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Cisco sees 4G boosting global mobile traffic
Think you use your mobile data plan a lot with 3G? Just wait 'til 4G is the pervasive protocol -- you'll be pulling down more bits and bytes than you can ever imagine. Or, at least that's the good word from Cisco. Said company has ran some sort of fancy analysis in order to forecast that global mobile traffic will increase 66-fold between 2008 and 2013, with a compound annual growth rate of 131 percent over the same period. It's stated that these projections reflect the impending transition to 4G, and if you can believe it, we'll supposedly be exceeding two exabytes per month of global mobile traffic by 2013. Curiously, it's stated that 64 percent of the world's mobile traffic will be video by 2013, but given just how slow adoption on that front has been, we're more than skeptical. For the rest of the numbers, give the read link a look.
Cydle introduces T43 navigator with Bluetooth, HD Radio support
Lookie here -- we've got yet another new entrant into the portable navigation market, but thankfully, Cydle has decided to differentiate a bit with the inclusion of HD Radio support. The company's one and only model (for now, anyway) is the T43, which features a 4.3-inch touchscreen, the latest version of Cydle 3D Map and Cydle XE Map, HD Radio support, real-time traffic via the traditional RDS-TMC as well as the newer HD Radio-based method and Bluetooth for good measure. It'll reportedly hit Best Buy shelves in the not-too-distant future, though there's no price mentioned.
Dual Electronics' XNAV43HD PND: first with real-time traffic via HD Radio
You may have never heard of Dual Electronics, but the firm is getting talked up today courtesy of Clear Channel Radio. You see, said outfit has launched the world's first personal navigation device to support real-time traffic via HD Radio. The XNAV43HD can pull down up to 500 messages per minute in over 50 markets in which the new service is live, and all of the information will be continuously monitored and updated by Clear Channel's staff. Specs on the PND itself are as follows: 4.3-inch touchscreen, text-to-speech and a multimedia player. The $279.99 price tag ain't half bad, but our interest lies in how quickly this service will get rolled out to other navigators, factory-supplied and otherwise.[Image courtesy of MP3Car]
Developer resolution for 2009: Beat Warcraft
Our friends at GameDaily have a nice set of resolutions for game developers next year, and it's definitely worth a read if you're interested in seeing where they think the game industry might improve in 2009. But number three is the most interesting one for us: they suggest that game developers (and MMO devs in specific, we'd imagine) should make this the year that something else beats World of Warcraft.It seems much more unlikely than last year: last year, we were looking down the barrel of Age of Conan and Warhammer Online, and wondering if either one of those might cause a road bump in WoW's traffic. Age of Conan was called the steak to our game's McDonald's, but in the end, WoW players didn't do much more than give it a cursory glance. And while Warhammer seemed like a good contender to the throne, it hasn't come close to taking a bite out of Azeroth. This year, it doesn't even seem like there will be any MMO contenders. GameDaily cites Bioware's Star Wars MMO, but that's not coming out in 2009, and while The Agency and DC Universe Online might be getting close to finished, it's unlikely we'll see them on the shelves this year either.This might be a year of recuperation, for both Blizzard and their competitors. Lord of the Rings Online is doing well, so their big task is just to keep the content moving, and unlike last year, Blizzard has no real impetus this year to really push their playerbase to stick with the game. As with everything, we'll have to see what happens, but I'd expect a much more subdued year this go-around for the MMO market. When the MMOs in progress now come to fruition in 2010, then things will likely get more interesting.
Nextar throws in free traffic updates for life on Q4-LT navigator
Nextar has been pretty steadily adding newcomers to its Q4 family of navigators, and it's not about to let up now with CES just around the corner. The latest member, the Q4-LT, touts a 4.3-inch touchscreen, built-in speaker / antenna, text-to-speech support, 2D / 3D NAVTEQ maps of the US and Canada, 1.6 million POIs, an MP3 / JPEG player, rechargeable battery and of course, free traffic updates for life. Hope you're not too fond of the feature set, though, 'cause it won't even be available for purchase until Q3 2009 for $249.99.
Microsoft's desktop-equipped mass transit bus is a boss' dream
Those 45 to 90 minutes you spend stuck in traffic each day, inhaling noxious fumes and watching your paycheck dwindle in the form of consumed gasoline, are about to get a lot more nightmarish should you choose to ride this. Though the origin of these images are unknown, we're assuming they were snapped somewhere in Asia (or the ninth circle of Hades); essentially, this here public transportation option enables riders to login via a connected PC and get to work before work technically begins. Of course, we've all ideas most riders just fire up Quake III and get a little LAN action going, but seriously, what kind of torturous mind thought this up? Ever heard of telecommuting?Update: Seems these buses are all about bringing technology to rural areas that might not otherwise have access. Killer!
Intersection sensor activator puts an end to cyclist discrimination
You're a good person with noble motivations -- you ride a bicycle instead of driving because it's healthy and it doesn't have a disastrously negative impact on the environment. We salute you, but not all of society appreciates your virtue like we do. In a sinister and systematic oppression of cyclists (we're absolutely certain it's intentional), many traffic lights are governed by sensors in the pavement that give a green light only after they've detected the change in inductance when a large metal car pulls up. Before you take up arms, though, take a look at this recently-patented device that sends out a signal that fools the sensors so cyclists don't have to wait for a car to unwittingly play good Samaritan -- we suppose we'll try this out just in case before we incite a violent revolution.[Via Core77]
Mobile Millennium project promises to track traffic with cellphones
UC Berkeley has been working on using cellphones to track traffic for some time now, first under the the decidedly less expansive Mobile Century project, and now under its new Mobile Millennium project, which has the backing of Nokia, NAVTEQ, and others. It actually first kicked off earlier this year, but it looks like it's now about to take another big step forward, with the researchers set to open things up to the general public -- or the general public in Northern California, at least. The idea here is to collect data from folks with GPS-equipped cellphones and combine it with existing traffic data, and then in turn make that information accessible via cellphone to let you plan out the speediest route. According to the researchers, the software will work on both Nokia and non-Nokia phones, but it seems that they've only tested it on the E71 and N95 so far (you can also view real-time traffic data on your computer). More details will apparently be announced when this new stage of the project officially gets underway on November 10th, but those interested in taking part can already register by hitting up the read link below.[Thanks, Eric M]Update: In case you're wondering about the potential privacy concerns here, UC Berkeley has said that it has built privacy safeguards into the system from the beginning to ensure that no data can be tied to a particular phone, and it also notes that users can control the service themselves and, of course, shut it off anytime they don't want traffic data to be transmitted.
The Best of Massively: Our five all-time greatest hits
Our first birthday is this weekend and we're very excited -- so excited that we're giving away tons of stuff with reckless abandon. As you know, we've been leading up to it for the past month by listing our best work in the Best of Massively series. Well, folks, this is the last episode! We're wrapping it up by presenting what are arguably your favorites -- our five most viewed featured articles ever! Three of these are top five articles, so we're three-fifths of the way to making a top five top fives list, it would seem. The numbers don't lie, though, so enjoy, and tune in Sunday for the first giveaways! Click to start >> %Gallery-35800%
Free high pop to low pop server transfers incoming
Thundgot over on the EU forums says there's a pretty drastic solution incoming to the busy servers incoming: Blizzard is going to offer free server transfers from high pop servers to low pop, so if you've really been driven nuts by all the queues and lag lately, this might be just what you need. On the other hand, don't jump into anything too quickly -- traffic problems are pretty common, especially when big patches (and, you know, expansions) come down, and odds are that once the expansion actually releases, things will die back down after a little while.Of course, if you just don't want to wait, and don't have any particular ties to the server you happen to be on, then by all means, keep an eye out for the transfers. We're not quite sure which servers will be affected yet, but We Hate PUGs saw Quel'thelas on the list already along with a long list of high pop realms, so while we'll probably see more servers added to the low pop side, the high pop side there now is probably a fairly good indicator of the realms Blizzard sees as trouble. If you're on one of those realms and ready to transfer, sit tight and wait for the announcement today, help is on the way.
CarTel uses wardriving for science, better driving directions
If you're not satisfied with the driving directions you get on Google Maps, a few smart guys at MIT have created an elaborate new toy called CarTel just for you. They've equipped a fleet of Boston-area cars with computers that automatically connect to any 802.11 access points detected in transit, then send home data recorded by their on board diagnostic systems, all in just a few hundred milliseconds. The result: a website that gives you directions based on information gathered in real-time so you can avoid high-traffic areas or say, if it's raining, roads which have historically been congested in adverse weather conditions -- no GPS required. The project also keeps a record of all access points detected, so think of it as wardriving for the good of humanity -- and you (probably) wouldn't even get arrested for participating![Via PhysOrg]
Navigon brings gratis real-time traffic updates to entire product line
In a move that we can only hope signals a trend, GPS maker Navigon has announced that real-time traffic updates will now be free for all users of its wares. For awhile now, the outfit has offered gratis traffic updates on its higher-end models, but now, it's taking the Free Real-Time Traffic Updates for Life program to each navigation system it produces. There's no extra hardware to buy, no hidden fees -- just good, clean, free traffic updates. What's not to love?
Comcast cool with FCC ruling, will just slow all of your traffic now
First off, you've got to be kidding us. Okay, now that we've got that out, get a load of this. After the FCC told Comcast earlier this month that its data discrimination tactics weren't kosher, the provider has decided to react by simply slowing all internet traffic on its heaviest users. More specifically, Mitch Bowling, Comcast's senior vice president and general manager of online services, stated in a recent interview that the top internet speeds for "targeted customers will be reduced for periods lasting 10 minutes to 20 minutes, keeping service to other users flowing." Right now, this may not affect you one iota, but what's to happen when your kid spends his summer sucking down content on the VUDU / Hulu / etc.? We can think of quite a few reasons to legitimately use a huge chunk of bandwidth, and having Big Provider keep watch and determine when enough is enough frightens us just a wee bit.[Via CrunchGear, image courtesy of Kansas]
Power-sipping Eco Ride urban transportation system to hit Japan
Japan's not hurting for trains, but what's the addition of another going to hurt? Senyo Kogyo and Senyo Kiko have jointly announced plans to construct a test line for an energy-saving urban transportation system this October. Dubbed Eco Ride, the "roller coaster-like" system in Chiba Prefecture will operate "using the height difference on the railway," and furthermore, there will be drive units (complete with clanks and clangs, we bet) "installed at various points on the railway so that the Eco Ride can obtain the potential energy to run." Reportedly, Eco Ride would likely remain just a short-distance transportation system even if expanded, but no matter how you slice it, it sure beats taking the Segway to work.
Audi pilot program tells drivers how to squeeze the lemon
Though we're hesitant to believe something this fantastic could actually be implemented in real life, word on the pavement has it that Audi is currently running a pilot program that informs motorists "how fast to drive to catch a green light." Over in Ingolstadt, Germany, 50 traffic lights have been equipped with sensors that beam information to specially equipped whips; the network of "smart" signals not only "adapts to traffic patterns to deliver optimum light switching," but gives drivers a heads-up in order to get 'em through lights and cut down on idling / pollution / road rage. We can just hear those red light camera appeals now: "But judge, my car told me to do it!"[Image courtesy of NOLA]
San Francisco to test wireless parking sensors, cause rat races to momentarily open spaces
We dig the idea in theory, we really do, but we can definitely see this causing more harm than good. Starting this fall, San Francisco will begin a trial involving wireless parking sensors in 6,000 of its 24,000 metered spaces, enabling antsy drivers to be alerted via street signs or cellphones when a spot becomes available. Only one problem -- give 50 anxious motorists the same message that a single spot is unoccupied, and you've just created a bona fide mess. Though it'd probably be fun to watch from the sidelines, wouldn't you agree?[Via Core77]
Peering Inside: Rewards and recognition
Over the years, Linden Lab has put a lot of effort into attempting to reward, or to give recognition to (another kind of reward, really) Second Life users who made positive contributions to the overall user-experience. The Lab staff used to refer to it as a mandate or as a part of "their charter." So far, almost all of these efforts have fallen a bit flat. By flat, we mean flat at the bottom of a deep hole. A deep hole full of explosives.
Los Angeles Traffic Cam brings live gridlocks to your cellphone
We have all ideas (okay, so we know it for a fact) that the Los Angeles Traffic Cam was designed for those living in LA, but we can't help but imagine how drivers in less congested cities could use this to make their own daily commute not seem so bad. NBC4 and 3rd Dimension have teamed up to beam out live video and nearly live still shots from some 270 LA-area traffic cameras to those with compatible mobiles, and being that it's ad-supported, the whole thing is completely free to end users. Of course, for all you know, they could just loop a clip of gridlocked traffic during rush hour and call it reality. Sadly, said idea would almost work.
Boost your traffic, without bots, camping or coherent spelling
Completely oblivious to the decoupling of traffic from search rankings in the new Second Life system, Traffic Injection has just started up a business to boost your traffic, promising variable amounts of dwell up to 150,000/day. This apparently seems to be achieved by mule avatars and (if we're reading this right) by spamming group IMs. It isn't easy to tell, actually, since their Web-site (actually a blogger.com blog) is so poor on the grammar and spelling fronts, that much of it almost defies any attempt at comprehension whatsoever. English, we guess, isn't their first language -- which might be why they seem to be unaware that the basis for their business model is about to disappear (within the next week or two, most likely). If you don't recognize the .nr on the end of their domain name, that is -- regrettably -- Nauru, the smallest nation in the world, and one with a grim history. [Thanks Gwyneth Llewelyn]
Peering Inside: Trafficking in meaning
Linden Lab is having a second stab at reworking the Second Life dwell (also known as traffic, but dwell is a more accurate name since traffic is not actually what is described) algorithm based on user-feedback. Last year, at Linden in-world office hours assorted feedback was gathered from users, and it appeared as though Linden Lab had settled on a new algorithm as a result. This year however, Linden Lab is having another go at getting user-input for a new dwell algorithm, so we presume that something must have blocked progress on the previous attempt.
