...These new rules will have one good effect: all the flat-screen manufacturers will have to start investing in building LCD display panels with LED backlighting, which uses a lot less power than today's LCD panels with florescent backlights. It may also mean a lot more money poured into OLED development, since OLED displays have the potential to use a small fraction of the amount of power that even an LCD panel with LED backlighting uses.
Don't laugh. Apple may conclude that haptic touch response touchscreens have too many issues and could go to a true keyboard anyway, probably a slide-out unit.
The only market Apple hasn't conquered for smart phones is the business market, and once the iPhone gets a decent keyboard entry system they will clean up against the Blackberry and Palm Treo crowd.
Actually, the limit won't be from the cable companies but from Internet Service Providers.
The reason is simple: all that video downloading could put a strain on the network infrastructure that it might not be able to handle currently. That's why ISP's are starting to impose monthly download capacity limits, not only to discourage this traffic but to discourage torrent traffic.
Until we get a huge increase in bandwidth capacity plus making everyone switch to IPv6 addressing, downloaded HD videos through the Internet are a non-starter, in my opinion.
The highest level executives may own iPhones, but is that their primary messaging device? Most professionals still use the Blackberry or Palm Treo devices, which have real keyboards.
That's why I'd like to see the next-generation iPhone either incorporate a flip-open keyboard like the LG Voyager or an improved version of the haptic touch response technology the LG Incite uses. Do that and Apple will effectively take over the business market for smart phones very easily.:-)
You have to remember haptic touch response is still in its infancy and as such the Blackberry Storm and LG Incite may have limitations in terms of usability. But once we understand how to improve haptic touch response, I'd like to see Apple incorporate this technology into the third-generation iPhone, because with reasonably fast typing the iPhone can become a true competitor to the Blackberry and Palm Treo devices so commonly used by business customers.
Except it's still not the smart phone of choice for business users, due to its poor ability to type out messages. Apple needs to learn from two LG smart phones, the Voyager with its flip-open keyboard or the Incite with its haptic-response touchscreen; a third-generation iPhone with a haptic-response touchscreen (including the ability to type out messages when displaying in landscape mode) would make the iPhone a VERY serious competitor against the Blackberry or Palm Treo series of smart phones.
1) Built-in full iPod functionality, so you can play music and videos processed through [i]iTunes[/i].
2) The App Store has allowed for a lot of very interesting third-party applications that you don't see on other "smart phones."
My major gripe is that typing messages on an iPhone still leaves much to be desired, which keeps the iPhone from being a serious competitor to a Blackberry or Plam Treo phones. They really need to either a) integrates a real keyboard like the LG Voyager or b) integrates a haptic response touchscreen like the LG Incite including the ability to type in landscape display mode. Once Apple does either they will literally clean up the smart phone market among business users.
The R-7 rocket and its descendants the the Russians developed was designed to be assembled on its side because it was easier to assemble the final rocket that way. The only downside to this method is you need big and heavy rigs to move the rocket to the vertical launch position (if you've seen the launch pads at the Baikanour cosmodrome they have a lot of erecting machinery at the launch pad to move the rocket to the vertical position).
That's why for the Saturn V rocket, NASA decided to assemble the rocket vertically, but that needed a very large building to do this, hence the very tall Vertical Assembly Building (VAB) not only to accommodate the height of the rocket but the overhead cranes to lift the various rocket components.
Remember, Internet Explorer 8.0 is coming probably around March-April 2009. Once that comes out expect IE marketshare to increase again, mostly because there are so many corporate internal applications tied to IE that switching to Firefox, Chrome or Safari is not an option, especially with today's poor economy.
Switching to Firefox means IT departments will have to test all their applications for Firefox compatibility, a potentially expensive process if they need to convert apps for Firefox compatibility.
There's one thing that is missing from the Natural Ergonomic 4000: a key to turn on and off the computer. If they had that on this keyboard I would have bought it a LONG time ago.
However, a lot of users don't WANT the extra keys on the keyboards you mentioned. The Microsoft Natural Elite keyboard is still one of the best ergonomic keyboards out there because it's probably the only ergonomic keyboard that doesn't require a massive adjustment period to get comfortable using the keyboard. I'd love to see Microsoft produce a Mac-specific version of the Natural Elite with Mac-specific keys and USB connection--a lot of Mac users would jump at the chance for such a keyboard.
Interestingly, if you don't need fancy feature keys the Microsoft Natural Elite keyboard is probably still one of the best keyboards for the average user.
It does take some getting used to but once you mastered this keyboard going back to a regular keyboard is nearly impossible because a regular keyboard feels uncomfortable and cramped in comparison. Pity you can't get it with the same type of mechanical key switches used on the old IBM PC and PC AT keyboards.:-(
I'm surprised that Microsoft has not contemplated building a Mac-compatible version of the Natural Elite with Mac-specific keys and a USB connection--there's a big market for such a version of the Natural Elite.
Indeed, Amazon's MP3 store is probably the first truly viable alternative to the iTunes Music Store in terms of buying digital music. Amazon kindly provides for free a downloader program that allows you to put a playlist of the downloaded music right onto the playlists in iTunes or Windows Media Player 11, which means it's really easy to copy the music right to your portable music player.
Look at the weather this past month--much of the USA suffered very serious snowstorms that kept the crowds away from shopping malls. As such, they need to turn to an alternative, and Amazon became that first alternative for gift buying.
With the poor economy, value was the major buzzword in Christmas gifts, and Amazon offers value in terms of lower pricing AND no sales taxes when shipped to most of the USA.
At the rate things are going, Amazon is on its way to become a potential competitor to no less than Wal-Mart.
Actually, Windows 7 is essentially Windows Vista Second Edition. Think of it as Vista with interface improvements, some internal OS improvements, and more hardware support.
Sometimes when a market settles into a local minimum, only a swift kick from outside can get it seeking an optimal solution again.
A great example of this is the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built a series of dams on the Tennessee River to provide irrigation water for farms and hydroelectric power. Indeed, much of the industrial revival of the US Southeast couldn't have happened without those TVA dams.
Fortunately, the Ford Motor Company can access the technology of its very successful European division and still access the technology of Mazda to develop huge leaps forward in automotive technology.
For example, take the US version of the Mk. IV European Ford Fiesta that will arrive in the USA in January 2010. Not only will it sport the advanced Powershift six-speed dual-clutch transmission for good performance and better fuel efficiency, but since the engine uses a lot of Mazda technology we may even see Mazda's Smart Idle Start System on the new Fiesta, which means improved fuel economy in urban driving.
This is where investing in making maglev technology practical makes a LOT of sense.
In the USA, the very long distances between major city centers justifies the 310+ mph speeds of a maglev train. Imagine going from downtown Chicago to downtown St. Louis in well under an hour--who'd want to fly with that type of transit time via a maglev train? I'm sure the Disney and Universal Studios folks in Orlando, FL would love to have a maglev train from Miami that takes about 35-40 minutes for the transit time.
Freight rail is going to really amazing in the next 15-20 years as advances in freight cars could make it possible to ship huge amounts of perishable foods all over the USA.
Already, there is a train running perishable food service from Washington state to New York State that carries a huge amount of refrigerated food, and we know about the famous Tropicana "juice trains" that ship orange juice products from Tropicana's orange processing plant in Bradenton, FL all the way up to the US Northeast. I can see within 20 years the use of doublestack container trains with insulated containers and clip-on refrigeration units carrying perishable foods all over the USA.
I think if Detroit is to survive, I do agree they should invest in high-speed ground public transport technology, except it should NOT be just high-speed conventional steel rail trains.
There's good reason for this: at over 186 mph (300 km/h), you start to run into SERIOUS issues of metal-to-metal physical wear from the overhead wiring/pantograph contact and steel wheel/steel rail contact, not to mention trying to keep the pantograph physically contacting the overhead wiring at these high speeds. (The French found this out the hard way in the 1950's when they did their record speed runs with a conventional electric train using the SNCF CC7100 series locomotives.) That's why I have concerns at the wisdom of running regular electric train service at speeds above 186 mph, given the potential for frightening maintenance costs.
We've done nearly 50 years research into maglev technology, and should invest in improving the technology to finally make it practical. Maglev trains make enormous economic sense in the USA, because given the long distances between major city centers in the USA that makes the 310+ mph speeds of maglev very viable. For example, consider the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison, WI-Eau Claire, WI-Minneapolis/Saint Paul corridor--imagine traveling this entire route is under 90 minutes on a maglev line, including all intermediate stops.:-) Or consider the San Francisco-Los Angeles corridor in around 70 minutes including all intermediate stops. Or Portland, OR to Seattle in 40-45 minutes non-stop.
Yes, I understand there a number of issues to overcome but since President-elect Obama is so interested in infrastructure improvements, why not do something extraordinarily radical that could make the USA the world leader in high-speed ground transportation?
As for personal transportation, until we get a HUGE breakthrough high-density electric power storage (quite possible through ultracapacitors), the more likely scenario is the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV's) over the next 8-9 years. With PHEV's, you can travel as much as 50 miles (80 km) before the on-board internal combustion engine kicks in to provide power and to recharge the battery pack.
And gasoline engines can still improve their fuel efficiency as much as 23% over the next decade, thanks to the switch to direct fuel injection, lean burn operation, variable-timing valve trains to improve engine "breathing," and engine stop systems to temporarily turn off the engine when the car comes to a physical stop such as in urban driving environments.
Also, scientists in the past year have discovered that we can use various forms of biomass to make synthetic diesel fuel, heating oil, gasoline and kerosene. This could mean we could use oil-laden algae and/or any plant waste to make motor fuels, and the scaling up of the technology could happen within the next 15 years.
Actually, the Mitsu HS-U595 was pretty cheap--I got it for US$150 brand new in 2000, pretty cheap for such a "loaded" VHS recorder (remember, it has VCR Plus Gold support, which was rare on almost any class of VCR).
The most expensive model from Mitsubishi at that time was the HS-U795, which was essentially the HS-U595 but with Super VHS support and a few more features.
Fortunately! I do know that both Maxell and Sony are still manufacturing blank T-120 and T-160 tapes for the many millions of VHS videocassette recorders still out there, based on seeing them available at Wal-Mart. I have a Mitsubishi HS-U595 deck from 2000 and it still works very well recording shows off cable TV.
Very likely, any legislation promoting universal broadband access will also be attached to a law requiring Net neutrality over these lines. Net neutrality is important, especially with First Amendment rights in the USA.
One problem with landlines is that putting it up in rural areas is an expensive proposition, especially the maintenance costs. With WiMAX technology (especially now that electromagnetic spectrum is available thanks the switch to digital TV), you can put up a small number of towers and cover a huge swath of rural land, with each tower connecting potentially a couple of thousand users at 5-7 mbps download speeds. WiMAX tranceiving antennas can easily "piggyback" on current cellphone antenna arrays, so the coverage should be already good to start with.
Slashdot Mirror
...These new rules will have one good effect: all the flat-screen manufacturers will have to start investing in building LCD display panels with LED backlighting, which uses a lot less power than today's LCD panels with florescent backlights. It may also mean a lot more money poured into OLED development, since OLED displays have the potential to use a small fraction of the amount of power that even an LCD panel with LED backlighting uses.
Don't laugh. Apple may conclude that haptic touch response touchscreens have too many issues and could go to a true keyboard anyway, probably a slide-out unit.
The only market Apple hasn't conquered for smart phones is the business market, and once the iPhone gets a decent keyboard entry system they will clean up against the Blackberry and Palm Treo crowd.
In fact, all the important announcements will come direct from Apple PR events, probably on this new schedule:
April for new Mac Pros and iMacs
June for new iPhones (during WWDC)
September for new iPods
October for new MacBooks
Actually, the limit won't be from the cable companies but from Internet Service Providers.
The reason is simple: all that video downloading could put a strain on the network infrastructure that it might not be able to handle currently. That's why ISP's are starting to impose monthly download capacity limits, not only to discourage this traffic but to discourage torrent traffic.
Until we get a huge increase in bandwidth capacity plus making everyone switch to IPv6 addressing, downloaded HD videos through the Internet are a non-starter, in my opinion.
The highest level executives may own iPhones, but is that their primary messaging device? Most professionals still use the Blackberry or Palm Treo devices, which have real keyboards.
That's why I'd like to see the next-generation iPhone either incorporate a flip-open keyboard like the LG Voyager or an improved version of the haptic touch response technology the LG Incite uses. Do that and Apple will effectively take over the business market for smart phones very easily. :-)
You have to remember haptic touch response is still in its infancy and as such the Blackberry Storm and LG Incite may have limitations in terms of usability. But once we understand how to improve haptic touch response, I'd like to see Apple incorporate this technology into the third-generation iPhone, because with reasonably fast typing the iPhone can become a true competitor to the Blackberry and Palm Treo devices so commonly used by business customers.
Except it's still not the smart phone of choice for business users, due to its poor ability to type out messages. Apple needs to learn from two LG smart phones, the Voyager with its flip-open keyboard or the Incite with its haptic-response touchscreen; a third-generation iPhone with a haptic-response touchscreen (including the ability to type out messages when displaying in landscape mode) would make the iPhone a VERY serious competitor against the Blackberry or Palm Treo series of smart phones.
I cite two reasons why people are buying iPhones:
1) Built-in full iPod functionality, so you can play music and videos processed through [i]iTunes[/i].
2) The App Store has allowed for a lot of very interesting third-party applications that you don't see on other "smart phones."
My major gripe is that typing messages on an iPhone still leaves much to be desired, which keeps the iPhone from being a serious competitor to a Blackberry or Plam Treo phones. They really need to either a) integrates a real keyboard like the LG Voyager or b) integrates a haptic response touchscreen like the LG Incite including the ability to type in landscape display mode. Once Apple does either they will literally clean up the smart phone market among business users.
The R-7 rocket and its descendants the the Russians developed was designed to be assembled on its side because it was easier to assemble the final rocket that way. The only downside to this method is you need big and heavy rigs to move the rocket to the vertical launch position (if you've seen the launch pads at the Baikanour cosmodrome they have a lot of erecting machinery at the launch pad to move the rocket to the vertical position).
That's why for the Saturn V rocket, NASA decided to assemble the rocket vertically, but that needed a very large building to do this, hence the very tall Vertical Assembly Building (VAB) not only to accommodate the height of the rocket but the overhead cranes to lift the various rocket components.
Remember, Internet Explorer 8.0 is coming probably around March-April 2009. Once that comes out expect IE marketshare to increase again, mostly because there are so many corporate internal applications tied to IE that switching to Firefox, Chrome or Safari is not an option, especially with today's poor economy.
Switching to Firefox means IT departments will have to test all their applications for Firefox compatibility, a potentially expensive process if they need to convert apps for Firefox compatibility.
There's one thing that is missing from the Natural Ergonomic 4000: a key to turn on and off the computer. If they had that on this keyboard I would have bought it a LONG time ago.
However, a lot of users don't WANT the extra keys on the keyboards you mentioned. The Microsoft Natural Elite keyboard is still one of the best ergonomic keyboards out there because it's probably the only ergonomic keyboard that doesn't require a massive adjustment period to get comfortable using the keyboard. I'd love to see Microsoft produce a Mac-specific version of the Natural Elite with Mac-specific keys and USB connection--a lot of Mac users would jump at the chance for such a keyboard.
Interestingly, if you don't need fancy feature keys the Microsoft Natural Elite keyboard is probably still one of the best keyboards for the average user.
It does take some getting used to but once you mastered this keyboard going back to a regular keyboard is nearly impossible because a regular keyboard feels uncomfortable and cramped in comparison. Pity you can't get it with the same type of mechanical key switches used on the old IBM PC and PC AT keyboards. :-(
I'm surprised that Microsoft has not contemplated building a Mac-compatible version of the Natural Elite with Mac-specific keys and a USB connection--there's a big market for such a version of the Natural Elite.
Indeed, Amazon's MP3 store is probably the first truly viable alternative to the iTunes Music Store in terms of buying digital music. Amazon kindly provides for free a downloader program that allows you to put a playlist of the downloaded music right onto the playlists in iTunes or Windows Media Player 11, which means it's really easy to copy the music right to your portable music player.
I agree 100% with your assessments.
Look at the weather this past month--much of the USA suffered very serious snowstorms that kept the crowds away from shopping malls. As such, they need to turn to an alternative, and Amazon became that first alternative for gift buying.
With the poor economy, value was the major buzzword in Christmas gifts, and Amazon offers value in terms of lower pricing AND no sales taxes when shipped to most of the USA.
At the rate things are going, Amazon is on its way to become a potential competitor to no less than Wal-Mart.
Actually, Windows 7 is essentially Windows Vista Second Edition. Think of it as Vista with interface improvements, some internal OS improvements, and more hardware support.
Sometimes when a market settles into a local minimum, only a swift kick from outside can get it seeking an optimal solution again.
A great example of this is the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built a series of dams on the Tennessee River to provide irrigation water for farms and hydroelectric power. Indeed, much of the industrial revival of the US Southeast couldn't have happened without those TVA dams.
Fortunately, the Ford Motor Company can access the technology of its very successful European division and still access the technology of Mazda to develop huge leaps forward in automotive technology.
For example, take the US version of the Mk. IV European Ford Fiesta that will arrive in the USA in January 2010. Not only will it sport the advanced Powershift six-speed dual-clutch transmission for good performance and better fuel efficiency, but since the engine uses a lot of Mazda technology we may even see Mazda's Smart Idle Start System on the new Fiesta, which means improved fuel economy in urban driving.
This is where investing in making maglev technology practical makes a LOT of sense.
In the USA, the very long distances between major city centers justifies the 310+ mph speeds of a maglev train. Imagine going from downtown Chicago to downtown St. Louis in well under an hour--who'd want to fly with that type of transit time via a maglev train? I'm sure the Disney and Universal Studios folks in Orlando, FL would love to have a maglev train from Miami that takes about 35-40 minutes for the transit time.
Freight rail is going to really amazing in the next 15-20 years as advances in freight cars could make it possible to ship huge amounts of perishable foods all over the USA.
Already, there is a train running perishable food service from Washington state to New York State that carries a huge amount of refrigerated food, and we know about the famous Tropicana "juice trains" that ship orange juice products from Tropicana's orange processing plant in Bradenton, FL all the way up to the US Northeast. I can see within 20 years the use of doublestack container trains with insulated containers and clip-on refrigeration units carrying perishable foods all over the USA.
I think if Detroit is to survive, I do agree they should invest in high-speed ground public transport technology, except it should NOT be just high-speed conventional steel rail trains.
There's good reason for this: at over 186 mph (300 km/h), you start to run into SERIOUS issues of metal-to-metal physical wear from the overhead wiring/pantograph contact and steel wheel/steel rail contact, not to mention trying to keep the pantograph physically contacting the overhead wiring at these high speeds. (The French found this out the hard way in the 1950's when they did their record speed runs with a conventional electric train using the SNCF CC7100 series locomotives.) That's why I have concerns at the wisdom of running regular electric train service at speeds above 186 mph, given the potential for frightening maintenance costs.
We've done nearly 50 years research into maglev technology, and should invest in improving the technology to finally make it practical. Maglev trains make enormous economic sense in the USA, because given the long distances between major city centers in the USA that makes the 310+ mph speeds of maglev very viable. For example, consider the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison, WI-Eau Claire, WI-Minneapolis/Saint Paul corridor--imagine traveling this entire route is under 90 minutes on a maglev line, including all intermediate stops. :-) Or consider the San Francisco-Los Angeles corridor in around 70 minutes including all intermediate stops. Or Portland, OR to Seattle in 40-45 minutes non-stop.
Yes, I understand there a number of issues to overcome but since President-elect Obama is so interested in infrastructure improvements, why not do something extraordinarily radical that could make the USA the world leader in high-speed ground transportation?
As for personal transportation, until we get a HUGE breakthrough high-density electric power storage (quite possible through ultracapacitors), the more likely scenario is the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV's) over the next 8-9 years. With PHEV's, you can travel as much as 50 miles (80 km) before the on-board internal combustion engine kicks in to provide power and to recharge the battery pack.
And gasoline engines can still improve their fuel efficiency as much as 23% over the next decade, thanks to the switch to direct fuel injection, lean burn operation, variable-timing valve trains to improve engine "breathing," and engine stop systems to temporarily turn off the engine when the car comes to a physical stop such as in urban driving environments.
Also, scientists in the past year have discovered that we can use various forms of biomass to make synthetic diesel fuel, heating oil, gasoline and kerosene. This could mean we could use oil-laden algae and/or any plant waste to make motor fuels, and the scaling up of the technology could happen within the next 15 years.
Actually, the Mitsu HS-U595 was pretty cheap--I got it for US$150 brand new in 2000, pretty cheap for such a "loaded" VHS recorder (remember, it has VCR Plus Gold support, which was rare on almost any class of VCR).
The most expensive model from Mitsubishi at that time was the HS-U795, which was essentially the HS-U595 but with Super VHS support and a few more features.
Fortunately! I do know that both Maxell and Sony are still manufacturing blank T-120 and T-160 tapes for the many millions of VHS videocassette recorders still out there, based on seeing them available at Wal-Mart. I have a Mitsubishi HS-U595 deck from 2000 and it still works very well recording shows off cable TV.
Very likely, any legislation promoting universal broadband access will also be attached to a law requiring Net neutrality over these lines. Net neutrality is important, especially with First Amendment rights in the USA.
One problem with landlines is that putting it up in rural areas is an expensive proposition, especially the maintenance costs. With WiMAX technology (especially now that electromagnetic spectrum is available thanks the switch to digital TV), you can put up a small number of towers and cover a huge swath of rural land, with each tower connecting potentially a couple of thousand users at 5-7 mbps download speeds. WiMAX tranceiving antennas can easily "piggyback" on current cellphone antenna arrays, so the coverage should be already good to start with.