Advertisement
Engadget
Why you can trust us

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.

OnLive CEO reveals 'entirely new approach' to wireless, credits Rearden for toppling Shannon's Law

"In advance, yes -- you're right, it's impossible. But nonetheless, we have ten radios all working at the same frequency, all at the Shannon limit... and there's no interference." You may not fully grok the significance of that statement, but anyone heavily involved in solving the wireless bandwidth crisis is probably dropjawed. For a little background, there's a perceived limit in wireless known as Shannon's Law, which largely explains why no one can watch a YouTube clip on their EVO at Michigan Stadium. For whatever reason, it's been assumed that this law was fundamentally unbreakable, but it looks as if an unlikely member of society may have just overrode expectations. OnLive's CEO Steve Perlman recently revealed a breakthrough from Rearden Companies -- in short, they've figured out a workaround, and in testing, it's doing things like "removing dead zones" altogether. His slide, shown during a presentation at Columbia, notes that the implications here are "profound," and we couldn't agree more. Do yourself a solid and hit play in the video below the break -- we've fast-forwarded to where this section begins.