CJ

Member since: May 22nd, 2006

CJ's Latest Comments

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International Space Station gets 'Man Cave,' Robonaut 2 (Engadget)

Mar 28th 2010 5:01PM @Sad Sack They use S-band radio that they link with ground stations across the equator around the world. It's the most stable link you can come up with. Trying to route through satellites would be a big challenge.

International Space Station gets 'Man Cave,' Robonaut 2 (Engadget)

Mar 28th 2010 4:58PM @CJ eh, fail'd my own comment. I meant the dang ISS, but it's in LEO too.

International Space Station gets 'Man Cave,' Robonaut 2 (Engadget)

Mar 28th 2010 4:55PM @maattp they've been having a tough time reworking the laws of physics. They just are having a rough time improving the latency over a 385-mile radio link through the entire thickness of the atmosphere.

International Space Station gets 'Man Cave,' Robonaut 2 (Engadget)

Mar 28th 2010 4:50PM @Cy Starkman Satellites are geostationary while the shuttle is in LEO. They could hit a satellite for maybe 20 minutes or so and then they'd be offline again.

Their most stable link is the S-band radio link through multiple receiving stations strategically positioned around the world.

It's not the link speed, it's the latency that gets you. So it comes out to the equivalent of a 14.4 modem.

BlackBerry Slider undergoes further undercover inspection, side shots emerge (Engadget)

Mar 16th 2010 6:38PM @badbot
Dude, what are you talking about? The bezel doesn't give ANYTHING away, as all versions of the new Curve (CDMA and GSM) have that. The screen needs a full bezel around it because it is standalone (not attached to the case) and it needs the physical support; that's doesn't hearken it to the Storm. No SurePress kinda points you AWAY from a follow-on to the Storm, don't you think? And the keyboard is a Bold keyboard (bezeled/angled keys, less inter-key space, less of a "smile" curve) as opposed to a Curve keyboard (rounded keys, no bezel, more of a "smile" curve)

The Bold line, however, does distinguish it from Storm in the fact that it will be 3G, as opposed to Curve or Storm @2G. I'd bet that if it comes out at all, it will be a Bold follow-on, with 3G.

Crapgadget: 'Just because you can doesn't mean you should' edition (Engadget)

Mar 15th 2010 11:34AM Heart-shaped USB dongle's website Engrish fail:

"PLAY-N-PLAY, NO NEED TO INSTALL DRIVER!"

AT&T sues Verizon over 'there's a map for that' ads (Engadget)

Nov 3rd 2009 4:30PM Those aren't legal arguments; those are marketing spins on legal papers filed in court.

The legal papers tell the real story. The two maps definitely show the two companies' 3G networks. But the legend for the *REST* of the map is missing. The Verizon map (the big red one) does indeed show their 3G coverage. But they use white on their map to show areas where there is no coverage at all. The AT&T map shows 3G coverage only, and then vast swaths of the country in white space. Now comparing apples to apples on the two maps, Verizon is intimating that once you leave an AT&T blue space, you have *no coverage at all.*

And yes, according to surveys taken after viewing the commercials, that's exactly what people are taking away from those ads: once you leave the blue area, you can't use your 3G phone at all. If they did the maps in two different colors to show 3G, 2G, and no service, that would be fine, but they are essentially passing on the wrong message. They are intimating that there is no coverage outside of AT&T's 3G areas, which is not true. That amounts to a false advertising claim.

So let's put it into perspective:

- AT&T's 3G coverage hits most major metropolitan areas.
- Verizon's EV-DO network is bigger than AT&T's.
- HSPDA is faster than EV-DO, so the fact that you have EV-DO coverage in more areas than AT&T has HSPDA coverage is also not an apples-to-apples comparison, even though they are both considered "3G".
- When you leave a 3G area, your 3G phone runs on 2G. Regardless of what the ad appears to claim, it still works.

All that said, AT&T has a valid complaint. And no, I ain't no AT&T fanboy. I'd go back to VZW in a second if my company didn't issue phones.

US government lays out cash for wall-based, in-home 'smart meters' (Engadget)

Oct 27th 2009 5:49PM However, the money to generate the jobs is coming from taxpayer money. Thus, it's not "new income," and is a net zero gain. It's actually a loss since the money is going away from one person and going to another person's salary.

If this money was being generated outside of taxes, it would be something completely different, and the job gains would actually be worth something.

These are not true gains.

US government lays out cash for wall-based, in-home 'smart meters' (Engadget)

Oct 27th 2009 5:43PM While the tech may not do it now, the eventual idea is to have the system work in reverse: the government can keep tabs on your electric use and regulate your appliances and furnaces and air conditioners and shut them off when they use too much juice.

It's not science-fiction, folks. This scheme was already tried once:

http://www.ucan.org/energy/electricity/california_energy_commission_wants_give_government_control_over_your_thermostat_during_emergency_events

Believe me, while they don't say it in this press release, version 2.0 of the meters will have the governmental remote-controls built in. Hello Big Brother...