LAX Charges up Gadgets

On a recent business trip, a fellow journalist I was traveling with found himself sitting in a lone seat on the opposite end of the airport so he could charge up his notebook in the only available outlet. Wouldn’t it be great if it were more convenient to charge up devices in airports? There's nothing worse than having a flight delayed right when your notebook is about to run out of juice!
The Los Angeles International Airport (better known as its airport code, “LAX”) is offering a great solution to this.

In partnership with Samsung Mobile and JCDecaux (an airport advertising contractor), Los Angeles World Airports has deployed charging stations in all terminals in LAX. The stations, shaped as poles, will refuel all of your techie gadgets while you wait: everything from notebooks to cell phones and PDAs.

A total of 51, 8.5-foot tall stations have been erected, each with four outlets to accommodate any device that goes by U.S. voltage standards. Don’t want to leave your precious PC or smartphone on the floor where a hyper-excited child might accidentally step on it? The stations each have a small shelf for maximum device support.

Even better news: in celebration of Samsung Mobile’s 10th anniversary, use of the stations will be f-r-e-e. I’m not sure if this implies that they will eventually follow a pay-per-use model (probably), but either way, technophile travelers should enjoy the service as a useful, and welcome, accommodation.

It’s great to see technology being recognized as an important part of the travel experience: I’ve seen everything in airport stores from noise-canceling headphones (something I can’t live without on a flight!); to the latest DVDs for those with multimedia-capable notebooks or portable DVD players. Now all we need is worldwide Internet access while in flight...

Sidenote: to learn about "cool", tech gadgets for travel, check out Traveling with Technology: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles in here's how! magazine. (Click on the thumbnail cover to download a PDF of the entire issue)

Colour Me Blue…tooth

A conference I attended today at the 2007 Wireless and Mobile Expo shed some light on what to expect with the new Bluetooth v 2.1 standard, and I must say, I’m impressed. Improvements will include things like quicker, near-field communication that eliminates the need to enter that pesky four-digit default access code to authorize the pairing of devices; to significantly reduced power consumption. An even higher speed version of Bluetooth is anticipated for the end of 2008, which could see speeds of approx. 48 Mbps! That’s perfect for large file transfers and video streaming, which the current Bluetooth standard cannot handle.

There’s no doubt that Bluetooth has become an important part in virtually every area of technology: from pairing mobile phones with wireless headsets or an automobile’s audio system for the play back of tunes; to highly targeted “proximity-based” Bluetooth ads, like those Cisco has erected in Toronto’s Pearson Airport. Other applications include things like Bluetooth home entertainment remote controls that could eliminate the line-of-sight issues you're currently faced with in using standard IR remotes; or even advanced gaming options with the latest consoles like Nintendo’s family-friendly Wii.

But the standard has even more useful applications, like in the medical industry: imagine having a message beamed to you, letting you know that a sickly family member has not dispensed the day’s required pill from a Bluetooth-equipped casing?

I look forward to seeing what the future of Bluetooth has to offer. As Bluetooth SIG’s Kevin Keating explained in his keynote address, the firm is looking to conduct “a little less conversation, and a lot more action.” (I wonder if they'll be doing so in some blue suede shoes?)

As an interesting "tidbit", in case anyone thought that the name Bluetooth originated from a series of highly scientific calculations, think again. Apparently the name originated after a Danish Viking and King named Harold Blatand, who was known for uniting areas of Denmark and Norway, much the same way the Bluetooth standard aims at uniting devices across different platforms. However, Blatand also had a penchant toward eating blueberries, which often stained his teeth blue. Hence, he was often referred to as the Bluetooth king. And there you have it…and no, that isn't a joke!

[Photo: BlueAnt’s Supertooth Light handsfree speakerphone is by far my favourite Bluetooth device. A clip wraps around a car's sun visor, and the beautifully-designed unit magnetically connects to it, which makes for very easy removal when charging is needed (but with a rated 33 days standby, this isn’t very often). Once the phone is connected (which is blazingly simple to do), just pop out the microphone by pushing in a button on the right side. Then, just make and receive calls without ever putting the phone to your ear. Sound quality is fantastic: I’ve never once been asked if I was using the speaker function of my phone, nor to move closer to the microphone. The Toronto roads are a safer place since I hooked up this device!]

Conrad Black Could Get 20 Years

This is “old news” in the web world, but worth reporting nonetheless: media mogul and fellow Canadian Conrad Black could face upwards of 20 years in the slammer after having been found guilty on several counts of fraud and obstruction of justice.

The former head of Hollinger International will likely not serve that much time: I wouldn't be surprised if he serves no time at all; or received the standard "house arrest" sentence that is the result of many high-profile cases. Not surprisingly, Black has reportedly already gotten the wheels in motion for an appeal.

The charges against Black range from fraud in relation to alleged shady payments under a non-compete clause, to obstruction of justice for allegedly removing boxes (of which the contents remain unknown) from Hollinger Inc. offices without authority. This was supposedly prior to receiving a subpeona from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Along with three others from Hollinger, Black has been accused of embezzling US$60 million from the company.

Sentencing is scheduled for November. Does anyone actually think Black will serve time in jail? More important, does anyone believe he deserves to serve time? Or should he be released with a slap on the wrist?

comScore Reports June’s Top 50 Websites

comScore Media Metrix has released its list of the top 50 visited Websites in the U.S. for the month of June. Although much of the list is easily predictable given recent and upcoming events, it’s interesting nonetheless to see where Web traffic is going on a daily basis.

The upcoming World Series of Poker shot traffic to online gambling sites up 13% to 12.5 visitors; while the beginning of summer vacation resulted in traffic to online gaming sites increasing 8% to 64 million visitors (kids need to occupy their time somehow, right?) As adults begin planning summer getaways, hotel/resort Websites saw an 8% gain to 34.6 million visitors.

“Hollywood-type” entertainment news has a very significant effect on Web traffic: such Websites saw 7% growth to 42.1 million visitors. This was due largely to “breaking” news stories (and I use that term lightly) like Paris Hilton’s “unexpected” early release from jail. The alleged murder/suicide saga with WWE member Chris Benoit and his family led to a whopping 117% increase to the WWE Website, which reached 8.4 million visitors during the month. Pride month resulted in a 23% jump in visitors to gay/lesbian sites, which rose to 3 million for the month.

Not surprisingly, topping the overall list for the month of June was Yahoo! sites, with more than 133 million visitors; followed closely by Google sites and Time Warner network, both at upwards of 123 million visitors.

Rounding out the top 10 are (in this order): Microsoft sites (116 million); Fox Interactive Media (83 million); eBay (81 million); Amazon sites (53 million); Ask Network (52 million); Wikipedia sites (47 million); and Apple Inc. (44 million). Apple’s position in the ranking is expected, given the tremendous buzz surrounding the iPhone launch last month.

Other interesting entrants include The Weather Channel (No. 13); Facebook (20); and Wal-Mart (21). It’s intriguing that a social networking Website beat out the world’s largest retailer, albeit not by much: Facebook narrowly inched Wal-Mart out for the 20th spot by a mere 43,000 visitors. It will be interesting see how the numbers fall for the month of July.

Click here to view the full top 50 list.

AOL Settles Suit

AOL has just settled a U.S. suit for $3 million bucks. The money will be awarded to customers who claimed the company continued to charge them for service even after they canceled their accounts.

Apparently it was difficult to cancel an AOL account. VERY difficult. The first thing that comes to my mind about AOL in Canada is the massive marketing promotion it held back in the dial-up days. I’d be surprised if there’s anyone out there who doesn’t recall having received an AOL installation CD through the mail, or some other promotional means. The CD was clearly emblazoned with the promise of a “free trial”. The only exception was that you had to provide a credit card number, and, unless you called to cancel before the trial period was up, charges would begin incurring each month. Fair enough, as long as the rules and regulations were clearly stated. Ahh, memories...

Anyway, back to the U.S.: according to the suit, which was settled with 48 states and the District of Columbia, AOL will, in addition to refunding money to subscribers, ensure that customers are able to easily cancel an account online.

The Globe & Mail report cites one particular consumer complaint as helping to get the wheels of this suit in motion. One Vincent Ferrari not only wrote about his cancellation woes on his blog; he also recorded and posted audio conversations he had with reps trying to cancel the account! This led to a swarm of commentary from others, as well as a slew of TV and radio interviews.

It’s safe to assume that AOL call centre reps in the States have been provided with updated training on dealing with account cancellations.

Wii Wants You to Get Fit

Unlike other gaming consoles, Nintendo's Wii encourages intense, physical movement, by requiring the player to simulate a real action in order for it to occur on-screen. For example, in bowling, one needs to swing his arm forward with the neat remote in his hand (and securely strapped to the wrist) to bowl the ball: just as he would in real life. In baseball, swing it like a bat to hit the “virtual” ball being pitched to you.

Now, the firm is taking the fitness aspect to the next level. At E3 (currently taking place in California), Nintendo announced plans to launch a new game called Wii Fit in 2008. A player’s body mass index (BMI) is measured by standing on a new Wii accessory called a Balance Board, which resembles a scale. (Something tells me this game will be played alone at home, and not in the company of friends!) Once measured, players can engage in a series of balance- and fitness-based manoeuvres, like head-butting a soccer ball, contorting into yoga moves, or twirling a virtual hula hoop. The player’s progress is continually tracked so he can reach goals, and even compete with friends should he be brave enough to disclose the dreaded BMI!

Sure, getting outside and actually engaging in such activities is the ideal solution to get fit. But for some people, this legitimately isn’t possible due to a number of factors: time, money, transportation, young children, inclement weather…the list goes on. The way I see it, if a person can’t be motivated to actually play sports, isn’t it better he play a “virtual” version than none at all?

I see some of the latest Wii games as modern-day fitness videos: move over Jane Fonda, we’ve got a new player in town!

iPhone “nano” Rumours Shut Down

On Tuesday, I reported JPMorgan predictions that Apple had a smaller, lower-priced iPhone already in the works, modeled after the popular iPod nano player. It turns out that this information was based on a report issued by one JPMorgan analyst, Kevin Chang, and was shortly thereafter refuted by another analyst from the same firm, who questioned Chang’s sources.

According to Reuters’ latest report, a U.S. spokesperson for JPMorgan sided with the second analyst, Bill Shope, on the debate. Shope admitted that a cheaper iPhone would undoubtedly reach the market at some point in time, but launching one so soon after the inaugural model would be “unusual and highly risky”.

Shope's report described a second-generation iPhone (which has not been confirmed by anyone at Apple) as likely being the complete opposite of what Change predicted: a higher-end version, with higher speed connections. Apple’s iPhone currently operates on AT&T’s 2.5G network rather than the faster 3G standard.

It’s amazing that a product that doesn’t even exist has already caused so much controversy and debate. Way to go, Apple, on always being able to spark up so much interest and debate about your products...even before their mere existence has been confirmed!