RIM shares tank on lower profits for new BlackBerrys

For the second straight quarter, soaring earnings weren't enough to satisfy Research In Motion investors worried about the prospects of lower profits to come.

RIM reported its second-quarter results Thursday, posting an 88 percent jump in revenue and a 72 percent jump in net income compared to last year. The numbers, $2.58 billion in revenue and $495.5 million in net income, were roughly in line with the company's own expectations but slightly below those of financial analysts.

But RIM revealed that its gross margins will be lower than usual for the next several quarters as it introduces new products that are slightly more expensive to build than its current models. In addition, the U.S. launches of the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Pearl Flip will come a little bit later in the company's third quarter than it had expected earlier in the year, meaning they'll contribute a little less to this quarter than RIM had anticipated.

That news sent RIM's stock down around 20 percent in after-hours trading as investors digested the news. RIM's gross margins are pretty solid, at around 50 percent, but they are heading down into the mid-40s as the company starts building the more expensive handsets in large volumes.

Still, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsille wasn't worried about his company's prospects heading into the rest of the year, on a conference call following the release of RIM's numbers. Balsille compared the current market for smartphones as a bit of a "land grab"--the same term he used last quarter--and said RIM would regret missing out on the opportunity to take advantage of demand for smarter mobile phones if it wasn't willing to take a bit of a cost hit through more sophisticated hardware and increased marketing expenses.

During the upcoming quarter the BlackBerry will be the centerpiece of several so-called "hero" campaigns launched by partners, presumably carriers and software developers, Balsille said.

"Everyone has a hero campaign where we are a featured or the featured device for the holiday season,"

he said.

RIM has been trying to expand its footprint beyond the enterprise to consumers, the target for devices like Apple's iPhone. Right now, consumers make up 42 percent of RIM's subscriber base, but more than half of all new subscribers in the second quarter were consumers, Balsille said.

BlackBerry sales were roughly in line with what Wall Street analysts had expected, at 6.1 million units shipped, but below some of the more optimistic estimates.

Five Ways to Extend Battery Life on Subnotebooks

Whether you end up with an Asus Eee PC, MSI Wind, or Acer Aspire One, the vast majority of these subnotebooks suffer from less than stellar battery life. Realistically, the whole purpose of these small form factor laptops was that they were supposed to be ultra portable. They were supposed to be light and compact enough that you would have no problem tossing it into your backpack or messenger bag, carrying out the web-surfing machine with you everywhere that you go. It's almost self-defeating when you are constantly looking for a wall outlet.

For this reason, I have compiled five tips for extending the battery life on your favorite netbook. It shouldn't matter if you buy a HP Mini-Note, Dell Inspiron Mini, or whatever other small laptop, because these tips will still apply. Heck, even if you are bouncing around town with a larger notebook, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pay attention too.

1. Dim That Display As Far As You Can Handle

All laptops give you the ability to set the brightness level of the notebook, so it's a really good idea to make use of that. Yes, you may need to crank up the brightness to get a reasonable level of visibility under high-light conditions, but if you're sitting in a coffee shop or working out of the library, it's not necessary to have the brightness jacked to the max. This is a huge burden on the battery. It's probably not the best idea for your eyes either. Dim that display and conserve some battery.

2. Turn Off Any Radios or Devices You Don't Need

Depending on the model that you get, many of these subnotebooks come with additional radios that you may not be using all the time. Given their Internet-minded functionality, there's a good chance that you'll have the Wi-Fi on all the time, but do you really need Bluetooth? Furthermore, any USB devices that you have connected to the Eee PC or MSI Wind, for example, will be a power draw. If you can help it, avoid using external mice and other peripherals if possible. This is especially true of running higher-draw devices like USB scanners, webcams, and portable hard drives.

3. Carry An Extra Battery or Two

This will cost you a little bit of money, but real road warriors will probably want to grab an extra battery or two. This is especially true of the netbooks that only come with a three-cell battery. Let's face it. Two hours of life just doesn't cut it. Poke around on eBay and other sources to see if you can find inexpensive third-party batteries. Just be sure to buy from a reputable seller and keep an eye on the mAh rating.


4. Make Use of a Car Charging Accessory

I invested about $15 on a Black & Decker power inverter for my car. In effect, it translates the power coming out of the cigarette jack into what appears to be a standard wall outlet. You don't need to break the bank with a high-wattage converter. The converter that I got only outputs 100 watts and that's usually enough for most small consumer electronics. If you've got a cell phone, iPod, or some other device, it can make use of this charger as well. Keep that battery topped up while on the road!

5. Hack and Mod Your Way to Greatness

If all else fails and no one wants to come to your rescue, then you might want to take matters into your own hands. One modder decided to create his own 9-cell battery for the MSI Wind. If the math holds up, that would provide six hours of web surfing on a single charge. Asus is also promising a version of the Eee that will provide "all day power". That's a waiting game though.

Mobile-TV equipped TD-SCDMA handsets delivered to China Mobile

Lenovo Mobile and Spreadtrum jointly presented Lenovo Mobile's TD900, the new digital mobile-TV equipped TD-SCDMA handsets, to China Mobile. The TD900's design is based on Spreadtrum's TD-SCDMA platform and mobile-TV solution. Officials attending the press conference included Mr. Xinsheng Zhang, Deputy Director General, Science and Technology Department, MIIT, Mr. Bo Zhao, Deputy Director General, Electronics and Information Technology Products Department, MIIT, Mr. Xiaojie Wang, Director General, Science and Technology Bureau, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television ("SARFT"), and officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology and from China Mobile.

This batch of mobile-TV equipped TD900 will be distributed to the Beijing Olympics volunteers and staff members. Lenovo Mobile is expected to deliver more TD900 handsets to China Mobile before the Beijing Olympic Games. With the Beijing Olympics approaching, China has become the focus of the world. Currently, China Mobile is increasing its testing of the mobile-TV function while preparing its third round of public bidding for the purchase of TD-SCDMA handsets. Lenovo Mobile and Spreadtrum's distribution of the first batch of mobile-TV TD900 handsets to China Mobile at the earliest opportunity shows the two parties' strong joint efforts and determination to serve the Beijing Olympics.

Lenovo Mobile's TD900 is one of Lenovo Mobile's "new vision" model series released in July 2008. TD900 is a tablet phone; it supports TD-SCDMA/GSM dual mode and 3G applications such as video phone, mobile-TV, auto-roaming, auto-switching and high speed download. As the first batch of mobile-TV equipped TD handsets, several radio programs and approximately eight TV channels including CCTV1, CCTV Olympics and CCTV News, are provided free and with good signal reception and smooth video display. The combination of TD-SCDMA and CMMB, both of which are China owned standards, offers a wonderful solution to serve the Beijing Olympic Games.

The TD900 deploys Spreadtrum's solutions for TD-SCDMA and CMMB standards. As the only wireless baseband solution provider in the industry for the innovative technologies of TD-SCDMA and CMMB, Spreadtrum developed successfully the TD-SCDMA digital mobile-TV application. Spreadtrum's chip solution offers mobile-TV play, simultaneous transmitting and receiving of communication signals without interference, and a good experience with the TV services of the TD-SCDMA digital mobile.

"It is our pleasure to jointly present with Spreadtrum the TD900, the innovative mobile-TV equipped TD handset, to China Mobile. TD900 is designed to address the needs of the mainstream market and is developed independently and to bring us the latest digital mobile TV experience. Being the national industry leader, Lenovo Mobile will make its best efforts to unite the industry's strengths and advance the development of China's 3G technology,"

said by Mr. Yan Lv, President and CEO of Lenovo Mobile.

Dr. Ping Wu, President and CEO of Spreadtrum said,

"We are pleased that Spreadtrum and Lenovo Mobile were able to jointly deliver the digital mobile-TV equipped TD-SCDMA handsets to China Mobile. Spreadtrum has pursued independent innovation and has supported China's self-developed standards for many years. We hope to maintain a strong cooperative relationship with Lenovo Mobile to drive together the next level of development in China's communications industry."

According to a recent forecast from China Mobile, the second phase of the TD-SCDMA network infrastructure will be completed by early next year, when all provincial capitals and select cities will have network coverage by then. With the successful kick-off of the third round of public bidding for the purchase of TD-SCDMA handsets by China Mobile and the mobile-TV TD handsets in the market, it is believed that a new "vision" awaits.

First Commercial Solar-Powered GSM System Launched

Telecom equipment vendor, VNL, has finally cracked the problem facing mobile operators in the developing world: how to provide affordable mobile services to rural people - and still turn a profit.

Launched today, VNL – and its solar-powered GSM system – will change the telecoms market in rural areas across the world. For years, operators and GSM equipment vendors have struggled with the same problem, namely that traditional GSM was not designed for the unique challenges posed by vast rural areas. It costs too much, is too expensive to run, uses too much power and is too difficult to deploy (especially in areas with no electricity, poor roads and no skilled engineers).

VNL has re-engineered GSM technology to reduce its power requirement and make it suitable for a rural environment where electricity is scarce or unavailable.

The result is VNL’s WorldGSM™ system, which includes base stations that only need between 50W and 120W of power to operate (compared to 3000 W for a typical GSM base station). A WorldGSM base station is entirely powered by solar energy with a 72 hour battery back-up in place (also charged by solar power).

The system also includes a rural-optimised MSC (Mobile Switching Centre), and a compact BSC (Base Station Controller) – making WorldGSM a complete, end-to-end GSM network.

Thanks to solar power, WorldGSM both drastically reduces the operating expenses for mobile operators - and contributes to a much lower environmental impact. VNL has estimated that mobile networks in India alone require 2 billion litres of diesel every year to power back-up diesel generators.

India-based Luke Thomas, from the research and consulting company Frost & Sullivan, says: “India is the fastest growing telecoms market in the world but some urban areas have already reached saturation point. VNL has opened up a whole new area of subscriber and revenue growth for operators by building a commercial – and profitable – GSM system to service remote low-density rural areas.”

Indian infrastructure provider, Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited (QTIL, www.quippoworld.com), will be trialling WorldGSM in rural areas of India in the near future. Following the successful completion of the trial, QTIL expects to roll out a complete commercial network that will be fully integrated with the networks of existing operators. Agreements with several prominent operators have been reached and are in the process of being finalised.

Probal Ghosal, CEO of QTIL, says:

“Every so often a company comes along that really changes the telecoms industry. VNL is one such company. Not only that, and more importantly, it’s improving the lives of the world’s rural communities.

I know that there will be considerable demand for and deployment of VNL’s equipment in rural India. The villages of India may be remote but the people who live there are ready and waiting for phones. Take an average small farmer, for example. He may often travel half a day just to get to a local market – only to find it is closed or not accepting his product that day. The advent of mobile phones will solve this type of problem at a stroke.”

VNL’s WorldGSM base stations have a number of unique features:

* Low cost: priced at less than a quarter of traditional GSM base stations and profitable at very low densities and subscriber revenues.

* Easy to transport: an entire WorldGSM base station packs into two carts and can be transported over rough terrain in something as simple as a bullock cart.

* Self-deploying and near-zero maintenance: can be assembled and activated by non-engineers.

* Small solar panels: the solar panels used are 2-8 m² and the power required is between 50 and 120W compared to the 200m² solar panel and 3000W required for traditional GSM Base Stations.

VNL’s WorldGSM base stations are interoperable with equipment from most major equipment manufacturers and are compatible with all standard handsets.

VNL is packed with telecoms industry veterans, most of whom have vast experience in bringing products and services to entirely new markets. Its CEO, Anil Raj, founded Hutch India in 1994 and served as its CEO before moving to Ericsson as President of its India operations.

Anil says:

“Telecoms operators and equipment manufacturers have traditionally failed to deliver GSM to rural areas for the simple reason that it’s just too difficult and ultimately not sustainable. There’s no power, no engineers, no infrastructure, a difficult terrain, low density – and, most importantly, low subscriber revenues. VNL’s equipment has overcome these challenges and provides operators with a truly viable way to connect the next billion mobile users.”

Canada wraps up wireless spectrum auction: official

Canada's auction of wireless spectrum has ended after the participating companies halted all bids, a government official told Reuters on Monday.

The official said there had been two consecutive rounds in the auction with no new bids on Monday, prompting auction managers to call an end to the months-long process.

The auction of airwaves over which wireless services are delivered raised C$4.25 billion ($4.25 billion) in 331 rounds of bidding. The proceeds were more than twice the amount analysts had expected.

According to the auction website, Rogers Communications Inc, which owns Canada's largest wireless firm, was the top bidder with offers totaling C$999.4 million.

Telus Corp, Canada's No. 2 phone company, had C$879.9 million in standing high bids. Telecom giant BCE Inc had bids totaling C$740.9 million.

The three companies currently dominate Canada's wireless landscape, though analysts have cautioned that their aggressive spectrum spending could leave them vulnerable to competitive threats posed by newcomers.

The government had set aside a chunk of spectrum exclusively for bidding on by new entrants -- a move the Big Three providers criticized as equal to an unfair subsidy.

As the auction concluded, Quebecor Inc, which had bid a total of C$554.5 million, and Globalive Communications, with bids totaling C$442.1 million, appeared to pose the most serious threat to the existing carriers.

Analysts have suggested that Quebecor, a printing and media firm with an established presence in its home province of Quebec, could partner with Globalive to create a national service provider.

CherryPal Unveils Low-Cost 'Cloud Computer'

Startup CherryPal on Monday introduced a low-cost, hassle-free "cloud computer" aimed at people who need a PC only for Web browsing, some light document work, and checking e-mail.

The $249 Linux-based system consumes only 2 watts of power, compared with the 100 watts of some desktops. Called the CherryPal, the paperback-size computer has no moving parts. The system contains 256 MB of memory and a 4-GB solid-state drive and runs on a 400-MHz Freescale MPC5121e processor, which is a Power Architecture chip. Apple used Power processors before switching to Intelx86 a couple of years ago.

The CherryPal also includes two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet jack for connecting to wired broadband, built-in Wi-Fi support, and a VGA connector for a display. The mini-PC weighs 10.5 ounces.

For software, the device ships with the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite, Apple iTunes, and a CherryPal-branded media player and instant messaging client. The computer's OS, open source Debian Linux, is inaccessible to the user. The Mozilla Firefox browser provides the user interface.

In launching the CherryPal, the user is automatically connected to the "CherryPalCloud," the company's Web portal. Accessible through a user name and password, the portal, which is available at no additional cost, offers 50 GB of free storage and handles software upgrades.

The company plans to make money through advertising, which it expects to roll out this year. CherryPal is taking orders now for the mini-desktop, which is scheduled to ship at the end of the month.

No-frills computers, particularly lightweight, sub-$500 notebooks, are growing in popularity among people who want a simple device to browse the Web and check e-mail on the road.

Asus sparked the mini-notebook craze with the introduction of the 7-inch Eee PC in October. Since then, the Taiwanese company has sold several hundreds of thousands of units and said it's on track to sell between 3 million and 5 million notebooks by the end of this year.

The success of the Eee PC has prompted others to follow with their own competing products. Hewlett-Packard, for example, has shipped the Mini-Note PC, and Dell (Dell) has confirmed working on its own minisystem.

While sales have been strong among computer enthusiasts, the ultra-low-cost notebooks are expected to eventually find their place in the mainstream PC market as an inexpensive option for students and as a second computer for accessing the Web, according to IDC. Worldwide shipments are expected to increase from less than 500,000 units last year to more than 9 million in 2012.

However, the low-cost minis are problematic for computer makers, who fear they could hurt sales of more expensive systems that deliver much higher profit margins. Because of the low average selling prices, IDC predicts revenue from the minimachines to be less than $3 billion by 2012.

In the meantime, the growing market for ultraportable Internet devices has attracted the attention of chipmakers. Intel is attacking the market with its recently released Atom processor, and Advanced Micro Devices is building a low-power chip code-named Bobcat.

Opera Mobile 9.5 beta is released

Opera Software today released the much-anticipated, first public version of Opera Mobile 9.5 beta. A powerful foreshadowing of what is to come, this beta takes mobile browsing speed and features to a new level, complete with visual effects and a new look. Download the new beta from http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/.

Opera has changed the face of its mobile browser in this beta release. As with the latest version of Opera Mini, Opera Mobile 9.5 beta now defaults to page overview mode, allowing the user to view the entire Web page and instantly recognize the Web site. With panning and zooming options, the user is able to focus on specific page content. Opera also introduces a sleek, new user interface for easier navigation.

"Our fans have been eager for the release of Opera Mobile 9.5 since it first appeared at the Mobile World Congress this year,"

says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software.

"We are now answering the call of the people and delivering what we proudly proclaim to be our best Opera Mobile browser to date. It is a totally new user experience."

Developers go cross-platform

With developer needs at the heart of this first beta release, Opera Mobile 9.5 includes several features to enable easier development on the mobile platform.

Opera Dragonfly, Opera’s developer tools, officially goes cross-platform with this release. It allows developers to debug JavaScript, inspect Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and the Document Object Model (DOM), and view any errors, making development for the mobile phone even easier.

Your quick reference guide to new Opera Mobile 9.5 beta features:

Faster – Opera has always been among the fastest browsers — if not the fastest — available. Opera Mobile 9.5 beta continues this fine tradition with improved performance over Opera Mobile 8.65.

Pan and zoom – Just like Opera Mini, Opera Mobile 9.5 beta defaults to full Web page viewing and allows users to pan and zoom into their desired content easily.

Improved user interface – Opera has completely renovated its mobile UI. Cleaner and more intuitive, the new UI is designed for quick and easy navigation.

Opera Dragonfly – Use your Opera desktop browser to debug sites on your mobile phone through the Opera Mobile 9.5 debug menu.

Improved standards support – Opera Mobile 9.5 is the most standards compliant browser available, and the company remains steadfast in its commitment to make the Web accessible for all.

Save pages and/or images – With a click, simply save pages to your phone.

Review Opera Mobile 9.5 beta 1 A comprehensive reviewer's guide to Opera Mobile 9.5 is available at http://www.opera.com/press/reviews/mobile/.

Aircell Selects LTE as 4G Wireless Standard for Inflight Connectivity

Aircell®, the world's leading provider of airborne communications, today announced its intention to base its fourth generation (4G) mobile broadband network on Long Term Evolution (LTE), the emerging standard for advanced mobile broadband networks and services. Having pioneered the first commercial Inflight Internet service in North America, Aircell plans to deploy LTE to enable the next generation ultra-high bandwidth mobile services such as hi-definition and interactive TV and multi- player immersive gaming that passengers will come to expect. As Aircell migrates toward full LTE deployment, planned network and technology developments will enable Aircell to serve North American airlines with state- of-the-art mobile broadband technology.

Aircell's LTE announcement expands on the company's vision and leadership in the airborne communications market. With a 16-year history in airborne communications, Aircell's continuing innovation and leadership were confirmed recently by the company's demonstration of the first and only air-to-ground mobile broadband Inflight Internet solution for commercial airlines, Gogo(TM). Gogo turns a commercial airplane into a Wi-Fi hotspot, providing full Internet access - including Web, personal IM and email accounts and VPN access to corporate email and systems - to passengers with Wi-Fi enabled personal devices such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs.

Aircell is working with the standards organizations that support Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and its global membership of networking, device and technology partners to advance the LTE standard that will enable Gogo to deliver unprecedented wireless broadband services. Aircell joins wireless giants AT&T, Verizon and Alltel in selecting LTE as the choice for 4G network technology. LTE will enable networks to deliver mobile data with greater speed, better throughput performance and lower latency. The end result is the availability of the ultra-high bandwidth mobile services and pervasive Internet that consumers are coming to expect.

"The 4G market is still evolving but one thing is for sure, passengers will want the same mobile broadband services in the air that they have on the ground,"

stated Joe Cruz, CTO, Aircell.

"Aircell's choice of LTE ensures that our network will continue to support the services customers demand today and in the future. With LTE, Aircell's Air-to-Ground (ATG) Inflight Internet technology is future-proofed."

In addition, airline operations will benefit directly and significantly from Aircell's deployment of 4G technology, which will enable a wide array of powerful operational applications such as high-resolution weather-to-the- cockpit.

Aircell has pioneered ATG technology to deliver its mobile broadband service, Gogo, to the airplane cabin. Using an exclusive FCC frequency license, CDMA Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Rev A protocol and network optimization and acceleration technology, Aircell is able to deliver an effective data rate of more than 12 Mbps peak to Gogo-equipped aircraft. By the end of 2009, further advances in existing technologies will enable Aircell to deliver a raw data rate of up to 22.7 Mbps to aircraft. By the beginning of 2011, Aircell expects to deploy its 4G LTE network, which will enable a throughput of up to 300 Mbps to aircraft.

"The unique advantage of ATG inflight connectivity is its rapid scalability,"

continued Cruz.

"Unlike satellite-based systems, which must contend with significant technology hurdles and a slow technology evolution path, ATG benefits from every ground-based advance in wireless technology. The result is a highly scalable, rapidly advancing inflight connectivity technology."

SanDisk WORM SD Card Goes a Little Backwards

Remember when blank CD-Rs first hit the market? It was pretty cool being able to "burn" your own CD, but soon people started itching for discs that could be used again and again. Shortly thereafter, we were introduced to the CD-RW. A similar progression happened with DVD media. Strangely, the progression is going a little backwards with flash memory.

While all other SD cards have no problem being used again and again, the new SanDisk WORM SD cards will not come with this functionality. Instead, you can only write on the memory card once. The WORM -- Write Once Read Many -- cards are meant to store information that has to be kept unchanged, and the cards are supposed to last 100 years.

Naturally, the SanDisk WORM SD cards won't be very useful to the average consumer, but they could prove to be a reliable storage medium for court records, police departments, medical applications, and so on. The WORM cards currently top out at 128MB, but I can't see why similar tech can't be implemented in larger capacity cards. No word on pricing.

Intel announces next-generation technology

Intel Corporation unveiled its Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology products for laptops today, powered by five new Intel® Core™2 Duo processors. Close to 250 innovative consumer and business notebook PC designs are on the way, including those equipped with the right combination of powerful processors, graphics and battery life to enjoy viewing stunning high definition videos and myriad other computer and Internet activities.

Intel also introduced the world's highest-performing dual-core mobile processor, the Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor running at a brisk 3.06 GHz, as measured by SPECint*_rate_base2006, an industry benchmark (www.spec.org)**.

Rounding out a mobile-focused summer for the company, Intel said it also plans to unveil eight processors within 90 days that will include first-ever mobile quad-core products and second-generation products for ultra-thin and light notebooks. In total, Intel will bring 14 diverse new processors into the marketplace as laptop sales continue to outpace desktop PCs.

Formerly codenamed Montevina, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology and Intel® Centrino® 2 with vPro™ Technology improve upon every facet of a laptop's main features, including performance and battery life via new processors and chipsets, faster draft 802.11n wireless (with WiMAX arriving later this year), and new business-class manageability capabilities.

"When we first introduced Intel Centrino back in 2003, there were very few Wi-Fi hotspots, YouTube videos and social media didn't really exist, ‘thin and light' only referred to weight goals and desktop PCs outsold notebooks by a very wide margin," said Mooly Eden, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the company's Mobile Platforms Group.

"Today, notebooks outsell desktops in the U.S, and we're paving the way to HD entertainment, rich online gaming, faster broadband wireless speeds and an easier and more secure way for businesses to manage, update and repair their notebook fleets."

Intel is introducing five dual core processors based on Intel's reinvented transistors (high-k metal gate formula) and advanced 45-nanometer manufacturing process. These processors come with a faster 1066MHz front side bus and up to 6MB of L2 cache, and three versions reduce laptop processor wattage about 30 percent, down to just 25 watts. Also featured is Deep Power Down Technology that turns off processing components such as core clocks and cache memory when the laptop is idle for greater energy savings.

Intel also unveiled its Mobile Intel® 45 Express Chipset and wireless Intel® Wi-Fi Link 5000 series that is shipping to customers now, with laptops arriving later in July and August. Delivering five times the speed and twice the range of older 802.11a/g technology, the Intel Wi-Fi Link 5000 series provides 802.11 draft-N support that delivers the fastest data rates possible today -- up to 450 Mbps.

Switchable graphics, a new optional power-saving feature available on Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks, provides both integrated and discrete graphics on a single notebook, enabling users to easily switch between the two options. Switchable graphics delivers greater 3-D performance when needed while providing the option for greater power savings for the best of both worlds.

For consumers, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology delivers the horsepower and battery life to enjoy a typical full-length, Blu-ray* high-definition video on a single battery charge for the first time, plus the ability to play a variety of online games, download music or post videos faster than before.

For businesses, Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology offers enhanced manageability and security options. This is increasingly important as companies replace desktops with notebooks and need to remotely diagnose, update and repair systems over a wireless network. Improved manageability with AMT 4.0 has also been added that provides wireless manageability during system sleep states, ongoing remote configuration capabilities, support for next-generation management standards (WS-MAN and DASH 1.0) and the ability for an employee to initiate communications to IT from outside a company's firewall.

OEMs and Channel system builders will deliver close to 250 systems to market. For more information including Intel product pricing, visit www.intel.com/go/processor_pricing. For a full media version of this release including photos, videos, related blogs and other information, visit www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080715comp_sm.htm and the Intel Centrino 2 technology press kit at www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/centrino2.

WiMAX Momentum

Later this year in the United States, Intel will begin shipping its first-ever combined WiMAX/Wi-Fi module, part of the Intel® WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 Series that is an optional feature for future Intel Centrino 2-based laptops. WiMAX is a 4G, Internet protocol-based broadband wireless technology that complements Wi-Fi networks.

WiMAX also provides much wider Internet and phone voice coverage, and unlike Wi-Fi has the ability to unwire entire cities or communities, connecting users even when they're on the move. Intel is working with service providers around the world to deploy WiMAX networks, with initial U.S. network availability starting later this year from Sprint XOHM and Clearwire.

Toshiba's new QosmioF55 features Garmin GPS technology

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the new Qosmio® F55 laptop series, a 15.4-inch powerhouse that leverages both the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo CPU and NVIDIA® GPUs with built-in GPS(1) to provide an unsurpassed performance in terms of multimedia, gaming and mobile convenience.

Through the combined strength of Intel's next-generation processor technology and the NVIDIA GeForce® 9700M GTS graphics(2) card, the Qosmio F55 with GPS is amply built for performance and power. The NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GTS provides users with the ability to navigate through today's latest DirectX® 10 games by providing razor-sharp graphic details and intricacies.

A unique feature on the Qosmio F55 laptop series is its GPS system powered by Garmin®. Freeing users from the need of an Internet connection, the built-in GPS system allows users to determine their exact location within moments, as well as search for directions to millions of locations.

“Laptops are a vital instrument of the digital lifestyle, and Toshiba is proud that it continues to expand its product line with innovations that increase how we interact with the world around us,”

said Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.

“The Qosmio F55 laptop series is in line with that vision, and through the addition of GPS, gaming-level graphics and a premium design, it's a powerful machine that will turn heads wherever users are.”

Incorporating the all-new Fusion™ finish with Vibe pattern, the Qosmio F55's chassis is built around a stunning 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite™ high-definition display. To further enhance the visual experience, the Qosmio F55 sports two premium Harman Kardon® stereo speakers, one subwoofer and Dolby Home Theater™ technology, allowing users to experience their content in both virtual and true surround sound environments. The Qosmio can be seamlessly integrated into a user's home theater system for a complete surround sound experience thanks to its REGZA LINK™ HDMI technology, while empowering users with simultaneous instant device configuration and the ability to control REGZA LINK enabled devices, such as Toshiba's REGZA™ HDTVs and Qosmio laptops, with a single remote.

As an added convenience, each Qosmio F55 features Sleep-and-Charge USB ports(3), which allow users to charge popular mobile devices such as MP3 players, mobile phones and PDAs at any moment, whether the laptop is powered-on, off or in hibernation mode. One of the Sleep-and-Charge ports also doubles as an eSATA port, which enables the transfer of data and multimedia files to and from an external hard drive at speeds up to five times faster than standard USB 2.0.

Additionally, the TOSHIBA Face Recognition software harnesses the Qosmio's built-in Webcam to grant or deny access to the laptop based on a series of recorded images of the user's face.

The Qosmio brand has long been defined by its strong multimedia features, and the Qosmio F55 series is no exception. The Qosmio F55 series sports a DVD SuperMulti Drive that supports 11 different media formats. Additionally, the optical drive is Labelflash™ enabled, which makes it possible to burn images and labels directly onto a Labelflash DVD-R disc for a polished, professional finish. For the first time, Toshiba will offer users the option of configuring their laptops to run either a 32-bit or 64-bit(4) version of Windows Vista, depending on a user's preference and intended computer use.

The new Qosmio F55 series is available at a variety of major consumer electronics and computer stores nationwide or directly from Toshiba at www.toshibadirect.com. Detailed product information is available at www.explore.toshiba.com/F55.

The following configurations demonstrate some of the various specifications and price options available within the Qosmio F55 series:

Qosmio F55-Q502 Unique Specifications (MSRP $1,399.99(5))

--OS selection at first boot: Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version) (default), Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit(4) version)

--Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor P7350(6) --3072MB PC-6400 DDR2 SDRAM(7) --320GB (5400 RPM) Serial-ATA HDD(8) --DVD SuperMulti (+/-double layer) with Labelflash(TM) drive

--NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 9700M GTS with 512MB GDDR3 discrete graphics(2) memory --Atheros(R) (802.11 b/g/n)(9) ; --Built-in GPS(1) ready

Qosmio F55-Q503 Unique Specifications (MSRP $1,749.99(5))

--OS selection at first boot: Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit(4) version) (default); Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version) --Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9400(6) --4096MB PC-6400 DDR2 SDRAM(7) --320GB using two (7200 RPM) Serial-ATA HDD(8) --DVD SuperMulti (+/-double layer) with Labelflash(TM) drive --NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 9700M GTS with 512MB GDDR3 discrete graphics(2) memory --Atheros(R) (802.11 b/g/n)(9) --Bluetooth(R) version 2.1 + EDR --Built-in GPS(1) ready

Multimedia: Qosmio F55 Series

The Qosmio F55 series is available with a one-year standard limited warranty(10), which includes carry-in support at Authorized Service Providers throughout the country or packaging and delivery of the product to a centralized depot for prompt turnaround service from any of the 4,460 UPS Stores and Mail Boxes Etc. locations nationwide. Customers can also choose to upgrade the notebook's service plans, including up to four years of extended warranty coverage.

All new Toshiba laptops are RoHS-compatible(11), effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances. Toshiba also offers a computer trade-in and recycling program to reduce environmental impact and promote efficient utilization of resources. During the third quarter of 2008, Toshiba is offering free recycling for all manufacturer's PCs with the purchase of a new Toshiba laptop computer. To learn more about this free PC recycling promotion or to find out how to recycle other consumer electronic products, please visit: www.toshiba.com/recycle.

Verizon Wi-Fi Connect launches

Verizon Business has launched a new Wi-Fi interface that makes it easier than ever to connect to more than 70,000 (and growing) Verizon-provided hot spots worldwide. The new interface, Verizon Wi-Fi Connect, is available as part of Verizon Enterprise Mobility services suite. In addition, the company also announced it has extended these services to Latin America.

Verizon Wi-Fi Connect maximises the benefits of hot spot connectivity as part of an overall enterprise mobility strategy, providing integrated billing and management capabilities including monitoring of Wi-Fi usage. The service is simple and intuitive: An icon appears whenever a connection to a Verizon Wi-Fi hot spot is sensed. Then the user simply clicks to gain access to the Internet and from there to a corporate network.

Verizon Wi-Fi Connect is interoperable with all common wireless LAN software utilities, and works with existing connectivity preferences and corporate security procedures.

"Multinational companies require secure, reliable network access whenever and wherever they need it,"

said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Business.

"We're constantly expanding the number of enterprise hot spots we offer, and with Verizon Wi-Fi Connect our customers can obtain a business-grade Wi-Fi service experience through a very easy-to-use interface. Using the advanced reporting capabilities of Verizon's Enterprise Mobility service, customers can review the details and cost duration of each remote connection, enabling total corporate expenditure to be accurately calculated and enhancing overall service management."

Enterprise Mobility Services Now Available in Latin America

In addition, Verizon Business has also extended availability of the enhanced Enterprise Mobility services, including Verizon Wi-Fi Connect, to Latin America. Enterprise customers based in Latin America, or with Latin American subsidiaries, can now realise the management advantages and cost efficiencies of enterprise mobility services, and choose from flat-rate and usage-based pricing plans for individual or combined services.

Verizon Business' Enterprise Mobility services now have more than 3 million users, who securely, rapidly and seamlessly access corporate resources while on the move. Verizon Enterprise Mobility is designed to reduce the administrative costs associated with extending corporate network access to on-the-go workers. The flexible, scalable, easily administered solution offers corporate users multiple access options while addressing their varying access-security requirements.

The service includes advanced end-user client software that is centrally administered by the customer and ensures all communications to the corporate network comply with customers' security policies. Additionally, Verizon Enterprise Mobility integrates seamlessly with Verizon Private IP for network-based remote access to a Verizon-provided MPLS (multiprotocol label switching) network.

Verizon Enterprise Mobility supports 3G mobile data, Wi-Fi, dial-up and customer-provided access with:

-- Wi-Fi access at 70,000 hot spots in more than 80 countries (with expansion in progress).

-- 3G mobile data access for U.K.-based customers (UMTS/HSDPA/GPRS) in more than 120 countries worldwide.

-- 3G mobile data access for U.S.-based customers via the Verizon Wireless network (EVDO).

-- Dial-up access in more than 150 countries.

-- Support for 3rd party-provided access worldwide.

In addition, Verizon Business provides all the tools, software and support to allow quick and simple service deployment for its customers around the world. Local customer service and stringent service-level agreements all reinforce the overall customer experience.

Broadband telephony market to double by 2013

JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, projects that the broadband telephony market will nearly double in size from 14.7 million subscribers in 2007 to 28.4 million lines in 2013. Cable operators will see most of this increase, with their VoIP subscriber base nearly doubling during the forecast period, while growth for over-the-top VoIP providers will stagnate. The emergence of new service offerings, such as those from AT&T and Skype, will continue to generate buzz within the market.

According to a new JupiterResearch report, "US Broadband Telephony Forecast, 2008 to 2013," cable multiple system operators (MSOs) have maintained momentum in the voice service market by continuing to focus on competitive triple-play service bundles. Of consumers who subscribe to a cable MSO-managed VoIP service, 47 percent said bundling had a strong influence on their selection of home phone service provider.

As noted by David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch,

"Broadband telephony enables fixed service providers to integrate voice service features with other bundled services such as broadband, TV or wireless. At a time when consumers are increasingly cutting the cord and relying solely on wireless for voice communication, broadband telephony offers the best opportunity for fixed service providers to retain current voice customers or acquire new ones."

Despite having a moderate impact on the VoIP market overall, the emergence of AT&T's U-verse Voice is an important market development.

"By rolling out a managed VoIP service in areas where it already offers circuit-switched voice service, AT&T validates the importance of integrated services across the bundle,"

explained Doug Williams, Analyst and lead author of the report for JupiterResearch.

"However, AT&T may find it challenging to migrate existing voice customers to the VoIP platform, as those consumers place greater emphasis on service quality and reliability when selecting a home telephone service provider."

Looking ahead, JupiterResearch observes a few wild card scenarios that could shake up the market for broadband telephony, namely the potential for Verizon to migrate all services including voice within its FiOS bundles to an IP platform, as well as new product offerings such as the Skype phone, which de-couples Skype's voice chat service from the PC, and T-Mobile's new "@Home" over-the-top VoIP offer for $10 per month.

The complete findings of this report are immediately available to JupiterResearch clients online at www.jupiterresearch.com. For details on JupiterResearch's methodology, visit www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/methodology or email press@jupiterresearch.com to request a detailed methodology statement. For additional information on this report or JupiterResearch's Home Broadband and Communications research service, visit www.jupiterresearch.com or contact Kieran Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Client Service, at 1-800-481-1212 or researchsales@jupiterresearch.com.

Apple's iPhone could find Asia tough to crack

The iPhone 3G, which Apple is billing as twice as fast and half as expensive as the debut model, will roll out in cities from Tokyo to Sydney on Friday -- but it could face challenges in Asia it will not have elsewhere.

The company is betting the new phone's third generation (3G) capabilities, such as faster Internet access and file transfer, will make the phone a hit. Like the first version, the new model also has an iPod built in.

Many analysts are upbeat about its prospects, seeing Apple as a brand with a strong cachet in tech-savvy Asia.

Mancy Li wants to get her hands on Apple's newest version of the iPhone, but she won't bother to queue up in Hong Kong when it is released in Asia this week.

"I want to get one because it is trendy. It has a touch screen, it looks pretty and it's made by Apple,"

the 22-year-old visual arts student says.

But she's prepared to wait and see what happens to the price of running the new version of the phone, which Apple hopes will become as big a global hit as its iconic iPod music player.

"It is going to do well,"

Aloysius Choong, of Singapore-based industry research group IDC, told AFP.

"Apple is a strong brand in Asia and this is their maiden mobile phone offering in Asia. Just the Apple aura or the Apple halo means that there will be non-Apple users who will look at the product."

But in a region where having the latest gadget is almost an obsession, black market debut-version iPhones are already widely available, serviced by countless shops that "unlock" the software to allow them to operate.

With the phone already in circulation, the novelty factor will be less, which could emphasise the importance of pricing for the new model.

And that could prove to be an obstacle. Like elsewhere, Apple is only allowing the iPhone for sale through a limited number of operators -- whose pricing plans are not always particularly inexpensive.

Hong Kong users could pay the equivalent of up to 65 US dollars a month under a two-year contract, a steep price in a market where monthly mobile packages often cost one-fifth of that.

In Australia, Telstra says customers who sign up for packages around 30 dollars a month will be able to buy the cheapest iPhone 3G for around 270 dollars.

Pricing has not been announced in New Zealand by Vodafone, the country's largest mobile communications carrier, but is likely to be crucial in deciding the iPhone's success.

"If Vodafone can get close to Telstra's pricing in Australia, I think they will be on to a winner,"

says Scott Bartley, reviews editor of PC World New Zealand.

The iPhone could also face an uphill battle in Japan, where handsets allow users to watch television and pay for goods like a credit card -- neither of which the Apple phone can do.

"I can foresee the iPhone storming the rest of Asia but not Japan,"

said Yusuke Tsunoda, a telecom analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Centre.

"Compared with Japanese cellphones, it is not technologically superior."

In the Philippines, meanwhile, where text-messaging is now a routine way to communicate, the phone's on-screen keyboard -- instead of the regular buttons of a traditional cell phone -- may be a turn-off.

"This could limit its appeal to the Filipinos, who love to text,"

said tech journalist Kendrick Go of the Manila Times.

He said pricing could also be a factor in the Philippines, where much of the population lives on two dollars a day or less.

"The iPhone's popularity in the Philippines will likely be confined to the high-end market,"

Go said.

"It is just too expensive for the average consumer."

Finally, some consumers could be turned off if the iPhone becomes too much of a success -- and loses its cachet as a status symbol.

"Apple wants to make a big impact but it does not want to make too big an impact in the sense you want to create an image of scarcity and exclusivity,"

said the IDC's Choong.

Mancy Li, in Hong Kong, says the iPhone would lose its appeal for her if everyone had one.

"I won't get one if I see too many people using it,"

Li says.

"It won't be special anymore."

Waiting on WiFi

WiFi was supposed to effortlessly connect us to the world on the run.

Instead, we're all on the run seeking a connection.

We skip from airport to coffee shop, from cell connection to hotel hook-up, constantly trying to pace connects and disconnects with our physical location of the moment. We are, in essence, tethered to the one thing that was meant to cut the cord.

Why is that? Are technological factors an obstacle in connecting the dots between hotspots?

"There are no technology problems; it's more a matter of striking mutual agreements between services,"

Phillip Redman, vice president of network services and infrastructure, mobile and wireless at Gartner told.

The No-Signal Desert

Since none of the U.S. carriers are singing Kumbaya, getting righteous with customers on universal connections and fees might be only a hair closer than Armageddon. Europe at least has The Cloud -- a mobile wireless broadband service provider that blends cellular with hotspots to create indoor/outdoor WiFi coverage throughout the UK, Sweden and Germany and in a smattering of other locales within Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

In some ways, going WiFi in the U.S. is worse than being simply wired; now we have to account to multiple providers for our time spent on our various stops, doling out plastic cards for money and a slew of passwords for security that often offers little protection at all against the hacker sitting on the next Starbucks stool.

Then there's the matter of passwords, which are typically stored on the laptop or PDA, as it's been a while since we last visited Chicago or Seattle, and we can't remember the password we used here many Internet eons ago. It may be easier for the hacker on the next stool to simply steal the device while we juggle a white chocolate mocha and a cheese Danish far from the liquid-sensitive keyboard.

Public WiFi networks were supposed to allow us to at least stroll through a park or hold a connection between McDonald's and the airport, but most efforts to do that have stumbled and failed, leaving us to hopscotch our way through the old hotspot trail.

Broadband, Unstickied

Does this mean we are doomed to roaming eternally tethered, or is there something around the corner that will really set us free?

"Consumer frustration will lead buyers to abandon WiFi in favor of 3G wireless services like WiMAX and EVDO (Evolution-Data Optimized), which don't chain users to a single access point,"

predicts Redman.

"As a result, WiFi hotspot services, which offer better in-building coverage, will get bundled into wireless data services from the larger players."

Ah ha, a Cloud knock-off at last.

What about the bit players in the land of WiFi?

"The fractured nature of these WiFi services remains an inhibitor towards adoption and will eventually kill off smaller players,"

predicts Redman.

So a shake-up is coming -- big deal. The real question is, will there be a consumer shake-down too?

"Mobile WiMAX may put pricing pressure on current mobile broadband pricing, which is still stuck at about (US)$60 [per month] in the United States,"

Philip Solis, principal analyst of mobile broadband at ABI Research, told.

Some day soon, then, mobile broadband will come unstuck and float downward like a feather to somewhere nearer the vicinity of affordability.

Demand Pushed by Business

Then there's the trickle-down effect that will presumably feed the masses more than connectivity crumbs at Ritz-Carlton prices. Once the corporate world forces the issue, the rest of us will reap the rewards, just like everything else technical by nature and commercial by demand.

"While there are certainly a wide variety of hotspot services in the market, organizations need to balance the adoption of these services in terms of managing the financial costs, as well as ensuring that security concerns are mitigated,"

Philippe Winthrop, research director of wireless and mobility at Aberdeen, told.

Alrighty then, so how are they doing that?

"Many companies seeking to consolidate access network solutions have looked to solutions such as iPass or Fiberlink, which consolidate access across multiple vendors' networks with one login, and consolidated billing which allows an enterprise user to tap into a single, virtual network of hotspots, dial-up numbers and wired connections maintained by the access vendor,"

Chris Silva, an analyst of mobile operations infrastructure at Forrester, told.

How many enterprises are actually doing this?

"A study I conducted in November 2007 on enterprise mobility showed that 42 percent of organizations were using Boingo, iPass or a similar service,"

says Winthrop.

Breaking Up and Making Up

While consumers wait for next-generation, long-distance wireless broadband technology like WiMAX to trump WiFi, and wait for access vendors to patch together networks -- and thus push prices downward -- what can the lonely end user do to survive the desert between hotspot oases?

"Right now, most people would look at the difference in price, and where they would most likely need Internet access. If the need is mostly at venues that tend to have hotspots, a Boingo account would work well at one third the cost of mobile broadband from a cellular operator,"

said Solis.

"However, if it is a salesperson that needs to access their company's intranet before and after sales visits anywhere and everywhere, then a mobile broadband connection would make more sense. As the price of mobile broadband drops, more enterprise users and consumers will find value in the service and subscribe."

So we're back to the break-up to make-up scene. Consumer and corporate frustration leads to break-up with WiFi, which will then lead to a flirtation with 3G and 4G providers, followed by the wooing of mobile broadband providers, who will then marry hotspot providers, all to beget a version of the Cloud that we sincerely hope doesn't leave us all in a fog.

NASA Probe: Our Solar System Is Smooshed

When viewed from the rest of the galaxy, the edge of our solar system appears slightly dented as if a giant hand is pushing one edge of it inward, far-traveling NASA probes reveal.

Information from Earth's first space probes to hit the thick edge of the solar system -- called the "heliosheath" where the solar wind slows abruptly -- paint a picture that is not the simple circle that astronomers long thought, according to several studies published Thursday in the journal Nature.

Surprised astronomers said they will have to change their models for what the solar system looks like.

Different Distances From the Sun

In 1977, NASA launched two space probes on missions beyond the solar system. Voyager 1 went north and Voyager 2 went south. What startled astronomers is that when the two of them hit the heliosheath they did so at different distances from the sun.

Voyager 2 hit the southern edge of the solar system nearly 1 billion miles closer to the sun than Voyager 1 did to the north. Voyager 2 hit the edge at 7.8 billion miles from the sun.

"We used to assume that it's all symmetric and simple,"

said Leonard Burlaga, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

"It's literally like a hand pushing."

Interstellar Turbulence

That push is from the magnetic field that lies between star systems in the Milky Way. The magnetic field hits the solar system at a different angle on the south than on the north, probably because of interstellar turbulence from star explosions, said Voyager project scientist Ed Stone.

Both spacecraft still have several more years before they completely exit the solar system and continue deeper into the space between stars, said Stone, former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.

Quantum Computing In Semiconductors

The odd behavior of a molecule in an experimental silicon computer chip has led to a discovery that opens the door to quantum computing in semiconductors.

In a Nature Physics journal paper currently online, the researchers describe how they have created a new, hybrid molecule in which its quantum state can be intentionally manipulated - a required step in the building of quantum computers.

"Up to now large-scale quantum computing has been a dream,"

says Gerhard Klimeck, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University and associate director for technology for the national Network for Computational Nanotechnology.

"This development may not bring us a quantum computer 10 years faster, but our dreams about these machines are now more realistic."

The workings of traditional computers haven't changed since they were room-sized behemoths 50 years ago; they still use bits of information, 1s and 0s, to store and process information. Quantum computers would harness the strange behaviors found in quantum physics to create computers that would carry information using quantum bits, or qubits. Computers would be able to process exponentially more information.

If a traditional computer were given the task of looking up a person's phone number in a telephone book, it would look at each name in order until it found the right number. Computers can do this much faster than people, but it is still a sequential task. A quantum computer, however, could look at all of the names in the telephone book simultaneously.

Quantum computers also could take advantage of the bizarre behaviors of quantum mechanics - some of which are counterintuitive even to physicists - in ways that are hard to fathom. For example, two quantum computers could, in concept, communicate instantaneously across any distance imaginable, even across solar systems.

Albert Einstein, in a letter to Erwin Schrödinger in the 1930s, wrote that in a quantum state a keg of gunpowder would have both exploded and unexploded molecules within it (a notion that led Schrödinger to create his famous cat-in-a-box thought experiment).

This "neither here nor there" quantum state is what can be controlled in this new molecule simply by altering the voltage of the transistor.

Until now, the challenge had been to create a computer semiconductor in which the quantum state could be controlled, creating a qubit.

"If you want to build a quantum computer you have to be able to control the occupancy of the quantum states,"

Klimeck says.

"We can control the location of the electron in this artificial atom and, therefore, control the quantum state with an externally applied electrical field."

The discovery began when Sven Rogge and his colleagues at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands were experimenting with nano-scale transistors that show the effects of unintentional impurities, or dopants. The researchers found properties in the current-voltage characteristics of the transistor that indicated electrons were being transported by a single atom, but it was unclear what impurity was causing this effect.

Physicist Lloyd Hollenberg and colleagues at the University of Melbourne in Australia were able to construct a theoretical silicon-based quantum computer chip based on the concept of using an individual impurity.

"The team found that the measurements only made sense if the molecule was considered to be made of two parts,"

Hollenberg says. "One end comprised the arsenic atom embedded in the silicon, while the 'artificial' end of the molecule forms near the silicon surface of the transistor. A single electron was spread across both ends.

"What is strange about the 'surface' end of the molecule is that it occurs as an artifact when we apply electrical current across the transistor and hence can be considered 'manmade.' We have no equivalent form existing naturally in the world around us."

Klimeck, along with graduate student Rajib Rahman, developed an updated version of the nano-electronics modeling program NEMO 3-D to simulate the material at the size of 3 million atoms.

"We needed to model such a large number of atoms to see the new, extended quantum characteristics,"

Klimeck says.

The simulation showed that the new molecule is a hybrid, with the naturally occurring arsenic at one end in a normal spherical shape and a new, artificial atom at the other end in a flattened, 2-D shape. By controlling the voltage, the researchers found that they could make an electron go to either end of the molecule or exist in an intermediate, quantum, state.

This model was then made into an image by David Ebert, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue, and graduate student Insoo Woo.

Delft's Rogge says the discovery also highlights the current capabilities of designing electronic machines.

"Our experiment made us realize that industrial electronic devices have now reached the level where we can study and manipulate the state of a single atom,"

Rogge says.

"This is the ultimate limit, you can not get smaller than that."

Source: Purdue University

Motorola, Kodak Unveil 5-Megapixel Cameraphone

Motozine ZN5

Kodak and Motorola have teamed up to create a cameraphone that's designed to allow users to easily take and share high-quality photographs.

The Motozine ZN5 is a 5-megapixel candy bar-style phone that features Kodak's Imaging Technology, and it's the first handset in Motorola's Motozine line of multimedia-optimized devices.

"Today's creative consumers not only want to be the photographer, but also the retoucher, the exhibitor, and the critic,"

said Jeremy Dale, Motorola corporate VP of mobile devices marketing, in a statement.

"The Motozine ZN5 lets them be all the things they want to be."

The camera is activated by sliding the Kodak lens open. The device sports an auto-focus feature, Xenon flash, and optimized settings for low-light environments. It also features multiple capture modes, including a panorama mode that automatically stitches together continuous shots into a single extended image.

The cameraphone comes with Kodak's Easy Share Software to organize, edit, store, share, and find mobile pictures. Users can upload photos to a computer via USB, built-in Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. Photos can also be printed out wirelessly on select Bluetooth-enabled Kodak printers.

To deal with all these photos, the handset comes with 350 MB of internal memory, and the memory can be expanded up to 4 GB via the microSD slot. The cameraphone has a 2.4-inch screen that can switch to landscape mode when shooting photos.

The handset also features CrystalTalk Technology, an MP3 player, an organizer, and a built-in FM radio. It's expected to be available in China in July, with other markets to follow.

The high-end cameraphone market is becoming increasingly crowded. Last week, rival Sony Ericsson launched the latest device in the Cyber-shot line, with an 8.1-megapixel camera.

Galileo demo sat to be despatched

Giove-B, the second demonstrator spacecraft for Europe's proposed satellite navigation system, is finally to be sent for launch.

The craft, currently held at a test centre in Holland, will be despatched to the Baikonur spaceport next week for a Soyuz flight in late April.

Giove-B will trial key technologies for the Galileo project, including the most advanced atomic clock to go into orbit.

Precise timing is one of the principal elements of any sat-nav system.

The passive hydrogen maser device on the new spacecraft will keep time with an accuracy of better than one nanosecond (billionth of a second) in 24 hours.

The European Commission and the European Space Agency, which together are driving the Galileo venture, hope such technologies can bring a leap forward in performance over the existing American GPS (Global Positioning System).

They believe improvements in accuracy and reliability can spark a multi-billion-euro industry in which receivers find their way into many more markets - from mobile phones to safety-critical applications such as guided trains and buses.

Component failure

At one stage, Giove-B was being built in parallel with Giove-A, the first test platform launched in December 2005.

But the former's preparation was then hit by lengthy delays, including a major setback when a component blew on the spacecraft whilst it was sitting in a thermal vacuum chamber designed to assess the satellite's ability to withstand the extreme conditions of space.

"It was a capacitor that failed; and you can imagine, you then have to stop the test sequence and have an analysis,"

explained Reinhold Lutz from manufacturer EADS Astrium.

"It took two or three months to determine what really was the problem, and then we had to dismantle the satellite to replace each capacitor. And we had to do it not just on Giove-B but on all our satellites.

"This exercise alone took almost one year."

After the repairs and modifications, Giove-B would have been ready for flight in December 2007, but has since had to wait for a rocket to become available to take it into space.

Money package

Giove-B's woes have to some degree mirrored those of the Galileo project as a whole.

The sat-nav venture came close to being cancelled last year when the private consortium selected to build and operate the system collapsed.

European Union finance ministers had to step in with a 3.4bn-euro public funding package to keep Galileo alive.

Galileo cannot truly proceed until the money is released, and that requires the formal agreement of the EU's legislative arms.

BUILDING THE SPACE SEGMENT OF GALILEO 2 demonstrators will test key technologies; Giove-A is in orbit now In addition, 30 satellites are needed for the full Galileo system First 4 spacecraft in the constellation have already been ordered Remaining 26 yet to be ordered; they will be launched in batches A mix of medium- and heavy-lift rockets could do the job The timeline is challenging whichever rocket system is used

"What is needed now is a regulation, a legal instrument, which is necessary to allow us to spend the money,"

said Paul Verhoef, who heads up the Galileo Unit at the European Commission.

"The target is to come to an agreement even before Easter. It then needs some formal adoptions in plenaries and eventually it will enter into force. The date is not precisely known but it is expected to be May or early June."

He added:

"It would come to delays only if in the next two weeks the [Council of Ministers and the European Parliament] don't come to agreement. But this is not expected."

A raft of technical issues have to be addressed if Galileo is to become a fully functioning civil sat-nav service that, unlike military systems, gives guarantees to users over performance.

Issues such as liability have to be sorted out; who would pay out, and how much, for example, if a Galileo failure was found to be the cause of an aeroplane crashing?

Contracts will be issued later this year to build all aspects of Galileo's vast infrastructure - from the satellites in orbit right through to the ground monitoring and control centres.

Kazakh date

The timeline will be challenging. European ministers have insisted that Galileo should be up and running by the end of 2013. This will require launching a constellation of 30 satellites, the first four going up in 2010.

Giove-B will show whether the technology in these operational spacecraft is robust. As well as its atomic clocks, the latest demonstrator carries a signal generation unit, a complex processing centre that produces the all-important navigation signal.

This signal goes through an amplification system and is then converted to the three frequency bands over which Galileo will work. This will enable engineers to test the Galileo system across the full spectrum it intends to use to transmit its five sat-nav services.

"Giove-B is 95% identical to the final constellation satellites,"

said Reinhold Lutz.

"It is much more complex than Giove-A and can transmit the right waveforms simultaneously in all three bands."

Giove-B will leave the European Space Agency's research and technology centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, on Tuesday, and fly to Moscow. It will then travel on to Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on the following Thursday.

The launch on a Soyuz-Fregat vehicle is timed for 0416 local time on Sunday 27 April (2216 GMT on Saturday 26 April).

Giove-B will be placed in a medium-Earth orbit 23,222km above the planet's surface.

It should begin its first transmissions in May.

Giove-A, produced by the UK firm Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, has worked flawlessly in orbit for two years.

THE FIVE GALILEO SERVICES
NAVIGATION	Open Access	This will be 'free to air' and for use by the mass market; simple timing and positioning down to 1m
	Commercial	Encrypted; high accuracy at the cm scale; guaranteed service for which service providers will charge fees
	Safety of life	Open service; for applications where guaranteed accuracy is essential; integrity messages warn of errors
	Public regulated	Encrypted; continuous availability even in time of crisis; government agencies will be main users
SAR	Search and Rescue	System will pick up distress beacon locations; feasible to send feedback, confirming help is on its way