“White space” broadband technology could use unlicensed and partially vacated spectrum created by the shift to digital television to create a new wireless broadband delivery system. You’ll recall that in 2008 the National Association of Broadcasters was busy bickering with the companies pushing white space usage (Dell, Google, Microsoft), and the FCC began fielding comments on possible rules for the technology. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC may vote on final white space rules at their upcoming September meeting, though the agency has a mountain of unresolved issues already on their plate.

Link to the original article…

Now basing their determinations on real data and not just lobbyist Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, the FCC earlier this month released a study highlighting U.S. broadband coverage gaps. While highlighting that ISPs have done some amazing work at getting broadband deployed to many areas, there’s still roughly 14-24 million Americans without broadband, and their hopes over ever getting broadband is “bleak.”

Of course the very idea that U.S. broadband wasn’t a shining beacon of absolute perfection “upset” ISP policy, PR folk and lobbyists, who very quickly attacked the FCC for simply acknowledging what every major study concludes without fail: the U.S. is a mediocre player in terms of broadband deployment, speed and price. Today FCC boss Julius Genachowski defended the FCC’s findings in a Seattle speech (warning: pdf link):

The different reactions to this report were telling. Some saw that high-speed broadband was available to a very large percentage of Americans, and said everything is fine. Nothing more to do. Mission accomplished. I disagree. When up to 24 million Americans don’t have access to a communications technology that is essential to participation in our 21st century economy and democracy, I say that is unacceptable.

Again however, the primary reason the U.S. remains mediocre in broadband price, speed and availability is a lack of competition. And again, the FCC isn’t going to tackle competition because it would upset some of this nation’s biggest campaign contributors. Trying to “reform” the infinitely-broken USF and doling out grants isn’t necessarily a bad thing but none of the FCC’s current proposals really get to the real problem: the fact that most people live in a monopoly or duopoly broadband market, and as a result pay too much money for frequently sub-par connectivity.

Link to the original article…

Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.

Scott Hobbs Innovative Product Design produced ATTIGO TT touchscreen turntable system brings to the table one of the most useful, intuitive and coolest uses of a touchscreen ever:

The ATTIGO TT is a Touch-screen interface designed for DJing with mp3 tracks. The TT allows DJs to see, hear and touch music in a completely new dimension with a visualization of the music traveling vertically upwards.

The waveform of the music can be manipulated similar to a vinyl record on a turntable, with the abilty to “scratch” and along with all the other functions to control the music, this is the most simple and exciting way to mix mp3 songs.

Not sure how I missed these – the videos are from two years ago – but yes… DO WANT. No word on pricing or availability yet.

[ Links: Scott Hobbs, ATTIGO TT ]

Just last week, I was so deep in the woods that screaming for the whereabouts of my traveling companions would have probably gotten the attention of some animals that I’d rather avoid – read: bears. Cardo Systems have announced a rather unique solution to two-way communication, and oddly enough music sharing, between multiple sets of bluetooth enabled headsets if you’re on a motorcycle, snowmobile or ATV:

The Q2 MultiSet was created with the safety, convenience and enjoyment of riders in mind. The headsets come pre-paired so that riders can instantly begin communicating with each other. For added entertainment, an MP3 jack is included in both headsets which allow each rider to connect their personal MP3 player to the unit so they can each enjoy their own music. Incoming intercom messages and mobile phone calls automatically override the MP3 music so hands never have to leave the handlebars. An extra large, wind-resistant 195 mm microphone has also been included to greatly enhance sound quality.

“With the SCALA RIDER® Q2™ MultiSet we continue to empower riders with the best communication technology available, without compromising safety. To offer a smooth out-of-the-box experience the two headsets come factory paired, so that users can instantly start enjoying the product. As the fifth addition to our SCALA RIDER® line of products, we keep pushing the envelope for our customers by offering optimal solutions for every need”, said Abraham Glezerman, CEO of Cardo Systems, Inc.

Although I love my friends, I don’t exactly trust their choices in music. But Cardo does provide a cool way to communicate and share music between headsets and facilitate instant communication between users. The SCALA Rider Q2 MultiSet is available through select distributors, retail outlets, specialty shops, and directly from the Cardo Systems website with a suggested retail price of $395.95

[ Links: Cardo Systems, Scala Rider Q2 MultiSet ]

If you have trouble remembering passwords, then fingerprint/facial recognition technology can be an effective way to keep access to your valuable data. The Lockface system works through the use of a webcam – no webcam and you’re out of luck – to match with a stored image of your face with 98% accuracy. I am not sure what happens the other 2% of times, but that is probably secure enough for people that aren’t storing state secrets.

Price: $110 (as of now it is only available for people living in Japan) [Crunchgear]

Link to the original article…

Some people can travel by landmarks alone. Some people can be given a list of streets and be just fine. I’m a landmarks type of traveler… as long as you’ve included the street names too.

Microsoft is playing around with some tech that will make Google Maps look like an old world map that Lewis and Clark might have used.

While onboard navigation systems are gaining in importance, maps are still the medium of choice for laying out a route to a destination and for way finding. However, even with a map, one is almost always more comfortable navigating a route the second time due to the visual memory of the route. To make the first time navigating a route feel more familiar, we present a system that integrates a map with a video automatically constructed from panoramic imagery captured at close intervals along the route. The routing information is used to create a variable speed video depicting the route. During playback of the video, the frame and field of view are dynamically modulated to highlight salient features along the route and connect them back to the map. A user interface is demonstrated to allow exploration of the combined map, video, and textual driving directions.

Since this is part of the Microsoft Research endeavors, no clue when this is coming out in even a beta release. But I hope it’s soon.

[ Microsoft ] [ Microsoft Research ]