ZoneFlex outdoor access points uniquely combine dynamic beamforming and adaptive meshing to enable a new level of outdoor performance at the lowest cost. Built to withstand the harshest of outdoor conditions, they’re designed with the flexibility to function as standalone APs or as managed devices, using the same wireless controller as their indoor Smart Wi-Fi products. If no Ethernet cabling is available, the outdoor AP meshes seamlessly with the indoor access points.
San Jose tries again with free downtown Wi-Fi
The IEEE 802.11n network from Ruckus Wireless is designed for outdoor public use, with multiple antennas and beam-forming mechanisms to get around obstacles. It will be implemented by system integrator SmartWave Technologies.
via San Jose tries again with free downtown Wi-Fi.
San Jose’s new system will replace a series of public hotspots that the city set up with partner MetroFi in 2004. Those networks were supported by advertising, but the arrangement fell apart when MetroFi went out of business in 2008. The annual $22,000 operational cost for the single new network will be about equal that of the old hotspots, Sammeta said.
Are ESLs A Mercury-Free Replacement for CFL Lights?
Are ESLs A Mercury-Free Replacement for CFL Lights? | Green Prophet.
If only there were a light bulb as efficient as a compact fluorescent light (CFL), but without the ghastly green light and brain-eating toxic mercury. Am I asking too much? The inventors of the Electron Stimulated Luminance (ESL) lights don’t think so. A company called Vu1 plans to sell ESL bulbs in Europe and the Mideast in 2013. Vu1 lights are based on cathode ray tube (CRT) technology, are dim-able and have the cozy glow of incandescent light bulbs. How did Vu1 accomplish this magic? It helps that I know a little bit about CRTs from the days when my brother and I repaired old televisions.
What Does It Say When a Robot Is the Life of a Party?
Ms. Garriott used a QB robot from a Mountain View, Calif., company called Anybots Inc. The QB sells for $9,700 and costs about $3,000 for an eight-hour rental. Its eyes glow blue when a user signs on, just like the EVE robot in the Pixar movie WALL-E.
via What Does It Say When a Robot Is the Life of a Party? – WSJ.com.
IT staff can now manage iPads, iPhones, iPod touches with Configurator tool
According to Apple’s description of the application, IT staff can create and restore from a backup of preconfigured settings and app data, as well as create and install configuration profiles, among a number of other setup options. Admins can also supervise devices and organize those into custom groups, restrict which computers they can sync with, and add common configurations automatically. Admins can even apply custom text, wallpaper, or pictures to the iOS devices’ lock screens (keep an eye on your snarky IT staff if your work-issued iPhone’s lock screen image mysteriously changes to Nyancat).
via IT staff can now manage iPads, iPhones, iPod touches with Configurator tool.
Apple: iWork.com to get the axe on July 31 so back up your documents
Apple first introduced iWork.com as part of an iWork software refresh in January of 2009. The goal was to allow iWork users to share their documents online for collaboration with others—sort of like a Google Docs, but by Apple. Since then, however, Apple launched iCloud—among other things, the service allows apps like iWork on the iPad to sync documents to other devices, and the launch of Mountain Lion for the Mac will bring that same functionality to the desktop.
via Apple: iWork.com to get the axe on July 31 so back up your documents.
Replicant project
Replicant is a fully free Android distribution running on several devices. It is a free software project.
via About | Replicant project.
On this release, here is a quick summary of which major components are working and which are not:
- Telephony is stable enough, there is working in-call volume change and audio routing, though we miss some features like conferencing
- SMS are working nicely, including multi-part messages, both on sending and receiving
- Data has a minimal implementation that is far from being ready (but can be set up manually), so this will be for next time
- Some other minimal features are there (SIM I/O, DTMF, SIM unlock, etc)
- Some are missing (USSD, working airplane mode for instance)
IBM optical chip moves data at 1Tbps
The chip, called Holey Optochip, is a parallel optical transceiver consisting of both a transmitter and a receiver, and is designed to handle the large amount of data created and transmitted over corporate and consumer networks as a result of new applications and services. It is expected to power future supercomputer and data center applications, an area where IBM already uses optical technology.
via IBM optical chip moves data at 1Tbps | Computer Hardware – InfoWorld.
Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix, our recommended distro, is ready for download!
The Remix is a distribution comprised of software packages from the Fedora ARM project, plus a small number of additional packages that are modified from the Fedora versions or which cannot be included in Fedora due to licensing issues – in particular, the libraries for accessing the VideoCore GPU on the Raspberry Pi.
The SD card image for the Remix includes a little over 640 packages, providing both text-mode and graphical interfaces (LXDE/XFCE) with an assortment of programming languages, applications, system tools, and services for both environments. There are over 16,000 software packages available from the Fedora ARM repositories which can be easily installed using the Internet to customize your system to meet your needs and interests (again, using either command-line or graphical tools).
via Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix, our recommended distro, is ready for download! | Raspberry Pi.
Ford Test Drives New Consumer Firmware Updates
What’s confusing (and Ford says as much) is that there’s a first “Installation Complete” message after about a minute–but, wait, there’s more. Leave the USB drive in and keep the car turned on as a second installation then begins and will last much longer. After about five to ten minutes, the update is finally complete. You’ll then need to pair your mobile device again, but the contact information and your files should still be in the SYNC system.
via Ford Test Drives New Consumer Firmware Updates | SecurityWeek.Com.
What could possibly go wrong LOL?
You will then need to take the USB drive back to your laptop or home computer to report that the update was successful so that Ford can advance you to the next update, should one become available. This last step might not be completed by most consumers who will move on to other things. It’ll be interesting to see how many downloads correspond to successful installations of the update.