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Europe launches two navigation satellites into the wrong orbit
Arianespace, the company that launches satellites for the European Union, has had to concede that its latest mission hasn't been a complete success. Friday's launch conveyed two satellites, Dorea and Milena, into orbit to help build out Galileo, the EU's homegrown alternative to GPS and GLONASS. Everything had gone to plan when the Soyuz rocket reached the upper atmosphere and deployed the satellites, but shortly after, authorities realized that the units were in "noncompliant orbit," which means they're spinning around the planet in the wrong orbit.
Microsoft plans to bring Windows to robots and 'a whole new class of small devices'
Microsoft's Build 2014 kicks off tomorrow, but it's not just Windows Phones, tablets, Office or even the return of Clippy. Redmond has plans to bring its operating system, well, everywhere else. A Windows on Devices site has apparated into existence, mentioning robots, talking bears, the Internet of Things and Intel's Galileo acting as developmental hardware. It looks like Microsoft's planning a charm offensive on the maker community, with the site linking out to a Big-styled -- presumably Microsoft-powered -- floor keyboard as well as Maker Faire. The first SDK will appear soon, (by the end of Spring 2014) with additional releases through out the year. Microsoft says it'll have a life-sized piano to show-off its Windows on Devices conceit and naturally, it reckons its cloud services will serve as the perfect online accompaniment.
Intel launches Galileo, an Arduino-compatible development board
Notice how so many maker projects require open-source hardware like Arduino and Raspberry Pi to function? Intel has, and the company is leaping into bed with the former to produce the Galileo development board. Galileo is the first product packing Intel's Quark X1000 system-on-chip, Santa Clara's (designed in Ireland, trivia fans) new low-power gear for wearables and "internet of things" devices. Don't imagine, however, that Intel is abandoning its X86 roots, as Quark's beating heart is a single-thread Pentium-based 400MHz CPU. As part of the new project, Intel will be handing out 50,000 of the boards to 1,000 universities over the next 18 months -- a move which we're sure will make Eben Upton and Co. delighted and nervous at the same time.
Motrr Galileo nets $700k in Kickstarter pledges, available to pre-order now for $117
Perhaps you were discouraged by the uncertainty that comes along with a Kickstarter pledge, or you simply missed your chance to give Motrr's Galileo an $85 kick before the deadline hit. Whatever the reason, you're still in luck -- the iOS-controlled iPhone platform is now available for a proper pre-order, with a 10-percent discount and free shipping in tow. Galileo, which netted a whopping $702,427 in Kickstarter funding, could soon be on its way to a nursery or conference room near you, for the slightly increased sum of $116.99. That Benjamin and change will buy you one 360-degree rotating platform, complete with a rechargeable battery, USB cable, tripod screw and user manual. There's no word on when this latest round of pre-orders will be filled, but the company did confirm that it plans to ship the first batch this summer. Full deets (and pre-order option) are at the source link after the break.
Motrr Galileo robotic iPhone platform is go for launch
One of the coolest Apple-related Kickstarter projects in the recent past has been the Motrr Galileo, a robotic iPhone platform. The project has definitely been funded -- it's now at US$400,000 with a $100,000 goal -- and it appears that the first devices will be shipped some time in June. There's still time for you to be a Galileo backer and get one for $85 -- the actual price tag when the product hits the market will be $129.95. The founders of Motrr are no strangers to the world of successful products. Josh Guyot and JoeBen Bevirt are the designers of the Joby and Gorillapod flexible camera tripods. With Galileo they'll have an awesome iOS-controlled motorized platform with an API for developers who want their apps to be able to control the device. If you haven't seen the Galileo in action, check out the video below.
Insert Coin: Galileo, the remote control camera from the men behind the Gorillapod
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. FaceTime conversations always commence with "left a bit, no, up a bit, no no, that's too far..." as we balance our iOS handsets to find a flattering angle. Gorillapod designers Josh Guyot and JoeBen Bevirt want to put an end to it with Galileo, a 360 degree motorized remote-control base for your iPhone or iPod Touch. If your buddy moves out of frame, just swipe in their direction and it'll pan around to follow. Designed as a video conferencing tool, it would also be useful as a baby monitor, remote camera or for clever photography projects. You'll also find a universal 1/4" tripod mount screw, rechargeable lithium polymer battery and it'll double as a dock when not in use. The project has currently reached $10,093 of its $100,000 goal, with the pre-order price of one of the units pegged at $85. If you'd care to see it in action, we'd suggest taking a trip downtown past the break. [Thanks, Max]
CSR sharpens indoor and in-car navigation with SiRFstarV, SiRFusion and SiRFprimaII
It's been a while since we last heard from CSR, but that changed earlier this week, when the company unveiled its new SiRFprimaII and SiRFusion platforms, alongside its SiRFstarV architecture. According to the UK-based firm, both SiRFstarV and SiRFusion are designed to provide more accurate geographic data and enhanced indoor navigation capabilities across PNDs and other mobile devices. SiRFstarV, the logical follow-up to CSR's SiRFstarIV architecture, culls location data not only from GPS, but from Galileo, Glonass and Compass satellites, as well as a range of radio signals, accelerometers, gyros and compasses. All this information is fed to the user via the SiRFusion platform, which combines data from radio systems and sensors to provide constantly updated location graphics. Together, both SiRFstarV and SiRFusion promise to help users find their way around both indoor and outdoor locales, within an accuracy range of ten to 15 meters. The SiRFprimaII platform, displayed above, is strictly geared toward in-car navigation and infotainment systems. This system combines a SiRFprimaII SoC and TriG RF multi-GNSS radio with CSR's Bluetooth and WiFi technologies to create a multimedia rich, touchscreen-based in-car environment. Geared toward both ODMs and OEMs, this hardware-software combo enables drivers to get more reliable navigation data, while allowing passengers to stream video, surf the web and manipulate everything via remote control. As for that SoC, it's powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 app processor, features an LCD controller for displays of up to 1280 x 720 resolution, and boasts a pair of 3D graphics and video accelerators. For more details, check out the pair of press releases, after the break.
EU's Galileo sat-nav system's budget overruns continue, European Commission asks for an extra €1.9 billion
The European Commission has just completed its mid-term review of the EU's Galileo satellite navigation system and -- surprise, surprise -- they found that they need an additional €1.9 billion ($2.56 billion) to finish the system. This latest budget recommendation ups the cost an extra €200 million ($269 million) since the Commission's last report, and cites larger development and more expensive launch vehicles for the increase. The EU remains optimistic that Galileo will provide a financial windfall when completed -- but given its estimated €800 million ($1 billion) per year operating costs, constant delays, and competition from Russia, China, and good old-fashioned GPS, we're not so sure we agree.
EU's Galileo satnav system orbiting way past budget, delayed until 2017
Up and running by 2014? Try 2017 at the very earliest. Such is the bogus news coming out of the European Commission today, as reported by the German Financial Times. Shockingly enough, the ill-organized Galileo navigation network has suffered from yet more delays, which have pushed it back by a further three years and even deeper into the budgetary red. An additional €1.5b to €1.7b will be required to complete the grand project, while fiscal recalculations now indicate that it's unlikely to ever turn a profit. Again, we are shocked. The total bill for European taxpayers is estimated to amount to somewhere in the region of €20 billion ($27.8b) when development, construction, and operation are all factored in. Ah well, it's a cash drain, but at least it'll divert funds from the EU's suicidal scheme of paying farmers to not farm. Every cloud has a silver lining, right?
Galileo sat-nav system back on the map, said to be 'up and running' by 2014
Remember Galileo, Europe's proposed GPS-like satellite navigation system? It's back in the headlines, and according to the Telegraph, UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology and Germany's OHB System have jointly secured €566 million (that's $815 million in US currency) to build 14 more satellites. The funding continues until 2013, whereby 22 satellites will be order. Full satellite navigation requires 27, and ultimately the European Union wants 32 technological waypointers. Launch date? Apparently 2014 -- we're hopeful, but this road has been wrought with delays before.
EU's new EGNOS GPS system goes active
The EU's Galileo satellite positioning project has been lost in a haze of paperwork for a while, but there's finally some positive news to report: a "precursor" system called EGNOS launched last week, which will provide free positioning over most of the 27 EU states. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, as it's charmingly called, consists of three satellites, four control centers, and around 40 positioning stations, all of which combine to take signals from US GPS satellites and enhance them to provide position information that's accurate to six feet, compared to around 60 feet for GPS alone. That means satnavs in Europe are going to get more accurate overnight, as most major brands are already EGNOS-ready -- too bad better navigation won't keep drivers in the UK from careening into rivers and damaging bridges.
Space radiation knocks Giove-B Galileo satellite into "safe mode"
Safe mode, huh? While we had previously assumed only our clearly cursed PCs could fall into such a dark, dark place, apparently we were badly mistaken. The recently launched Giove-B satellite, which is the second bird launched for Europe's next-gen satnav network, was recently sent into some sort of "safe mode" after being "rocked by a surge of space radiation." Reportedly, said mode halts the satellite's mission activities and forces it to "concentrate on keeping its batteries topped up by ensuring its solar panels are properly aligned with the sun." Thankfully, the poor Giove-B was able to resume its frolicking in outer space around a fortnight after being blasted, though we hear if it had been just a tad worse, ground control would've had a real mess on their hands with the Blue Screen of Death.
NemeriX scores patent for single-chip GPS, GLONASS, Galileo receiver
It looks like NemeriX is doing its part to bridge the GPS, GLONASS, Galileo divide, with it proudly announcing today that it's received a patent for a single-chip RF receiver technology that'll accommodate all three satellite navigation systems (China's Compass will apparently have to go it alone). Among other things, the single-chip solution will allow for manufacturers to reduce the size of their navigation devices by not having to include three parallel receivers, as well as allow them to market the same device to various markets around the world. Of course, there are scant few details about when we can actually expect to see the technology put to use, but NemeriX sees no shortage of potential applications, with it boasting that it'll provide customers with a "future-proof platform" that'll increase the availability and accuracy of "emerging location based services such as pedestrian navigation and mobile social-based networking."
Second Galileo GPS satellite goes into orbit
Finally, the EU's Giove-B GPS satellite was shot into space by the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Strapped atop a Soyuz-FG rocket, the Giove-B reached orbit at 8:01am this morning, and is the second satellite launched for the nascent next-generation European Galileo satellite navigation system. This particular model is kitted out with dual redundant rubidium atomic clocks that the ESA says are "the most accurate in space". The next bird -- just three of thirty -- is slated to go up in 2010 with a full-system launch around 2013. Until then, it looks like they'll be stuck using the US's crappy, less-sensitive GPS network (boo hoo).[Via Physorg]
SiRFprima GPS receiver platform boosts sensitivity, adds 3D acceleration
If you've bought a GPS unit in the past year or two there are decent odds it's based on the SiRFstar III chipset, which has been about as good as it gets since it arrived on the scene a few years ago. Now there's a new chip on the block, SiRFprima, which could have GPS aficionados kicking those SiRFstar III units to the curb. The unit boasts "industry leading" GPS performance, and is the first of its ilk to be able to work with GPS and Galileo signals simultaneously. InstantFixII -- which promises 5 second start times -- is built in as well, along with 3D acceleration for the fancy new maps hitting the scenes, and the capability to work with external devices like touch screens, DVD players, video cameras and so forth. While no one feature is revolutionary, the fact that SiRFprima will be wrapping up all these features into a cute little package for GPS manufacturers to slap into their units without a worry -- which should start happening in the second quarter of this year -- is surely cause for celebration.
Russian GPS alternative near completion, Putin and dog celebrate
Russia has announced the successful launch of three additional GLONASS navigation satellites on Christmas Day, bringing the total number of functional units to 18, and reportedly scaring the beejezus out of Santa and his reindeer during liftoff. The GPS competitor -- first begun in the Soviet era and only recently revived after years of post-collapse neglect -- is now theoretically capable of providing coverage to the entire Russian territory, with First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov claiming that the first compatible consumer devices will be available in the middle of next year. By 2010 Russia plans to open the system up to outside nations as well, contributing to an eventual three- or even four-system global market, and ensuring that President and Man of the Year Vladimir Putin will finally achieve his stated goal of being able to pinpoint his treasured black lab Koni anywhere in the world.
EU reaches agreement on Galileo satnav, Spain goes home angry
The European Union's next generation satellite navigation system has finally gotten to green light from all involved parties... except Spain. As we reported in July, the project had gotten the high five from US interests, but the works had been stalled as Spain fought to maintain a control center in Madrid. In the end, 26 of the 27 member states of the Union decided to move forward with the project, declining Spain's request, and leaving them to bow out of the agreement. As of now, there will only be control centers in Germany and Italy, but the project will begin to move forward once again, with a launch slated for 2013. Says EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, "Galileo will become the spearhead for European technology." We're all for the new system, but we hope a few satellites don't spark another Thirty Years' War.
Galileo robot sports hybrid treads, tackles most any terrain
We've seen a plethora of robots crawl over all sorts of obstacles without blowing a gasket or anything, but the Galileo prefers to handle rough terrain by simply changing the shape of its treads rather than blowing up anything in its path or finding clever ways to scoot around. Judging by an informative (if not monotonous) video clip of the robot in action, this "hybrid tracked" creature sports a pair of wheels along with flexible treads on each side, and it can reshape the tracks as necessary to achieve the desired grip when meeting stairs, cinder blocks or a wide variety of slumbering animals in the wild. There's also a built-in camera integrated into the oh-so-helpful "tail," which can apply downward pressure in order to give the creation a boost when needed. We've inflated this thing's ego enough -- just click on through to see the Galileo gettin' into (and out of) all sorts of trouble.[Via SciFiTech]
US and EU reach agreement on satellite navigation
The United States and the European Union are moving forward on a common system of satellite navigation after reaching an agreement on a joint civil signal for the technology. The US system, called Navstar GPS, is the only fully operational GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) currently in use, though the EU's Galileo project is in the initial stages of deployment. The new agreement eliminates compatibility and security issues, and will allow makers of GPS equipment to increase their devices interoperability by utilizing the new common signals, dubbed GPS L1C and Galileo L1F. The European Commission's Director-General Matthais Ruete says the agreement will "facilitate the rapid acceptance of Galileo in global markets side by side with GPS." Which probably means we're going to begin to see a whole slew of new satellite technology hitting both shores in the near future. Huzzah!
US and EU nearing agreement on GPS / Galileo partnership
While it's not clear if Russia and China's forthcoming challenges have anything to do with it, the United States and the European Union are apparently close to a deal that would see them work together to improve their respective navigation systems. According to Reuters, the deal would allow both EU and U.S. satellites to send information on the same radio frequency, which would in turn allow receivers to pick up signals from both systems, theoretically resulting in greater accuracy. Of course, we'll still have to wait a while to see any of those benefits, with the EU's Galileo system still far from ready, although it's expected to be fully operational by 2012.
