News summary for September 28th by Fareha Shafique. All articles come from NYT. 1. "Rural Areas Left in Slow Lane of High-Speed Data Highway" Summary: ======== Rural areas of vermont have slow dial up internet access. Instead of being upgraded to high-speed Internet access, Verizon (local phone company) is selling its local phone lines to invest the money in areas with more customers like New York and Boston. Big phone and cable companies are reluctant to upgrade and expand networks in sparsely populated places where there are not enough customers to justify investment. Implications: ============== Efficient Internet has become a necessity in North America. Without it companies (hotels and other tourist attractions) lose money because they cannot advertise and attract customers, people cannot access important application forms or online job banks, putting them at a disadvantage. Idea: ===== -Find efficient content delivery mechanisms for slow Internet. -Design architectures or algorithms to provide low cost, high-bandwidth, disconnection tolerant systems with available resources, e.g. cheap storage, using DTN as a base for the design. 2. "For the iPod or cellphone with everything, a DVR of its own" Summary: ======== ScanDisk V-Mate video memory card recorder acts like a bridge between a video source and a hand-held device. It takes the output of any video source (such as tv, DVD player, or digital camera) and converts into the video format of the receiving unit, saving it on a memory card. For example, it can be connected to a TV and has built-in softaware to mimic a DVR and schedule recording of a TV show to view later on a handheld. Implications: ============= People will watch their favourite TV shows when they are mobile rather than miss them. Idea: ===== Look at idea for news article 3. 3. "Three Systems, One Goal: See your Favorite Shows Anywhere" Summary: ======== Slingbox is a set-top device from Sling Media that pipes programs from your home television across the Internet to your computer sreen. They released 3 new versions intended for different technological needs of tv-obsessed public. One for those with basic cable, another connects to DircTv, Dish Network, TiVo box or other DVR and finally one that can connect to and control multiple video devices and has high-definition pass-through port for HDTV boxes. Idea: ===== Design a software that takes the output of the Slingbox from your computer and like ScanDisk's V-Mate converts it into the video format of a hand-held device which can be saved on a memory card and watched later on the hand-held. (Similar to TiVo's TiVo Desktop and TiVoToGo) Other Interesting News: ======================== "Designing Smart phones for Success": A whole new industry has popped up to provide accessories for smartphones as they become more sleek and rise in popularity. Accessories include: covers ranging from $20s - $100s, screen protectors to keep the screen scratch-free, specialized cleaning devices to get all the tiny spots, portable chargers in addition to bedside chargers, bluetooth headset for handfree, expansion kits that include GPS Navigator to connect to phone, keyboard that communicates wirelessly (with Treo) such as a keyboard projected on any surface with laser light, and software such as using Google Maps on Blackberry. Hmmm....what else would you want for your smartphone?