high-speed
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FCC report finds 68 percent of US broadband connections aren't really broadband
As the FCC itself has made abundantly clear, the definition of "broadband" is an ever-changing one, and its latest report has now revealed just how hard it is for the US to keep up with those changes. According to the report, a full 68 percent of "broadband" connections in the US can't really be considered broadband, as they fall below the agency's most recent minimum requirement of 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Also notable, but somewhat buried in the report, are the FCC's findings on mobile broadband use. The agency found that mobile wireless service subscribers with mobile devices and "data plans for full internet access" grew a hefty 48% to 52 million in the second half of 2009, and that when you consider all connections over 200 kbps, mobile wireless is actually the leading technology at 39.4 percent, ahead of cable modems and ADSL at 32.4 and 23.3 percent, respectively. When it comes to connections over 3 Mbps, however, cable modems account for a huge 70 percent share. Looking for even more numbers? Hit up the link below for the complete report.
China's Shanghai-Hangzhou rail line opens, hits record breaking speed of 262mph
High speed railways, particularly in Asia, have been soaring at around 200 miles per hour for quite some time now, but given just how much pride the Chinese have in their own rail system, it's no shock to hear the entire nation gloating about a new speed record. Of course, we're pretty partial to records ourselves, so we'll happily open up a round of applause when a bullet train hits 262 miles per hour without imploding. The newfangled Shanghai-Hangzhou connection (which connects Hongqiao and Hangzhou) has gone into service today, with most riders treated to a top speed of only 220 miles per hour. Officials have already stated that they're hoping to improve speeds to over 312 miles per hour, with other nations reportedly anxious to get ahold of their technology. Oh, and if you're curious about details, the CRH380 train covers 126 miles in just 45 minutes, with seats starting as low as $12. Update: We've learned that a maglev train in China has been known to hit around 268 miles per hour as recently as two months ago -- we're sure semantics are to blame here.
Phantom camera captures flamethrower vs. fire extinguisher in ultra slo-mo (video)
Korn's "Freak on a Leash," Smashing Pumpkin's "Tonight, Tonight" and Michael / Janet Jackson's "Scream" come to mind when thinking of stunning music videos of the past score, but we're guessing that a 3:19 clip from the good people in Dancing Pigeons will be joining that fray. The music video for "Ritalin" was shot entirely on a Vision Research Phantom and Canon EOS 7D, with the former handling the slow motion work. Which, of course, is the star of the show. You may not think 199 seconds of flamethrower vs. fire extinguisher would be entertaining, but you'd be wrong. Hop on past the break and mash play, but be sure to position a drip rag beneath your chin beforehand.
Vision Research's Phantom Flex captures 1080p at 2,800fps, our full attention
Inside tech fiends the world over, there is a deep-seated desire to film lightning strikes, bullets penetrating glass and objects dropped into water, if only to see the fantastic, chaotic patterns played back in slow motion. (Peep an example after the break.) Thing is, most cameras fast enough to catch such phenomena do so with a tradeoff -- like the Phantom V12, which had a tiny 256 x 8 picture at its impressive 1,000,000fps. But now, Vision Research claims they have a camera that does it all: the Phantom Flex, which captures 1080p images at up to 2,800fps -- with 1000 ISO sensitivity -- and can shoot higher (2560 x 1600 at 1,560fps), faster (640 x 480 at 13,000fps) or even slower (down to 5fps) for regular filming. Since the high speed modes fill the onboard 16 or 32GB of memory in the blink of an eye, the sexy black number supports hot-swappable SSD modules for storage, and can even be synced in pairs to film blue alien Pocahontas reenactments in stereoscopic 3D. Hit the source link for a mouthwatering spec sheet, and don't ask how much it costs. You really don't want to know.
T-Mobile and Clearwire mulling 4G partnership
Looks like the kids at T-Mobile USA are well aware that their company's future will depend on offering both compelling handsets and a competitive network for them to ride on. Reuters reports that the Deutsche Telekom subsidiary has been exploring all its options with regard to the provision of 4G services, including potential joint ventures with cable companies and even spectrum sharing with AT&T, though the likeliest candidate for the moment remains Clearwire's WiMAX infrastructure. Asked about a potential merger with Sprint, who controls more than 50 percent of Clearwire, T-Mobile's CEO Robert Dotson declined the idea, explaining that "what you never want to do is take one company that is going through challenges and take another company going through challenges." Reports of ongoing discussions between Clearwire and T-Mo have been around since last September, and the latest from Dotson suggests that his company is keen to get a resolution either way as soon as possible.
Next-generation SD specification comes to light, 300MBps just around the corner
Believe it or not, we first heard of SDXC nearly a year ago. Aside from a highly guarded chip spotted at CeBIT, though, we've yet to see any of those cards in the flesh. Thankfully for the impatient among us, it seems as if the SD Specification 4.0 is well on its way to being hammered out, with the maximum data transfer rate scooting up from 104MB/sec to 300MB/sec. The actual scheme will also be changing from parallel to serial, with an unspecified amount of pins (more than 9, though) assisting in the speed increase. We're also told that the external dimensions of the cards will remain the same, and that backwards compatibility is of the utmost importance. We're guessing that newer cards will be able to rely on parallel transfers when used on older readers, while newer readers will accept data via the serial scheme; unfortunately, the nitty-gritty details have yet to be made public, but we're hoping for a serious coming-out party at next year's CES.
Vision Research rolls out high-speed Phantom Miro eX-series cameras
In the market for a high-speed camera that's compact but definitely won't be mistaken for a regular point-and-shoot? Then you may want to look no farther than one of Vision Research's new Phantom Miro eX-series cameras, which boast a "DSLR-like" design and a spec list intended for high-speed video and not much else. That includes your choice of 640 x 480 or 800 x 600 resolution cams, video frame rates from 500 fps to "over" 100,000 fps (at a reduced resolution), ISO settings up to ISO 1200 for color or ISO 4800 for monochrome, a 3.5-inch touchscreen, and 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of internal memory, plus a CompactFlash card slot for expansion. Of course, these also won't be mistaken for a point-and-shoot when it comes to price, with the base eX1 model starting at just under ten grand. [Via PhotographyBLOG]
Rogers rolls out 50Mbps DOCSIS 3.0 service, 802.11n router
Well, it looks like Canadians no longer need to be envious of some of the speedy internet options available south of the border, as Rogers has just announced the roll-out of its own DOCSIS 3.0-based service that matches the likes of Comcast's offering. As you might expect, however, coverage is limited to the Greater Toronto Area to begin with, although Rogers is promising that it'll be rolled out to some other, yet to be specified areas in the "coming months." What's more, Rogers is also introducing a new 802.11n router alongside the service, and it's even giving one away to the first fifty customers that sign up for the Ultimate service (priced at $150 per month). After those are gone (and some do indeed still seem to be available), the router will sell for $200.[Via Electronista]
BBC reveals stunning sample footage shot with TyphoonHD4 camera
The BBC has already proven itself to be quite the source for some impressive HD images, but the network's Natural History Unit looks to have really outdone themselves for their forthcoming South Pacific documentary, which makes use of a modified, $100,000 TyphoonHD4 camera. Of course, those exact modifications appear to be a closely-kept secret, but it has apparently been outfitted with a special underwater housing designed by German high-speed camera expert Rudi Diesel, and the camera itself is able to shoot in high definition at 20 times the speed of a normal HD camera, which results in some pretty amazing super slow motion footage. You can get a taste of that after the break but, trust us, you'll want to head up the read link below to really get a sense of what this thing is capable of.[Via SlashGear]
Comcast zipping Extreme 50Mbps internet to Bay Area
Another week, another round of DOCSIS 3.0 implementations from Comcast. This time, we've learned that two new higher-speed internet tier options will be made available in Silicon Valley, Tri-Valley and Monterey, with rollouts continuing to San Francisco, Oakland and the rest of the Bay Area later this year. Needless to say, that means Extreme 50Mbps and Ultra 22Mbps packages are within reach, and better still, Comcast will be doubling the speed of existing connections for most users at no extra cost. The full list of available neighborhoods is tucked away in the read link, but before you go hunting, you should know that Extreme 50 will run you $139.95 per month while Ultra 22 will set you back $62.95. Oh, and both of 'em just help you reach your 250GB cap that much faster each month.
Casio launches Exilim EX-FH20: 40fps burst rate, 1000fps movies
Remember Casio's wicked EX-F1? Yeah? Let us formally introduce you to someone else you may dig, the Exilim EX-FH20. Boasting a 9.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 20x optical zoom lens and a remarkable burst mode that enables up to 40 7.1-megapixel images to be recorded in burst of anywhere between 1 and 40fps. Better still, it can capture high-speed movies at up 1,000fps, and there's also an anti-shake feature, high-speed night scene setting for those "after dark" moments and a standard movie mode that records at 720p (30fps). Those anxious to get their hands on such awesomeness will be politely asked to wait until next month when it goes on sale for £399 ($713).[Via Pocket-lint, thanks Jeremy]
Comcast shows off blisteringly fast channel bonding modem
Two little words that could potentially give new life to copper, at least in the high-speed internet department, have found their way into the news once again, and this time it's Comcast who's showing us just what channel bonding can do. While you may have been scratching your head about Ambit Broadband's ridiculous claims, it looks like the technology may actually be edging closer to hitting the mainstream. Apparently, Comcast's CEO was able to demonstrate such a modem in front of the public and cable competitors alike, and while he claimed that it could reach speeds of 150Mbps, it was the testing that got everyone all riled up. Based on DOCSIS 3.0, the modem was able to download a 300MB file "in a few seconds," and he even snagged the 32-volume Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 and Merriam-Webster's visual dictionary in "under four minutes." Interestingly, it was noted that the FiOS competitor "could be available within a couple years," but if fiber crawls to our house before this stuff is ready to rock, it'll sure to be hard to hold off.
Researchers show 100Mbps cellular data
As usual, we're given virtually no time to revel in the high-speed (relatively speaking, of course) wireless data we do have before some eggheads have to go and throw the wet blanket on us. Researchers from Germany's Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (a division of Fraunhofer) have apparently taken some standard-issue UMTS equipment and modified it to use MIMO -- the same tech employed in many modern WiFi devices -- to achieve 100Mbps downstream and a full 50Mbps upstream. For the sake of comparison, UMB (aka EV-DO rev. C) takes the crown with 280Mbps down; while there's no word on when this MIMO stuff might hit the streets, UMB won't see the light of day until 2009 at the earliest, so our German friends have a little time to capitalize. And yes, we'll be just fine with a mere 100Mbps on our cellphones, thankyouverymuch.
More details surface for Verizon's AirCard 595
Just as Verizon Wireless is in the thick of denying the launch that their Rev. A network is officially launching today, more details emerge for one of its supporting players in the role, the Sierra Wireless AirCard 595. The Roc was able to squeeze out some documents for the launch which according to the marketing sheet, is set for Friday, December 15th (hey, that's today!). It looks like the device is supposed to launch with an EV-DO Rev. 0 radio, will support Microsoft Vista, and is going to be upgradeable to Rev. A in a download via VZ Access Manager down the road, suggesting that folks may not be able to get their ultra-fast upstream on today after all. The device is going to cost you speed junkies $270 with no commitment, $150 on a one year, and $100 on a two year contract.Update: The 595 has just popped on Verizon's retail site -- click through to check it out!
T-Mobile chooses Nokia and Ericsson to provide US 3G network
It's going to be sometime mid 2007 when T-Mobile gets their much anticipated 3G network off the ground; thankfully, it looks like they're moving right along, having announced both Nokia and Ericsson to be the providers of their UMTS network. Now even though the parent company of T-Mobile USA, Deutsche Telekom isn't releasing any financial details of the contracts, first estimates are $2.66 billion to be spent over the next two or three years on its next-generation network. Having dropped a load of fat cash on thier precious towers, T-Mobile hopes to reach around 20% of the US market and grow its customer base upwards to 35 million by 2015. [Thanks, TJ]
Toshiba first to market with Class 6 SD cards?
Toshiba's got a new series of "high-speed" and "ultra high-speed" SD cards coming to market soon, and although the company claims to be the first manufacturer to introduce these so-called Class 6 cards, we think it may be exaggerating just a bit. You see, the SD Card Association recently adopted three different speed classes (2, 4, and 6), with the class number indicating the card's minimum transfer rate in megabytes per second (i.e. Class 2 cards will always transfer data at at least 2MB/s). So although Tosh's ultra-high speed cards sport a zippy transfer rate of 20MB/s -- categorizing them as Class 6 cards -- we've already seen products on the market from ADTec that boast similar speeds (and waterproofing to boot); therefore, how can Toshiba claim that its Class 6's will be the first to launch? Marketing hyperbole aside, both the high-speed Class 4 cards (with 5MB/s transfer rates) and ultra high-speed Class 6 cards will come in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB varieties, and you can expect them to drop in Japan in October and worldwide in November.
