are your commitments to that??
Just like WiMAX works so well .
Just like Earthlink, master of all that's good, wireless, and now nearly bankrupt might think.
Sure, software-defined radios might be nice. But let's put in real freaking fibre instead of still another plan to screw telcos/cellular carriers. If Google needs more bandwidth for YouTube, let them finally invest in the infrastructure to deliver it, not 'convenient' short-term wireless ploys. Egads.
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
I disagree.
What Google offers is the ability to deliver an advertisement that is customized down to the level of the individual user. To achieve this, they collect data on individual users by offering a wide array of "free" services.
If this is successful, I can only assume that it will be far more profitable than traditional, blanket advertising (i.e. it will cost a company far less to acquire a customer with Google ads than with any other service).
Google isn't quite there yet, but as far as I can tell, they are the only company that can reasonably even attempt this, let alone succeed.
It's true, Google might fizzle out, but there is a real possibility that they will change the world even more so than they already have.
Ah-ha. Surely there is a graphical representation to explain this. Google image search to the rescue!
So are the digital channels being moved from the gaps between the current analog stations to other frequencies? Or are these "micro frequencies" inbetween everything, and if so, why weren't they included in the original auction? The way the article paints it, it sounds like there's Very Large Swaths to be siezed still, and that google is So Clever for noticing these before everyone else. I feel like there's a large portion of the picture missing here.
moox. for a new generation.
And a provider of email services.
And a provider of chat services.
And a provider of shared calendaring services.
And a provider of domain-wide hosting of the above.
And a provider of web-based mapping tools.
And a supporter of numerous Open Source software projects.
And one of the movers and shakers in the press for green technology.
And the only search giant to refuse a federal request for all search records.
And
When people say, "Google just does advertising," what they're really saying is, "what has Google done for me this week that I didn't know about last week." It's an attention span problem.
Which is 100% better than untargeted advertising. Some of it I don't even mind. If google gets to the point where it is offering suggestions as well as people I know, they'll strike gold.
I'm looking to buy a new computer, right now there are 4 forms of marketing that can 'get' to me.
Radio: COME TO LOW BOBS CAR EMPORIUM. Not looking for cars.
TV: Tampax, for those times you need to be dry. Not looking (or ever looking) for Tampax
Internet: PUNCH THE MONKEY WIN A FREE CREDIT REPORT. I don't care about my credit.
Friend: I just got this thing from Newegg, you should check them out.
What google is doing is positioning themselves as the 'friend' which wins for everyone. I get what I'm searching for and the sellers aren't having their ads go onto deaf ears (or blind eyes)
Of course making money isn't the most important thing in life. Unless you're a publicly listed company with shareholders to please. Which they are.
Now they're public it's inevitable that Sergei and Larry's little projects are going to become vehicles to sell more ad space. The fact that they make life slightly more interesting to the rest of us is irrelevant to (most of) their shareholders.
Digital degrades poorly. I'm about 20 miles from most of the nearest transmitters. The analog signals are fuzzy, but quite watchable. The digital signals are completely useless, frequently going to blue screen. I have tried multiple indoor and outdoor antennas with the same result. When analog signals go away, I'll be watching torrents, I guess.