Top ten map innovations (non-Google)

by Wendy Boswell

1. Real time earthquake map

Not the most comforting of mapping utilities out there, but certainly one of the more intriguing. Watch earthquakes plotted in real time with the USGS Earthquake Map - it's quite hypnotizing to see little tremors (and some big shakes) rock and roll their way all around the world.

2. Atlas

Atlas is built on MSN's Virtual Earth platform. You can do some basic geography exploring, but you can also use Atlas to see if anyone's blogging near you, view local movie showtimes, check gas prices, and a few more nifty little tricks. Slow to load (for me), but worth the wait.

3. SIMILE Timeline

The SIMILE Timeline is a visual map of timely events. They've got a few examples to show you; my favorite is the Dinosaurs time map that is frankly utterly fascinating. You can make your own time map with SIMILE's simple directions, and check out Gina's previously-posted Roll your own timeline article about SIMILE.

4. Gutenkarte

Gutenkarte is a geographical literature map. For instance, say you want to see exactly all the places covered in the classic Around the World in 80 Days. You can view the book in full chapter by chapter AND view every mapped location in the Jules Verne classic. The interface could be a lot more intuitive; but it's a great way to get more out of literature.

5. MappedUp

MappedUp is a mapped visualization of global news events, tracked via multiple RSS feeds. If you're looking for up to the millisecond news updates, MappedUp probably won't be able to deliver; however, if you're looking for a visually pleasing way to view world news, then MappedUp should meet your needs.

6. Loki

Loki "pinpoints your exact physical location and then uses that location to make the web revolve around you, wherever you are." For example, if you're lost in downtown Portland because you took a left at the Chinese gardens and somehow ended up in the OHSU parking lot and are late for your cousin's wedding shower, Loki would be able to pinpoint your geo-location by instantly sending you a map via your mobile.

7. AuctionMapper

AuctionMapper is a completely unique way to view eBay listings. There are quite a few search options available to you: you can search by price, location, days left to bid, shipping costs, etc.; but the AuctionMapper feature I like best is the drag and drop. Simply find the category you're looking for and drag and drop it on the map; AuctionMapper quickly collates the geographical data for each item, potentially saving you a whole lot of costly shipping fees.

8. YES Map

YES is a map of American radio stations and the songs they are playing in real-time. Now you'll be able to tell just how many stations are really playing "White and Nerdy" (and possibly petition for more?).

9. Flickr Map

The Flickr Map has to be one of my favorites on this list of favorites. It's truly amazing how many people use Flickr all over the world, and this map has to be one of the most addicting on the list, especially if you choose to view it by "most interesting" (and yes, now I've just shot your productivity out the window).

10. Locale

Locale bills itself as a "random day out generator." It's a fun mashup of Flickr, MSN Virtual Earth, and various other programming goodies. For instance, say you've always had a hankering to visit Cannon Beach, Oregon: just check off the attractions you might be interested in, anything from Art Gallery to Music, and click "go". Locale retrieves all the local stuff you're interested in; plus, it grabs relevant photos from Flickr and maps your search results care of MSN. Pretty slick.

from here

How to create your own gadgets on the Google desktop?

With so many interesting features in a single desktop, Google pack’s Google desktop is a unique multitask software tool. It includes Sidebar and Deskbar that have all the items lined up in a row and a set of mini applications that tell you everything from time to weather. These are called as gadgets and are a specialty of Google desktop. The gadgets in this desktop are to be downloaded from the site. But Google pack also gives programmers an option to create their own gadgets. These people can also create plug ins for the gadgets. Developers can now integrate Google Desktop with their own applications.

Firstly you have to download the Google desktop SDK. There are different reasons why software developers might want to create their own gadgets. One of the reasons may be that it enables displaying of personalized content in one of the desktop gadgets. These gadgets can also help the customers become aware of any new event as and when they take place. Sometimes a gadget can be customized so as to respond to a customer’s action. This may include writing of mails etc. Another process in creating gadgets is the writing of indexing plug ins. This will help your clients to search better. These may include the any email application such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Eudora or Lotus. Web history from browsers like Aol, Opal, Mozilla firefox, Internet explorer etc is also included. IM applications e.g. MSN and Yahoo messenger and file formats like Wordperfect, iTunes, Staroffice etc are also a part of the plug ins. Software developers can add Google Desktop search box and search results, to the applications.

Software developers can use their creativity to make different useful gadgets and indexing plug ins. If your creation is chosen to be included the Google directory, it will be viewed by a number of Google users. And you will get a reward for this. It is a Google hat, a Google pen and Google Desktop Developer T-shirts. This offer is however valid only till the stock lasts. To help you tackle your problems there is a Google Desktop API discussion group. Here you may find answers to your solutions or interact with other users who might have faced similar problems. This group is occasionally supervised by the Google desktop team and the queries are accordingly answered. There is also an online documentation available for answering your doubts.

Google Desktop always accompanied by API. But what is the need for API? Around a million applications are used for Windows. And around a millions of file formats are used in this process. Software developers can write plug ins, which can help Google Desktop in indexing these many files and applications. API encourages creative gadgets that are unique in the type of data content and the way it is displayed. Software developers are allowed to have Google desktop embedded in their own applications. This increases the speed of data access to users.

from here

Japanese scientist has invented Water Battery

A Japanese scientist has invented a new kind of water-powered battery which can be recycled several times - and it's as powerful as a conventional battery. He said, if mass-produced, it could cost as little as a tenth of the price of conventional batteries.

Here you can find some video on EuroNews site.

"This battery can never be activated without water. It can keep for many more years than normal batteries. It could be an ideal tool in disaster prevention. ... For example, when you get lost on a mountain, by licking its surface you could get electriciy for a flashlight or radio."

Batteries Powered By Water [Reuters via Engadget]

One Laptop Per Child hardware specification

Features
CPU: AMD Geode GX2-500 at 1.1W, with integrated graphics controller
CPU clock speed: 366 Mhz
SVGA 7.5" diagonal transmissive and reflective liquid crystal display used in one of two modes:
Reflective “sunlight readable” monochrome mode with 1200 by 900 screen resolution (for e-book reading outdoors—this is 200dpi)
Transmissive Color mode with approximately 800x600 pixel resolution with backlighting (for laptop use)

Depending on mode, power consumption of the display is between .1 and one watt.
128 MiB of Dual – DDR266 – 133 Mhz DRAM
1024 KiB flash ROM with open-source LinuxBIOS
512 MiB of SLC NAND flash memory
External SD card slot
VGA resolution (640x480) color camera
Wireless networking using an “Extended Range” 802.11b/g wireless chipset run at a low bitrate (2 Mbit/s) to minimize power consumption.
Marvell 8388 wireless chip, chosen due to its ability to autonomously forward packets in the mesh even if the CPU is powered off.
Dual adjustable antennae for diversity reception.
Conventional layout alphanumeric keyboard localized for the country of use.
Dual five-key cursor-control pads; four directional keys plus Enter
Touchpad for mouse control and handwriting input
Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in microphone
Audio based on the AC97 codec, with jacks for external stereo speakers and microphones, Line-out, and Mic-in
3 external USB2 ports.
Power sources:
DC input, ±10–25 V
5-cell rechargeable NiMH battery pack, 22.8 watt-hour (82 KJ) capacity

Intentionally omitted features
In keeping with its goals of robustness and low power consumption, the design of the laptop intentionally omits all motor-driven moving parts; it has no hard drive, no optical (CD/DVD), or floppy drives and no fans. An ATA interface is unnecessary due to the lack of hard drive. There is also no PC Card slot, although an SD slot will be available.

Floppy disks, hard disks, CD drives, DVD drives, USB drives, and many other peripherals can be connected via the USB ports. Further expansion is available through an external SD card slot.

A built-in hand-crank generator was part of the original design, but Negroponte stated at a 2006 LinuxWorld talk that it was no longer integrated into the laptop itself, but optionally available as a hand- or foot-operated generator built into a separate power unit.

Power consumption
The power consumption design target is 4W total power consumption for the device in laptop mode; consumption in e-book mode is estimated to be 0.3 to 0.8W. By contrast, typical Apple laptops idle around 15W and peak at around 20W; with reduced backlight and CPU performance and Wifi/Bluetooth disabled, they can reach 11W; and even in sleep mode they consume 2W.

In e-book mode, all hardware sub-systems are powered down except the monochrome display (including any display backlighting). When the user moves to a different page the system wakes up, draws the new page on the display and then goes back to sleep.

Display
The first-generation OLPC laptops are expected to have a novel low-cost liquid crystal display. Later generations of the OLPC laptop are expected to use low-cost, low-power and high-resolution electronic paper displays.

The display is the most expensive component of the OLPC Laptop. In April 2005, Negroponte hired Mary Lou Jepsen—who is expected to join the Media Arts and Sciences faculty at the MIT Media Lab in September 2007—as OLPC Chief Technology Officer. Jepsen is developing a new display for the first-generation OLPC laptop, which is derived from the design of small LCDs used in portable DVD players, which she estimated would cost about $35.

Jepsen has described the removal of the filters that color the RGB subpixels as the critical design innovation in the new liquid crystal display. Instead of using subtractive color filters, the display uses a plastic diffraction grating and lenses on the rear of the LCD to illuminate the colored subpixels. This grating pattern is stamped using the same technology used to make DVDs. The grating splits the light from the white backlight into a spectrum. The red, green and blue components are diffracted into the correct positions to illuminate the corresponding R, G or B subpixels. This innovation results in a much brighter display and a corresponding reduction in backlight illumination: While the color filters in a regular display typically absorb 85% of the light that hits them, this display absorbs little of that light.

The remainder of the LCD uses existing display technology and can be made using existing manufacturing equipment. Even the masks can be made using combinations of existing materials and processes.

The display is transmissive with backlighting when used in color/DVD mode. The conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamp backlighting, which accounts for 30% of the cost of a conventional LCD, has been replaced with a lower-power, less fragile alternative such as white LEDs for use at low light levels. This form of backlighting should also improve the color gamut of the display. The display is a reflective display (with no backlighting) when used in monochrome mode for displaying e-book pages. Mode change occurs with a change in use of the device. The landscape format color display is used in laptop mode, whereas the portrait format monochrome display is used in e-book mode, so the displayed pages can be “read vertically like a book”. This is the so-called “curl-up-in-bed mode” to enable reading of e-books for an extended time in bright light such as sunlight.[16] Negroponte has said at the Technology Review’s Fifth Annual Emerging Technologies Conference that the monochrome display has four times the resolution of the color display.

The dual-mode display was not operational in the WSIS prototype. The prototypes were shown with conventional transmission TFT LCDs.

Wireless networking
IEEE 802.11b support will be provided using a Wi-Fi “Extended Range” chipset. Jepsen has said the wireless chipset will be run at a low bitrate, 2Mbit/s maximum rather than the usual higher speed 5.5Mbit/s or 11Mbit/s to minimize power consumption.

Whenever the laptop is powered on it will participate in a mobile ad-hoc network with each node operating in a peer-to-peer fashion with other laptops it can hear and forwarding packets across the cloud. If a computer in the cloud has access to the Internet (either directly or indirectly) then all computers in the cloud will be able to access the net. The data rate across this network will not be high but similar networks like the store and forward Motoman project have supported email services to 1000 schoolchildren in Cambodia, according to Negroponte. The data rate should be sufficient for asynchronous network applications such as email to communicate outside the cloud rather than interactive uses, like web browsing, or high-bandwidth applications, such as video streaming. Interactive network communication should be possible inside the cloud.

The conventional IEEE 802.11b system only handles traffic within a local cloud of wireless devices in a manner similar to an Ethernet network. Each node transmits and receives its own data but does not route packets between two nodes that cannot communicate directly. The OLPC laptop will use IEEE 802.11s to form the wireless mesh network.

Keyboard and touchpad
Negroponte and Jepsen have said the keyboard will be changed to suit local needs to match the standard keyboard for the country in which it is used. Some versions of prototype were shown at World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) with a detachable keyboard (tethered by a cord); however, the working prototype demonstrated in May 2006 had a conventional built-in keyboard.

Negroponte has demanded that the keyboard will not contain a caps lock key, which frees up keyboard real estate for new keys such as a "view source" key.

Beneath the keyboard is a large area that resembles a very wide touchpad that Jepsen referred to as the “mousepad”. Negroponte has said that this device can be used for “calligraphy” presumably to support languages that use ideograms. This also implies that it will support both fingers and pen-like devices. The trackpad was not operational in the WSIS prototype.

Enclosure
The enclosure is dirt- and moisture-resistant and is constructed with 2mm-thick plastic—thicker than typical laptops. It features a pivoting, reversible display, movable WiFi antennas, and a sealed rubber-membrane keyboard.

The laptop will use the Sugar graphical user interface, written in Python, on top of the X Window System.

from wikipedia.org

The Greatest Chinese Inventions and Remedies

Chinese are everywhere and they are invent almost everything. Here the list of some their invents.

Some of the greatest inventions in the world were by made by the Chinese. In the T'ang dynasty, fireworks were invented. These were originally for shows, but later on they used them to scare of enemies in war. The fireworks were mainly small bamboo cases filled with gunpowder, and a fuse was put on the side.

In the Han dynasty, they invented the wheelbarrow, which was for carrying loads too heavy for a normal person's back to support. The wheelbarrow was originally wood, so the Chinese nick named it the 'wooden ox'.

The compass was for religious use. When a new houses was being built, the used it to see if the house was faced in perfect harmony with nature (which meant they thought if you faced your house to magnetic north, you and nature would get along). The compass started out as a wooden circle with markings on it, and a magnetic spoon on top.


Designed with a machine called the Earthquake weathercock, which was a contraption that told them when and where an earthquake would come. This machine looked like a giant six-foot bronze pot that had dragon heads lining the top, and ivory frogs under each dragon.

Spaghetti

The Chinese first manufactured the 'fan', which was mostly carried by women and soldiers. Most of the fans were made out of bamboo and silk. The fan was basically many bamboo spines sticking out in almost a half circle with silk wrapped around it.

First to create kites, which mostly children played with. The kites were most of the time silk squares, held together by bamboo.

Created many things with bamboo, which made a lot of baskets and holders and were really strong.

The Chinese were the first to discover iron casting around the sixth century, when they mixed tin and copper together.

Revolutionized agriculture by harnessing animals

made boats modern with magnetic compasses, sternpost rudders and watertight flamboyance, plus many other things to long to tell.

The first clock that they devised was for astronomical uses. In the first clock ever, there was a puppet that would hold up a plaque that would tell the time. They also invented giant water clocks, which rang every fifteen minutes.

The first blast furnace, which was water powered.

To Chinese, jade was more valuable then gold.

They invented the first object for counting, called an abacus.

The Chinese used a method of medicine called acupuncture

They were the first to discover the rudder

Processed grain with bamboo machinery

They made most toys, machines, houses, and other things from bamboo.

The Chinese also were the first to think of harvesting silk, and make clothes, fans, kites, toys, paper, and lots of other things from it.

They produced the first planetarium, which was actually made by an emperor. The planetarium was a big enclosed place with stars and constellations on the inside. The person using the planetarium would sit in a chair that was hanging from the top of the enclosed dome.

In the 3rd century, they a found a wine that acted like anesthetic, and they also used herbs before the age of written history

Top ten video game hardware failures

form wikipedia.org

For the sake of scope, a commercial failure for a video game hardware platform is generally defined as a system that either fails to become adopted by a significant portion of the gaming market place, or fails to win significant mindshare of the target audience. This definition should be applied internationally, and not based strictly on the success or failure of a platform in any one given market.

3DO Interactive Multiplayer
Co-designed by RJ Mical and the team behind the Amiga, and marketed by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, this "multimedia machine" was marketed as a family entertainment device and not just a video game console. Few titles utilized the console's full potential, which, along with its high price ($699.95 USD at release) and the inability of the console market to sustain multiple platforms, put it in an early grave. The final nail in the coffin was the scuttling of the project after the expensive development of the successor console, the M2.

Amiga CD32
Released in 1993, the decline of the Amiga product line and Commodore's poor marketing and lack of product support could be blamed for the failure of this product. While it was initially billed as all the power of an Amiga computer in a console, it was not priced competitively to the Amiga 500/1200 lines. Additionally, the lack of original titles meant that few gamers wanted it when they could buy the more feature-intensive A1200. [citation needed] These were certainly factors, but Commodore was already treading water after its loss of the XOR patent infringement lawsuit. It was forbidden from shipping product into the US until it paid, which it was unable or unwilling to do. Eventually most of the consoles manufactured were seized to cover a portion of Commodore's debt to the Philippine manufacturer.

Amstrad GX4000 and Amstrad CPC+ range
In 1990 Amstrad attempted to enter the console gaming market with hardware based on its successful Amstrad CPC range but also capable of playing cartridge-based games with improved graphics and sound. This comprised the Amstrad CPC+ computers, including the same features as the existing CPCs, and the dedicated GX4000 console. However, only a few months later the Sega Mega Drive, a much-anticipated 16-bit console, was released in Europe, and the GX4000's ageing 8-bit technology proved unable to compete. Many of the games were also direct ports of existing CPC games (available more cheaply on tape or disc) with few if any graphical improvements. Originally retailing at £99, GX4000s were reported as being sold for fractions of this price a short while later (the CPC magazine Amstrad Action holding an unofficial competition to find the cheapest), and the console was universally panned. Less than thirty games were released on cartridge, and the GX4000's failure ended Amstrad's involvement in the gaming industry. The CPC+ range fared little better, as 8-bit computers had been all but superceded by similarly-priced 16-bit machines such as the Amiga, though fans of the computer discovered software hacks that made the advanced console graphics and sound accessible to users.

Apple Pippin
A game console designed by Apple Computer in the mid-1990s based around a PowerPC 603e processor and the Mac OS. It featured a 4x CD-ROM drive and a video output that could connect to a standard television monitor. Apple intended to license the technology to third parties. However the only Pippin licensee to release a product to market was Bandai. By the time the Bandai Pippin was released, (1995 for Japan, 1996 for the United States) the market was already dominated by the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, and Sega Saturn. The Bandai Pippin cost US$599 on launch, more expensive than the competition.

Atari Jaguar console
Released in 1993, this 64-bit system was (in theory) much more powerful than its contemporaries, the Sega Genesis and the SNES. However, a number of crippling business practices on the part of Atari senior management, a hard to hold/manipulate controller design and lack of quality software hurt sales. The system never attained critical mass in the market before the release of the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn and without strong leadership to drive it, it failed alongside the company.

Commodore 64 Games System console
Released only in Europe and being Commodore International's first venture in the video game market, the C64GS was basically a Commodore 64 redesigned as a cartridge-based console. Aside from some hardware issues, the console did not get much attention from the public, who preferred to buy the cheaper original computer which had far more possibilities. Also, the console appeared during the apogee of the 16-bit era, which left no chance for it to succeed.

digiBlast handheld games console
The digiBlast portable console was launched by Nikko at the end of 2005 and promised to be a cheap alternative (selling at approximately €80 to the Gameboy Advance and PSP. The handheld could be used for games on cartridges. Cartoon (WinX Club, Spongebob Squarepants) episodes and were released on cartridge as well as cartridges containing music videos. Also a cartridge for MP3 playback and a cartrige with a 1.3 Megapixel camera were planned. Due to a shortage of chips around the release date and thereafter resulted in a failed launch and loss of consumer interest.

Gizmondo
A handheld gaming device including GPS and a digital camera was released by Tiger Telematics in the United Kingdom on 19 March 2005. The console sold poorly, due to a lack of games, and being unable to compete with the cheaper Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. On 23 January 2006 the UK arm of Tiger Telematics went into administration. Several high-ranking Tiger executives were subsequently arrested for fraud and other illegal activities related to the Gizmondo.

Virtual Boy
Mario's Tennis as displayed on a Virtual Boy emulator. The red/blue format simulates the Virtual Boy's 3D display.

The red monochromatic 3-D "virtual reality" system failed due to issues related to players getting eye strain and headaches when trying to play it along with the problem that the system required the player to be isolated during play thus killing any social interaction while playing. It was the first (and, thus far, only) Nintendo console to flop. Gunpei Yokoi, who is largely credited for the success of Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Game Boy, the Metroid series and many others, resigned from the company shortly thereafter to start his own company, though many connected his departure to the Virtual Boy failure.

Nokia N-Gage
Made by the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, the N-Gage was a small handheld console, designed to combine a feature-packed mobile/cellular phone with a handheld games console. Sales were poor and many video gamers mocked the system for its design. Common complaints included the difficulty of swapping games and the fact that its cellphone feature required users to hold the device "sideways" (i.e. the long edge of the system) against their cheek.[13] A redesigned version, the N-Gage QD, has since been released to eliminate these complaints. However, the N-Gage brand still suffered from a poor reputation and the QD did not address the popular complaint that the control layout was "too cluttered". The N-Gage failed to reach the popularity of the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS or the Sony PSP, although the N-Gage's pioneering of mobile online gaming likely influenced the DS and PSP to include that feature. In November 2005, Nokia announced the failure of its product, in light of poor sales (less than 3 million units sold during the platform's 3 year run, against projections of 6 million), and while gaming software is still being produced for its Series 60 phones, Nokia has ceased to consider gaming a corporate priority until 2007, when it expects improved screen sizes and quality will increase demand.


PSX (DVR)
Built upon the PlayStation 2, the PSX enhanced multimedia derivative was touted to bring convergence to the living room. The device failed in Japan, however, due to its high price and lack of consumer interest and that cancelled plans to release it in North America and the rest of the world. Not only was it an unsuccessful attempt by Sony Computer Entertainment head Ken Kutaragi to revive the ailing consumer electronics division, it also hurt Sony's media convergence plans.

Ten necessary steps to becoming an astronaut

It's a long hard voyage to become an astronaut, but today in the US over 200 men and women are training and traveling into space. Here are the necessary steps:

1. Work hard in school and get good grades.
   
2. Study as much math and science as you can.
   
3. Do well on your SATs and go to a good college.
   
4. Study languages other than English - Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and French would all be useful.
   
5. Get yourself into good physical shape - you need to have good blood pressure and good eyesight to be an astronaut.
   
6. Be a good team player, and make sure that you can work well with others.
   
7. Learn to fly, and get a citizen's pilot license.
   
8. Attend a good graduate school, studying science or engineering.
   
9. When you're out of graduate school, apply to NASA. Another good tip that would help you out is to get involved in Space camps. They will teach you many different things, and you will know for sure if being an Astronaut is something that you would like to do.
   
10. NASA chooses its astronauts from an increasingly diverse pool of applicants that, "looks like America". From thousands of applications from all over the world, approximately 100 men and women are chosen for an intensive astronaut candidate training program every two years.

The study time involved is no more lengthy than that of any other professional career requiring graduate/post-graduate study. If becoming an astronaut is a dream, held long and steadfast, than this labor will be one of love.

SPH-P9000, the Samsung WiMAX and CDMA EV-DO PDA-PC

Samsung just busted the entire planet with their latest toy! If you thought Sony had something cool with their UX90, well, think again! Here’s the SPH-P9000 Deluxe MITs, a PC shaped like a PDA, with Windows XP, a 30GB hard disk, 256MB of RAM, a 5” display, a 1GHz CPU, WiMAX, CDMA EV-DO, and a 1.3Mpix camera. It measures 143x94x29mm and weights 580g. That’s it, I officially declare now that Japan has dropped down to the level of Europe and the USA, in terms of geekiness. Korea has become the almighty country!

Seoul, Nov 07 2006 (Korea Newswire)-- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in telecommunication network systems and handsets, unveiled the latest in mobile convergence device, the SPH-P9000 Deluxe MITs at Mobile WiMAX Summit 2006. The SPH-P9000 is the true convergence device capable of voice and multimedia data communications through Mobile WiMAX technology.

The SPH-P9000 is the ideal companion for users to usher in the new era of mobile convergence technology. The expected growth of Mobile WiMAX services will result in an increasing demand for multi-functional devices. The SPH-P9000 is a PDA-based device utilizing Mobile WiMAX and CDMA EV-DO connectivity. Users will have wireless access to the Internet utilizing Mobile WiMAX connectivity. Simultaneously, the CDMA EV-DO technology provides mobile phone connection for voice communication. With Microsoft Windows XP as the operating system, users will find the contents and applications familiar and easy to use for work and play.

The SPH-P9000 comes with a QWERTY keyboard for painless typing and internet surfing, while the MP3 player function, VOD, and camera function provide a quick access to multimedia entertainment. The five inch WVGA screen is prepared for movie and document viewing, while the 30GB hard drive stores music, movies, and documents. All of these unique features are combined into one device that weighs in at a little over one pound. The SPH-P9000 is truly a unique and versatile mobile device.

Kitae Lee, President of the Telecommunication Network Business at Samsung Electronics, says “Our new SPH-P9000 is just one of the few Mobile WiMAX convergence devices to be introduced to the world. Samsung will expand our portfolio of mobile convergence devices, as we expect to expand our global Mobile WiMAX services globally.“ He adds, “Samsung will continuously drive the market with pioneering telecommunication technology and services. Samsung will meet the demands of Mobile WiMAX services and convergence devices by delivering the right combination of technology and design,”

The SPH-P9000 will be launched in Korea first half of 2007.

from here