Hasta La Gadget!

Remember the helicopter footage of the police chasing OJ Simpson in his white Ford Bronco on Los Angeles’ Interstate 405? Now imagine being able to watch that on your smartphone–instead of your TV set–and even tilt, zoom and pan the camera to get different views, similar to what you would do with Google Earth.

A new mobile technology product called HT 4Sight promises to bring live, encrypted video feeds direct from air crews to smartphones on the ground. Initially, the product is being targeted at law enforcement and security officials.

“Usually aerial images are sent to a command center and then attached to a voice feed,” says Ron Magocsi, chief technical officer of Helinet, a company that got its start by offering aerial charter services. “But now everyone has a cellphone and we wanted to find a way to distribute these images easily so you can get it wherever you are.”

Footage shot from helicopters is popular with law enforcement and TV stations. But, so far, that feed has been directed to a ground station where it is viewed on a PC or re-broadcast to TV sets. Poor cellphone connectivity and the lack of bandwidth have held back efforts to offer live streaming video on smartphones.

Helinet says it has developed a solution to that problem. All that’s required in the smartphone is a software client that can be installed in the phone by syncing it to the computer. I saw a demo showing live video on an HTC smartphone at my desk in San Francisco. The video was streamed from the city of Ontario, California in near real-time.

“What you are seeing is virtually no breakups in a video feed that is coming from an airborne platform,” says Magocsi.

Here’s how it works. Helinet uses a gyro-stabilized high-definition camera system from Axsys that is mounted on a helicopter. A camera operator can either control the camera system directly or set some co-ordinates for the camera to lock on to.

The resulting live video stream is compressed from 1.5 Gbps (gigabits per second) to 18.3 Mbps (megabits per second) and then sent from the aircraft to the ground.  On the ground, it is de-compressed back to the 1.5 Gbps HD stream.

Microwaves are used to downlink the data stream  from the helicopter to a ground station. A directional antenna that is set pointing to the ground station transmits HD images up to 120 miles away with no loss or breakup.

Once the data stream is received on the ground it is decompressed and then down-converted from HD to standard definition video. The video is also cropped so viewers can see it on their phone without significant distortion. Ultimately, this video is streamed via the internet using the JPEG 2000 compression standard.

“For viewers, what this means is that when they are accessing the video, they are accessing our server through the internet,” says Magocsi.

What makes all this remarkable is that it happens in near real-time. “We work with customers that can’t have any delay,” he says.

The initial downlink of data introduces a 100-millisecond delay and additional processing could add up to a second or two.

Viewers can use either cellular or Wi-Fi networks to view the video feeds. And they can monitor up to four live video feeds on a single device. This kind of multi-casting also allows for hundreds of viewers to log in simultaneously to watch a feed.

Helinet is focusing on offering the technology to security officials so they can respond better to crisis situations because of their ability to access real time intelligence anywhere. But it’s easy to see how the idea can work for sports broadcasts and other specialized events.

For now the technology is available for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices only, says Helinet.

Photo: (UNC-CFC-USFK/Flickr). Photo illustration: Helinet

Apple updated the iPhone software development kit on Wednesday to allow internet telephony apps to work on the 3G network. The little-noticed move effectively unlocks the ability for the iPhone — and the upcoming iPad — to be used as web phones.

ICall, a voice-over-Internet Protocol (VOIP) calling company, said the latest revisions in Apple’s iPhone developer agreement and software development kit enable the iPhone to make phone calls over 3G data networks. ICall promptly released an update to its app today, adding the 3G support.

Because the iPad includes a microphone and will run iPhone apps, that means the tablet will gain internet telephony, too.

The FCC on Thursday issued a statement applauding Apple’s policy change.

“I commend Apple’s decision to open its platform to 3G calling, an action that will create new opportunities for entrepreneurs and provide more choices for consumers,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Previously, Apple’s policy had prohibited VOIP functionality on 3G networks — Skype, for example, was crippled so that its voice calling capabilities would only work over a Wi-Fi connection. The only way to use VOIP iPhone apps over 3G was by hacking (i.e., jailbreaking) the device.

Apple and AT&T had a secret agreement to ban apps that would let iPhone users make phone calls using the 3G data connection to prevent cutting into AT&T’s profits. That agreement was revealed in summer of 2009 when the FCC asked Apple and AT&T to explain why Google’s Voice app was rejected from the iPhone store.

After the FCC announced it was planning to extend internet openness rules to mobile networks, AT&T in October 2009 announced it would extend VOIP to 3G networks for the iPhone.

It appears that AT&T’s policy change is only now coming into effect, beginning with iCall and a few other VOIP apps that can now work with 3G.

At the same time, however, Apple has put in a roadblock to true 3G openness, because most phones’ SIM cards won’t fit in the iPad’s unusual micro SIM slot.

“I applaud Apple’s decision to allow iCall to extend its functionality beyond Wi-Fi and onto the 3G networks,” iCall said in a press statement. “This heralds a new era for VOIP applications on mobile platforms, especially for iCall and our free calling model. I hope that now more developers will begin using our VOIP as a platform to integrate VOIP into their applications.”

Though VOIP services offer cheaper calling plans to consumers, Tero Kuittinen, an MKM Partners telecom analyst, said the impact of VOIP on the telecom market won’t be immediate. He noted current VOIP technologies suffer from poor voice quality compared to traditional cellular calls, and with the current state of network congestion, it’s not going to get much better anytime soon.

“There’s a handful of kids who have always wanted to just make their voice calls on VOIP, but regular consumers have not been very excited about it,” Kuittinen said. “With voice over IP over 3G, the quality isn’t going to be there for quite some time.”

He added that VOIP will probably be much more popular when telecom companies roll out their faster fourth-generation networks, dubbed Long Term Evolution.

The move won’t necessarily change things for the famously rejected Google Voice app for the iPhone. Google Voice lets users channel all their calls through a single Google Voice number, which offers cheap international calls, free long-distance calls, free text messaging and voicemail transcription.

Google Voice is not a VOIP service. The calls are placed on a cell connection and use the minutes on a mobile phone. Circumventing Apple’s blockade, Google recently released a web-based version of Google Voice, which can be accessed through the iPhone browser. But that web-based version of Google Voice still depends on the iPhone’s telephone app to actually place the calls.

Google did not have an announcement regarding Google Voice in light of Apple’s new policy.

“We haven’t heard any updates regarding our native app for the iPhone,” a Google spokeswoman said.

Many have speculated that Apple would not allow Google Voice in its App Store to protect its partner AT&T’s profits. When asked why Google Voice was rejected, AT&T said it had no part in the decision, and Apple said it had not rejected the app and was still examining it.

Apple has been considering the Google Voice app since at least July 2009.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

See Also:

• AT&T Relents, Opens iPhone to Skype, VOIP
• Fring Announces First Video VOIP for the iPhone — They’re Half Right
• Google Voice Web App Circumvents Apple’s Blockade
• Google Voice Speaks of World Domination
• Google Voice App Rejection: AT&T Blames, Apple Denies, Google Hides

iCall Download Link [iTunes]

Dan Woolley was all over the news last week as the tech geek who survived the Haiti earthquake with the help of a first-aid iPhone app, his digital SLR and, of course, a lot of luck.

The religious man credits his survival to God and all those praying for him. But in an interview with Wired.com, he reveals that he was even more technologically resourceful than initial reports suggested.

After the quake struck, burying the Hotel Montana in rubble, Woolley, a web programmer, came up with some clever techy ideas. In addition to consulting the iPhone app First Aid & CPR for advice on treating cuts, Woolley used his digital SLR’s focusing light to help illuminate his surroundings. He snapped photos of the wreckage, using the flash to help him search for refuge. His viewfinder revealed a crumbled elevator shaft, where he prayed, rested and bandaged his wounds. Then, Woolley set his alarm to go off every 20 minutes to stay awake, fearing that if he fell asleep, he could go into shock. A French rescue team dug him out of the shaft 65 hours later.

• Join Reddit’s Haiti relief fundraising drive with Direct Relief International.
• Contribute to Haiti Rewired, Wired’s community for discussing tech, infrastructure, and the future of Haiti.

That was the gist of the story broadcast news outlets reported last week on Woolley, but there’s more.

While waiting for rescue, Woolley recorded voice memos for his family with his iPhone. And when he was feeling discouraged, he used the iPod app to listen to music.

How did his iPhone battery last an amazing 65 hours? Woolley had a Mophie “Juice Pack” battery extender that he plugged into his iPhone, giving it several hours more juice. He also stopped using the alarm after feeling reassured that he wouldn’t go into shock.

When the battery meter sank to 20 percent, Woolley shut off the iPhone to save the power. Before he did, he had stored some text messages calling for help, figuring he would have them ready to send in case he could get a miraculous cell connection.

“It really was an incredible tool in my pocket, and I was really glad to have it,” Woolley told Wired.com on the phone.

Woolley clarified that he was using the app not to learn to treat his cuts, but rather to ensure he was doing it properly.

“I don’t know if I would’ve necessarily done things differently if I didn’t have [the iPhone app],” Woolley admitted. “At a point of great inner turmoil it was great to have something that was definitive. It’s not like I read it and I learned and said, oh really I should tie the wound? It’s more like OK, this is what I do. All right, I’m doing the right thing.”

Woolley added that many on the web criticized him for not having a first-aid kit with him. He said critics were missing a major point about the importance of the iPhone, and other similar app-powered smartphones, such as Google’s Nexus One, being a general-purpose tool that you carry with you everywhere.

“For people who pointed out I should’ve had a pocket first aid kit, the reason they’re wrong is I wouldn’t have it in my pocket,” he said. “How many people have gone out of their way to add one more thing to their pocket? What was valuable about the iPhone is it was already in my pocket. And I thought, it would probably be a good way to have some first aid tips in here, so I downloaded that app. That’s the value of this utility.”

Woolley was one of reportedly 23 survivors rescued from the rubble that buried Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after the massive earthquake. He was shooting a video about poverty-stricken children in Haiti with his friend David Hames, a filmmaker, when the quake struck. Hames was not found.

“My iPhone did not save me, God and the prayers of tens of thousands of His people did,” Woolley said.

See Also:

• Man Buried in Haiti Rubble Uses iPhone to Treat Wounds, Survive
• Application Turns iPhone Into Medical Assistant
• A Tech Rx for Doctors: The iPhone

Photo courtesy of Dan Woolley

A simple iPhone application aggregates tech rumors and lets you join the fun by picking which are the winners (iTablet: tomorrow) and which are the lame ducks (Zune phone: ever). Better still, the Prediction application was approved by Apple and appeared in the store today, just in time for the biggest rumor-fest of the year, Apple’s (probable) iSlate event tomorrow.

Prediction pulls in the rumors and pushes them to your iPhone. They are organized by event (the upcoming Mobile World Congress, for example) for easy browsing, and you can vote for the outcome of each, choosing Correct, Partially Correct or just plain Wrong. You can even add your own speculation and share them with other users.

Grab the app right now for $3, or play along with an old-fashioned PDF, available from the site of Prediction’s developer, David Weiss. Download, grab a beer and play along.

Prediction Score Card [Unweary via ★]

Prediction [iTunes]

Nokia’s own headline sums this story up pretty well: “Navigation on your Nokia. For free. Forever.”

That’s right. If anyone thought that Garmin, TomTom and any other standalone GPS makers were already in trouble after Apple allowed turn-by-turn navigation on the iPhone, now the world’s No. 1 phone maker is giving away a full suite for any compatible Nokia handset, anywhere in the world. And not only is the application itself free: so are those usually lucrative maps and updates.

Free is fantastic and all, but what’s really important here is the fact that the maps are stored on the phone, not trickled to your device from a network. See, when you download Google maps on an iPhone or Android device, you’re at the mercy of of your cell signal. No bars, no map. But Nokia’s model is the same as a dedicated GPS unit: The maps are pre-loaded onto the phone and reside there permanently. In a place where the network doesn’t reach? No problem, maps are available. Don’t want to squander your data plan? No problem, maps don’t suck up kilobytes.

If you have Nokia smartphone, you can grab the download today from the Ovi store (not every handset is supported — the N900 is not on the list, for instance). Along with AGPS support, you get driving and walking directions, Lonely Planet and Michelin guides, weather updates and companion desktop (browser-based) software to manage and search routes form the comfort of a big keyboard. Best of all, the maps are available offline, unlike Google Maps on the iPhone.

Seriously, who would want to be in the satnav-selling game right now? If I had TomTom or Garmin shares (and I don’t), I would be selling them right now.

Ovi Maps [Nokia]