Nokia’s ongoing work on Remade

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The “Remade” mobile is made from upcycled materials like aluminum cans, plastic drink bottles and old car tires. Inside the sleek “nothing new” casing are more environmentally sensitive technologies like printed electronics (which reduce waste and CO2 emissions during manufacturing) and a backlit display which saves energy and increases the life of the battery.

The idea behind the “remade” concept was to see if it was possible to create a device made from nothing new. It has been designed using recycled materials that avoid the need for natural resources, reduce landfill, and allow for more energy efficient production.

The prototype was introduced at Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona last week revealing Nokia’s vision for recycled material use in mobile phones of the future. From the looks of ‘Remade’, Nokia’s products of tomorrow will consume less natural resources, reduce landfill waste and be more energy efficient. Remade is a concept that explores potential new ideas for the future, and is part of Nokia’s ongoing work looking at how it can help people make more sustainable choices. It is designed to help inspire and stimulate discussion on how mobile devices might be made in the future.

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Free voip software. talk voip free

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com Skype is a proprietary peer-to-peer internet telephony (VoIP) network, founded by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, the creators of KaZaA. The Skype Group is headquartered in Luxembourg with offices also in London and Tallinn. The system has a generally favorable reputation for working across different types of network connections (including firewalls and NAT) because voice packets are routed by the combined users of the free desktop software application. The basic computer-to-computer service allows users to speak, to send instant messages or to send files to one another from their computers via the Internet at no cost. Conferences of up to five users are supported. SkypeOut is a paid feature of the Skype internet telephony service, which allows Skype users to call virtually any non-computer-based landline or mobile telephone in the world. SkypeIn allows Skype users to receive calls on their computers dialed by regular phone subscribers to regular phone numbers. Beta released on March 10, 2005, SkypeIn permits users to subscribe to numbers in UK, USA, France, Hong Kong, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Poland. Cost is €30 for a 12-month subscription, or €10 for a three-month subscription. Users can have multiple SkypeIn phone numbers bound to the same account (a separate subscription is required for each). For example, someone who does business in both San Francisco and Helsinki could create a local telephone number in each city, and callers from those locations would pay cheap or free local rates. On September 12, 2005 eBay announced its plan to acquire the company for $US 2.6 billion, plus an additional 1.5 billion in rewards if goals are met by 2008. eBay will pay half in cash and half in stock options. Google Talk is a service developed by Google for instant messaging (IM) that also allows for PC to PC audio conversations. Google Talk beta was released on August 24, 2005 and consists of both a service and a client used to connect to the service. Unlike some other instant messaging services, Google Talk uses an open protocol (Jabber) for the IM part and it encourages the use of clients other than their own in connecting to the Google Talk service. As of the launch date, the Google Talk client is available only for Windows (2000, XP, Server 2003); users of other operating systems are provided with instructions for various popular Jabber clients, such as Psi or Miranda IM for Microsoft Windows and below, iChat or Adium for Mac OS X and Gaim for Linux. However, any program capable of using the Jabber protocol is sufficient, although the voice over IP service only works with the Google client. Google claims they will release a specification for the voice extension in the near future. GnomeMeeting is an open source VoIP and video conferencing application for GNOME. It is based on the OpenH323 library and primarily uses the H.323 protocol, although support for SIP is in development. It supports many audio and video codecs, and is interoperable with Microsoft NetMeeting. GnomeMeeting was written by Damien Sandras in order to graduate from the Université catholique de Louvain. ineen is a VoIP network that allows free IP Telephony calls. ineen has a laundry list of features which include voice, video, conferencing, distributed conferencing, speakerphone, call transfer, and instant messaging. Unlike other software, ineen took the approach of an interface that models a normal phone. The software is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Pocket PC. Jajah Jajah is a proprietary peer-to-peer internet telephony (VoIP) softphone. With Jajah you can speak to other Jajah-, SIP-, IAX- or Skype-users for free. Jajah offers free VoIP-communication, including internet calls, video calls, live chat, text messages, call forwarding and telephone conferences. To call a landline or mobile phone worldwide you'll have to top up your credit at their website. Receiving calls from traditional phones is not yet possible but planned. __

VoIP calling recived a booost in Europe

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com Vyke has entered into an agreement that will give Vyke users access to VoIP calling services from any hotspot operated by The Cloud Networks Limited ("The Cloud"). Beginning this summer, all Vyke Mobile IP users will be able enjoy seamless mobile VoIP service from The Cloud hotspots in the United Kingdom and abroad. The Cloud's 9,000 WiFi enabled wireless internet hotspots provide comprehensive coverage in a variety of public venues and 16 high density metropolitan areas such as the City of London, Canary Wharf, Amsterdam and Manchester. Vyke views The Cloud, with its operator independent business model, dominant position in Europe and its aggressive continuing build out plan, as a key partner for executing upon its stated mobile IP telephony strategy. Post __

Samsung’s product-- A fitness phone

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Samsung’s product offers a tracking device to make you aware of the heartbeats, music player, Bluetooth connectivity, and even a digital camera!

Samsung created a phone for the fitness buff called the FIT. This cellphone comes outfitted with a tracking devise for your heartbeat. But that is just the beginning. The FIT offers a computerized trainer or program which, based on the users specifications, designs fitness plans, tells you how many calories you have burned, gives you diets lists and professional trainers’ techniques.

People in a hoard for a healthy and fit life, FIT comes as a helping hand to you all. FIT absolutely makes the joggers’ morning two-hours a real pleasure. It boasts in-built music player for songs which has a whooping 80GB flash drive. Other outstanding features to keep your mouth wide open are USB connectivity, a dual-core processor, a compact hydrogen battery, and thermal cooling coming acting like cinques of a heat sink. User’s entire progress list could be seen in a clear two large OLED displays with multi-touch-sensitivity. The screen operates independently that means you can view your personal charts in one and the other has song details and controlling functions.

Small and handy are its attractive features measuring only 102 x 84 x 12 mm. Because of its soft silicone materials just grab it to turn it on.

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Microsoft-response-point-sp1

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com Today, Microsoft released announced Microsoft Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1), which adds SIP trunking support. Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1), not to be confused with the recent release of Vista SP1, will be released this summer, available free via a simple download. I spoke with Microsoft last week and they said they are partnering with several SIP-based ITSPs, which will enable Response Point administrators (or VARs) to easily add SIP trunks and move away from analog trunks. You simply use a VoIP account setup wizard in the Response Point Administrator, to connect with Internet telephony service providers (ITSPs) and add new VoIP phone numbers. The other benefit is the ability to add local phone numbers. Microsoft espoused the need for many small businesses to maintain a local presence. By leveraging VoIP providers businesses can select a local phone number for use in remote locations. Additionally, SP1 adds direct-inward-dial (DID) to directly reach a particular user's extension or pool of extensions. I asked Microsoft's thoughts on T1 trunks vs. SIP trunks and if they felt the need for T1 support was still there for the SMB, but they wouldn't comment. However, the impression I got was that they might add T1 support in the future. Personally, I think SIP trunking makes more sense for the SMB and it has proven itself cost-effective and reliable. But don't be surprised to see T1 support in the future in RP. Response Point hardware vendors Aastra Technologies Ltd., D-Link Corp. and Quanta Computer Inc. will ship end-to-end Response Point phone systems, pre-loaded with SP1, this summer. The SP1 release will coincide with Aastra's Response Point phone system debut, which is interesting when you consider Aastra got into the IP-PBX game with a Microsoft IP-PBX competitor last week - the AastraLink Pro 160 appliance, an Asterisk IP-PBX derivative. Here's a screenshot of the Response Point admin from my review back in November. No doubt the Phone Service portion will have SIP trunks listed when you add them in. Lastly, check out my Microsoft Response Point review if you haven't read it already to get a feel for this product... It's most note-worthy feature is the speech-recognition capabilities. __

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com Today, Microsoft released announced Microsoft Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1), which adds SIP trunking support. Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1), not to be confused with the recent release of Vista SP1, will be released this summer, available free via a simple download. I spoke with Microsoft last week and they said they are partnering with several SIP-based ITSPs, which will enable Response Point administrators (or VARs) to easily add SIP trunks and move away from analog trunks. You simply use a VoIP account setup wizard in the Response Point Administrator, to connect with Internet telephony service providers (ITSPs) and add new VoIP phone numbers. The other benefit is the ability to add local phone numbers. Microsoft espoused the need for many small businesses to maintain a local presence. By leveraging VoIP providers businesses can select a local phone number for use in remote locations. Additionally, SP1 adds direct-inward-dial (DID) to directly reach a particular user's extension or pool of extensions. I asked Microsoft's thoughts on T1 trunks vs. SIP trunks and if they felt the need for T1 support was still there for the SMB, but they wouldn't comment. However, the impression I got was that they might add T1 support in the future. Personally, I think SIP trunking makes more sense for the SMB and it has proven itself cost-effective and reliable. But don't be surprised to see T1 support in the future in RP. Response Point hardware vendors Aastra Technologies Ltd., D-Link Corp. and Quanta Computer Inc. will ship end-to-end Response Point phone systems, pre-loaded with SP1, this summer. The SP1 release will coincide with Aastra's Response Point phone system debut, which is interesting when you consider Aastra got into the IP-PBX game with a Microsoft IP-PBX competitor last week - the AastraLink Pro 160 appliance, an Asterisk IP-PBX derivative. Here's a screenshot of the Response Point admin from my review back in November. No doubt the Phone Service portion will have SIP trunks listed when you add them in. Lastly, check out my Microsoft Response Point review if you haven't read it already to get a feel for this product... It's most note-worthy feature is the speech-recognition capabilities. __

HOW GAMES STARTED IN MOBILE PHONE?

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Mobile games are embracing 3D

The mobile games industry has long been the poor relation of the PC and console markets, but a combination of new technology, services and investment is fuelling optimism that mainstream adoption is not too far off.

Ask anyone to name a mobile phone game and the most common response will be Snake or Tetris.

And while the classic Russian puzzler is the world's most played and downloaded mobile game it is not an accurate reflection of the industry.

At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week the leaders in the mobile game industry have been preaching optimism about the future.

"This is still an infant industry, but it is growing quickly and expanding fast," said Rob Tercek, chairman of GDC Mobile.

"We are looking at an industry that is a $5bn (£2.5bn) industry overall, not bad for one that didn't exist 10 years ago," he said.

Touch technology

But for developers and publishers the mobile games industry is unpredictable.

"Some companies are very profitable, many others are not," said Mr Tercek.

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GOOGEL ON FOR THE WHITE BAND FOR WiFi AND BACKS IT BUT WHY ?

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com Photo City-wide wi-fi networks are beginning to be rolled out across the United States. One of the most high-profile is a network operated by search giant Google.

While poring over hidden charges on your cell phone bill, or writing hefty cheques to your internet service provider, it's hard not to think there should be a better way.

Anything but high prices and no choices. Well, I'm starting to think there is, and I caught a glimpse of it in the city of Mountain View, California.

In the first week in August I drove down to Mountain View on a sweltering afternoon looking to test out the promise of free or cheap phone calls and ubiquitous internet access over a city-wide wi-fi network.

Thanks to Google, the city has been blanketed by wi-fi, which will soon allow its residents to connect to the wireless internet all over the city for free.

Using a technology called mesh, Google has placed hundreds of wi-fi nodes on lamp posts around the city that can connect your laptop or handheld device to the internet. For a town that gets the service, it's like living in a giant wi-fi hotspot.

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WiFi Q&A EXPLAINED BY BBC WORLD

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com Wireless hotspots are spreading across the world's cities, with blanket wi-fi zones now being rolled out in many city centres. Operators are promising wireless surfing at the touch of a button from the park, the bus or the street corner. So what does the wireless future have to offer and will it live up to the hype?

What is wi-fi?

Wi-fi is the acronym for Wireless Fidelity, essentially a set of standards for transmitting data over a wireless network.

Wi-fi allows you to connect to the net at broadband speeds without cables, as long as you have the right equipment and, in most cases, a regular internet service provider and a wi-fi account.

To understand the technology behind wi-fi, imagine using a walkie-talkie. Your voice is picked up by a microphone, encoded onto a radio frequency and transmitted with the antenna to another walkie-talkie, which decodes your voice.

Wi-fi works in broadly in the same way, but using a better radio that is capable of handling a lot more data per second.

HOW DOES WI-FI WORK? 1: Wi-fi uses antennas around which wi-fi "hotspots" are created. The hotspots are outlets equipped to receive the radiowaves that power wireless networking. Until recently, wi-fi has been confined to more than 10,000 hot-spots in cafes, bars and airport lounges. But various projects are under way to set up city-wide zones, where a series of antennas are installed in the streets, on lampposts or street signs. The hotspots around them together create a much wider area of coverage. Norwich has a mesh network which links each lamppost antenna to the next creating a seamless wi-fi hotspot around the centre of the city. 2: The source internet connection is provided by a PC or server to which the antennas are connected either wirelessly or via a cable. 3: Some mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDA) now have wi-fi chips installed. With mobile phones, this means conventional networks can be bypassed and inexpensive long-distance calls made over the web (using Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP). 4: Many laptops and handheld computers now come with built-in wi-fi connectivity; it is also possible to add wi-fi to your computer with a special card that plugs into a port on your laptop.

How do I use a giant wi-fi zone?

In the UK, there are already more than 10,000 wi-fi hotspots in public places such as restaurants, hotels, cafes, libraries and airports.

Wi-fi-enabled laptops and phones can be set up to connect to these hotspots automatically; usage is generally paid through a credit card at a login page on a web browser. Frequent users may even have accounts with service providers such as T-Mobile, BT Openzone, O2, SkypeZones and Nintendo wi-fi.

Will it catch on?

So far, wi-fi has been a service that is most useful for business people who need to work on the move; but operators want to make it available to all.

However, some analysts warn that wi-fi could be the "next dotcom crash", mainly because of patchy hotspot coverage, lack of enabled hardware and uncertainty over how to make money.

There are still a few big challenges ahead for wi-fi. Finalising interoperability and standards is one, and the concern over security is another.

Just because there are more than 10,000 wi-fi hotspots in the UK does not mean that a pass to use one means you can use all of them. Currently wi-fi hotspots are divided by who controls them.

In Norwich the local authority and regional development agency are pioneering a free wi-fi service. This model could catch on, if successful. More than 3,000 connections are being made to the city's wi-fi network each week

Logging on to the internet via wi-fi in different locations brings the risk (just as it does at home or in the office) of your computer being infected by computer viruses and worms. Experts advise you to install security software and update it regularly.

Who stands to profit?

Some critics argue that wireless hotspots can be a rip-off - the price of installing a wireless router in, say, a coffee shop, involves a one-off cost of a few hundred pounds but customers may be charged upwards of £5 an hour.

Users of the new city-wide wi-fi networks will be required to pay access charges to an account provider, such as BT Openzone or T-Mobile.

The revenues will be shared between the owners of the street furniture on which the equipment is installed (usually local councils), wi-fi hotspot suppliers and the internet service providers.

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Google believes the spectrum could create a wi-fi dividend

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Google's home is in Mountain View, California

Google is pressing the US government to allow the unlicensed frequencies of TV "white space" to be used for wi-fi.

The firm has written an open letter to regulators saying the US spectrum was a "once in a lifetime opportunity".

White space is unused blocks of frequencies in-between channels broadcast on analogue airwaves.

"The vast majority of viable spectrum in this country simply goes unused, or else is grossly underutilised," wrote Google's Richard Whitt in the letter.

"Unlike other natural resources, there is no benefit to allowing this spectrum to lie fallow," he added.

Google has said the white space could be used to bring "ubiquitous wireless broadband access to all Americans".

In the past TV broadcasters have opposed the use of white space, fearing it would cause interference with television programming.

Google believes the spectrum could create a wi-fi dividend

But in its letter, Google urged the FCC to adopt a series of overlapping technologies, including "spectrum sensing," designed to prevent signals from interfering with each other.

Mr Whitt said there was enough unused spectrum for businesses to create a wide range of options, such as building small peer-to-peer networks or even establishing an alternative national wireless network.

Google has said that devices designed to take advantage of the white space spectrum could be on the market by the end of 2009.

Other countries are also looking at using white space spectrum.

In the UK much of this space is being dedicated for use by services like wireless microphones for broadcast use, and for cognitive radio, a smart wireless technology that allows for the use of wi-fi.

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BBC website 'unblocked in China'

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Even stories about Tibet are now accessible

People in China are reportedly able to access stories on the BBC News website in full, after years of strict control by the Beijing government.

Dubbed the great firewall of China, the Communist government routinely blocks foreign news sites such as the BBC.

But BBC staff working in China now say they are able to access news stories that would have been blocked before.

However, the firewall remains in place for Chinese language services on the website and for any links in Chinese.

Beijing has never admitted to blocking access to BBC news stories - and there has been no official confirmation that the website has been unblocked.

But Chinese users trying to access pages on the site have almost always been redirected to an error message telling them: "The connection was reset."

It now appears that this is no longer the case, and access to the site is much easier.

The Chinese media website Danwei reported that BBC news output is now available to users "without hindrance".

Technology experts say such a development would not be possible without the approval of internet service providers - which are under strict supervision by Beijing.

The Chinese authorities had promised to give foreign journalists more freedom in the run-up to this summer's Olympic Games.

But analysts say that recent outbreaks of unrest in Tibet have made this promise more difficult for Beijing to uphold.

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