TDD
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Optimus G will be LG's first smartphone to pack LTE TDD
LTE TDD's not much of a thing in the US (other than on Clearwire), but it's widely used across Asia and in countries like Saudi Arabia. Still, many handset makers are just getting on board, and LG has launched its first smartphone with those bands -- an Optimus G variant -- on Saudi Telecom's network. LG said it would soon roll out that model along with other, as-yet-unnamed phones, equipped with the band (also known as TD-LTE) in Japan, Austrialia, India and North America. The Korean maker added that China will see the Optimus G this summer on China Mobile, which demoed a TD-LTE prototype of that model not so long ago.
Camelot Unchained Kickstarter update offers a look at the Tuatha De Danann
Camelot Unchained finally threw its hat into the Kickstarter ring three days ago, garnering a quick outpouring of support from the community in the form of $411K in just four hours. Two days later the amount pledged nearly doubled, jumping to over $815K of a $2 million goal. Last night, Mark Jacobs posted an update that included additional concept art for the Tuatha De Danann race, or TDD. Also included is a short video where lead artist Scott Trolam discussed that early art and demonstrated a 3D version. Check out the art in the gallery below, and head to the official Kickstarter page for a look at the video.%Gallery-184595%
Panasonic, DoCoMo, NEC and Fujitsu create IP for multi-standard LSI chip; supports LTE, GSM, W-CDMA and HSPA+
Marvell was first to introduce a single-chip LTE world modem with support for multiple mobile standards late last year, and now Panasonic Mobile Communications, NTT DoCoMo, NEC and Fujitsu have developed intellectual property (hardware and software) for something similar of their own. Specifically, the quartet has gone further with the chip aspect. They've tested an "engineering sample" of a large-scale integration chip (pictured) for modems in mobile devices, and claim that it uses twenty percent less juice than larger two-chip designs. That consolidation, also makes it cheaper to produce. Past that, the chip has successfully provided "interconnectivity between the mobile networks of major vendors," getting it a step closer to production. The silicon lets modems play nice with FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, GSM, W-CDMA and HSPA+, specifically, and LTE-Advanced support is in the cards for the future. Although Panasonic, DoCoMo, NEC and Fujitsu are the main partners, other "major players" are said to be on board for a "joint venture," with the goal of commercializing it in countries outside of (and including) Japan. The word's mum on when we can expect the chip to make it past the sampling phase, but in the meantime, hit up the press release after the break for more knowledge.
Qualcomm's fifth gen Gobi unveiled, supports a Lollapalooza of LTE, 2G / 3G bands
Qualcomm this morning took the wraps off the fifth generation of its Gobi reference platform, which offers up LTE via FDD and TDD networks. It also plays nicely with past favorites, including the likes of HSPA+ and EV-DO, keeping your globe trotting self connected on that skinny laptop, tablet or convertible. The reference platform is designed to work with Windows 8 and Android devices and a number of processors, including, naturally, the San Diego-based company's own dual- and quad-core Snapdragons and good old x86. More information and lots of quotes from big name companies who think the bouncing new baby Gobi is just swell after the break.
Telecommunications device for the deaf gets hitched to a rotary phone, hacked to run Zork
In today's episode of "But will it run Zork?" a chap named Ulysses got the vintage game to run on a TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) -- a project he built to show off at the Bay Area Maker Faire last weekend. In a move we truly respect, he hunted down a rotary phone lifted straight out of the era when Zork was conceived (that would be the late '70s / early '80s). Then, he modified a modem so that the acoustically coupled TDD could be interfaced -- transmitting at a slow 45.5 baud to make it easy for even ponderous readers to keep up, one line at a time on the TDD's narrow display. Once this was sorted, things weren't exactly smooth sailing when Ulysses started fitting the compressed Zork story file into the system. At first, he tried using an Arduino Pro and an Arduino Mega, but found that neither had enough memory to accommodate the compressed Zork story file. Ultimately, he took a different tack and settled on an embeddable FitPC. We'd love nothing more than to see this thing in action, but in lieu of a video we highly suggest carving out a few minutes and perusing Ulysses' photo blog at the source link.
Sprint, Clearwire among companies asking for TD-LTE standard in WiMAX spectrum
Clearwire has made it crystal clear that it isn't taking a "WiMAX or die" approach to 4G -- and frankly, it couldn't afford to, considering that the infrastructure suppliers and hardware manufacturers could easily continue their trend toward shunning the next-gen underdog. What's interesting, though, is that the company now appears to be taking a very active role in developing an LTE-based standard that could supplant WiMAX in its 2.6GHz spectrum should the need arise. Along with Motorola, Huawei, ZTE, Cisco, Nokia Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent, and -- surprise, surprise -- Clearwire partner Sprint, the company is asking the 3GPP to define a standard for running TD-LTE in the 2.6GHz slot. Unlike the more commonly-used FD-LTE -- the standard Verizon is using, among others -- TD-LTE operates unpaired, meaning it can operate in slimmer chunks of spectrum than its counterpart. Asking for a standard is clearly a far cry from actually building out a network, but it's interesting to note that Clearwire and Sprint alike both have their eyes firmly fixed on an LTE-based technology if the WiMAX industry packs it in.
Iowa 911 call center now accepting texts; Twitter and Facebook status updates can't be far behind
As of this week, callers can now text their requests for fire, police, or ambulance, to the emergency call center in Black Hawk County, Iowa -- both a nationwide first and a definite improvement for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents who have thus far had to rely on TDD devices. Unlike voice calls, however, the 911 operator can't get your location from a text message, meaning that the caller must first respond to a request for their city or zip code before the call gets routed. Currently, only i wireless subscribers (a local carrier affiliated with T-Mobile) can use the service, but plans are afoot to bring other carriers on board as well. Other future upgrades include the ability to accept video and picture messages. All the operators ask is that you refrain from sending them those silly chain text messages -- that sort of thing can be really distracting when you're busy saving lives.
Orange, T-Mobile UK announce TDtv trials, mobile TV standards now number one bajillion
Still struggling to figure out a way to turn a profit on the whole concept, carriers and infrastructure suppliers apparently have no bones about continuing to go full speed ahead on mobile TV R&D, trials, and deployments. NextWave Wireless' TDtv standard has one key advantage over competitors like DVB-H, DMB, and FLO, though: because it utilizes unpaired UMTS spectrum, it makes use of frequencies and technologies that carriers already possess. On the flipside, it has taken considerably longer for TDtv to come into its own, while DVB-H has secured a deathgrip on Europe and FLO has done the same in North America, so it's unclear at this point just how much impact it'll ultimately have. Anyway, Orange and T-Mobile apparently have shown enough interest to find out for themselves, with both carriers committing to TDtv trials in the UK that'll have West London customers receiving up to 24 telly channels and 10 digital radio stations when the system launches in the second half of the year.
