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Verizon's 'LTE Advanced' network promises 50 percent higher speed
Every wireless carrier has various tests that say its network is the best, but most still view Verizon as the best overall choice when looking for that all-important combo of speed and reliability. (That combo doesn't come cheap, of course.) Today, the company is announcing a new focus on speed: with the rollout of "LTE Advanced," Verizon claims that users will see "50 percent higher peak speeds." The new speed bump is available to users in 461 cities across the country. Of course, it's going to take significant testing to verify the veracity of Verizon's claims.
New research brings better wireless to remote locations, 80 percent faster GoT downloads
Not getting the bandwidth you need, Heidi? Then maybe the folks at North Carolina State University can help. They've figured out a way to boost multi-hop networks, where data is forwarded across two or more nodes (hops) in order to reach far-flung users. Networks like this can often get bogged down by interference between neighboring nodes. But by using algorithms to automatically modulate the power of each link, the NC State scientists have managed to jump efficiency by up to 80 percent. This has the effect of not only increasing speed, but also saving juice if the systems are battery powered -- like those used by the US Army, which sponsored the research. After all, just because you're away from the throne doesn't mean you have to be out of the game.
BMW presents car-to-x communication, wants vehicles to talk more (video)
What good is an Ultimate Driving Machine if it can't get a little help from its friends? A new hazard-dodging system from BMW could help these Bavarian autos get a bit more chatty, each vehicle talking to nearby traffic across long-range wireless networks. In a series of video demonstrations, the car maker shows how the car-to-x system could give advance warnings of traffic, emergency vehicles and weather hazards by enabling one car to beam warnings directly to others. BMW hopes to connect the system to mobile phone networks as latency times improve and possibly even access data from traffic light systems. Sure, GM and Ford got there a bit earlier, but you can see BMW's implementation demonstrated after the break, and check out the via link for more videos of the world's most boring game of GTA.
Google planning opt-out option for WiFi data gathering
Privacy concerns have caused Google to back down a bit on its information collection amongst residential wireless networks. Beginning in the fall, the company will allow owners of the WiFi networks to opt-out of the data gathering. Google has assured concerned parties that it doesn't collect personal details when nabbing the information for its databases, but such comments haven't done much to calm the nerves of privacy advocates.
Researchers develop method to measure effects of WiFi attacks
America is built on the principles of life, liberty and WiFi, the latter of which has increasingly become a target for hackers hoping to mess up our chi. To predict what would happen as result of an assault, researchers at North Carolina State University created two models -- one based on a continuous jam of service, and one on an intermittent disruption that would cut off service during specific times. They then measured "order gain," which compares the probability of an attacker having network access to the probability of a legitimate user having access. Basically, the more control a hacker has, the more regular users that will lose service and be shut out -- making it harder to regain control. Researchers hope the new method will help identify the most vulnerable networks, opening the doors to create effective countermeasures to keep our WiFi safe -- something that Starbucks customers will surely be thankful for.
Researchers demo full-duplex wireless: double the throughput with no new towers
Back in February researchers at Stanford first taunted us with the possibility of simultaneous, two-way data transmission on the same frequency. Now some folks at Rice University are edging full-duplex communication closer to reality. By the time carriers get around to rolling out 4.5G networks, engineers could potentially double throughput without adding more cell towers and using only existing mobile hardware. With an extra antenna and some fancy software tricks, which allow the device to ignore locally produced signals, the Rice team was able to produce a connection ten-times stronger than previously published studies. Since the technology is based on existing MIMO setups, it may also prove the shortest route to asynchronous full-duplex transmissions. That means you'll be able to upload ill advised videos of your drunken antics (and suffer the consequences) that much faster, without having to pause the latest Maru clip. Check out the PR after the break. [Image credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University]
NTIA says LightSquared proposal could pose national security threat
Last summer it looked like Philip Falcone's LightSquared was on the path to a democratic LTE solution: a coast-to-coast network, incorporating satellite connectivity to cover the entire country. It's an ambitious goal to be sure -- perhaps too ambitious. In a letter to the FCC, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) warned that the wholesaler's wireless network, which would operate on the MSS spectrum, could interfere with systems like Department of Defense communications. Here's the snag: last year the FCC approved the company's initial proposal to create a network that would incorporate both terrestrial and satellite services. Now LightSquared wants to offer the option of terrestrial-only phones to their clients. According to the NTIA, such a system would require far more land-based stations, causing potential MSS overcrowding and increasing the risk of interference with everything from aeronautical emergency communications to Federal agency systems. The FCC has yet to make a decision on the revised proposal, and LightSquared hasn't made a peep, leaving us to wonder whether it was all too good to be true.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 heading to AT&T?
Man, the loot you can uncover when you go snooping around spec pages. That most ambitious of Sony Ericsson projects, the XPERIA X10, is still a long way from being released, but already we can narrow down the list of potential US carriers to just one: AT&T. The guys over at Phandroid were the first to spot the newly added UMTS frequency specs for the phone, and the available 800/850/1900/2100 bands fit only AT&T's 3G network. That's gonna be a bitter pill to swallow if you were looking for something like (or better than) an iPhone, but were put off by the wireless provider. Then again, with pre-order prices for unlocked X10s showing up at $999 in some places, maybe you can just look at our lukewarm hands-on and convince yourself this phone ain't worth it anyway. Go on, you know denial makes sense. [Thanks, Berto]
