Word searches are all the more fun when you’re searching for the bizarre words rather than the mundane. Word Absurd by developer new-comer Trephination Proved Worthless LLC is a collection of word searches where the hidden words are slightly more unique than the standard fare.

Logically grouped according to categories, Word Absurd words aren’t in your average Sunday paper puzzle. Word Absurd features a broad array of categories from Down of the Farm (things on a farm) to Doggy Style (pets). The words aren’t displayed on the puzzle screen and hunting for words relevent to the category is half the fun. If you need a hint, tap on the word list and Word Absurd will let you know what you’re looking for.(…)
Read the rest of Word Absurd is an Uncommonly Good Word Search

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Word Absurd is an Uncommonly Good Word Search | Best iPad Apps | Best Free Apps

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James Kendrick at JK On The Run reviews Sprint’s EVO WiMAX phone. He likes it.

I consider myself a heavy smartphone user, as I tend to do a lot of things with the phones I use. Having used the EVO 4G for a month, and given it a lot of thought this week, I can truthfully say it is the best phone I have ever used.

Everything works as advertised, and while there are a few things that might be improved there is nothing requiring a change for my use.

I have always found things I would change on phones I’ve used, and my total satisfaction with the EVO surprises me more than you can know. I have wracked my brain for something less than acceptable, and I simply cannot find even one thing. I would change the four touch-sensitive buttons on the front of the phone to real buttons, but it’s not because they don’t work well. I would change that simply because I prefer real buttons.

I am still asked about the battery life of the EVO every day, due to the reports about poor battery life that have appeared in various places on the web. I answer these questions the same every time I am asked — the EVO battery life is no better nor worse than any smartphone I have used. I use the EVO more heavily than any other phone, and the battery lasts all day without fail. It usually has >40 percent left in the tank at the end of the day.

View full post on dailywireless.org

Digitimes say’s Intel will dissolve its WiMAX Program Office, with staff members to be reassigned into Intel’s Mobile Wireless Group (MWG), PC Client Group (PCCG), and Sales and Marketing (SMG) unit.

Nick Jacobs, from Intel PR, replied to a TechEye.net post:

Digitimes applied more than their usual license to this one – yes, Intel is reorganizing its WiMAX Program Office (WPO) to better integrate WiMAX into its existing platform and product groups. However, this change is intended to put WiMAX-focused resources and expertise within the teams that can best commercialize WiMAX as it moves beyond start-up phase to a mature wireless technology. Today there are already more than 500 WiMAX networks in 147 countries bringing broadband to over 10 million people.

This evolution is a normal process that takes place as technologies mature and become a standard part of existing computing platforms. Intel remains committed to WiMAX.

I chatted with Ron Resnick, Chairman of the WiMAX Forum this morning to get his take, but he defered to Intel’s Ron Lassiter, who apparently will follow up.

The WiMAX Forum, an industry-led non-profit, certifies product interoperability and promotes the WiMAX brand, in a capacity similar to the Wi-Fi Alliance. IEEE 802.16 developed the WiMax standard. Intel’s WiMAX Program Office, a group within Intel, develops its own products.

Since I had Resnick on the line, I asked him about the status of the Beaverton WiMAX Forum office. He earlier told me the Beaverton office was closed, and that the San Diego office would be the new bricks and morter office for the WiMAX Forum. But other reports said the Beaverton office was open. Which is it?

“At the end of the day, the message [about closing the office] was misinterpreted,” said Resnick. Two days later, Resnick told me, he changed his mind about closing the office, and moved the finance team back to the Portland office, keeping it open. Resnick says there are now 6 people working in the Beaverton office, and about the same number in the San Diego Office.

I asked Resnick if any of India’s 2.3 GHz spectrum winners are planning to use WiMax. “We believe yes,” he said without going into specific carriers.

It’s been a rough period for WiMAX.

The economic recession delayed spectrum auctions by a year or two, enabling TD-LTE to catch up with their competing technology for unpaired spectrum. Some observers estimate Mobile WiMAX still has a 1-2 year lead over TD-LTE.

But FDD-LTE and TD-LTE are making some fast moves:

• Ericsson conducted the first trials of LTE TDD in India this week. The first data call was successfully performed at the Experience Centre, Ericsson Forum, in Gurgaon, India, using the 2.3GHz band.
• Nokia Siemens Networks and Nokia have jointly conducted the world’s first end-to-end LTE data call on the 800 MHz frequency band. It demonstrated the end-to-end interoperability of Nokias’ LTE infrastructure with their multi-mode, multi-band LTE Modem RD-3.
• Huawei deployed the world’s first TD-LTE trial network at the World Expo in Shanghai this year.
• Motorola’s TD-LTE is being demonstrated at the World Expo with Motorola talking up their TD-LTE/WiMAX solutions.
• Qualcomm is a big proponent of TD-LTE, which shares much of the COFDM technology used by Mobile WiMAX (802.16e).
• China Mobile is emphasizing TD-LTE technology in its equipment procurement.

On the other hand, WiMAX is moving ahead:

• VMAX launched their commercial WiMAX network in Taiwan this March, and now covers almost 3 million people, according to Intel.
• Huawei gear is used in some 65 commercial WiMAX deployment contracts across the globe, making it the number one WiMAX provider.
• Clearwire’ s 4G networks in Hawaii and Seattle – provided by Huawei – are the world’ s first to adopt 4T4R MIMO technology, and can be upgraded to Beamforming through software upgrades.
• Motorola plans to support “802.16e Enhanced” features in its WiMAX product roadmap, working with ArrayComm. Enhanced WiMAX aims to increase coverage, reduce interference, improve single-user throughput, as well as enable a reuse of one for WiMAX.

Some observers believe Sprint, which owns 51% of Clear, will enable TD-LTE on their spectrum for use by cellular carriers – in a year or two.

Meanwhile Clearwire announced today extended mobile WiMAX coverage to include Rochester and Syracuse, NY, Eugene, Oregon and to Merced and Visalia, California.

In the summer of 2010, CLEAR says they will launch in Tampa, Orlando and Daytona, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; Modesto and Stockton, Calif.; Wilmington, Del.; and Grand Rapids, Mich. By the end of 2010, CLEAR says their “4G” system will also be available in major metropolitan areas such as New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Clearwire says it now covers 51 million people in 44 cities. The operator hopes to be in more than 60 markets and cover around 120 million potential customers by the end of 2010. Verizon Wireless plans to have LTE in 25 to 30 markets covering 100 million people by year’s end. Verizon may begin rolling out its LTE network on November 15th.

T-Mobile USA, says more than 25 major metropolitan areas have HSPA+, across the USA, covering more than 75 million Americans. Unlike AT&T’s HSPA+ service, T-Mobile is empowering cell towers with the capacity to deliver the enhanced speeds. AT&T’s backhaul upgrade is expected to take another year. AT&T’s LTE buildout won’t begin in ernest for a year or so, say industry observers.

Clear is still the only provider offering “4G” in major cities.

If you want to watch Hulu on your tablet or do lots of video chat, WiMAX may be the better choice. If you are more interested in smartphone data for photos or messaging, and travel frequently, LTE may be the better choice.

Due to their difference in frequencies (700MHz vrs 2.6 GHz), their bandwidth capacities (22MHz vrs 120 MHz), and their spectrum utilization (paired or unpaired), 700MHz LTE service from Verizon and AT&T will likely provide more universal coverage, but it would probably be slower and more expensive. That’s because more users will share a 700 MHz LTE tower with less “4G” bandwidth then Clear’s 2.6 GHz system.

WiMAX service from Sprint/Clear will likely be spottier, but faster and cheaper — without data caps. Of course, nobody really knows how it will all play out yet.

Related Dailywireless articles include; India’s Broadband Auction: It’s Done, Yota Dumps WiMAX, Clearwire: New Mobile Hotspots, Clear: No Limits, WiMAX Forum: Not Dead Yet, WiMAX Forum: In Trouble?, Sprint’s WiMAX Phone Launched, SK Telecom Buys 25% of Packet One, Compare “4G” Carriers in the U.S., LTE for Sprint? and MIMO: The Paper War

View full post on dailywireless.org

One of the security features of the Android system is Google’s ability to remotely wipe select software on any Android phone. This feature is in place to keep malicious, dangerous, and otherwise no-good apps off the phones of users. The feature is not something used often… or ever, really. However, recently, Google has pulled this trick out of their sleeve to remove some malicious software.

According to Rich Cannings, Lead of Android Security:

Every now and then, we remove applications from Android Market due to violations of our Android Market Terms of Service or Content Policy. In cases where users may have installed a malicious application that poses a threat, we’ve also developed technologies and processes to remotely remove an installed application from devices. If an application is removed in this way, users will receive a notification on their phone.

Recently, we became aware of two free applications built by a security researcher for research purposes. These applications intentionally misrepresented their purpose in order to encourage user downloads, but they were not designed to be used maliciously, and did not have permission to access private data — or system resources beyond permission.INTERNET. As the applications were practically useless, most users uninstalled the applications shortly after downloading them.

After the researcher voluntarily removed these applications from Android Market, we decided to exercise our remote application removal feature on the remaining installed copies to complete the cleanup.

The post, found at the Android Developers Blog, then goes on to state some reasons for the security feature existing in the first place:

The remote application removal feature is one of many security controls Android possesses to help protect users from malicious applications. In case of an emergency, a dangerous application could be removed from active circulation in a rapid and scalable manner to prevent further exposure to users. While we hope to not have to use it, we know that we have the capability to take swift action on behalf of users’ safety when needed.

This remote removal functionality — along with Android’s unique Application Sandbox and Permissions model, Over-The-Air update system, centralized Market, developer registrations, user-submitted ratings, and application flagging — provides a powerful security advantage to help protect Android users in our open environment.

I, personally, applaud Google for their swift action in the matter. Thanks for keeping your users safe… I’m glad to count myself among them.

[via Android Developers Blog]

For more information on Android and the current Android mobile phones, check out our Android Guides

Google wipes app from phones remotely… with good reason.

View full post on Google Android News Android Forums

As a father of three young ladies and a man who has a heart for others I find I enjoy writing about Nokia as a company for what they do outside of creating smartphones. If you followed my CES 2010 live blog you saw that OPK focused on what Nokia is doing to make the world a better place and barely touched on any smartphone news. Nokia issued a press release unveiling the Conspiracy For Good (CFG) movement that blends together interactive theater, mobile and alternate reality gaming, music, and physical participation to effect positive changes in the world. It is a rather unique and interesting program that will improve the Chataika Basic School, located in the village of Chataika in eastern Zambia.

Nokia is partnering with the creator of the “Heroes” TV show in this effort where participants will enter into the story to via online mysteries, casual mobile games, or physical participation in London events that will occur from mid-July through early August. Games such as Exclusion and Mainframe Liberator will be used to unlock codes to confidential websites, Ovi Maps to guide characters through the story, and Ovi Music where hidden information within songs can be deciphered to advance the story.

The fictional plot begins with the following information:

Over the decades, members of Conspiracy For Good have been reputed to be quietly and effectively doing good in the world’s most troubled areas. But CFG is not without enemies, and it is now under fierce attack by Blackwell Briggs (www.blackwellbriggs.com), a London-based multinational company committed to advanced infrastructure development and security services. For help, CFG turned to Kring, a master storyteller, to share their story, recruit new members to read the signs, and bring down Blackwell Briggs.

UK participants will be able to download a special edition app called Conspiracy for Good: DeadDrop in mid-July that will use Nokia’s Point & Find service and technology to find clues and participate in the events in London. You can also join in the conspiracy from anywhere in the world and it is all free to participate. You don’t necessarily need a Nokia device, but the experience will be much better with one and Nokia will be loaning a limited number of devices out to people who come to each of the Saturday meet up events in London. There are already several videos on the site and various ways to connect and share information with people. There a several different blog entries (looks like they started on 12 May) on how people are doing things to make the world a better place and the movement seems quite popular already.

At the conclusion of the “story” it seems that a donation or assistance of some kind will be passed along to the Zamibian school. I am trying to find out some more details on the direct benefit to an organization, but understand that people talking about ways to effect change for the betterment of the world is a large part of the dialog in the movement.

ENT: Good and bad news from Apple – Online column by Bob Vaillancourt
With Apple announcing the new iPhone 4 and its new software operating system, the tens of thousands of people who have earlier ver-sions of the iPhone and iPod Touch are wondering just how well, if at all, the new operating system will work on their hard-ware. There is good news and bad news. The [...]

Read more on The Sudbury Star

iPhone 4 5MP Camera Sample Photos – Quite Good
Since the real multimedia highlight of the upcoming iPhone 4 is its HD video capture feature, 720p-at-30fps video samples are really what we’re waiting to see. However, as of the moment, still photos taken using iPhone 4′s 5 MegaPixel camera are all Apple (source) could share. So while we’re waiting for the videos to surface, feel free to check out the sample photos here: Click photos for full …

Read more on Tech Pinas

June is audiobook month, so now is a great time to give them a try. Here’s how.

View full post on Macworld

Ken Denmead has been editing GeekDad since September of 2007. In that time he has guided and managed this blog masterfully, and I couldn’t be prouder to be his second-in-command. I will admit to a certain amount of envy — but mostly pride  — upon picking up and opening my (free) review copy of Ken’s first book, which was just released today.

Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share is, in a word, great. You probably won’t, and probably shouldn’t, take my word for it, but here are a few of the projects described in detail in the book: Light-up Duct Tape Wallet, Build a Binary Calendar, Pirate Cartography, and Model-Building With Cake. These are truly fun, inspired, and even educational projects you can do with your kids. There’s something refreshing about making something really cool without starting with Step 1: Go to Toys “R” Us and buy a kit.

I’ve worked with Ken for several years now, and I can tell you that he gets geekdom and parenthood, and particularly geek parenthood, as well as or better than anyone else I know. He knows that there are many different kinds of geeks, and so has included a wide variety of projects in his book — if you’re at all interested in do-it-yourself activities, you’re apt to find something here for you.

Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share lists for $17.00, but can be found on Amazon for $11.56 at the time of this writing. You should also check out the official Geek Dad book website for news and links to other reviews.

[Note: I decided there was no way to write this review from an unbiased standpoint, so have tried to be upfront about my bias. I should note that I helped Ken edit a draft of the book last year. I feel I should also note, though, that I will personally certify that Ken has not edited this article at all. — Matt]

View full post on GeekDad

Visually and thematically, Zombie Smash may remind you of its somewhat more lush castle-defense cousin Plants vs. Zombies. Sound effects are similar too, as are the as-you-go instructions that appear over your screen. But “look” is where the similarities end, and “feel” is where the differences begin.

In Zombie Smash, you do what you’ve always wanted to do to Zombies. You pimp-slap ‘em. You throw ‘em across the screen. You beat ‘em, you shoot ‘em, you drop heavy rocks on ‘em, you blow ‘em up with grenades. And you do it up-close and personal, with actual tapping, dragging, flinging exertion that builds to such a full-body frenzy that your spouse kicks you out of bed by “night 11″ —not of the marriage, of the game.

This actually happened to me. I was detonating land-mines, flinging survivors to their deaths (or whatever the undead do when you dispatch them), stunning the fast she-zombies, taking out too-heavy-to-flick Bruno with rock piles and grenades, and tapping the screen compulsively to collect reward stars… (…)
Read the rest of Zombie Smash: Visceral Evisceration (Yeah, it’s that good)

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Zombie Smash: Visceral Evisceration (Yeah, it’s that good) | Best iPad Apps | Best Free Apps

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AT&T said Wednesday that it added 1.9 million wireless subscribers in the first quarter. AT&T activated about 900,000 iPhones for new customers during the quarter and sold another 1.8 million iPhones to people who were already AT&T customers. Without the iPhone, AT&T’s subscriber growth for contract customers would have been negative.

Overall, AT&T now has 87 million wireless subscribers. Connected devices increased 1.1 million in the first quarter to hit 5.8 million. Retail postpaid net additions were 512,000. That figure is down 43 percent from the previous year. Analysts expected AT&T to add roughly 600,000 contract customers.

Some key numbers:

• AT&T’s postpaid churn rate fell to 1.07 percent in the first quarter, down from 1.15 percent a year ago. Total churn was 1.3 percent.
• Wireless data revenue was up 29.8 percent from a year ago to $4.1 billion. Text messages on AT&T’s network jumped 50 percent to 143 billion. Average revenue per unit increased 3.9 percent to $61.89.
• AT&T said half of AT&T’s 65.1 million postpaid subscribers had smartphones. iPhone growth has surged.
• On the TV side of the house, AT&T added 231,000 U-verse subscribers to hit 2.3 million total. That’s up from 1 million a year ago.

AT&T’s first-quarter profit fell 21% hurt by a $1 billion health-care charge, while its wireless business continued to grow, thanks largely to the success of the iPhone.

AT&T continued to lose traditional phone line customers, with the company’s access lines declining 11.1 percent during the quarter compared with the previous year. However, the company added 231,000 new U-verse TV subscribers in the quarter for a total of 2.3 million subscribers.

View full post on dailywireless.org

Product: Drunken Masters

Manufacturer: Roundup:

Wired Rating: 0

You’re drunk. How drunk? Hard to say, since you’re drunk and all. A handheld breathalyzer can help. We got trashed and compared four over-the-counter testers with the California Highway Patrol’s gear to find out which one is the best drinking buddy.

1. AlcoMate AccuCell AL9000

AlcoMate makes a range of portable breathalyzers, most of which cost less than the AL9000. Skip those. In our tests, not even the next-best AL7000 could match the wicked consistency of the 9000. Granted, it reads about 0.01 higher than the police units — but it’s always 0.01 higher. Thank the fuel-cell sensor — the same tech used in police models — which turns your boozy breath into electrical current that can be precisely measured. We’re guessing that AlcoMate calibrates the device a tad high to keep users on the sober side of legal — probably a good idea when your customers are the kind of people who buy personal breathalyzers.

WIRED Most reliable of the bunch. Audible click tells you when to stop blowing. Small and light. Quick startup. Optional USB kit ($50) lets you download readings to your PC to plot drunkenness over time.

TIRED Expensive.

$300, alcomate.net

2. BACTrack S80 Pro

Like the AL9000, the S80 uses a fuel cell to gauge blood alcohol content; not surprisingly, it’s also similarly consistent — and costs nearly three bills. Unfortunately, the scores here were reliably about 0.01 lower than police tester readouts. That means the S80 always errs on the side of sending you to jail. But, hey, it’s better than its smaller, non-fuel-cell sibling, the B70, which we also tested. Readings on that model ranged from 0.04 to 0.12 in the span of about a minute. Lesson: Pony up for a fuel cell.

WIRED Consistent. Comes with a nice carrying case. Looks cool.

TIRED Calibrated slightly low, which might be good for tricking your spouse — unless your spouse is a cop.

$250, bactrack.com

3. AlcoHawk Pro

This product turned up most often in our Google and Amazon searches for breathalyzers, so many people will probably opt for it. Don’t be like them. In our tests, the Hawk read way, way too high — returning a blood alcohol level of 0.17 percent, for example, when it should have read 0.08. Instead of a fuel cell, this device uses a semiconductor oxide sensor. It was consistent, but such exaggerated readings make it all but useless. Then there was the shrill beeping at the end of every test. We had to knock back another drink just to calm our nerves.

WIRED Consistent, albeit wrong. Relatively inexpensive.

TIRED Ridiculously high readings. Loud — should be called the AlcoSquawk. Bulky.

$160, www.q3i.com

4. BreathKey

A breathalyzer small enough to keep on a key chain? Great idea — unless, of course, it’s actually a random number generator. Blow into the BreathKey and you might get a reading of 0.07 (0.01 under the limit in California). Or you might get 0.13 (0.05 over the limit). Which actually represents the amount of alcohol in your blood? Even if you get a couple of breaths to come out within a few points of one another, they’ll probably be too high. (Or is that too low?) This thing is cheap in every way: price, construction, reliability. You blow, but it sucks.

WIRED Tiny. Inexpensive. Easy (if pointless) to use.

TIRED Erratic. Doesn’t have replaceable mouthpieces — pass it around the bar at your own risk.

$70, www.breathkey.com

View full post on Wired Product Reviews

With a food revolution going on in America and more and more people jumping on the nutritional bandwagon, it’s no surprise that technology is making its way into the picture by providing tools to help people make better food choices. Shop Healthy! is a new app designed in cooperation with a physician board certified in nutrition, and features nutritional information about a wide variety of grocery store products all to help you make better food choices when shopping. Shop Healthy has a friendly interface, includes interesting information and fun factoids, and is fairly simple to use.

With Shop Healthy!, users can browse thousands of food products categorized by grocery “isle” – beverages, frozen foods, canned foods, sauces, and so forth. There is also a search function included for times when you prefer to look for a specific food product or brand. Included in the database are name brand and various store brand foods. The information provided for each type of food product includes a ranking system along with the nutritional information. For the majority of products, Shop Healthy provides a list of other similar products to consider(…)
Read the rest of Shop Healthy! The Free App that Helps You Shop for Good Food

Verizon’s CEO Ivan Seidenberg now says there’s plenty of spectrum after all. He thinks the FCC should butt out and let big business manage spectrum.

The National Broadband Plan recommended that the FCC make 300 megahertz available for mobile use within 5 years. That was in lockstep with industry demands (see Dailywireless: Battle of the Bands and Cellcos: One Thing – Bandwidth).

CTIA President Steve Largent told Congress just four months ago:

“With more than 276 million subscribers in the U.S., it is vital for our industry to secure at least 800 MHz of additional spectrum within the next six years. Without this additional spectrum, our industry will cease to provide U.S. consumers with the most innovative and most competitive wireless offerings in the world.”

Broadcasting and Cable backs Seidenberg’s view that the government shouldn’t provide new spectrum:

Asked by an audience member how he thought the FCC’s effort to get broadcasters to give up 120MHz of spectrum would shake out, he said the answer would probably come as a surprise.

“If I took the self-serving approach,” he said, “it would be: ‘Okay, screw the broadcasters. Let’s get their spectrum and we can put it to use in our wireless and cellular business or broadband business.’” But he said his reaction was, instead, that the FCC should let the marketplace work it out without intervention. “I don’t think the FCC should tinker with this,” he said. “I think the market’s going to settle this. So in the long term, if we can’t show that we have applications and services to utilize that spectrum better than the broadcasters, then the broadcasters will keep the spectrum.”

The FCC, in a blog post, notes that Verizon often complained about lack of spectrum:

Many have noted recent comments by the CEO of Verizon Ivan Seidenberg casting doubt on the need to allocate additional spectrum for mobile broadband, a key recommendation in the National Broadband Plan. The fact is, Verizon played a major role in building an overwhelming record in support of more mobile broadband spectrum, consistently expressing its official view that the country faces a looming spectrum crisis that could undermine the country’s global competitiveness.

• In Verizon’s June 9, 2009, filing:
  “Verizon Wireless believes that a more important goal of any spectrum inventory should be to identify any underused spectrum that can be repurposed to auction for broadband use. The government has the responsibility to identify and license spectrum to serve the public interest.”
• In Verizon’s September 30, 2009 filing:
  “The Commission has identified only 50 megahertz of additional spectrum for next generation wireless growth. This total lags behind both the United States’ competitor nations as well as the ever increasing demand for mobile broadband services. Verizon Wireless therefore urges the Commission to undertake a targeted examination of spectrum to identify additional bands.”

Verizon’s goal is probably spectrum scarcity. To further that end, Ivan Seidenberg and AT&T Wireless CEO, Randall Stephenson were nudging the Feds to take some kind of action against Sprint’s spectrum advantage. If they got Sprint’s spectrum, it would reduce competition. Their plan backfired.

Another 300 MHz just increases competition. That’s the last thing Verizon wants.

Seidenberg had one beef with the feds that seems legit:

“Cable companies have bought spectrum over the last 10 or 15 years that’s been lying fallow,” he said. “So, here the FCC is out running around looking for new sources of spectrum, and we’ve got probably 150 megahertz of spectrum sitting out there that people own that aren’t being built on. I don’t get that. This annoys me.”

SpectrumCo, an AWS bidding consortium with Cox, Comcast and Time Warner Cable, picked up 137 licenses in 2006’s Advanced Wireless Services auction (at 1.7/2.1 GHz). SpectrumCo won a total of 137 AWS licenses for $2.37 billion. Comcast’s share was $1.29 billion, followed by Time Warner Cable’s $632.2 million, and Cox’s $248.3 million. (See SpectrumCo Gets Licenses). Cox paid $248.3 million for AWS licenses in 2006, and transfered those licenses out of SpectrumCo and directly to Cox.

They’re sitting on 19 MHz (not “150 megahertz”). Instead of AWS (1.7/2.1 GHz), Comcast and Time Warner are using Clear’s Mobile WiMAX which won’t require them to build voice infrastructure and provides improved mobile video.

Related Dailywireless articles include; The National Broadband Plan, Cellcos: One Thing – Bandwidth, T-Mobile Eyeing Clear Spectrum, FCC Considers Auctioning Off TV Frequencies, FCC Okays Terrestrial LTE for SkyTerra, Battle of the Bands Goes to Congress, D-Block: It’s Done; Congress Pays, LTE: Cox Cable Calling , White Spaces Trialed in North Carolina, FCC: Change for Broadcasting & USF, FCC Moves Forward with White Space Databases, Comcast Goes Mobile with WiMAX, Time-Warner Adding Mobile WiMAX Service,Free Internet Access Proposed by FCC, National Broadband Plan Previewed, D-Block: It’s Done; Congress Pays, FCC “Finds” 500MHz?, FCC Floats “100 Squared” Initiative, FCC to Auction TV Airwaves?, Google: Fiber to the Home?, Smart Grids, Spectrum in Budget, White Spaces Heating Up

View full post on dailywireless.org

iPad, iPad, iPad! That seems to be the only thing people have talked about the past few days. From discussing how long the lines would be, to talking about pictures of how long the lines were, to talking about how awesome or average their iPad was – the iPad is absolutely DOMINATION the news. And, if you asked me, this is awesome news for both Android and Google.

Allow me to explain.

There is no arguing that Steve Jobs and the folks behind Apple have reached the pinnacle of brand loyalty and advertising/marketing prowess. When they launched the iPod it literally defined an entire product category. When they launched the iPhone it revitalized the entire mobile industry and also became a product icon, setting a new standard and raising the bar. With the iPad, Apple is essentially (again) creating an entirely new product category.

How is this good for Android and Google?

Companies can create AMAZING products, but if they can’t convince anyone they want to or need to buy those products, it doesn’t matter. With Apple, a customer’s decision making process is a bit different: Apple makes the product and people automatically assume they need the product. Otherwise Apple wouldn’t have created something so awesome, right?

The “tablet” concept hasn’t gained much momentum, despite being tried and tried and tried over the years. Heck, you could find an ARCHOS Android Tablet in a local Best Buy retail store, but 99% of the universe doesn’t know that. Why? Because people were hardly aware this product category existed let alone convinced it was something that would be useful.

Now that Apple has launched the iPad, consumers have an assumed understanding that yes, tablets are pretty cool and useful and are a “mainstream” product that an everyday person should consider buying. Basically, Apple has single-handedly done about 80% of the marketing/advertising and consumer education legwork for EVERY tablet manufacturer that comes after them. They’ve put the form factor on the map, and now, people will start to take notice at competing products that attempt to accomplish the same goals.

At the moment, Android is all about phones. Since the early days of Android we’ve heard about having the operating system prevalent in netbooks, MIDs, tablets, GPS devices, home entertainment equipment, heck – even washers and dryers! But has any of that materialized? Nope. But now its much more likely… or at least a successful “Android Tablet” is much more likely. Because, again, Apple has done the hardest job which is convincing customers that the product category itself is something worth considering as a purchase.

The iPad isn’t only good for Android, and to be honest, it could be much more “good” (or “gooder” as the linguists would say) for another Google property: Chrome OS. We know they’ll be launching a Chrome Netbook later this year, and with the iPad already available, consumers won’t be asking the question of “does this serve any purpose”. The Chrome Netbook, tablet, and/or any other hardware launched with a Google OS will automatically be perceived as a contender for discretionary income thanks to Apple “pointing out” the product category to the public, basically saying, “You need one of these.”

And don’t forget how Google as a whole benefits. More internet in more places means more Google searches which means more ad views which means more revenue. Not to mention, as 4G and other data improvements occur, you’re able to load and view more webpages in a shorter period of time which – guess what? – means more revenue for Google.

Don’t get me wrong, Google is a brilliantly innovative company. But in this case, they’re lucky to have a company like Apple sharing their playground. With the iPad, Apple has opened a lot of doors to a lot of consumers with a lot of potential products. Google, Android, and a lot of manufacturers were standing patiently at the open door waiting for the right moment. Now – whether they know it or not – Apple just invited them all in to sit at the tablet table and enjoy a delicious meal, courtesy of the iPad.

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Monster RPG 2 seeks to bring retro, role-playing style to your iPhone. The atmosphere for the game is great and really captures the spirit of older video games. But too many interface issues keep this from being a true hit.

The plot of the game is pretty much standard RPG stuff: you must take a simple villager, equip her with weapons, magic, and some fancy combat moves in order to save the world. You battle other monsters, animals, magicians, and a whole slew of characters. The combat takes place in the classic RPG style, where you take turns trying to slug one another to death with your arsenal, taking the occasional breather to heal yourself.

The challenge for Monster RPG 2 was to create an app that had the graphics and interface of an older game, yet worked with the touch-screen capabilities of the iPhone. In one sense they succeeded, because Monster RPG will have you reaching for a joystick once it pops on screen. However, using the touch screen on the game was very haphazard and consistent. There is a method for switching to a virtual control pad, but even that process involves some bugs.(…)
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Monster RPG 2: Good Game, but not Quite Ready for Battle |
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The Motorola i1 is the first Android phone with Push-To-Talk iDen service and Engadget has also got the first legit hands-on with the device. Over a shmoozified meal with Mike Rowe, it seems they grabbed enough pictures and hands-on time to earn a few first impressions, and the outlook is good.

They said that specs aside, the Motorola i1 could be the best FEELING Motorola Android phone around not to mention it’s unblurrified version of BLUR was kind of attractive. Whether the iDEN crowd will take a liking to it? That’s another question.

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