DarkSide Blog

Promise of practical mobile computers grows closer

2008-01-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

New chips and WiMax may end the obstacles of size and power

By ANDREW D. SMITH / The Dallas Morning News

LAS VEGAS – Ultra mobile computers have always forced users to compromise.

JAE C. HONG/The Associated Press

With WiMax already common in its native South Korea, Samsung may have an advantage in mobile computers.

The most powerful units, which look like toy laptops, weigh too much and run out of power too soon. The smallest units, which look like portable game devices, do too little and work too slowly.

All of them make it hard to find fast Internet.

But the compromises may be finished if a pair of technologies on display at the Consumer Electronics Show fulfill expectations.

The first technology comes from Intel, which just introduced more than a dozen computer chips. Reduced size lets the new models work as fast as their predecessors with half the power.

The second technology comes from Sprint Nextel, which has been demonstrating the WiMax technology it plans to launch this year in Dallas and other big cities. WiMax will provide wireless Internet that works as fast as the connection in your office.

"Put these two developments together, and you can give people much better tools for mobile computing and Internet," said Bryan Deaner, a corporate messaging manager at Intel.

Handheld prototypes at Intel's booth show that the new chips have impressive capacity.

One device that measures just slightly larger than an iPhone runs programs nearly as fast as a laptop computer and works more than six hours on a single charge.

Big electronics companies should begin releasing devices that use the new chips within a couple of months.

Those first products will look a lot like today's ultra mobile computers, though faster and longer-lived. Eventually, Intel expects, the chips will inspire truly new designs, many of them built for Sprint's WiMax network.

Sprint, which is pushing WiMax hard at the show, has converted skeptics with a multitude of demonstrations.

The most impressive streams a high-definition, multi-player video game through a tower several miles away.

The WiMax service, which Sprint calls Xohm mobile Internet, already supports beta testers in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington. Network construction remains on pace in other cities, the company said Tuesday.

Whenever Xohm becomes available to the public, consumers will find a decent selection of products to work with it.

WiMax networks already cover much of South Korea, so big manufacturers like Samsung already make products that use the technology.

One Bible-size device that made it to CES folds out into a computer with a full-size keyboard and 10-inch screen.

Another model packs the same punch in half the thickness by replacing the keyboard with a touch screen.

Nokia says it will add to the list of WiMax-ready products by releasing a new version of its handheld tablet computer during the first half of the year.

Intel, meanwhile, says it will build WiMax capability into many of its chips. Any product that uses one of those chips will work with Xohm and other WiMax networks around the world.

"Even with WiMax built in, I have yet to see an ultra mobile device that could replace your office computer," said Eric Villines, a Samsung spokesman. "Still, these things provide a pretty compelling experience in a very portable package."

All the major cellphone makers have come to CES this year, but few of them besides Motorola unveiled new handsets.

The company's Z10 should appeal to folks who like to record their lives and share them with friends.

Not only does it come with a camera and video recorder, it also has editing software that lets users string clips together and add narration.

The other new model, an addition to the Rokr line of music phones, could be of more interest to general users.

Lights under the phone's keypad allow the look of the controls to change when users switch among its functions.

A typical telephone keypad appears when it's working as a phone. MP3 controls appear when it's playing music. Camera controls appear when it's taking pictures.

"Phones have played music for a while now, but they haven't made it easy for users," said Ibrahim Khoury, a marketing manager for Motorola. "We think we've built a phone that makes it as easy to play music as any MP3 player."

Easier controls, wireless broadband and better chips are all big topics at CES this week.

Intel chief executive Paul Otellini predicted that these and other technologies would converge over the next five years to provide people whatever information they want the instant they want it.

What's WiMAX ?

2008-01-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

WiMAX, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access. It is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, which is also called WirelessMAN. The name WiMAX was created by the WiMAX Forum, which was formed in June 2001 to promote conformance and interoperability of the standard. The forum describes WiMAX as "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL."

(Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX)

Got a few hundred to drop on the best multimedia phone on the market? There are only two choices, and we choose a definitive winner.

2007-12-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

Round 1: Hardware design

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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The iPhone is a marvel of modern design, and surprises with its sleek body and ultra-durable touch screen. The Nokia N95 is a swiss army knife of a phone, and looks the part. Though it has a unique, dual-sliding face, the phone is otherwise a brick, albeit a brick loaded to the gills. The Nokia N95 isn't an ugly phone, but it lacks the ultra-sensitive touch screen, or the clean looks of the iPhone. To its credit, the N95 has plenty of dedicated buttons around the rim of the device, which makes many features easier to access. Still, the iPhone is a revolutionary design, easily our favorite of the two.

Winner - Apple iPhone

Round 2: Interface

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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Once again, the N95 certainly holds its own, but is simply outclassed by the groundbreaking interface on the iPhone. The iPhone sets a new standard, not only for touch screen interface designs, but for all phones and portable media players. With a sharper look, more polish and animations and intuitive icons, Apple proves its specialty is superb design. The N95's implementation of the Symbian S60 OS, with its specialized multimedia menu, looks great on the phone's large, crisp screen. But again, the iPhone sets the new standard, and is our favorite.

Winner - Apple iPhone

Round 3: Calling

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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We tested each of these phone's on AT&T's network in New York City and New Jersey. The iPhone reported better reception in most areas, usually a full five bars, but the Nokia N95 had a dramatically better sound. The iPhone wasn't bad, but the Nokia N95 has an excellent microphone and speaker for calling. And in other calling features, the Nokia N95 pulled way ahead. The speakerphone on the Nokia is much louder than the speaker on the iPhone. The phone makes conference calls easily and features speaker-independent voice dialing, while the iPhone lacks any voice control whatsoever. Finally, the address book on the Nokia, which can be synchronized with Outlook and other programs, is far more robust than the contact list on the iPhone, with a more diverse selection of fields. The Nokia also features push to talk and video calling, though we couldn't get these running on AT&T's network

Winner - Nokia N95

Round 4: Messaging

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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It is tough to decide between the Nokia's comfortable 12-key keypad and the iPhone's onscreen QWERTY. We had some difficulty with Apple's keyboard, but tapping number keys seems like a step backwards, for either a messaging or smartphone. For instant messaging, neither phone has an onboard program. The Nokia N95 has plenty of third-party options, as it is a Symbian phone, but the iPhone has a few Web options, and perhaps even a rumored Apple app on the way. In either case, neither phone comes preloaded. The iPhone has an easier setup for e-mail accounts, but the Nokia N95 has MMS (straight from the camera app), which the iPhone lacks. We prefer the iPhone's keyboard, believe it or not, and the threaded SMS, though we think the category is balanced by the N95's MMS and wider support for S60. We'll call this one a draw, but neither side is truly a winner here.

Winner - Tie

Round 5: Audio features

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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The iPhone may be the best iPod we've seen, but the N95 is no slouch when it comes to audio. The phone plays plenty of formats, including some DRM WMA tracks, and also lets you fine tune the equalizer, while the iPhone only lets you select presets. The N95 has an FM radio, and, like the iPhone, uses a 3.5mm jack for standard headphones, though the jack on the N95 isn't strangely recessed as it is on the iPhone. Still, for a total music experience, once you add iTunes to the mix, the iPhone is a much better choice. Though it may lack some of the advanced features of the N95, especially A2DP for stereo Bluetooth, the iPhone is a much more enjoyable phone to use for music, with the best music transfer software in the game. Even with speakers that could wake us from a sound sleep, the Nokia N95 didn't beat the iPhone / iTunes combo in our minds.

Winner - Apple iPhone

Round 6: Video features

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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Both phones are able video players, and each has special access to YouTube using their own proprietary portal. Each phone played MP4 videos nicely, though with iTunes it was a bit easier to find content for the iPhone than it was for the N95. Still, videos ripped from our TiVo looked great on the N95...but not as great as they did on the larger iPhone screen. And, the video player on the N95 isn't as easy to use as the touch-sensitive iPod video player on the iPhone. Also, the N95 only supports microSD cards with capacities up to 2GB, instead of the newer microSDHC cards, while the iPhone starts at 4GB and jumps to 8GB at the high end. Overall, there isn't anything the N95 can do for video that the iPhone cannot, and the iPhone simply does it easier.

Winner - Apple iPhone

Round 7: Camera

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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This category simply isn't close. The Nokia N95 takes photography seriously, and the iPhone doesn't. The N95 packs a Carl Zeiss lens and a 5-megapixel sensor with autofocus, controlled by a two-stage shutter release. The iPhone has a 2-megapixel lens and no options whatsoever. The shutter release on the iPhone is an onscreen button, impossible to use properly for self-portraits. Pictures on the Nokia N95 looked solid, which pics from the iPhone looked good only under the right lighting and motion conditions. The N95 can also record video, at 30fps in full VGA resolution, while the iPhone has no video capabilities. The Nokia phone can then playback videos, at nearly-DVD quality, on a television set. Pictures can be printed, e-mailed, sent via MMS or transferred via Bluetooth, but only on the N95. The Apple device has none of these features.

Winner: Nokia N95

Round 8: Web browsing

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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Before we saw the iPhone, Nokia's advanced browser on their N-Series devices was our favorite among Web-enabled phones. With smooth scrolling and the useful mini-map, the browser made the best of cell phones' small screens and limited controls. The N95 is no exception, but navigating the Web on an iPhone is a completely different experience. Better even than the Nokia browser, Safari will set a new standard for the mobile internet, especially if it gets a long-rumored Flash upgrade. Perhaps if U.S. users of the N95 got the same HSDPA capabilities as their European counterparts, we could have at least considered this category balanced, but instead both phones are limited to EDGE and Wi-Fi. We'd like to see Apple steal the mini-map from Nokia, but even without it, the iPhone is our clear favorite.

Winner - Apple iPhone

Round 9: Extra features

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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Another category tailored for the N95, the Nokia phone trumps the Apple device in many extra features, though some go unused stateside. Video calling and HSDPA, for instance, are available on the N95, though these features won't work here. GPS, however, works very well, and Nokia's mapping program is even better than Google's, both in terms of looks and function. Among the trove of third-party apps available for S60, QuickOffice lets you edit Microsoft Office documents on the N95, though without a QWERTY keyboard, this feature may be less than ideal. Finally, Nokia plans on bringing the N-Gage gaming platform to its N-Series devices soon, and the N95 is sure to be a flagship model. While iPhone users wait for games which may or may not arrive, even Nokia's flailing N-Gage platform has a healthy catalog behind it.

Winner - Nokia N95

Round 10: Value

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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One of these phones costs $750, the other $600 with a 2-year contract. Having a value category is almost laughable, but there are hidden costs to consider. Also, if one of these devices could replace a music player or camera, it could prove more valuable. First of all, the iPhone pretty much requires a $60/month commitment for the next two years, or a termination fee of $175. Both phones would do an admirable job replacing your iPod nano, so that may save some money on future music players, but if you had your sights on a $250 iPod video, you'll want a higher-capacity iPhone to take its spot. The N95 takes great pictures for a cameraphone, and for casual photographers it will certainly do the job, but serious shutterbugs will still want a dedicated lens. The bottom line is the winner is AT&T (or, to a lesser extent T-Mobile), because AT&T will get all of the money you spend on service for the iPhone, and as one of two national GSM carriers, roughly half of the service costs for the N95.

Winner - Atlantic Telephone and Telegraph

And the winner is . . .

Apple iPhone
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Nokia N95
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This would be a much easier contest if the Nokia N95 had solved many of the problems we had with the iPhone, especially its lack of messaging options, problematic keyboard and lack of 3G networking. Instead, the N95 requires you to find third-party instant messaging, use the numeric pad for messaging and live in Europe if you want 3G. Some of its features, like stereo Bluetooth, N-Gage gaming and Office document editing, don't really impress us, but GPS navigation and the excellent camera make the N95 a standout.

The iPhone, on the other hand, completely blew us away with its interface design, advanced iPod feaures and the best Web browsing we've seen on a phone. Still, though these features are superlative on the iPhone, the Nokia N95 holds its own, and comes in a close second for each of these. Our final decision comes to this: the iPhone feels incomplete. There are too many bugs, too many critical omissions. A few features on the N95 didn't make the voyage across the Atlantic, but the iPhone feels like a version 0.9 product, with a little ways to go to get to version 1.0. Our advice for a buyer with a deep pocket is to buy the Nokia phone, and start saving right away for the next, improved version of the iPhone.

Champion - Nokia N95

Silicon electronics are a staple of the computing industry, but researchers are now exploring other techniques to deliver powerful computers.

2007-12-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

A quantum computer is a theoretical device that would make use of the properties of quantum mechanics, the realm of physics that deals with energy and matter at atomic scales.
In a quantum computer data is not processed by electrons passing through transistors, as is the case in today's computers, but by caged atoms known as quantum bits or Qubits.
"It is a new paradigm for computation," said Professor Artur Ekert of the University of Oxford. "It's doing computation differently."
A bit is a simple unit of information that is represented by a "1" or a "0" in a conventional electronic computer.
A qubit can also represent a "1" or a "0" but crucially can be both at the same time - known as a superposition.
This allows a quantum computer to work through many problems and arrive at their solutions simultaneously.
"It is like massively parallel processing but in one piece of hardware," said Professor Ekert.

Quantum computers are able to tackle complex problems

'Complex systems'

This has significant advantages, particularly for solving problems with a large amount of data or variables.
"With quantum computing you are able to attack some problems on the time scales of seconds, which might take an almost infinite amount of time with classical computers," Professor David Awschalom of the University of California, Santa Barbara told the BBC News website recently.

In February 2007, the Canadian company D-Wave systems claimed to have demonstrated a working quantum computer.
At the time, Herb Martin, chief executive officer of the company said that the display represented a "substantial step forward in solving commercial and scientific problems which, until now, were considered intractable."
But many in the quantum computing world have remained sceptical, primarily because the company released very little information about the machine.

The display also failed to impress.
"It was not quite what we understand as quantum computing," said Professor Ekert. "The demonstrations they showed could have been solved by conventional computers."

However, Professor Ekert believes that quantum computing will eventually come of age.
Then, he said, they will not be used in run-of-the-mill desktop applications but specialist uses such as searching vast databases, creating uncrackable ciphers or simulating the atomic structures of substances.
"The really killer application will probably be in designing new materials or complex systems," he said.

A word of DarkSide

2007-12-10T03:51:00.000-08:00

HI everybody and welcome,

this is right a blog on articles which I find interesting. I hope that it will be interesting for you too. These articles speak about science, sport, culture, politic, video games...

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