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Checkout the flying saucer design for the ultra eco plane for the CleanEra project. The recently formed project is playing with ideas around greener modes of air travel, aiming to reduce 50% less CO2 reduction than other jets.
They claim that such designs could reduce carbon emissions and noise levels by, at most, 10 to 15 percent.
Check out the article at LiveScience for additional info.
I am just excited to see such a cool design. Doesn’t hurt that it is aimed at the greater good.
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This past week Google threw the gauntlet down, challenging the big boys of wireless to rethink how they operate their business. FCC is conducting one of the biggest spectrum auctions (700 MHz)allows the operators to enable new broadband like services.
Typically the Big Boys would purchase such spectrum and pretty much operate it with similar restrictions as we see in their other services. Google has been watching this space very closely for sometime now. Last week instead of lobbying for its advantage, they stepped into the conversation in a big way.
Google in its efforts to represent the common user offered a commitment of $ 4.6 Billion for the spectrum if all its requirements were met. These requirements clearly represent the interest of the common user. Google requires adoption of open platforms:
Open applications: Consumers should be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services they desire;
Open devices: Consumers should be able to utilize a handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer;
Open services: Third parties (resellers) should be able to acquire wireless services from a 700 MHz licensee on a wholesale basis, based on reasonably nondiscriminatory commercial terms; and
Open networks: Third parties (like internet service providers) should be able to interconnect at any technically feasible point in a 700 MHz licensee’s wireless network.
Yes you heard it right, Social Operating System. Let me explain.
In May Facebook organized its F8 conference in San Francisco, attended by around 800 developers. Mark Zuckerberg (the 23 year old CEO ) mentioned that today’s social networks are closed environments and Facebook wants to end it.
End, they certainly did. FaceBook launched a very comprehensive API program for 3rd party developers and services. Typically services expose high level APIs to get access to user data and preferences. 3rd parties can write to those APIs and extract data for their services.
For example a service like Plaxo 3.0 accesses APIs from GMail, Yahoo and LinkedIn to collect user information to offer integrated contacts and calendar management (check out the video). However one cannot use Plaxo’s integrated contacts or Calendar from Google, Yahoo or LinkedIn. Integrations are typically one way and offer some form of integrated experience. However there are very few examples of bi-directional deep integrations. Such deep integration would offer unparalleled experience to the users and not to mention the stickiness / loyalty it brings to the table.
So after months and months of reading iPhone posts on pretty much every blog ( Engadget, Gizmodo, you name it), I finally got a chance to play with it at the Valley Fair Apple store.
At first I was surprised (pleasantly) to find how small and thin the form factor was. Somehow it looks bigger in all the apple promos. Once I fired up the device, the user interface was a knock-out. I think they have really nailed the User Interface on this thing. The touch interface sensitivity is just set right and the reaction of applications is just right. The whole thing just flows.
At that point I was ready to buy it and switch from my current carrier. However I decided to play with it a bit more and decided against it. Here are some short-comings from my point of view:
EDGE sucks… I use EV-DO now and quite frankly EDGE does not compare against. Moreover its very intermittent.
The on-board disk space is still lesser than what I would require. If I buy this I would probably be looking to replace my iPod as well.
There are still some kinks in the device, which you come across while using the device. I am sure this will be cleaned up in subsequent releases
I decided to wait until they launch a 3G version of the device (I guess probably Q1 next year).
Althought quite frankly I am still very impressed with the device. I do believe when people call it the “Game Changing” device. Apple has actually compelled other OEM’s in the market to get down and rethink their devices. I am expecting some real great device launches in the next 6 months, which will give the non apple fans some really great choices.
Although I would be really really surprised if any of them did better than Apple. Anyways as of now I am done with all the iPhone news and looking forward to some other key announcements. Hope to see some soon.
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