Vodafone brings fiber optics to the Shard, gives you signal high above London Mobile

By Brian Heater posted Feb 2nd 2013 10:35AM8

What good is a spectacular view if you can't use your phone to tell people about it? London's newly opened 95-story skyscraper, The Shard, measures 1,016 feet, making it the tallest building in the European Union. From the 69th and 72nd floors, you can get 360 degree views of the city, up to 40 miles out, according to the building's owners. But what happens when the 200 people who can fit on the platforms at any one time want to user their mobile devices? Vodafone's implemented a fiber optic system that converts signal into light, allowing it to travel upwards at a rate of 100GB per second. Once they've hit the proper spots, its converted into a radio signal, which is then beamed to several antennas located on different floors. More information -- and some cool imagery -- can be found in the source link below.

Ofcom mulls letting all UK carriers reuse spectrum for LTE Mobile

By Jon Fingas posted Feb 2nd 2013 8:38AM5

British regulator Ofcom gave EE special license to reuse 1,800MHz spectrum for its fledgling LTE network; to put it mildly, that rubbed other carriers the wrong way. The agency may be more open to a level playing field, as it's proposing letting everyone follow a similar route, and then some. Following calls from H3G (Three), Telefonica (O2) and Vodafone, Ofcom has offered to let all UK providers repurpose both their 1,800MHz airwaves as well as the 900MHz and 2,100MHz bands. We won't have too long to wait before a decision: Ofcom will decide on the proposal in the second quarter, which might come just in time for carriers to supplement whatever bandwidth they get from 4G auctions. Especially when hardware already exists that could use the frequencies for faster speeds, success could see the trickle of UK LTE become more of a torrent.

Lynx A 3D camera hits Kickstarter, ready to motion capture your donations

By Brian Heater posted Feb 2nd 2013 6:16AM15

Every time we write up a 3D printer, we get a deluge of folks asking just how easy it is to render a 3D model. The answer is, unless you're well-versed CAD, not very. Austin-based Lynx Laboratories is working to help bring the learning curve for 3D rendering down a bit, with the Lynx A, a "point-and-shoot 3D camera" it claims is even easier to use than many standard digital cameras. The list of things the tablet-shaped device can do is impressive, indeed, including digital measure, architectural rending, object modeling and motion capture -- the latter of which has some interesting applications in the movie and gaming spaces. The project's Kickstarter is now open, steadily heading toward its $50,000 goal, with 44 days to go. A starting pledge of $1,799 will get you one of the 14-inch devices to call your own. Not convinced? Perhaps the video after the break will put you over the 3D edge.

Google Chromebooks now in 2,000 schools, usage doubled in three months

By Nicole Lee posted Feb 2nd 2013 4:07AM185

Google has really ramped up its education efforts lately, and it looks like it's paid off: according to the Mountain View company, its Chromebooks are now in use in 2,000 schools, which is twice as many as there were three months ago. Three of the more recent participants include Transylvania County Schools in North Carolina with 900 devices, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida with 2,200 and the Rocketship Education charter network in the Bay Area with 1,100. The education team has been making efforts in the global community as well, with cloud-promoting appearances at various education conferences such as the Florida Education Technology Conference in Orlando and the British Education Training and Technology show in the UK. We're not sure exactly which flavor of Chromebook the students are getting their hands on, but we're sure no matter what they use, they'll grow up well-versed in what could be the future of computing.

Dijit acquiring Miso, plans to give you even more to do while you watch TV HD

By Brian Heater posted Feb 2nd 2013 1:52AM2

Having already declared war on the grid, TV remote / guide app maker Dijit is taking GoMiso under its wing. The company announced via its site that it's in the process of acquiring the social TV developer. The move will incorporate more discovery into Dijit's offerings. The company has announced intentions to keep the Miso and Sideshow apps around, as well as GoMiso founder, Somrat Niyogi, who is coming on as an advisor. Quips, on the other hand, is now on the chopping block -- at least it'll have some clever last words, no doubt.