interweb ink » android

Why you might care about NFC (near field communication)

Savan Thongvanh — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:14:05 +0000

There’s been a good amount of talk lately about what will be included in the iPhone 5. Just as much talk about that has been going on as there has about whether the iPhone 5 is even going to be released this year. Based on Apple’s other iPhone releases, it will. One of the most talked about features is near field communications or NFC.

What is NFC you ask? Well it’s actually a pretty cool way for radios to communicate with each other with electromagnetic fields. Since these fields have some energy they can transmit they can wake up another NFC radio just by being next to it. Pretty cool eh? The radio doing the transmitting is said to be the active and the other is the passive radio. Both can be active but I think the active/passive model is the cooler one because it means one of the devices can run with lower power.

Great, one radio can wake another radio up. Why do I care about that you might ask. Well, ever since phones started to do more than make calls people have been using the term “convergence device” to describe them. Meaning that many every day functions done with different devices or on paper have converged on the phone. Calendar, contacts, calculator, radio…you get the idea. This is just another step in that direction. Some uses that have been prototyped are payment systems, social networking applications, medical monitoring devices, electronic ticketing, and more. Imagine checking in at the airport and checking in by just waiving your phone over the kiosk, AMEN!

The jury is still out on whether NFC will be included in the iPhone5 and only time will tell. However there are some devices that already have it. Unfortunately until there’s a big push of implementations of payment systems, kiosks, or ANYTHING it’s basically vaporware.

Hopefully we’ll see some cool stuff soon tho! What cool ideas have you seen for NFC?

Android Augmented Reality Integrates GPS

Jason Patocka — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:47:59 +0000

Top Gear enthusiasts and Android fanboys alike will get a kick out of Wikitude’s slick new platform that integrates GPS and augmented reality. Its apps like this that drive home Android’s uncanny ability to suck on some serious Apple milkshake. One of the greatest Android criticisms was its scant supply of apps, and now by every metric I’ve seen to date, its gaining ground on the iPhone at record speed.

Safety concerns, carbon footprint, and local law enforcement withstanding – I kind of want to see a guitar hero / geocache overlay on that AR navtrack. That my friends, would take road trips to an entirely new level.

Meet Geminoid F

Jason Patocka — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:48:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJOAf2Dt98&feature=player_embedde

Robo-media darling Hiroshi Ishiguro recently held a press conference in Osaka demonstrating his latest android, aptly named Geminoid F. As Japan’s population ages there is great concern over who is going to care for the elderly. One proposed approach that has garnered considerable public attention is to create robots that can provide companionship and care for seniors. To this end, Ishiguro has listed the price for the Geminoid F model at 10 million yen or $110,000 USD.

Keep in mind that the proposed utility for Geminoid F doesn’t account for the lucrative otaku market.

Reporting robot news from Japan is about as routine as reporting on weather these days. Yet, Japan has taken another step forward in making robots appear more life like, and dare we say even a little bit human. Despite the media saturation, you can’t help but feel a sense of inspired awe seeing how these androids evolve. Now more than ever we find ourselves scratching our heads trying to make sense of ancient aesthetic questions regarding life imitating art.

While Geminoid F still obviously looks and behaves like a machine, its clear that this path is evolutionary. Subsequent releases and upgrades of the prototype will likely continue. Just how this evolution will incorporate machine intelligence, and possibly ignite debate on the subject of Turing consciousness could pose challenging questions. If popular themes in science fiction, manga and anime are any example, we may want to deeply consider the consequences of placing a price on a technology that challenges our perception and definition of life.

No related posts.

HTC Evo 4G Android phone coming to Sprint this summer

Savan Thongvanh — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:54:05 +0000

Sprint has announced that this summer it will be releasing the HTC Evo, a 4G Android phone. It seems like people have given up on an “iPhone killer” but this is quite a powerful phone.

[UPDATE: Sprint has not yet announced pricing.]

Android 2.1 isn’t the only cool thing this phone comes with. The HTC EVO 4G will arrive with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, DUAL cameras – 8 megapixels for shooting forward and 1.3 megapixels for shooting backward. The forward facing camera will be able to do stills as well as HD video.

In terms of wireless yes, it’s a 4G phone, it’s got Wi-Fi, AND it has the built in ability to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight, read again, EIGHT, devices.

Much to Apple’s dismay it will also come with, gasp, a Flash player and pinch to zoom. The jury is literally still out on whether Apple will let HTC keep the latter.

What’s the deal with 4G? Well, Sprint claims that their 4G at 6 megabytes per second is up to 10 times faster than 3g, if that’s the case it’s blazing fast. Equally as fast as most home services but alas, no 4g in my neighborhood yet.

According to Sprint, “Sprint currently offers 4G service in 27 markets, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., San Antonio and Seattle. Following is a comprehensive list of markets by state where Sprint 4G is currently offered: Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui; Idaho – Boise; Illinois – Chicago; Maryland – Baltimore; Nevada – Las Vegas; North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro, (along with High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (along with Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Oregon – Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania – Philadelphia; Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Washington – Bellingham, Seattle. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G. ”

Hopefully you can find some 4G-ness around you so you can really take advantage of the speed, I can’t.

Lastly here are some of the more interesting specs on the phone:

3G/4G capability
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 1GHz processor
4.3” capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom
Android 2.1
Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D maps
Visual voicemail
3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability for up to eight devices
8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera
720p capture
Output pictures, slides and videos in HD quality (720p) via HDMI cable (sold separately)
Live video sharing with Qik
Built-in kickstand
FM radio and Amazon MP3 store
Bluetooth® 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
Built-in WiFi®: 802.11 b/g
Digital compass, G-Sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports up to 32GB
Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors

Amid Apple lawsuits and controversy HTC keeps pushing on

Savan Thongvanh — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:52:43 +0000

HTC announced today that they would push the reach of the beloved Desire smart phone even further. HTC will how offer, exclusively with Telstra Corp, their HTC Desire in Australia.

According to HTC, Telstra is Australia’s largest and fastest 3g network. The Desire will be available in April and pricing has not yet been announced.

See the full release from HTC

AT&T joins the Android game with Motorola’s BACKFLIP

Savan Thongvanh — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:43:03 +0000

Today Motorola announced another offering with AT&T. Motorola’s BACKFLIP will be AT&T’s first phone with Android. The phone will be available March 7th.

BACKFLIP features a unique form-factor with an original reverse flip design, spacious keyboard and BACKTRACK(TM) touch panel, allowing the display to be hands-free while one’s fingers work behind the screen. BACKFLIP runs on the nation’s fastest 3G network and is powered by MOTOBLUR(TM), Motorola’s Android-powered content delivery service created to make phones more personal and socially smart. Customers can see photos and learn more at www.att.com/backflip.

With a two year contract and after a $100 rebate AT&T will offer the phone for $99.

Here are some specs on the BACKFLIP:

Camera 5MP Autofocus w/ LED flash

Battery 6hrs

Wireless Bluetooth + WIFI

Display Size 3.1-in.; HVGA (320 x 480 pixels) Touch screen

Accelerometer Yes