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Army spy blimp to launch within weeks: 300 feet long, $500 million, 'multi-intelligent'
It can't go faster than 34MPH and it's already a year late for its planned deployment in Afghanistan, but Northrop Grumman's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is now set for its maiden flight. The test run is scheduled for sometime between June 6th and 10th over Lakehurst, New Jersey, whose residents ought to be forewarned that it is not a solar eclipse or a Death Star, but simply a helium-filled pilotless reconnaissance and communications airship that happens to be the size of a football field. After floating around for a while, the giant dirigible is expected to journey south to Florida, where it'll be fitted to a custom-built gondola that will carry the bulk of its equipment, and by which time her enemies hopefully won't have come into possession of an air force.
Mobile Miscellany: week of February 13th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This week, we bring you announcements of LTE expansion from AT&T, US Cellular and Verizon, along with news of three Samsung smartphones that received WiFi certification -- each are thought to be high-end devices and bound for US carriers. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 13th, 2012.
Sprint caps year of Network Vision milestones with first LTE cluster deployment in Kankakee, Illinois
Overhauling a nationwide wireless network isn't exactly for the faint of heart, but Sprint continues marching toward its LTE future and the broader plan known as Network Vision. With a majority of the rollout to be in place by 2013, the carrier is working to bring multi-modal functionality and spectrum integration to its towers, which the provider suggests will deliver expanded coverage, stronger signal and fewer dropped calls for all customers. Earlier this year, Sprint launched its first multi-modal tower in Branchburg, New Jersey, and has now completed its first cluster of sites in Kanakee, Illinois. With the first LTE-capable devices on track for a mid-2012 arrival, Sprint claims that it's wrapped-up field tests and is poised for a rapid LTE deployment. We certainly hope so, because AT&T and Verizon are hardly wasting time in flooding the airwaves with blistering 4G goodness. You'll find the full PR after the break. [Thanks, Xavier]
Google Wallet goes to the Garden State, NJ Transit riders get 'tap and pay' privileges
The perks of Google's Nexus S used to lie solely in its unadorned OS. Now, owners of its penultimate Android flagship are about to get some additional mileage out of their Gingerbread-bearing handsets, courtesy of that underused NFC chip. The recently awakened near field communication feature's already been put to public task by Google Wallet and participating merchants, and will now add NJ Transit to its list of contactless payment partners. Select locations throughout the Garden State's transportation network, including Penn Station and Newark Airport's AirTrain, will let owners of Sprint's Nexus S 4G tap-to-pay for tickets at windows and vending machines. Unfortunately, the mobile payment system won't replace your need for an actual physical ticket or monthly pass just yet, and requires you opt-in with either Citi Mastercard or Visa. Still, it's a definite boon for rushed commuters who'll no longer have to juggle their bags, bagels, coffee and phones in an effort to buy a ticket and make it to work on time. Not yet enabled via NFC? Tap-to-erase-spray tans, but that's coming in the Galaxy Nexus, right?
Umpire strikes out as Find My iPhone goes horribly wrong
Find My iPhone: helpful utility or breeder of social discord? You be the judge... or, in this case, the umpire. In New Jersey, youth baseball umpire Carl Ippolito lost track of his iPhone and became convinced it had been stolen out of his car, reports the Hunterdon County Democrat. Ippolito used the FMi app on his son's phone to track down his device, and the service's location readout led him to the spot where he found 27-year-old Brent Johnson chatting on an iPhone. The aggrieved Ippolito, assuming that Johnson was holding his iPhone, tried to talk to him about it. When Johnson moved to walk away, Ippolito grabbed him and punched him, cutting his chin. Foul ball! Not only is it inappropriate to assault people, even if you think they stole your phone, but it turns out Ippolito's iPhone was at the snack shack at the nearby baseball field, in the spot where he accidentally left it -- Johnson was using his own, perfectly legal iPhone. Ippolito was later arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct. The moral of the story? As we have said repeatedly before, confronting someone based on Find My iPhone tracking is Not. A. Good. Plan. If you think your phone's been stolen, call the cops -- not the brute squad. Thanks to Charles for the tip.
Apple exchanges iPads for iPad 2 for Rutgers class
An Apple retail store in New Jersey has taken back an order of original iPads and replaced them with iPad 2 units for a class at Rutgers' Center for Management Development, according to Forbes. In a move bound to annoy everyone who bought an iPad just before the iPad 2 was released and found that it was too late to return it, Apple isn't even charging a restocking fee even though the iPads had already been customized. The class was scheduled to start shortly before the iPad 2's release date on March 11, so the school had gone ahead and purchased the tablets (the students actually pay for them and keep them after the class is over). The article doesn't say exactly how this deal was arranged, but it's safe to say that someone at Rutgers followed my mom's perennial advice, "If you don't ask, the answer is no," and made a phone call to the local Apple Store. From the article, it is clear that Rutgers has a regular cycle of classes that use the iPads, which no doubt made it a little easier for Apple to show such extra flexibility. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, so I'm sure there will be a whole host of people complaining that they didn't get the same offer. If you did happen to order an iPad recently, it's definitely worth a visit to your local Apple Store or a polite call to Apple support. Just remember, you're not a university sending tens of thousands of recurring dollars to Apple, so don't be too surprised if you don't get the same deal. [via The MacObserver]
Two New Jersey Apple Stores to open for non-retail activity on Sundays
Good news for New Jersey residents living in Bergen County. The two local apple stores in Paramus and Woodcliff Lake will soon be open on Sundays, ifoAppleStore reports. Due to blue laws that are still in effect in the county, these Apple stores are the only two Apple retail outlets that are currently closed every Sunday. Blue laws, implemented decades ago, have remained on the books in some locations across the U.S. They were originally adopted to set aside a day for religious observance; many people enjoy the break from the hustle and bustle of modern life. To work around these Sunday commerce restrictions, the Apple stores will be open for non-sale activities such as customer training sessions and Genius Bar visits. Retail purchases will not be allowed during store hours. Presumably, the stores will adopt Apple's current schedule and will be open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. It will be interesting to see how this plan works out. Each store averages 2,600 visitors each day and it is inevitable that each retailer will encounter numerous customers confused and upset by their inability to make a purchase. Perhaps they'll be redirected to the online Apple Store instead.
Princeton study shows that easy fonts make things harder to remember
Clicking your way through Ulysses and having a hard time remembering just what it is Bloom ate for breakfast or, indeed, just what he did on the beach? Don't blame James Joyce, blame your Kindle! A Princeton study entitled "Fortune favors the bold (and the Italicized)" (their emphasis) has shown that readers retain information more reliably when they are challenged with so-called "disfluent" fonts (like the top one above). This flies in the face of the belief that easy to read text is easier to remember and should give typographical titans something else to ponder when placing text upon a page character by character. Now, what does this have to do with e-readers? Most are stuck with standard fonts that cannot be changed and fall squarely in the "fluent" category -- they're so easy to read your brain spins down. The solution is, of course, to add more and broader font support to the devices, something we'd love to see regardless of scientific merit. Until that comes to pass try holding your Kindle at odd angles or squinting. Maybe that'll help. Or, you could just put down the Proust and pick up some Clancy.
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey starts Twitter blizzard cleanup snowpocalypse revolution
Newark, New Jersey's popular Mayor, Cory Booker, has had a novel reaction to the problems the blizzard is causing for his people: he's listening to them, and trying to help. Shocking, we know. Even more interesting, of course, is the fact that he's using Twitter to do so. While phone lines all over the tri-state area remain a joke (try calling an airline or public hotline), Twitter has presented Newark's Mayor with a unique, and incredibly direct way of interacting with people who need help with everything from getting their streets plowed to delivering diapers -- personally in many situations. While it's not exactly enough to make us consider a move to Newark, it's certainly impressive.
New York, New Jersey transit pilot iPhone payment system
MTA New York City Transit, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have collaborated with Visa to create a payment system that uses Visa's PayWave technology and several popular smartphones, including the iPhone. Travelers trying out the service can pay for passage onto the trains by simply waving a properly-equipped iPhone over a special sensor at the turnstiles. Here's how it works. First, iPhones equipped with PayWave and special sensors (don't ask us how you get one) are activated, which let the users know when it's ready to use. Then, it's held before the sensor and presto! You're in. Currently, the pilot program is limited to 28 stops along the Lexington line of the New York subway system. Similar testing is being done in London, Paris, Istanbul, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It's a neat idea. I've certainly lost track of how much credit I've got on a card, and I detest waiting in line at the machine. Of course, this also means an increase of people waving easily dropped (or grabbed) iPhones around. [Via Electronista]
New Jersey transit looks to add WiFi to its rail lines and stations, New Yorkers to pretend they didn't hear that
A New Jersey Transit spokesperson has announced that its seeking a company to install WiFi on its rail lines and at its train stations. The installation would make New Jersey one of the few major transit systems in the country to have WiFi on its 165 stations and 12 lines. The spokesperson also said they hope to get the installation under way quickly, and to have the hotspots available to riders by next year.
Time Warner claims it's the HD king of New York with 150 channels, StartOver
Time Warner's thrown down the HD gauntlet on Verizon FiOS in New York City, adding 25 HD channels and claiming that it's got the juice now, with all the HD games of the nine sports teams and NY1 in HD. Beyond the new additions -- including but not limited to good ones like Fox Soccer Channel, CSPAN networks, HBO and Showtime throw-ins, a few Viacom networks like Nick HD, CMT HD and VH1 HD, and the rather dubious four additional Big Ten HD feeds alongside Gol TV HD on the sports tier -- it also mentions Start Over is enabled on "more than 25 HD channels in the New York area" although it's not immediately clear which ones. Multichannel News reports Verizon's fired back that despite having a mere 133 HD channels, qualities like picture quality, widgets and VOD tilt things back its way. While they continue to do battle over the crown and those MSG sports networks, we're pretty sure plenty of New York watchers are just sitting back and enjoying some soccer, movies and routine government meetings in HD right now.
Chevrolet bringing 10,000 Volts in 2011, but it's the current of change that will kill you
Good news for all electric heads out there: "intense interest" in the Chevy Volt has led General Motors to expand its launch markets to now include Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. They join California, Michigan and Washington DC, although only Austin in Texas and New York City will have the honor of retail Volts before 2010 is through; the rest of the new markets will get their fill in 2011. Though Chevy still hasn't set down a final date and price for its electric car, late 2010 availability seems to mesh well with a November 1 rumor we heard earlier. Beyond this year, 10,000 units are planned to be built in 2011, with 30,000 more coming up in 2012. So it's gonna be a pretty exclusive club however you look at it, now can we get a cheesy music video going for this car or what? Oh wait...
Dateline NYC: Desperately seeking iPad
What's harder to find than a cheap apartment in Manhattan or a table at Per Se? According to Silicon Alley Insider, it's the iPad. The great slate will make you wait; it may be magical and/or revolutionary but it isn't to be found anywhere in the tri-state area (that's New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, in this particular case). Combine the in-store shortages with a 7-10 day delivery lag on online orders, and you can see why this is either really good news ("Apple is selling iPads as fast as it can make them!") or really bad news ("Apple can't make enough iPads, something is wrong with the production process!"). How you see the current crunch largely depends on whether you are an iGlass half-full or half-empty kind of person. Have you been searching in vain for your iPad? Let us know in the comments.
AT&T settles ETF case for $18m
Hey, if you're a New Jersey AT&T subscriber and you paid a flat-rate ETF between January 1, 1998 and November 4, 2009, you've got a tiny bit of $18 million coming your way. That's the settlement amount AT&T's agreed to in this latest ETF class action -- as usual in these cases, it's far cheaper for AT&T to just throw out some cash than it is to fully litigate this thing, especially with the FCC breathing down its neck. Expect individual settlements to be relatively minor, while all the lawyers receive platinum underpants trimmed with only the finest jewels. Update: It's for all AT&T subs, not just the kids from the Shore. Update 2: AT&T just sent us a statement about the settlement -- the carrier wants to highlight that it's the old ETFs that are involved here, and not the new pro-rated ones that we hate just as much. Check it: We strongly deny any wrongdoing, and no court has found AT&T Mobility committed any wrongdoing regarding these fees. However, we have agreed to settle to avoid the burden and cost of further litigation. It's important to note that the litigation involves old early termination fee policies of the old AT&T Wireless and Cingular. In 2008 we introduced a new, more flexible early termination fee policy, in which we pro-rate the ETF if you are a new or renewing wireless customer who enters a one- or two-year service agreement. Cool -- now let's talk about how customers who pay full price for handsets should pay a lower monthly fee that doesn't include an equipment subsidy. That's a policy we could totally get behind. [Thanks, David]
MotionPower speed bump installed at NJ Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's feel slighted
We can't say we doubted that New Energy's MotionPower speed bump would actually be installed at a New Jersey Burger King, but it's always refreshing to see a plan morph into reality. As of now, those in Hillside heading to have it their way will cruise over the kinetic energy harvester before retrieving their grub, which has the potential to create around 2,000 watts of electricity from a car hitting it at five miles per hour. As of now, the hump is simply there to test storage potential, but New Energy is hoping that the next generation of the tech could be placed at a variety of fast foot eateries, parking lots, toll booth plazas and anywhere else where folks need a little assistance in maintaining a sensible speed. Check out the read link for a plethora of shots, and feel free to splurge on a #4 combo today if you're in the area -- Ma Earth will thank you.
Video: Burger King tests MotionPower kinetic energy harvester
Transforming kinetic energy into electricity doesn't often get taken seriously, but at least one Burger King joint has been hooked on to the idea. The New Jersey-based outlet is set to give the first roadtest to MotionPower strips produced by New Energy, which harness energy from vehicles passing over them. Based on the thinking behind regenerative braking in hybrids, the energy absorbers are made up of small plates moving up and down. UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's recently introduced similar "kinetic road plates" in its car parks, and hopes are they'll generate 30 kW per hour from the energy and weight of cars overhead. Sainsbury's plans to power store checkouts through the scheme, whereas Burger King will just exploit your energy to power various appliances. Provided someone doesn't sue for unlawful energy appropriation and the roadtest is successful, New Energy hopes to expand the use of its power strips to other high-traffic, low-speed locations like toll booths and intersections. Video after the break.[Via Jalopnik]Read - New Energy PRRead - Sainsbury's PR
HD channel expansion roundup
Once upon a time, a smattering of new HD channels in one major metropolitan area was a huge deal. Nowadays, it's almost expected that one area or another will experience some HD expansion each week. In order to keep things nice and tidy around here, we deliver high-def expansions, market expansions and anything else dealing with HD channel growth right here. If we missed an area that you're familiar with, drop us a line in comments so everyone can catch up. The more the merrier, we say! Read - Time Warner Cable launches Smithsonian Channel in high definition Read - Brighthouse Tampa Bay adds Fox News, MLB Network, SPEED, WGN America, CNBC, AMC, Bio, WZRA (Thanks, Kaylan) Read - Comcast adds Speed/FX/Fox News in New Jersey (Thanks, Sriram) Read - Massive Comcast additions coming to Ann Arbor "Soon" (Thanks, Jordan) Read - Verizon adds 8 new HD channels in Tampa Bay (Thanks, Mike)
New Jersey sues Verizon over deceptive FiOS practices
Verizon Communications has just been slapped with a lawsuit from New Jersey's Attorney General, who alleges that the company engaged in "deceptive and misleading" sales, billing and customer service practices related to its FiOS services. Mind you, this is far from the first time we've heard outrage over poor FiOS service, but Verizon New Jersey president Dennis Bone asserts that the majority of the issues raised by the attorney general are "related primarily to the start-up of the FiOS business nearly two years ago in New Jersey and have been largely addressed." Of course, just because things are sailing smoothly now doesn't mean that justice shouldn't be served, but we will concur that we've heard far less grumbling of late compared to years ago. Who knew offering up free TVs to get folks to sign up would lead to this much turmoil?
Blaupunkt shows off miRoamer-powered internet car radios
We'll be honest: apart from the ridiculous custom cars and the Viliv S7, we pretty much avoided the car audio-oriented North Hall at CES this year -- which means we sadly didn't get any facetime with Blaupunkt's miRoamer-powered TravelPilot New Jersey 600i internet car stereo. (Apparently double-DIN is big in the Jerz.) The prototype head unit connects to a cellphone over Bluetooth to access the internet, and uses the miRoamer service to stream "tens of thousands" of stations on the service -- which the company estimates will consume about 2GB of data a month, so you'd better hope your data plan doesn't cap you off or charge you for overages. The radio is expected to arrive in the second half of the year for $399, which isn't bad, but doesn't do much good for the squares like us who never swap out their car stereos -- which is probably why miRoamer is targeting 2010 for placement in OEM head units. One more pic of the single-DIN sized "Hamburg" model after the break.
