Have a Cell Phone in Your Pocket? 53% Chance You are Paranoid

androidphone.jpg One word — Nomophobia. Yes friends a new word to add to the lexicon. Nomophobia is the fear of NOT being connected either by cell phone or some other form of wireless. The researchers that did the study say over 50% of the users may have the phobia. Take it with a grain of salt, but here it is –

Getting married, starting a job or going to the dentist have long been recognised as sources of great stress.

But it seems they are now matched by a new, peculiarly 21st century affliction – the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.

Millions apparently suffer from “no mobile phobia” which has been given the name nomophobia.

They have become so dependent on their mobile that discovering it is out of charge or simply misplacing it sends stress levels soaring.

Personally I believe them. I have several times seen people I know go blotto when the phone goes dead.

Linky.

Unlimited EVDO, Wifi and dial up access for $30?

karloff__boris__frankenstein__03.jpgFor mobile connectivity, this could be a monster of a deal. Mix EVDO and Wifi for wireless access and add dial up when the other two can’t be found. It’s a new Ipass service.

Their new service, iPassConnect Mobility Service, is an attempt to appeal to regular business travelers and individuals. With plans that start at $30 per month, the offerings are comparable in many ways to Boingo, but have a couple of interesting twists that may appeal to a different set of travelers. Notably, all plans include dial-up service, and two of four plans include unlimited 3G (US only, over EVDO).

No one offers a combination of service that’s comparable in scope or price to iPass’s new offering. While Boingo Wireless is cheaper ($22 per month for North America, $39 for global) with a similar Wi-Fi footprint, travelers that need 3G for its ubiquity and dial-up for its use as a backstop have no better choice than iPass. (Wifi Net News)

White Spaces Coalition missteps with another faulty Microsoft Device

steve-ballmer.jpg If you were trying to convince the FCC to allow broadband access on unlicensed TV channels, would you trust this man with delivering a prototype device? Well, that’s what the white spaces coalition did, twice. The result? The same company whose former CEO made news by bringing up the blue screen of death when demoing new products to large audiences several times goofed again. Not once, but TWICE!

Memo to White Spaces Alliance: Guys, you have some very competent members. Handing the development of a critical prototype to Microsoft is like handing the game winning ball to a bench warmer. You should know better!

(more on Yahoo News)

Server Bites Record Label

hoover.jpg In what is a delicious turn of events Sony/BMG is being accused of software piracy! That’s right while BMG rails against others via the RIAA on music piracy they are caught with their hands in the cookie jar themselves. PointDev –

We are not interested in an amicable settlement. It is not just a question of money but more importantly in principle. The rate of software piracy in the company is very high. According to the Business Software Alliance, a association of the major publishers in the market, 47 percent of programs used in the company would be [unlawful] in France…

Plucky little PointDev is going after them. I can’t wait to see the demand letter from them. “We have already ascertained your guilt and have the evidence to prove it…” Delicious.

Is this a great planet or what??

Linky.

Their Lucky Day!

cbls.jpg Well now, we find out they are bugging out of some States. Well now some enterprisng souls have been doing some sluething on the qualify of HD signals coming from Comcast. And what do they say? –

The Comcast channels with added compression are listed as follows, grouped by QAM.

Discovery Channel
SciFi
USA

Food
NatGeo
UHD

A&E
HGTV
Starz

Cinemax
HBO
TLC

Animal Planet
Discovery HD Theater
History HD

Extra compression was also applied to several other channels, presumably to make room for future channel additions. MHD is one such example.

So the question has to be asked. Is Comcast REALLY delivering HD or what I will coin a as BHD, [Botched HD]. All for the convenience of cramming more channels in infrastructure that needs upgrades and a move to DOCSIS3. So lets recap here –

  • They pack public venues.
  • They mislead customers.
  • They Exit markets not wanting to compete.
  • They have service you could die for — as in you will be dead before you get it.

I am glad I am no longer a customer.

Link to thread.