Hasta La Gadget!

Researchers at the University of Michigan have figured out a way to drastically increase your cellphone’s battery life, at least while using WiFi. By using what they’re calling E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening, professor Kang Shin (right) and student Xinyu Zhang have developed a proof of concept that could extend battery life up to 54-percent with the WiFi radio on. Even when idle, a wireless radio is actively checking for incoming traffic. E-MiLi scales back the wireless card’s clock to just 1/16th of its normal operating speed, and only kicks back into full gear when it senses incoming data. To be really useful though, we’d love to see the same trick employed on cellular data networks — that LTE sure is fast, but it’s not exactly battery-friendly. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading New ‘subconscious mode’ could improve smartphone battery life, supress your WiFi id

New ‘subconscious mode’ could improve smartphone battery life, supress your WiFi id originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a 13,000-square-mile section of West Virginia known as the Quiet Zone where there’s no WiFi, no cell service, and strict regulations placed on any device that could pollute the airwaves. Those unique conditions are enforced (and aided by the surrounding mountains) to protect the radio telescopes in the area from interference, and it’s hardly anything new — as The Huffington Post notes, Wired did an extensive profile of the zone back in 2004 (the area itself was established in 1958). But as the BBC recently reported, the Quiet Zone is also now serving as something of a refuge for people who believe that wireless technology makes them sick — a condition sometimes called Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (or EHS). Those claims are, of course, in dispute by most medical professionals, but that apparently hasn’t stopped folks from calling the local real estate agent “every other week or so” to inquire about a place in the zone.

[Image courtesy NRAO]

West Virginia’s ‘Quiet Zone’ becomes refuge for those on the run from wireless technology originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Levitatr is available for a $79 pre-order. Image courtesy Levitatr.

At rest, the Levitatr looks like a shiny, expensive glass rectangle in an aluminum chassis. Press the activation key, and up springs a backlit full-size 77 key Bluetooth keyboard.

Designer James Stumpf came up with the concept after becoming frustrated with typing on the virtual keyboard on his iPad. He imagined how great it would be if keys rose from the glass. This wireless keyboard is a start, but Stumpf hopes to get the technology integrated directly into a tablet.

The keyboard runs on four AAA batteries, and features a retracting aluminum stand to hold a tablet. It is compatible with the iPad, iPad 2, iPod Touch. iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and HP TouchPad.

The keyboard is currently a Kickstarter project, and is available for pre-order via donation towards his goal of $60,000. A minimum pledge of $79 gets you your own Levitatr.

Continue reading Logitech unveils Wireless Headset, Boombox for tablets, smartphones and Radio Raheem

Logitech unveils Wireless Headset, Boombox for tablets, smartphones and Radio Raheem originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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America is built on the principles of life, liberty and WiFi, the latter of which has increasingly become a target for hackers hoping to mess up our chi. To predict what would happen as result of an assault, researchers at North Carolina State University created two models — one based on a continuous jam of service, and one on an intermittent disruption that would cut off service during specific times. They then measured “order gain,” which compares the probability of an attacker having network access to the probability of a legitimate user having access. Basically, the more control a hacker has, the more regular users that will lose service and be shut out — making it harder to regain control. Researchers hope the new method will help identify the most vulnerable networks, opening the doors to create effective countermeasures to keep our WiFi safe — something that Starbucks customers will surely be thankful for.

Researchers develop method to measure effects of WiFi attacks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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