Geek Island

Freelancer go for it !!!!!

2010-10-27T08:31:00.003+05:30

Outsourcing Services?
Try Freelancer.com.

Glowing gloves to surf the net

2010-05-31T01:19:00.001+05:30

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a method to implement a 3D gesture-based interface that needs only a pair of specially coloured lycra gloves and a basic webcam.
The researchers have developed a system that could make gestural interfaces much more practical. Aside from a standard web cam, like those found in many new computers, the system uses only a single piece of hardware i.e. a multicoloured lycra glove that could be manufactured for about a dollar.

Other prototypes of cheap gestural interfaces have used coloured tape attached to the fingertips, but "that's 2D information," says Robert Wang, a Graduate Student in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, who developed the new system together with Professor Jovan Popovic. "You're only getting the fingertips; you don't even know which fingertip (the tape) is corresponding to."

The glove went through a series of designs, with dots and patches of different shapes and colours, but the current version is covered with 20 irregularly shaped patches that use 10 different colours.

Slimmest Led Monitors By BenQ

2010-05-15T15:55:00.000+05:30

BenQ, the LED monitor vendor has come up with the world's three slimmest LED monitors - BenQ V2220, V2420 and V920 LED in India.
"With the launch of the three new V series models spanning HD to full HD, 18.5" wide to 24", the company has lined-up 8 models in the India market," BenQ India's Vice-President (Sales and Product Management), Rajeev Singh, told PTI. "BenQ V series is energy efficient and consumes 44 percent less energy than other LED monitors," Singh said. BenQ V series will be now available pan-India at Rs. 8,999 (V920), Rs. 14,999 (V2220) and Rs. 18,900 for V2420 model.

BenQ India, is a part of the BenQ Corporation. The Taiwan-based company offers products and integrated technologies across platforms.

Something u should know about browsers

2010-04-23T13:11:00.001+05:30

Nokia's cheap social networking smartphones

2010-04-18T00:15:00.000+05:30

Nokia has announced three new handsets - the Nokia C3, Nokia C6 and Nokia E5 - designed to put better messaging and social networking tools in the hands of more people around the world, at affordable prices. These new handsets feature full QWERTY keyboards, and enable access to a range of different email accounts, IM communities and social networks.
The Nokia C3 is the first device to bring a full QWERTY keyboard to the world's most popular mobile phone platform - Series 40 - and is the first in the range to enable access to social networks directly on the homescreen. People can view, comment, update their status and share pictures to their favorite social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
At an estimated price of Rs. 5,500, before taxes and subsidies, the Nokia C3 also comes with Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat, meaning first time users can set up email and chat accounts straight from the device, without the need for a PC. Other notable features are the Wi-Fi connectivity, a two megapixel camera, rich color 2.4 inch screen and support for up to an 8GB memory card. The Nokia C3 is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2010 in a variety of appealing colors, including golden white, slate grey and hot pink.
The Nokia C6 is a Symbian-based smartphone combining the benefits of a 3.2 inch touch screen with a full slide out keyboard. The large screen provides a great Internet experience, as well as offering access to Facebook feeds directly on the homescreen. A full suite of email and social networking capabilities means the Nokia C6 is perfect for people who want to stay up to date while on the go.
Expected to be available in the second quarter of 2010 at an estimated price of Rs. 13,300, before taxes and subsidies, the Nokia C6 has an impressive feature set including a high quality five megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, and Ovi Maps with free walk and drive navigation. In addition, thousands of apps - from games and videos to news aggregators and web services - are available in the Ovi Store.
Rounding off the trio is the latest addition to the Nokia Eseries range, the Nokia E5. Designed for those that want to be productive in both their professional and personal lives, the Symbian-based Nokia E5 follows the successful blueprint of devices such as the Nokia E72 and Nokia E63. The Nokia E5 combines high quality business features with all of the personal networking and entertainment capabilities that a busy professional expects from a smartphone.
The Nokia E5 is perfect for managing busy schedules with a variety of productivity applications available in the Ovi Store. And with direct access to over 90 percent of the world's corporate email through Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveler, it's easy to keep in contact from anywhere.

Apple ipod is out!

2010-04-11T02:54:00.006+05:30

The Apple iPad WiFi version has just been released in the U.S. The Apple iPad, for now, is a USA-only release.
Some secrets:

The Apple iPad innards. iFixit report that the Apple iPad has 512MB of memory. The A4 chip is actually three layers of silicon in one delicious sandwich: the processor layer surrounded by two modules of RAM; each 2Gbit or 256MB. Note, however that others are reporting 256MB of RAM. The jury's still out on this one. The processor is twice as fast as the iPhone 3GS, but we already knew that. All in all, this beast packs a lot of power
Battery life seems to be longer than the 10 hours advertised by Apple
The Apple iPad uses a more powerful 10W power adapter. For us PC guys, this means that the Apple iPad won't charge while connected and switched on to our PCs. To charge it via USB through PC, the Apple iPad will have to be in sleep mode - which means no screen, which means no "charging" indication. Very strange. Those with high-power USB ports should be fine - this includes the latest Macs too.
Some people are reporting poor WiFi performance. This might be due to the aluminum casing of the Apple iPad - although this shouldn't make a difference.
Others are reporting that sites with lots of images fail to completely load on the Apple iPad
It's heavy. At 1.5 pounds (~700 gms), you will be feeling its weight soon, especially if you plan to hold it with just one hand and sans support. For those with an iPhone: there might be a relearning involved here.
This one might also sound a bit duh but the official Apple iPad case won't allow you to dock the iPad (you can use the USB cable provided with the Apple iPad to charge it though). You need to remove the case in order to dock the system. Perhaps a no-brainer but we would prefer not to juggle with a case to dock something
Reading comics and e-books is a joy on the screen. We can attest to the at least a part of this: the new Marvel comic app does a great job of displaying comic books; especially through its panel view. Moreover, the screen of the iPad is only slightly narrower than a typical comic width, the screen is also slightly less tall
iPhone apps don't look too hot doubled-up on the much larger screen of the Apple iPad. Although, games look fine.
Tethering the iPhone (or any phone) to the Apple iPad is not officially supported. Although, if you have a jailbroken iPhone and MyWi, then you can use the phone to tether to the Apple iPad

Motorola Milestone to hit Indian market

2010-03-23T15:04:00.000+05:30

Motorola Milestone, also known as the Motorola Droid in the U.S., is all set to make its debut in India. The Milestone is expected to compete with the likes of BlackBerry Storm2, Nokia N97 and Samsung Omnia HD, reports Techtree.The Android based phone includes a high-end hardware that comprises a full QWERTY physical keyboard, a 3.7 inch capacitive screen and an ARM Cortex A8 CPU clocked at 600 Mhz the same processor that powers the iPhone 3GS and the Omnia HD.

The Miletone in its Droid avatar was a huge success in U.S. and was primarily responsible for Motorola's revival as far as its phone department is concerned. The company was reeling under poor sales and bad products until the Droid came along. In India, the Motorola Milestone will come with Android 2.1. It has a 5 MP camera with autofocus and dual LED flash, image stabilization. The price is expected to hover around the Rs.34,000 mark which is comparable with that of its competitors . However, the final launch date is yet to be revealed.

Sony's clock radio

2010-03-23T14:56:00.001+05:30

Sony unveiled the ICF-C71PJ clock radio, which is unique as it sports a built-in projector that will throw up the time onto a bedroom wall. Users can set the projector at different angle according to the wall, and can even show the time on the ceiling. The ICF-C717PJ also has a built in thermometer to show room temperature, and has five nature sounds programmed in to help users relax before going to sleep.

Also, the clock radio has dual alarms, which can be set to play an AM or FM radio channel, a buzzer or digital music from an iPod or other digital media player. Nature sound choices include undersea world, waves, mountain brook, rainfall or a birdsong.

Users can also set the LCD display to one of four brightness settings. Battery backup ensures users wake up even when there is an overnight power outage.

Google's Prototype mirror

2010-03-03T12:48:00.000+05:30

Internet giant Google, has developed a prototype for a new mirror technology that could cut by half the cost of building a solar thermal plant.

Google has been looking at unusual materials for the mirror's reflective surface and the substrate on which the mirror is mounted. In solar thermal technology, the sun's energy is used to heat a substance that produces steam to run a turbine. Mirrors focus the sun's rays on the heated substance. "There is a decent chance that in a small number of years, we could have a 2-X reduction in cost," said Weihl.(company's green energy czar).

Google has invested in two solar thermal companies, eSolar and BrightSource, with which it has discussed the new mirror technology, Weihl said. He said the technology was not at a stage where it could be tested externally, but he added that both eSolar and BrightSource were interested in it.

1Gb/second broadband speeds: Google's plan to revolutionize the internet

2010-02-26T13:20:00.002+05:30

Do you know the reason behind Google success, its their innovation. This is the company which gave us a revolutionary search engine; a 1 GB storage E-mail inbox, when 100 MB was considered enough, for free and also interesting products such as Google Maps with Street View. But they are still not satisfied and plan to bring these services at a lightning fast speed to our homes. Google is experimenting with ultra-fast fiber network internet.

Fiber optic communication has never been exploited to its full potential and has failed in reaching out to the masses . Google plans to change this by testing high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. Fiber optic communication is the method of transferring data from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. Google plans to revolutionize internet speeds forever by introducing connection speed of a mind boggling 1Gb/sec for as many as 500,000 people. That makes it about 20 times faster than the highest internet speed provided by AT&T or Verizon in USA. That is also about a 1000 times faster than the average speed we see in Indian broadband connections. Google says that this will have three main uses: To encourage the development of bandwidth-intensive applications whose development had been somewhat restricted before, to explore new ways of deploying fiber networks and provide an “open access” network which gives the user a choice to have multiple service providers. If this experiment becomes a success, Google can redefine what internet speed is all about.

Vodafone introduces Rs 700 mobile phone for India

2010-02-26T11:56:00.000+05:30

While we fortunate Indians are still grouchy about the poor 3G facilities in India, we need to remember that a large population of India can't even afford phones. Vodafone has now launched possibly the cheapest phone in the world with their Vodafone 150.
Priced at mere $15, or Rs. 700, this phone is a boon for people in developing countries such as India, where mobile phone usage is booming. No longer will people have to rely on unbranded Chinese mobiles without warranty, or dodgy vendors selling second hand mobile phones of unknown legal status. Vodafone aims to reach 60% of India, by reaching deep into rural segments.
Besides voice calls and SMS, the phone will also support mobile payment services which are becoming popular in developing countries such as ours. By their estimate over 11 million Vodafone customers use mobile banking services
The Vodafone 250, a next model with a larger color screen and FM Radio will cost a -- still very cheap -- $20 or Rs. 900. As evident in the video below, the phone is quite similar to the feature phones of 5 years ago. However having a supported product such as this available today, and especially in the rural market where such a product stands to have a great impact is a pleasant thought indeed.

BSNL Mobile Money Transfer Services Coming Soon

2010-02-26T11:48:00.001+05:30

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) announced it’s plans to launch a mobile banking platform. The platform will help mobile subscribers to send money orders electronically through text messages (SMS). The SMS by the sender will be encashable at all post offices in the country.
In order to send money, go to the nearest post office and transfer the money by way of an SMS. The SMS will contain a unique code. The person who receives this SMS real time, can go to his nearest post office and collect the money by showing the code. This will also help those who do not have a proper address for physical delivery of the money order.
As the second phase of the implementation, mobile phones can be used for even buying goods at the local stores, using the mobile authorization process from the bank. The mobile money transfer platform had been test-piloted in Chandigarh. SBI and YES Bank had come forward to participate in BSNL’s mobile banking service platform. BSNL expects to roll out the service in association with the Indian postal department, after getting the Reserve Bank of India’s approval.

Top 100 Social Brands of 2009, iPhone Tops Again

2010-02-26T11:31:00.000+05:30

Vitrue, a social media management company has just released their Top 100 Social Brands of 2009. For the second time, iPhone is again at the number 1. Following the iPhone are Disney, CNN, MTV, MTV and NBA.
Aside from iPhone other social brands that show significant trend in 2009 are game consoles with Nintendo Wii at #7, PlayStation at #13, and Nintendo at #21. Adidas also made it to the top of the list among the sports apparel brands. For Sports, NBA and MLB are among the most talked about brands.

For the fashion circuit, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Burberry made it to the top of the list while media brands such as CNN, MTV, ESPN, CBS among others also made some noise in 2009.

Incidentally, don’t be surprised if you can’t find Google, Facebok and Twitter on the list. According to Vitrue, they omitted these companies from the list since they are only measuring those that use social technology and not the companies who are the technology themselves.

Vitrue’s analysis comprised on over 2,000 popular brands on the social web.

Here’s the Top 100 Social Brands of 2009 according to Vitrue.

iPhone
Disney
CNN
MTV
NBA
iTunes
Wii
Apple
Xbox
Nike
Starbucks
NFL
PlayStation
Adidas
BlackBerry
Sony
Mercedes
Microsoft
Samsung
BMW
Nintendo
Best Buy
ESPN
Ford
Honda
Ferrari
Gucci
Nokia
Major League Baseball
Dell
Coca-Cola
CBS
ABC
iPod
Mac
Turner
Nissan
Toyota
eBay
Amazon
Victoria’s Secret
Nutella
NASCAR
Disneyland
Audi
NHL
Red Bull
Verizon
Intel
Subway
Hewlett-Packard
Puma
Kia
Fox News
Porsche
Jeep
Dodge
Pandora
Walmart
Zappos
Suzuki
McDonald’s
Krystal
T-Mobile
Skittles
KFC
Volkswagen
NBC
Sprint
Pixar
Motorola
IKEA
Pepsi
Cisco
REI
LG
AT&T
Converse
The Gap
Chevrolet
Luis Vuitton
Toys”R”Us
H&M
Philips
General Motors
Pringles
Visa
Prada
Panasonic
IBM
VH1
Hulu
Oracle
Burberry
SEGA
Sears
Avon
Jet Blue
Lacoste
Comcast

Fujifilm launches 3D Print System

2010-02-24T10:57:00.000+05:30

Fujifilm has announced the development of the new "3D Print System" which achieves high-quality and natural 3D print captured with a 3D digital camera. This new system, the printer and a PC, is ideal for on-location 3D photography at tourist spots, theme parks, events, and other locations that offer photo printing services on site because it is easy to set up and requires small foot print, announced Shigetaka Komori, President and CEO of Fujifilm. Thanks to this new development in the field of 3D imaging, the enjoyment of 3D images will be more accessible to a wider audience than ever before. This new 3D Print System is scheduled to be available from 2nd Quarter of 2010.

Featuring Fujifilm's "Image Intelligencee" technology, the system employs a printing method that uses thermal sublimation to transfer images directly onto lenticular sheets to create a 3D effect. Prints will be available in four different types from 4x6 inches (10.2 x 15.2cm) to 6 x 9 inches (15.2 x 22.9cm). In addition, varieties of 3D prints are available including 3D composite prints using 3D templates.

Microsoft+Yahoo

2010-02-22T12:18:00.000+05:30

Yes friends....after decade long hiccups the Microsoft and Yahoo deal has finally reached its climax on Thursday,18 Feb, 2010.Both the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission have signed off on the deal, they say, and the holy matrimony has all but begun.

What is the Microsoft-Yahoo search deal?
In a nutshell, Microsoft and Yahoo decided to combine their search engine efforts in order to share resources and become more viable market competitors.Microsoft will power all the search technology on both Bing and Yahoo. Each site will continue to operate under its own identity; the search-powering switch will be purely under the hood.In exchange for Microsoft's search, Yahoo will handle the advertising -- some of it, anyway. The purple people will head up premium search ad sales for both sites. Microsoft will continue to run its own self-serve advertising and display advertising divisions.
The transition is expected to begin within a matter of days, but it'll be a while before everything's wrapped up. Microsoft and Yahoo anticipate having the search part of the switcheroo locked down by the end of 2010. The advertising adjustments are slated to be finished by early 2012.
The agreement pertains only to search; all other Microsoft and Yahoo Web products will remain independent and continue to operate normally.

Win 7 phone Series

2010-02-19T19:05:00.000+05:30

Microsoft finally revealed the Windows Phone 7 Series (the official name for Windows Mobile 7) on Monday 15Feb, 2010 at Mobile World Congress. Slated to launch on handsets by holiday season 2010, Windows Phone 7 Series is a complete overhaul from previous versions of the OS.

Windows Phone 7 Series is the successor to Microsoft's line of Windows Mobile phone operating systems. It's based on the Windows CE 6 kernel, like the Zune HD, while current versions of Windows Mobile are based on Windows CE 5. Microsoft announced the new OS at Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, and says that the first handsets to run it are supposed to be released by the holiday shopping season of this year.

The operating System is fully loaded with an emphasis on finger-based touchscreen input, deep social networking integration, fully branded and expansive Zune and Xbox components, and extremely strict hardware requirements for partners. A couple familiar touchstones from the past include plans for Outlook and Office support, as well as licensing to a wide variety of third party hardware vendors -- despite the name change, Microsoft still isn't building any phones itself.

reMail Sold

2010-02-19T18:55:00.000+05:30

Google has acquired an email search company called reMail. It is an iPhone application that provides full-text search of Gmail and IMAP e-mail accounts.Eventhough reMail was not a household name, but the app received critical praise and had a small, but dedicated group of users. So the question arises, what will Google do with this app, will it just kill the technology or has the search giant got something else up its sleeve?

If anyone is a reMail user, this news can be bitter, as Cselle (Founder of reMail) mentioned on his blog that reMail has been yanked from the iTunes App Store and no further updates for reMail will be coming. However, he said that support for reMail will continue through the end of March, and reMail is making its premium features available to all users for free. Premium features included support for IMAP and Rackspace accounts.

Revoluton in Chip Design-Graphene

2010-02-19T18:38:00.000+05:30

Graphene is a crystalline form of carbon that is made up of two-dimension hexagonal arrays which is ideal for electronic applications. To make the chips work 100 to 1,000 times faster than silicon, scientists have developed a way to put the graphene on 4-inch wafers.
David Snyder and Randy Cavalero at Penn State said that they came up with a method called silicon sublimation that removes silicon from silicon carbide wafers and leaves pure graphene. Some scientists had tried similar process to use graphene before, but it is being claimed by EOC that they are the first group which has perfected the process to a point that lets them produce 4-inch wafers, reports Electronista.

By using the smallest wafers in a more conventional method have resulted in 8-inch graphene wafers. The processors which are used now-a-days are roughly 11 inches across.

Windows Activation Technologies (WAT) Update

2010-02-19T18:33:00.000+05:30

Microsoft will be pushing a new Windows Activation Technologies (WAT) update before end of February for Windows 7 users with a set of anti-piracy measures which would disable more than 70 known hacks and cracks used by pirates to activate illegal copies of the software.

In an official blog post by Joe Williams, General Manager, Genuine Windows the company announced the new update stating :
Activation exploits are sometimes called “hacks”, and attempt to bypass or compromise Windows’ activation technologies. This new update is further evidence of Microsoft’s commitment to keeping customers and partners secure. The update will determine whether Windows 7 installed on a PC is genuine and will better protect customers’ PCs by making sure that the integrity of key licensing components remains intact.

So, what are the risks of activation exploits?
Searching for, downloading, or installing activation exploits or counterfeit software on the Internet is risky, because sites that advertise these pirated products often contain malware, viruses, and Trojans, which are found bundled with or directly built into the activation exploit or counterfeit software. A study by research firm IDC, The Risks of Obtaining and Using Pirated Software, shows that one in four Web sites offering counterfeit software attempted to install unwanted or malicious code upon downloading. And this rate is rising. Media Surveillance, an anti-piracy solutions company based in Germany, recently downloaded more than five hundred pirated copies of Windows 7 (and Windows activation exploits) and found that 32% contained malicious code. These are very disturbing figures – especially when considering that resellers may be using these downloads to claim that the PCs they sell include genuine Windows.

The update will be marked as “Important” and will get distributed first to the Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise editions, one thing worth watching here is that what will happen to pirates who have completely removed WAT from there computers using one of the most popular Windows 7 activation hack RemoveWAT - what will get updated if the feature is completely removed from the OS ?

Google Nexus One

2010-02-15T19:52:00.000+05:30

Finally the much hype about the launch of Google Nexus one is over, through it Google has made its official entry into the phone-sales game.The device, a Snapdragon-powered, HTC-built phone looks -- on paper, at least -- like the ultimate Android handset, combining a newly tweaked and tightened user interface with killer industrial design. A sleek, streamlined phone that can easily go toe-to-toe with the iPhone 3GSs, Pres, and Droids of the world, powered by the latest version of Android.

HTC has managed to get the thickness of the phone down to just 11.5mm, and it measures just 59.8mm and 119mm across and up and down -- kind of a feat when you consider the guts of this thing. In the hand it's a bit lighter than you expect -- though it's not straight-up light -- and the curved edges and slightly tapered top and bottom make for a truly comfortable phone to hold. On the glass-covered front of the device there are four "hardware" buttons (just touch-sensitive spots on the display) laid out exactly as the Droid's four hard

keys: back, menu, home, and search.

Google BUZZ

2010-02-15T19:31:00.000+05:30

On Tuesday Feb 9,2010 Google launched BUZZ for email, a service for sharing thoughts and multimedia , and your social media feeds with your friends using Gmail.Thus its like a social media sharing service built into your Gmail window. Google Buzz is the latest way to make the web more universally social. It is being viewed as the first product from google to compete with Twitter and Facebook.Buzz let you share your photos,links,videos,status updates through your Gmail inbox or your mobile browser.

Some cool features of Buzz:

No setup needed
Share publicly or privately
Inbox integration
Photo friendly
Connect sites you already use
See updates in real time

Tweets, pictures, videos, webpages — these are the lifeblood of Google Buzz. It will automatically pull images from shared videos, allow you to watch videos inline, and let you quickly flip through photos in a slick interface.

Google Buzz is also available on mobile.

The mobile version of Google Buzz is not just the desktop version shrunken down; the biggest add is a powerful geotagging service that plugs into a new version of Google Maps and lets you tie your updates to specific locations, smart media included (currently only supported on Android and Symbian.) When you’re looking at Google Buzz on the go, you can toggle between global and local buzz.

2G and 3G

2010-02-07T12:33:00.001+05:30

2G:

2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991.

The second generation of mobile telephony systems uses digital encoding. 2G networks support high bit rate voice, limited data communications and different levels of encryption. 2G networks include GSM, D-AMPS (TDMA) and CDMA. Three primary benefits of 2G networks over their predecessors were that phone conversations were digitally encrypted, 2G systems were significantly more efficient on the spectrum allowing for far greater mobile phone penetration levels; and 2G introduced data services for mobile, starting with SMS text messages.

After 2G was launched, the previous mobile telephone systems were retrospectively dubbed 1G. While radio signals on 1G networks are analog, and on 2G networks are digital, both systems use digital signaling to connect the radio towers (which listen to the handsets) to the rest of the telephone system.

2G technologies can be divided into TDMA-based and CDMA-based standards depending on the type of multiplexing used. The main 2G standards are:

1.GSM (TDMA-based), originally from Europe but used in almost all countries on all six inhabited continents (Time Division Multiple Access). Today accounts for over 80% of all subscribers around the world. Over 60 GSM operators are also using CDMA2000 in the 450 MHZ frequency band (CDMA450
2.IS-95 aka cdmaOne (CDMA-based, commonly referred as simply CDMA in the US), used in the Americas and parts of Asia. Today accounts for about 17% of all subscribers globally. Over a dozen CDMA operators have migrated to GSM including operators in Mexico, India, Australia and South Korea.

3.PDC (TDMA-based), used exclusively in Japan
4. iDEN (TDMA-based), proprietary network used by Nextel in the United States and Telus Mobility in Canada

Capacity:
Using digital signals between the handsets and the towers increases system capacity in two key ways:

Digital voice data can be compressed and multiplexed much more effectively than analog voice encodings through the use of various codecs, allowing more calls to be packed into the same amount of radio bandwidth.
The digital systems were designed to emit less radio power from the handsets. This meant that cells could be smaller, so more cells could be placed in the same amount of space. This was also made possible by cell towers and related equipment getting less expensive.

3G:
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000), better known as 3G or 3rd Generation, is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union which includes GSM EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000 as well as DECT and WiMAX. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, video calls, and wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Compared to 2G and 2.5G services, 3G allows simultaneous use of speech and data services and higher data rates (up to 14.0 Mbit/s on the downlink and 5.8 Mbit/s on the uplink ). Thus, 3G networks enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency.
DECT:
Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), known as Digital European Cordless Telephone until 1995, is an ETSI standard for digital portable phones (cordless home telephones), commonly used for domestic or corporate purposes. It is recognised by the ITU as fulfilling the IMT-2000 requirements and thus qualifies as a 3G system. Within the IMT-2000 group of technologies, DECT is referred to as IMT-2000 Frequency Time (IMT-FT).
WiMAX:
WiMAX, meaning Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology that provides wireless transmission of data using a variety of transmission modes, from point-to-multipoint links to portable and fully mobile internet access. The technology provides up to 10 Mbps broadband speed without the need for cables. The technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard (also called Broadband Wireless Access).

Applications:

1. Mobile TV - a provider redirects a TV channel directly to the subscriber's phone where it can be watched.
2.Video on demand - a provider sends a movie to the subscriber's phone.
3.Video conferencing - subscribers can see as well as talk to each other.
4.Tele-medicine - a medical provider monitors or provides advice to the potentially isolated subscriber.
5.Location-based services - a provider sends localized weather or traffic conditions to the phone, or the phone allows the subscriber to find nearby businesses or friends.

MT-2000 will provide higher transmission rates: a minimum data rate of 2 Mbit/s for stationary or walking users, and 348 kbit/s in a moving vehicle .

Evolution from 2G:

From 2G to 2.5G
The first major step in the evolution to 3G occurred with the introduction of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). So the cellular services combined with GPRS became '2.5G.'

GPRS could provide data rates from 56 kbit/s up to 114 kbit/s. It can be used for services such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and for Internet communication services such as email and World Wide Web access. GPRS data transfer is typically charged per megabyte of traffic transferred, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether the user actually is utilizing the capacity or is in an idle state.

From 2.5G to 2.75G (EDGE)

GPRS networks evolved to EDGE networks with the introduction of 8PSK encoding. Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), or IMT Single Carrier (IMT-SC) is a backward-compatible digital mobile phone technology that allows improved data transmission rates, as an extension on top of standard GSM. EDGE was deployed on GSM networks beginning in 2003—initially by Cingular (now AT&T) in the United States.
EDGE is standardized by 3GPP as part of the GSM family, and it is an upgrade that provides a potential three-fold increase in capacity of GSM/GPRS networks. The specification achieves higher data-rates by switching to more sophisticated methods of coding (8PSK), within existing GSM timeslots.

GPS and GPRS

2010-02-07T11:26:00.001+05:30

GPS:
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day.
GPS has become a mainstay of transportation systems worldwide, providing navigation for aviation, ground, and maritime operations. Disaster relief and emergency services depend upon GPS for location and timing capabilities in their life-saving missions. The accurate timing that GPS provides facilitates everyday activities such as banking, mobile phone operations, and even the control of power grids. Farmers, surveyors, geologists and countless others perform their work more efficiently, safely, economically, and accurately using the free and open GPS signals.

GPS is made up of three segments: Space, Control and User.
The Space Segment is composed of 24 to 32 satellites in Medium Earth Orbit and also includes the boosters required to launch them into orbit.
The Control Segment is composed of a Master Control Station, an Alternate Master Control Station, and a host of dedicated and shared Ground Antennas and Monitor Stations.
The User Segment is composed of hundreds of thousands of U.S. and allied military users of the secure GPS Precise Positioning Service, and tens of millions of civil, commercial and scientific users of the Standard Positioning Service (see GPS navigation devices). GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that GPS receivers use to provide three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus precise time.

GPS Satellite System:
The 24 satellites that make up the GPS space segment are orbiting the earth about 12,000 miles above us. They are constantly moving, making two complete orbits in less than 24 hours. These satellites are travelling at speeds of roughly 7,000 miles an hour.
GPS satellites are powered by solar energy. They have backup batteries onboard to keep them running in the event of a solar eclipse, when there's no solar power. Small rocket boosters on each satellite keep them flying in the correct path.

GPS Signal:
A GPS signal contains three different bits of information - a pseudorandom code, ephemeris data and almanac data.
The pseudorandom code is simply an I.D. code that identifies which satellite is transmitting information.
Ephemeris data, which is constantly transmitted by each satellite, contains important information about the status of the satellite (healthy or unhealthy), current date and time. This part of the signal is essential for determining a position.
The almanac data tells the GPS receiver where each GPS satellite should be at any time throughout the day. Each satellite transmits almanac data showing the orbital information for that satellite and for every other satellite in the system.
GPS satellites transmit two low power radio signals, designated L1 and L2. Civilian GPS uses the L1 frequency of 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band.

How It all woks?
GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to earth. GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user's exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a few more satellites, the receiver can determine the user's position and display it on the unit's electronic map.

A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and track movement. With four or more satellites in view, the receiver can determine the user's 3D position (latitude, longitude and altitude). Once the user's position has been determined, the GPS unit can calculate other information, such as speed, bearing, track, trip distance, distance to destination, sunrise and sunset time and more.

GPRS:
General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is a packet-based wireless communication service that promises data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates allow users to take part in video conferences and interact with multimedia Web sites and similar applications using mobile handheld devices as well as notebook computers. GPRS is based on Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and complements existing services such circuit-switched cellular phone connections and the Short Message Service (SMS).
GPRS data transfer is typically charged per megabyte of traffic transferred, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether the user actually is using the capacity or is in an idle state. GPRS is a best-effort packet switched service, as opposed to circuit switching, where a certain quality of service (QoS) is guaranteed during the connection for non-mobile users.

GPRS also complements Bluetooth, a standard for replacing wired connections between devices with wireless radio connections. In addition to the Internet Protocol (IP), GPRS supports X.25, a packet-based protocol that is used mainly in Europe. GPRS is an evolutionary step toward Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telephone Service (UMTS).
[ UMTS is one of the third-generation (3G) mobile telecommunications technologies, which is also being developed into a 4G technology.]

GSM

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GSM:

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications ) is the most popular standard for mobile telephone systems in the world. GSM is used by over 3 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories. Its ubiquity enables international roaming arrangements between mobile phone operators, providing subscribers the use of their phones in many parts of the world. GSM differs from its predecessor technologies in that both signaling and speech channels are digital, and thus GSM is considered a second generation (2G) mobile phone system. Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (GSM EDGE) is a 3G version of the protocol.

GSM uses a variation of time division multiple access (TDMA) and is the most widely used of the digital wireless telephony technologies . GSM digitizes and compresses data, then sends it down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot. It operates at either the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz frequency band

The ubiquity of implementation of the GSM standard has been an advantage to both consumers, who may benefit from the ability to roam and switch carriers without replacing phones, and also to network operators, who can choose equipment from many GSM equipment vendors. GSM also pioneered low-cost implementation of the (SMS), also called text messaging, which has since been supported on other mobile phone standards as well. The standard includes a worldwide feature.

Since many GSM network operators have roaming agreements with foreign operators, users can often continue to use their mobile phones when they travel to other countries. SIM cards (Subscriber Identity Module) holding home network access configurations may be switched to those will metered local access, significantly reducing roaming costs while experiencing no reductions in service.

GSM, a cellular Network

GSM is a cellular network, which means that mobile phones connect to it by searching for cells in the immediate vicinity. There are five different cell sizes in a GSM network—macro, micro, pico, femto and umbrella cells. The coverage area of each cell varies according to the implementation environment. Macro cells can be regarded as cells where the base station antenna is installed on a mast or a building above average roof top level. Micro cells are cells whose antenna height is under average roof top level; they are typically used in urban areas. Picocells are small cells whose coverage diameter is a few dozen metres; they are mainly used indoors. Femtocells are cells designed for use in residential or small business environments and connect to the service provider’s network via a broadband internet connection. Umbrella cells are used to cover shadowed regions of smaller cells and fill in gaps in coverage between those cells.

GSM networks operate in a number of different carrier frequency ranges (separated into GSM frequency ranges for 2G and UMTS frequency bands for 3G). Most 2G GSM networks operate in the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz bands. Some countries in the Americas (including Canada and the United States) use the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands because the 900 and 1800 MHz frequency bands were already allocated. Most 3G GSM networks in Europe operate in the 2100 MHz frequency band.

Network structure

The network behind the GSM seen by the customer is large and complicated in order to provide all of the services which are required. It is divided into a number of sections and these are each covered in separate articles.

The Base Station Subsystem (the base stations and their controllers).
the Network and Switching Subsystem (the part of the network most similar to a fixed network). This is sometimes also just called the core network.
The GPRS Core Network (the optional part which allows packet based Internet connections).
The Operations support system (OSS) for maintenance of the network..

Subscriber Identity Module
A SIM card, also known as a subscriber identity module, is a smart card that stores data for GSM cellular telephone subscribers. Such data includes user identity, location and phone number, network authorization data, personal security keys, contact lists and stored text messages. Security features include authentication and encryption to protect data and prevent eavesdropping.
A SIM card and can be switched easily from one phone set to another. The portability of data offers a number of benefits. For example, a user that buys a new phone can install the current SIM card to associate the new phone with the same number and user preferences as the old one. In another common situation, if a phone's battery runs out of power, the user can easily install the card to another subscriber's phone to borrow it without running up that user's minutes. Some vendors offer prepaid SIM cards that can provide travelers with local numbers, as long as their cell phones are not locked to a specific carrier.
A device called a SIM card reader can be used to upload data from a SIM card to a computer or other device.

CDMA, CdmaOne, Cdma2000

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Code division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method utilized by various radio communication technologies. It should not be confused with the mobile phone standards called cdmaOne and CDMA2000 (which are often referred to as simply "CDMA"), which use CDMA as an underlying channel access method..

One of the basic concepts in data communication is the idea of allowing several transmitters to send information simultaneously over a single communication channel. This allows several users to share a bandwidth of different frequencies. This concept is called multiplexing.

CDMA employs spread-spectrum technology and a special coding scheme (where each transmitter is assigned a code) to allow multiple users to be multiplexed over the same physical channel. By contrast, time division multiple access (TDMA) divides access by time, while frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) divides it by frequency. CDMA is a form of "spread-spectrum" signaling, since the modulated coded signal has a much higher data bandwidth than the data being communicated.

CDMA is a spread spectrum multiple access technique. A spread spectrum technique is one which spreads the bandwidth of the data uniformly for the same transmitted power. In CDMA a locally generated code runs at a much higher rate than the data to be transmitted. Data for transmission is simply logically XOR (exclusive OR) added with the faster code.CDMA employs analog-to-digital conversion in combination with spread spectrum technology. Audio input is first digitized into binary elements. The frequency of the transmitted signal is then made to vary according to a defined pattern (code), so it can be intercepted only by a receiver whose frequency response is programmed with the same code, so it follows exactly along with the transmitter frequency. There are trillions of possible frequency-sequencing codes, which enhances privacy and makes cloning difficult.

Spread Spectrum Modulation is distinguished from wideband modulation schemes such as wideband Frequency Modulation (FM) by noting that in spread spectrum the waveform causing the spreading is independent of the data being transmitted. This permits the spreading waveform to be selected based on improving system performance in some way. In IS-95, PN sequences(A sequence is a sequence of binary numbers, e.g. ±1, which appears to be random; but is in fact perfectly deterministic). are selected as the spreading signals since they uniformly spread the signal power over the available bandwidth and provide other critical advantages such as permitting universal frequency reuse.

PN Spreading and De-spreading:

PN spreading is the use of a PN sequence to distribute or spread the power of a signal over a bandwidth which is much greater than the bandwidth of the signal itself. PN despreading is the process of tasking a signal in its wide PN spread bandwidth and reconstituting it in its own much narrower bandwidth.
PN sequences can be used in at least two ways to spread the signal power over a wide bandwidth. One is called Frequency Hopping (FH) in which the center frequency of a narrowband signal is shifted pseudo randomly using the PN code. A second method is called Direct Sequence (DS). In DS the signal power is spread over a wide bandwidth by in effect multiplying the narrow-band signal by a wideband PN sequence. When a wideband signal and a narrowband signal are multiplied together, the resulting product signal has a bandwidth about equal to the bandwidth of the wideband signal.

CdmaOne:

Interim Standard 95 (IS-95) is the first CDMA-based digital cellular standard pioneered by Qualcomm(a wireless telecommunications research and development company). The brand name for IS-95 is cdmaOne.
It is a 2G Mobile Telecommunications Standard that uses CDMA, a multiple access scheme for digital radio, to send voice, data and signaling data (such as a dialed telephone number) between mobile telephones and cell sites.
There are two versions of IS-95, called IS-95A and IS-95B. The IS-95A protocol employs a 1.25-MHz carrier, operates in radio-frequency bands at either 800 MHz or 1.9 GHz, and supports data speeds of up to 14.4 Kbps. IS-95B can support data speeds of up to 115 kbps by bundling up to eight channels.

Cdma2000:
CDMA2000 (also known as IMT Multi‑Carrier (IMT‑MC)) is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B. CDMA2000 has a relatively long technical history and is backward-compatible with its previous 2G iteration IS-95 (cdmaOne). CDMA2000 can support mobile data communications at speeds ranging from 144 Kbps to 2 Mbps.