The "veil view" version is exactly that. Expect it soon on laptops and mobile phones. It's switchable too so you don't have to have it on all the time.
Here's the PDF press release that shows a different view of the headset and some pictures of the Samsung phone. It's in French but pretty easy to understand IMO.
As this is a PAL/NTSC input device, it'll probably work fine with other phones with video output like the Sharp 902 for viewing videos off its SD card or playing games.
I don't know why you would worry but a lot of GIS's have floorplan information in them. My county has the floor plan of every house from the building permit data. They also have a picture of the property after it was built and an assessment of the quality of the workmanship.
I think the better way to have put it would have been:
"The aim of getting the same microchip is to ensure compatability in screening terrorist suspects. But it will also mean that information contained in the British cards can be accessed across the Atlantic more easily."
Even if the Brits use a different chipset it's not like the US won't want to read the cards, it'll just be a little more difficult to start with.
I don't buy into the necessity of the cellphone. I've been using them for years, but as of late I don't carry them everywhere any more. I don't want to. Call me post-technologist but really, I'm just taking an active role in who I'm going to interact with. There's a lifestyle choice between the iPod and a cellphone. I can make a choice when I go out to carry one or the other and increasingly, I'm deciding to ditch the cellphone and just be happy with my music. What's the worst that can happen?
That is some impressive programming. Wonderful! The Excel spreadsheet is zoomed to 10% so that each cell is as big as a pixel and then he uses scripting to implement the game. There's also a space invaders version!
A common misconception. A 1G iPod shuffle costs $149. Even without the good earphones, that is more than a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo that can be had for $99 from the likes of Dell. Of course, due to the massive interest in 1G MSPD cards, they're all sold out. Also, a PSP with a 1G card provides functionality superior to that of an iPod photo as not only can it play music, show album art and pan and zoom large photos, but can store full-length movies on it too. All-in-all a PSP+1GB card kicks ass.
Here at work (an R&D facility for a major electronics company) we have opened up our WLAN for anyone to use and dropped WEP completely. Instead we use VPN's. This enables the following:
1. Any customer/vendor can get easy net access 2. Anyone in our local area can get free Internet access and feel good about our company. The range isn't that far, but for geeks in a pinch, it's there for them.
We don't advertise this feature but it is definitely done for these reasons.
I strongly recommend other companies to just dump WEP or any other authentication system and open up their access points.
This might not be new to some, but it's quite easy to create random passwords that you can remember, although, I suppose you could argue that they are not completely random. Anyway, here goes:
1. Think of a sentence that you can remember, e.g., "My two lovely kids Spike and Mary eat noodles every day!" 2. Take the first letter of each word and use some common substitutions: "M2lkS&Mened!" - Bingo, not only is it a pretty random collection of letters but it includes numbers, upper case and lower case mixed and even punctuation. All lovely stuff to blunt brute force password attacks. 3. When you type it in, say the sentence to yourself in your head. It's really quite easy to remember that way. Also, you can even just about get away with writing it down (in an office environment) and not many people will understand it. Of course, I don't recommend this but people are people. 4. Don't forget to dump the sentence every few months or so and make up a new one. It's no big deal, they're easy to remember.
These look extremely good when you set them up and then snap the result BUT they do not look any good at all or convincing when you try it in real life. I know because I'm so sad I tried it on Friday when this story first came out on gizmodo.com or engadget.com (always get those mixed up). If you really want to have a go remember: 1) You really need to use a laptop because shifting a CRT monitor or even an LCD panel is tough, flicking it down is easy. 2) Try to match the resolution of the camera to the screen size otherwise you'll have to stretch it to get it to fit right. Even then it won't look right because it only looks right from one position. 3) Get a app that lets you tint and alter the gamma of the photos. My digital camera's white balance just didn't create the same yucky yellow tint that my office strip lights have. Couldn't match it at all. 4) Admit that honestly, if what's behind your PC monitor is a dusty cube wall it's probably not worth looking at anyway, and no, you won't fool anyone.
Actually any software that uses the 3D engine will work. It's very neat - you don't really need any specially optimized software at all. If it uses OpenGL (or in the case of windows DirectX) just flick it into 3D mode and you'll see the graphics in 3D. The only time it can get a bit weird is if the programmers have used a 2D trick within their game world which wouldn't be noticed when you're playing on a 2D screen. Also, on some games, the cross-hairs are not actually displayed in 3D but just pasted as 2D so they look a bit odd. On the whole though, most of the games work just fine, see the list on their web site. Note, these are not special versions, just the regular software.
Excellent advice. What is interesting is that in my experience, you can spot the people who are most likely to leave - their attitude at work really improves. They might even do some of the best work they've ever done. This isn't a bad thing, and I don't suggest you do crappy work. I actually think it's part of the revenge because you get to leave just when they realize they'd really like you to stay.
1. I hate ringtones, F*** OFF! 2. I can't understand why people pay for them! 3. I like my standard ringtone!
If this is you, then the answer is simple - you are in the minority. You really are. It's nothing personal or degrading or anything, but the vast majority of cellphone users like ringtones, want to be able to change them and cannot make a ringtone by themselves to save their life. Just listen to the conversations you overhear! They are dumb! Do you really think that person knows how to trim an MP3 or MIDI down to size?
And, it's my job, yes it is, to make sure that they get what they want. For example, when we started putting web browsers into phones, the carriers all thought that folks would be surfing the web and getting into intricately designed CSS, XHTML based pages of multi-layered information - some in Europe still think that. But you when it comes to the US - HAHAHA - no way! The only reason your phone has a browser is to enable you to download ringtones, and wallpapers, and games. So that's all we care about. The only reason the browsers still have all those wonderful WML/XHTML/CSS tag capabilities is because it's in the standard and no one has the guts to say it isn't required anymore. Companies like T-Mobile US even gave up trying to charge for web browsing on their phones and made it free so that there would be an easy way for those tech-challenged subscribers to get the ringtones on their phone. Just hit the browser button, choose ringtones, buy and it's on the phone. Wringing out any and all extra key clicks or steps is what us phone developers are having to do to make that instant gratification as quick as possible.
Interesting points but we don't have to "think" about "if" someone would try to put an mp3 player in a phone because it's been available for ages. Indeed, putting a PVR in a phone has almost been done in Japan (the phone uses Infrared to tune the cable box to the right channel and starts recording via video input so you can watch it later on your commute). Basically, there are plenty of phones that can play MP3's and yes, even AAC (MPEG4) back and most all the problems you've mentioned have been solved:
1. "The part's compliment each other poorly" - actually they do compliment each other very well. Phones have memory, digital to analog convertors, places to pug in headphones, speakers, screens to view the track info and buttons to select everything. In addition, a lot of phone manufacturer have already crossed the licensing threshold for MP3 and AAC by supporting those formats for ringtones. Trust me, adding a simple MP3 player adds virtually no cost or hinderance to the manufacturers. In addition, playback quality being as good as say, an iPod is a given. Indeed, for example, some people say the Sharp 902 sounds even better. Storage is currently on SD Cards (typically 1G maximum right now) but you *will* see HDD equiped cellphones real soon now.
2. "Meanwhile, there's interference. You want to be able to pause your mp3 player to answer your phone without losing your place" - at first I thought you meant radio interference but I see you mean interference with calling. Either way, both are no problem: automatically pause the music for the call and then resume when you finish the call.
3. "You want to be able to run your mp3 player all night without your phone battery being dead in the morning" - well, it all depends how big your battery is and how efficient your radio is. I must admit 8 hours audio playback and then expecting a day of phone use (how many minutes talking?) would be difficult, but most people do charge their phones. As for when we get fuel cells... well, no problem!
The key thing with this Motorola phone is that Moto got a licensed from Apple for the DRM. That's the impressive part - they got a legal agreement - not the technical part. Other manufacturer's have AAC playback (the Sharp TM200 springs to mind) but without that DRM support people aren't going to be able to stick iTMS content onto their phone and have it playback, that is, unless they use something like hymn.
Apple better watch out though - there are a LOT more phones sold every week than iPods and if they restrict their DRM licensing to just a select few, I am sure Microsoft will win out.
Didn't seem to stop the IRS. You can get access to a lot of free Federal tax filing software, like Turbo Tax as a result of their threat to offer a free online tax filing system. I think the municipalities should use the threat or existance of a competing wide area wireless infrastructure to ensure that private companies stay on their toes.
Well, it depends what you want to do, but if you want just generic Internet access, Verizon's broadband access might cover you. $80 a month for unlimited access and typical speeds of 300-500 kbps. Just pop the PC card in and skip all the WiFi hassle.
Cingular Wireless will be rolling out their 3G network this year too and next year it should have HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) which will give you ~3Mbps downlink. So, I'm afraid that with those sort of speeds available and flat rate pricing it's going to be tough for DSL and some cable modem packages to compete.
Even if 3G isn't available, 2.5G cellular networks from either Sprint (1X), Verizon (1X) or Cingular (EDGE) can still give a good speed and wide area access. Finally, if he just wants to keep up on email, get him a Blackberry or a T-Mobile Sidekick II. Those both work excellently and are handy to carry too.
Why, oh why does Intel insist on giving everything some crappy marketing name and confusing customers?
The reason is branding. And it makes them a lot of money. Centrino has been an unmitigated success for Intel and that would seem to indicate that Centrino has been popular with customers. Why? Customers find it easier to ask for, look for and trust and brand name. A Centrino laptop comes with a Pentium-M plus some wireless thingy that wasn't as well known before Centrino came along but they'll know they'll get a trusted laptop package with the battery life and wireless capability they know Centrino represents. Easy. But, before Centrino brand got established (I worked for Intel pre and during the launch of Centrino) first some of the OEM's were sceptical and offered Pentium-M plus some no-name wireless unit along side Centrino-branded platforms. Centrino won that marketing race easily as soon as the feedback rolled in - customers are asking for Centrino and they won't buy anything else - give us more Centrinos! So, in this case sales speak for themselves, branding worked.
Um, your posting might have been relevant at some point in the past but the iPOD has had Windows versions for quite a while - heck, you can even buy them at CompUSA here.
This is one of the most sanest postings I've ever read on Slashdot - woah - I feel giddy. Anything *I* write about patents should be ignored (I've been fatally twisted by extremely large company patent systems) but this guy should be listened to.
Do search on ebay for "sidekick creed" current bid looks to be arounf $800.
Shameless paste from ebay site:
T-Mobile Sidekick & T-Mobile Rocks the Rock
Can you walk the walk and talk the talk? Well, how about this...T-Mobile and Danger, Inc. want to know if you and your sidekick can Rock the Rock!
T-Mobile Rocks the Rock with an historic concert event on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California to celebrate the nationwide "break out" of T-Mobile wireless service across the U.S.
Winners of this auction Get More from T-Mobile with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear special musical guest Creed as T-Mobile Rocks the Rock. Only 1,500 people will go to T-Mobile Rocks the Rock, being held October 10 on Alcatraz Island.
The winner of this auction will receive the following:
Be one of the first to own a T-Mobile Sidekick--autographed by internationally renowned actress and T-Mobile Global Spokeswoman, Catherine Zeta Jones. One year of free mobile service for the T-Mobile Sidekick Two tickets to the T-Mobile Rocks the Rock event, held on Alcatraz, October 10th, 2002 Round trip airfare for you and your sidekick (U.S. only) One night stay in San Francisco Introducing the T-Mobile Sidekick
It's your wireless everything
As in, everything you need for communication, information, and entertainment. Web browser, mobile snapshots, AOL® Instant Messenger(TM) Service, e-mail, full featured mobile phone, games, calendar, address, and more!
The Golden Gate National Parks Association
All proceeds of this auction will go to the Golden Gate National Parks Association. The Golden Gate National Parks Association is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the preservation and public enjoyment of the Golden Gate National Parks, including Alcatraz Island.
I'm surprised that you're wasting time doing patent searches or thinking that one will help you. A lot of companies specifically train their employees NOT to look for prior art, patents or anything like that. The general rule of patents is that virutally anything can be patented. The bar for originality is so low that you can probably get a valid claim for something in your "invention" Far, far more important for potential inventors IMO are the following "Rules": 1. Your claims should be short. If they're more than three lines long they're probably too specific so that infringement is unlikely. 2. Make sure you get a really good patent law firm. There are only about 6 of them in the USA IMO. If I see a patent by some other firm out of that set I'm not worried about it because it's probably badly written or flawed in some other way. Sorry - you'll have to work out who they are. 3. Get as many patents as you can premptively. Use them as a shield against anyone who might think about suing you. Basically, stake out enough claims to the area you're working on so that you have a likely chance of counter suing if someone tries in on you. This also goes to Rule #2 - you want them to think twice before they take you on. That's a defensive strategy but it works, for example, how many companies have tried to sue IBM? IBM have so many patents that even if you think you've got them, they will probably be able to pull out a stack of patents that you're probably infringing.
Hey, this is a cynical view of patent land but it's also reality IMO.
Doesn't sound like you know too much about how they work either. Digital cellular phones do not have to be in constant contact with the base station unless they are actually in a call. In fact, they only occasionally contact the network with a location update when in standby. How often they have to do this is determined by the network but it's not continuous and the silent period can be quite a long time. The location update isn't even that accurate. It places you within a location area which could span a number of cells. Yes, the exact cell ID that you transmitted to can be logged but it is not without reason that a number of cells can form a location area for paging purposes. Also, don't forget that the cell size can be really quite large - many many square miles. A location area approach is used because you can move in and around that group of cells or sectors and for efficient paging of the phone, when you get a call, all of those cells can be used to try to look for you. The fact that you might not even be there any more might be unknown to the network.
As a lot of people know, in the US the FCC has mandated that phones be capable of being located when they initiate an emergency call. Phase 1 of the effort was to provide at least cell ID, but was never going to be of much use. What is being rolled out now in handsets is fairly accurate positioning technology, either provided by assisted GPS (AGPS) or E-OTD, (Enhanced Observed Time Difference). Of course, it isn't just the handsets that need upgrading but the network and also the appropriate technology has to be installed in the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), i.e., the place which gets the E911 call.
Enhanced 911 is a lifesaving public safety service. Being able to immediately identify the 911 caller's location allows public safety call takers to quickly send emergency services to the scene. Many times during a crisis a 911 caller is unable to provide this critical information. Enhanced 911's location feature helps minimize delays in emergency response that could endanger a person's life or property.
Slashdot Mirror
The "veil view" version is exactly that. Expect it soon on laptops and mobile phones. It's switchable too so you don't have to have it on all the time.
Here's the PDF press release that shows a different view of the headset and some pictures of the Samsung phone. It's in French but pretty easy to understand IMO.
As this is a PAL/NTSC input device, it'll probably work fine with other phones with video output like the Sharp 902 for viewing videos off its SD card or playing games.
I don't know why you would worry but a lot of GIS's have floorplan information in them. My county has the floor plan of every house from the building permit data. They also have a picture of the property after it was built and an assessment of the quality of the workmanship.
Even if the Brits use a different chipset it's not like the US won't want to read the cards, it'll just be a little more difficult to start with.
I don't buy into the necessity of the cellphone. I've been using them for years, but as of late I don't carry them everywhere any more. I don't want to. Call me post-technologist but really, I'm just taking an active role in who I'm going to interact with. There's a lifestyle choice between the iPod and a cellphone. I can make a choice when I go out to carry one or the other and increasingly, I'm deciding to ditch the cellphone and just be happy with my music. What's the worst that can happen?
That is some impressive programming. Wonderful! The Excel spreadsheet is zoomed to 10% so that each cell is as big as a pixel and then he uses scripting to implement the game. There's also a space invaders version!
A common misconception. A 1G iPod shuffle costs $149. Even without the good earphones, that is more than a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo that can be had for $99 from the likes of Dell. Of course, due to the massive interest in 1G MSPD cards, they're all sold out. Also, a PSP with a 1G card provides functionality superior to that of an iPod photo as not only can it play music, show album art and pan and zoom large photos, but can store full-length movies on it too. All-in-all a PSP+1GB card kicks ass.
Here at work (an R&D facility for a major electronics company) we have opened up our WLAN for anyone to use and dropped WEP completely. Instead we use VPN's. This enables the following:
1. Any customer/vendor can get easy net access
2. Anyone in our local area can get free Internet access and feel good about our company. The range isn't that far, but for geeks in a pinch, it's there for them.
We don't advertise this feature but it is definitely done for these reasons.
I strongly recommend other companies to just dump WEP or any other authentication system and open up their access points.
This might not be new to some, but it's quite easy to create random passwords that you can remember, although, I suppose you could argue that they are not completely random. Anyway, here goes:
1. Think of a sentence that you can remember, e.g., "My two lovely kids Spike and Mary eat noodles every day!"
2. Take the first letter of each word and use some common substitutions: "M2lkS&Mened!" - Bingo, not only is it a pretty random collection of letters but it includes numbers, upper case and lower case mixed and even punctuation. All lovely stuff to blunt brute force password attacks.
3. When you type it in, say the sentence to yourself in your head. It's really quite easy to remember that way. Also, you can even just about get away with writing it down (in an office environment) and not many people will understand it. Of course, I don't recommend this but people are people.
4. Don't forget to dump the sentence every few months or so and make up a new one. It's no big deal, they're easy to remember.
Hope that helps some.
These look extremely good when you set them up and then snap the result BUT they do not look any good at all or convincing when you try it in real life. I know because I'm so sad I tried it on Friday when this story first came out on gizmodo.com or engadget.com (always get those mixed up). If you really want to have a go remember:
1) You really need to use a laptop because shifting a CRT monitor or even an LCD panel is tough, flicking it down is easy.
2) Try to match the resolution of the camera to the screen size otherwise you'll have to stretch it to get it to fit right. Even then it won't look right because it only looks right from one position.
3) Get a app that lets you tint and alter the gamma of the photos. My digital camera's white balance just didn't create the same yucky yellow tint that my office strip lights have. Couldn't match it at all.
4) Admit that honestly, if what's behind your PC monitor is a dusty cube wall it's probably not worth looking at anyway, and no, you won't fool anyone.
Actually any software that uses the 3D engine will work. It's very neat - you don't really need any specially optimized software at all. If it uses OpenGL (or in the case of windows DirectX) just flick it into 3D mode and you'll see the graphics in 3D. The only time it can get a bit weird is if the programmers have used a 2D trick within their game world which wouldn't be noticed when you're playing on a 2D screen. Also, on some games, the cross-hairs are not actually displayed in 3D but just pasted as 2D so they look a bit odd. On the whole though, most of the games work just fine, see the list on their web site. Note, these are not special versions, just the regular software.
Yes, I mean, did Vonage get slashdotted? All my phone lines are down and their site is non-repsonding too.
Excellent advice. What is interesting is that in my experience, you can spot the people who are most likely to leave - their attitude at work really improves. They might even do some of the best work they've ever done. This isn't a bad thing, and I don't suggest you do crappy work. I actually think it's part of the revenge because you get to leave just when they realize they'd really like you to stay.
I've just read a lot of posts that say either:
1. I hate ringtones, F*** OFF!
2. I can't understand why people pay for them!
3. I like my standard ringtone!
If this is you, then the answer is simple - you are in the minority. You really are. It's nothing personal or degrading or anything, but the vast majority of cellphone users like ringtones, want to be able to change them and cannot make a ringtone by themselves to save their life.
Just listen to the conversations you overhear! They are dumb! Do you really think that person knows how to trim an MP3 or MIDI down to size?
And, it's my job, yes it is, to make sure that they get what they want. For example, when we started putting web browsers into phones, the carriers all thought that folks would be surfing the web and getting into intricately designed CSS, XHTML based pages of multi-layered information - some in Europe still think that. But you when it comes to the US - HAHAHA - no way! The only reason your phone has a browser is to enable you to download ringtones, and wallpapers, and games. So that's all we care about. The only reason the browsers still have all those wonderful WML/XHTML/CSS tag capabilities is because it's in the standard and no one has the guts to say it isn't required anymore. Companies like T-Mobile US even gave up trying to charge for web browsing on their phones and made it free so that there would be an easy way for those tech-challenged subscribers to get the ringtones on their phone. Just hit the browser button, choose ringtones, buy and it's on the phone. Wringing out any and all extra key clicks or steps is what us phone developers are having to do to make that instant gratification as quick as possible.
Interesting points but we don't have to "think" about "if" someone would try to put an mp3 player in a phone because it's been available for ages. Indeed, putting a PVR in a phone has almost been done in Japan (the phone uses Infrared to tune the cable box to the right channel and starts recording via video input so you can watch it later on your commute). Basically, there are plenty of phones that can play MP3's and yes, even AAC (MPEG4) back and most all the problems you've mentioned have been solved:
1. "The part's compliment each other poorly" - actually they do compliment each other very well. Phones have memory, digital to analog convertors, places to pug in headphones, speakers, screens to view the track info and buttons to select everything. In addition, a lot of phone manufacturer have already crossed the licensing threshold for MP3 and AAC by supporting those formats for ringtones. Trust me, adding a simple MP3 player adds virtually no cost or hinderance to the manufacturers. In addition, playback quality being as good as say, an iPod is a given. Indeed, for example, some people say the Sharp 902 sounds even better. Storage is currently on SD Cards (typically 1G maximum right now) but you *will* see HDD equiped cellphones real soon now.
2. "Meanwhile, there's interference. You want to be able to pause your mp3 player to answer your phone without losing your place" - at first I thought you meant radio interference but I see you mean interference with calling. Either way, both are no problem: automatically pause the music for the call and then resume when you finish the call.
3. "You want to be able to run your mp3 player all night without your phone battery being dead in the morning" - well, it all depends how big your battery is and how efficient your radio is. I must admit 8 hours audio playback and then expecting a day of phone use (how many minutes talking?) would be difficult, but most people do charge their phones. As for when we get fuel cells... well, no problem!
The key thing with this Motorola phone is that Moto got a licensed from Apple for the DRM. That's the impressive part - they got a legal agreement - not the technical part. Other manufacturer's have AAC playback (the Sharp TM200 springs to mind) but without that DRM support people aren't going to be able to stick iTMS content onto their phone and have it playback, that is, unless they use something like hymn.
Apple better watch out though - there are a LOT more phones sold every week than iPods and if they restrict their DRM licensing to just a select few, I am sure Microsoft will win out.
Didn't seem to stop the IRS. You can get access to a lot of free Federal tax filing software, like Turbo Tax as a result of their threat to offer a free online tax filing system. I think the municipalities should use the threat or existance of a competing wide area wireless infrastructure to ensure that private companies stay on their toes.
Well, it depends what you want to do, but if you want just generic Internet access, Verizon's broadband access might cover you. $80 a month for unlimited access and typical speeds of 300-500 kbps. Just pop the PC card in and skip all the WiFi hassle.
Cingular Wireless will be rolling out their 3G network this year too and next year it should have HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) which will give you ~3Mbps downlink. So, I'm afraid that with those sort of speeds available and flat rate pricing it's going to be tough for DSL and some cable modem packages to compete.
Even if 3G isn't available, 2.5G cellular networks from either Sprint (1X), Verizon (1X) or Cingular (EDGE) can still give a good speed and wide area access.
Finally, if he just wants to keep up on email, get him a Blackberry or a T-Mobile Sidekick II. Those both work excellently and are handy to carry too.
Yes, your guess is right - 641 x 6700417=4294967297
Why, oh why does Intel insist on giving everything some crappy marketing name and confusing customers?
The reason is branding. And it makes them a lot of money. Centrino has been an unmitigated success for Intel and that would seem to indicate that Centrino has been popular with customers. Why? Customers find it easier to ask for, look for and trust and brand name. A Centrino laptop comes with a Pentium-M plus some wireless thingy that wasn't as well known before Centrino came along but they'll know they'll get a trusted laptop package with the battery life and wireless capability they know Centrino represents. Easy.
But, before Centrino brand got established (I worked for Intel pre and during the launch of Centrino) first some of the OEM's were sceptical and offered Pentium-M plus some no-name wireless unit along side Centrino-branded platforms. Centrino won that marketing race easily as soon as the feedback rolled in - customers are asking for Centrino and they won't buy anything else - give us more Centrinos!
So, in this case sales speak for themselves, branding worked.
Um, your posting might have been relevant at some point in the past but the iPOD has had Windows versions for quite a while - heck, you can even buy them at CompUSA here.
This is one of the most sanest postings I've ever read on Slashdot - woah - I feel giddy.
Anything *I* write about patents should be ignored (I've been fatally twisted by extremely large company patent systems) but this guy should be listened to.
Do search on ebay for "sidekick creed" current bid looks to be arounf $800.
Shameless paste from ebay site:
T-Mobile Sidekick & T-Mobile Rocks the Rock
Can you walk the walk and talk the talk? Well, how about this...T-Mobile and Danger, Inc. want to know if you and your sidekick can Rock the Rock!
T-Mobile Rocks the Rock with an historic concert event on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California to celebrate the nationwide "break out" of T-Mobile wireless service across the U.S.
Winners of this auction Get More from T-Mobile with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear special musical guest Creed as T-Mobile Rocks the Rock. Only 1,500 people will go to T-Mobile Rocks the Rock, being held October 10 on Alcatraz Island.
The winner of this auction will receive the following:
Be one of the first to own a T-Mobile Sidekick--autographed by internationally renowned actress and T-Mobile Global Spokeswoman, Catherine Zeta Jones.
One year of free mobile service for the T-Mobile Sidekick
Two tickets to the T-Mobile Rocks the Rock event, held on Alcatraz, October 10th, 2002
Round trip airfare for you and your sidekick (U.S. only)
One night stay in San Francisco
Introducing the T-Mobile Sidekick
It's your wireless everything
As in, everything you need for communication, information, and entertainment. Web browser, mobile snapshots, AOL® Instant Messenger(TM) Service, e-mail, full featured mobile phone, games, calendar, address, and more!
The Golden Gate National Parks Association
All proceeds of this auction will go to the Golden Gate National Parks Association. The Golden Gate National Parks Association is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the preservation and public enjoyment of the Golden Gate National Parks, including Alcatraz Island.
Andromeda rules!
I'm surprised that you're wasting time doing patent searches or thinking that one will help you. A lot of companies specifically train their employees NOT to look for prior art, patents or anything like that. The general rule of patents is that virutally anything can be patented. The bar for originality is so low that you can probably get a valid claim for something in your "invention"
Far, far more important for potential inventors IMO are the following "Rules":
1. Your claims should be short. If they're more than three lines long they're probably too specific so that infringement is unlikely.
2. Make sure you get a really good patent law firm. There are only about 6 of them in the USA IMO. If I see a patent by some other firm out of that set I'm not worried about it because it's probably badly written or flawed in some other way. Sorry - you'll have to work out who they are.
3. Get as many patents as you can premptively. Use them as a shield against anyone who might think about suing you. Basically, stake out enough claims to the area you're working on so that you have a likely chance of counter suing if someone tries in on you. This also goes to Rule #2 - you want them to think twice before they take you on. That's a defensive strategy but it works, for example, how many companies have tried to sue IBM? IBM have so many patents that even if you think you've got them, they will probably be able to pull out a stack of patents that you're probably infringing.
Hey, this is a cynical view of patent land but it's also reality IMO.
Cliff
Doesn't sound like you know too much about how they work either. Digital cellular phones do not have to be in constant contact with the base station unless they are actually in a call. In fact, they only occasionally contact the network with a location update when in standby. How often they have to do this is determined by the network but it's not continuous and the silent period can be quite a long time. The location update isn't even that accurate. It places you within a location area which could span a number of cells. Yes, the exact cell ID that you transmitted to can be logged but it is not without reason that a number of cells can form a location area for paging purposes. Also, don't forget that the cell size can be really quite large - many many square miles. A location area approach is used because you can move in and around that group of cells or sectors and for efficient paging of the phone, when you get a call, all of those cells can be used to try to look for you. The fact that you might not even be there any more might be unknown to the network.
As a lot of people know, in the US the FCC has mandated that phones be capable of being located when they initiate an emergency call. Phase 1 of the effort was to provide at least cell ID, but was never going to be of much use. What is being rolled out now in handsets is fairly accurate positioning technology, either provided by assisted GPS (AGPS) or E-OTD, (Enhanced Observed Time Difference). Of course, it isn't just the handsets that need upgrading but the network and also the appropriate technology has to be installed in the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), i.e., the place which gets the E911 call.
Enhanced 911 is a lifesaving public safety service. Being able to immediately identify the 911 caller's location allows public safety call takers to quickly send emergency services to the scene. Many times during a crisis a 911 caller is unable to provide this critical information. Enhanced 911's location feature helps minimize delays in emergency response that could endanger a person's life or property.
Cliff