A user powered video sharing system...
Shafiu
Lead Developer & Founder
Shaffan
Lead Designer & Videography
Shaffah
Chief Marketing & Developer
Singapore Airlines will install Krisworld entertainment devices operated by Linux. According to design news, “The PC includes an office suite where passengers can create word documents spreadsheets or presentations. The office productivity software suite is reported as Star Office, created by Sun Microsystems. The PCs also have a USB input to attach a flash drive or other portable media storage devices so that files created on the plane can be used once on the ground.”
Economy passengers will access 10.6 inch screens while first class passengers will have access to 23-inch screens. “Other features to the in-flight entertainment array include, Dolby surround or noise cancelling headphones and a built in sky phone to communicate with the ground or other passengers on the plane.”
Ever since seeing the above image from Gizmodo, my curiosity about the device has increased. First, Google needs to make sure connection to the Internet is flawless. This basic assumption, though is rarely discussed by pundits. In particular, there are two challenges to using this devices to surf the Internet. Screen resolution and speed are two challenges that must be overcome before market acceptance. While the gadget-lovers may initially flock to a device from Google, dominance cannot happen without the appeal to the masses.
Consider the Reg Hardware story regarding the phone in Europe. According to the site, LG’s KU-580 handset incorporates Google Search, Google Mail and Google Maps. Obviously, getting mail is fine but after searching for a site then going to the site is important.
Think of the pre-1995 days of surfing the web. Sites were dull, ugly, and slow to load. Returning to those days on a newer mobile device is not progress. Instead, these devices take us back to hauntingly, chilling days of waiting for ugliness to appear. While this may have been cool back in the days - we expect more - and more from developers.
Consider the screen resolution of most mobile systems. The first complaint from users is that the resolution is too low. Without 1024 x 768, sites usually look crammed full of information. The lack of white space detracts from the eyes. Those of us with poor eye sight value well designed sites that help us find information quickly. Young ones may enjoy black and dark backgrounds, but most of us prefer content over style. And we cannot find the content when the style prohibits it.
Second, consider the speed of sites loading. If a site does not pop on my browser then my patience with the site decreases. Leaving the site quickly is more apt to happen when the surfing experience is poor due to slow connectivity. Having recently moved from a place with high-speed connectivity to a low-speed local, my interest in surfing the web has dramatically decreased. Connecting through a cell phone is fine at times but never for a long period of time.
If these two challenges are overcome by the Google Phone, or any other device allowing surfing the web, then a purchase is a good investment. Yet, failing to overcome these issues will cause the wallet to never be opened and a continued search and dream for the perfect mobile system will continue. How about you? What are your trigger points for purchasing a Google Phone?
The release of the Sony Ericsson T650 signifies two things: first, the revival of the T series, and secondly, an indication of the company's first step into the fashion world. By definition the T650 is built for anesthetic viewing pleasure, not simply for the music or the camera. It is considered to be a mid-range phone that reconciles size, function, and fashion. Today we will see if it can really make you look good, or if the user will be left feeling like a fashion victim.
PALISADES, New Jersey (September 21, 2007) – Film star George Clooney is recovering from a motorcycle accident, which occurred Friday.
The star of the “Ocean’s” series was on his motorcycle when a car stuck his two-wheeler, a rep for Clooney told Access Hollywood.
Clooney’s new gal pal, Sarah Larson was on the back of the motorcycle when it hit.
Clooney was taken to the Palisades Medical Center in Palisades, New Jersey where he was treated for a hairline fracture of the rib and road rash.
Larson’s foot was broken in the accident, Clooney’s rep told Access Hollywood
Both Clooney and Larson were released after receiving treatment.
Despite the crash, Access Hollywood has learned Clooney still plans to attend the world premiere of his new drama “Michael Clayton,” Monday night in New York City.
"Our intention is not to scare the public," says Naresh K. Panda, MS, DNB, chairman of the department of ear, nose, and throat at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, and researcher for the study. The study, he tells WebMD, is preliminary and small. "We need to study a larger number of patients."
He presented the findings Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery in Washington.
His team found that people who had talked on cell phones for more than four years and those who talked more than an hour daily were more likely to have these high-frequency losses. These losses can make it difficult to hear consonants such as s, f, t and z, making it hard to understand words.
But another hearing expert familiar with the study says there is as yet no cause for alarm.
Hearing Loss Study
Panda and his colleagues evaluated 100 people, aged 18 to 45, who had used mobile phones for at least a year, dividing them into three groups according to length of use. One group of 35 had used phones for one to two years; another group of 35 had used them for two to four years, and a group of 30 had used them for more than four years.
"We asked them if they had been using the phones less than 60 minutes or more than 60 minutes per day," Panda tells WebMD. They compared the phone users with 50 people who had never used cell phones and served as a control group. The study was conducted in India.
Those who used the mobile phones for more than four years had more hearing loss in high-frequency ranges in their right ear, the ear most held the phone to, than those who used the mobile phone for one to two years.
"When we compared high-frequency thresholds (the level at which the sound is first detected) between the one- to two-year [users] and more than four years; there was a significant difference in the thresholds between these two groups," he says.
One- to two-year users had a 16.48 decibel loss in the high-frequency range, he says, while those who used the phones more than four years had a 24.54 decibel loss.
That decrease in hearing over a relatively brief period may not be noticeable to mobile phone users but would be of concern to a hearing expert, says Andy Vermiglio, AuD, a research audiologist at House Ear Institute in Los Angeles.
Mobile phone users who had symptoms such as a warm sensation, fullness in the ears, or ringing were more likely to have the high-frequency hearing loss, Panda also says.
Long-term mobile phone use may result in inner ear damage, Panda speculates. And symptoms such as ear warmth or fullness could be early warning signs of that damage.
The research is too preliminary to warrant alarm, says Chester Griffiths, MD, chairman of the surgery department at Santa Monica -- UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital and assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles. He was not involved in the study but reviewed the findings for WebMD.
"Based on this study, I would not advise any change at the point, but I would caution people if they have any symptoms to stop using a cell phone or to reduce use."
Joe Farren, a spokesman for CTIA -- the Wireless Association, the industry organization for the cellular industry, tells WebMD he has not reviewed the new study closely so he can't comment directly on the findings.
But he tells WebMD that previous research has not found a link between cell phone use and harmful health effects.
"There have been numerous studies conducted around the globe that have been peer-reviewed and published in leading scientific journals that show no association between wireless usage and adverse health effects," Farren says.
The subjects in the Indian study used GSM mobile phones. Farren says U.S. mobile phone users have phones that use the GSM platform but also other platforms.
Panda plans to continue his research. Meanwhile, his advice to preserve hearing: "Use cell phones when absolutely necessary.
