Rolex, Louis Vuitton, and other heritage luxury brands had better be quaking in their boots at the news that Apple will likely be launching a smartwatch next week.
Apple has become their competitor, according to luxury marketing experts.
Young millennials are no longer eyeing brands for their superficial status. The affluent buyers out there are now beginning to look at products for what they do instead.
This is good for us in the tech industry, but not so fine if you're sitting in the Louis Vuitton boardroom right now.
Status
Creative-class consumers want symbols that "proclaim a new style of status." Status is now based on who the individual is and what they value, not how much money they have to spend, says affluent consumer analyst Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing, in her blog.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Here's the quandary with smartphones: despite featuring copious radios within, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi over both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, 4G LTE, Near Field Communication (NFC), and so on, the radios with the most propensity for delivering media don't work together.The two Wi-Fi bands found in today's smartphones generally aren't used at the same time. The issue has been related to needing two antennas connected at the same time for the different bands. It's because the frequencies used have very different characteristics.New routersThis dual-band limitation is about to change, for a couple of reasons.Firstly, the newest routers, or wireless access points, that are being sold are already kitted with the two radios and antennas configured to work together at the same time. I wrote about a few of these monsters recently in a post titled "Is it time to move to beamforming 802.11ac?"To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Here's the quandary with smartphones: despite featuring copious radios within, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi over both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, 4G LTE, Near Field Communication (NFC), and so on, the radios with the most propensity for delivering media don't work together.The two Wi-Fi bands found in today's smartphones generally aren't used at the same time. The issue has been related to needing two antennas connected at the same time for the different bands. It's because the frequencies used have very different characteristics.New routersThis dual-band limitation is about to change, for a couple of reasons.Firstly, the newest routers, or wireless access points, that are being sold are already kitted with the two radios and antennas configured to work together at the same time. I wrote about a few of these monsters recently in a post titled "Is it time to move to beamforming 802.11ac?"To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The famous adage, attributed to many different wits, goes along the lines of "insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but I think you could argue that an indication of intelligence is not repeating the same unproductive act over and over again. And if that's the case, then why do we always misplace things?Surely, the clever thing to do would be to always put things, like car keys, in the same place each time. Like when arriving home, for example. But some of the smartest people I know don't do that.And before we get into a debate about whether those folks are indeed smart—as they look for their keys, I can happily announce that the whole argument is about to become moot.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The famous adage, attributed to many different wits, goes along the lines of "insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but I think you could argue that an indication of intelligence is not repeating the same unproductive act over and over again. And if that's the case, then why do we always misplace things?Surely, the clever thing to do would be to always put things, like car keys, in the same place each time. Like when arriving home, for example. But some of the smartest people I know don't do that.And before we get into a debate about whether those folks are indeed smart—as they look for their keys, I can happily announce that the whole argument is about to become moot.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Better batteries? In the words of one Reddit user: "OMG, not this again."But wait, there's more, as the expression goes. There's a reason that new battery technology piques our interest whenever we hear about it. Batteries are the last insurmountable hindrance to the seductive idea of total nomadism and blissful un-tethered freedom.Murphy's LawBatteries are one technology that haven't really seen a Moore's law-esque periodic doubling of capacity. Moore's law says that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles about every two years.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Better batteries? In the words of one Reddit user: "OMG, not this again."But wait, there's more, as the expression goes. There's a reason that new battery technology piques our interest whenever we hear about it. Batteries are the last insurmountable hindrance to the seductive idea of total nomadism and blissful un-tethered freedom.Murphy's LawBatteries are one technology that haven't really seen a Moore's law-esque periodic doubling of capacity. Moore's law says that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles about every two years.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
As recently as a week ago, in a February 17th, 2015, Financial Times newspaper article, investor analysts were speculating as to just what U.S. satellite TV company Dish was going to do with its massive hoard of unused, cached mobile-suitable spectrum that it's been accumulating over the years.Well, we might have just learned the answer. Artemis Networks, a wireless startup, has reached a deal to lease some of that spectrum, for a while, in San Francisco. It wants to use it to experiment with its unusual pCell technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
As recently as a week ago, in a February 17th, 2015, Financial Times newspaper article, investor analysts were speculating as to just what U.S. satellite TV company Dish was going to do with its massive hoard of unused, cached mobile-suitable spectrum that it's been accumulating over the years.Well, we might have just learned the answer. Artemis Networks, a wireless startup, has reached a deal to lease some of that spectrum, for a while, in San Francisco. It wants to use it to experiment with its unusual pCell technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Hackaday member CNLohr has created some stunning images of a Wi-Fi network using a remarkably simple technique. He documented his experiments on his Hackaday project page.He achieved the results by capturing wireless signal strength using a Wi-Fi chipset hooked up to a single multi-color LED. The LED rapidly changes color depending on signal strength. He then captures long-exposure photographs of the LED, as his buddy, holding the piece of kit, moves around a space. The result is a multi-colored graphic with variations representing signal strength.Pinging the chipsetTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Unlicensed spectrum would be the logical place to expand traffic if, as mobile networks are finding, their licensed spectrum is running out.Why not shift over to unlicensed spectrum? It's unlicensed, after all, so anyone can use it. Who would object?Well, the answer to that question may be a bunch of Wi-Fi users, like you and me, if it doesn't work as promised and stomps on existing use, such as Wi-Fi.Wi-Fi at 5 GHzThe new piggy-backing technology uses the same Wi-Fi band that mobile device users are beginning to take advantage of in the home and workplace. That is 5 GHz—the free-to-use band you'll find in newer routers and mobile devices, like tablets and recent phones.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
How about this for an idea: run broadband to the home via wires and then spurt the last few meters via airwaves.Neat idea, right? You get the benefits of bulk speed through wire and the portability of a consumer device through airwaves.And, if you think you've heard the idea before, you're not mistaken. It's called wired Internet service coupled with Wi-Fi. Been there, done that.Still, it's a good idea.Well, here's a novel twist on that theme — run broadband via fiber to the home and then send the last couple of yards via airwaves. But, in this case, don't translate to Wi-Fi for the last few yards. Use the light you've already got in the fiber and just extend it outwards from the wire to the devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
How about this for an idea: run broadband to the home via wires and then spurt the last few meters via airwaves.Neat idea, right? You get the benefits of bulk speed through wire and the portability of a consumer device through airwaves.And, if you think you've heard the idea before, you're not mistaken. It's called wired Internet service coupled with Wi-Fi. Been there, done that.Still, it's a good idea.Well, here's a novel twist on that theme — run broadband via fiber to the home and then send the last couple of yards via airwaves. But, in this case, don't translate to Wi-Fi for the last few yards. Use the light you've already got in the fiber and just extend it outwards from the wire to the devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
If you haven't heard of graphene, or its new brother silicene, you will.For the uninitiated, graphene is a super cost-effective, ultra-hard and light-weight conductor. It's better than copper at conducting and is in fact the world's most conductive substance. Silicene is similar in that it's also ultra-thin, but it has properties that may be more suited for use in chips.We've been hearing about graphene for a while. However, this miracle substance has a slight, somewhat awkward problem for a superstar. Despite its second-coming-like trumpet blowing, it's not very good in transistors. The reason: it doesn't have the necessary logic operation capability.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
If you haven't heard of graphene, or its new brother silicene, you will.For the uninitiated, graphene is a super cost-effective, ultra-hard and light-weight conductor. It's better than copper at conducting and is in fact the world's most conductive substance. Silicene is similar in that it's also ultra-thin, but it has properties that may be more suited for use in chips.We've been hearing about graphene for a while. However, this miracle substance has a slight, somewhat awkward problem for a superstar. Despite its second-coming-like trumpet blowing, it's not very good in transistors. The reason: it doesn't have the necessary logic operation capability.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
UK mobile network operator (MNO) EE said this week that it is exploring the use of small aerial cells positioned in the sky over hard-to-reach, patchy signal areas.It calls the technology "air masts," and says the system uses either "tethered balloons or unmanned craft." Unmanned craft are more commonly called drones.Air mastsThe phone company reckons it's going to be able to implement the masts in the sky in part because it's been banking on what it calls a "unique" micro-network technology. The base stations that it has been using consist of smaller elements than are commonly utilized in an MNO installation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
UK mobile network operator (MNO) EE said this week that it is exploring the use of small aerial cells positioned in the sky over hard-to-reach, patchy signal areas.It calls the technology "air masts," and says the system uses either "tethered balloons or unmanned craft." Unmanned craft are more commonly called drones.Air mastsThe phone company reckons it's going to be able to implement the masts in the sky in part because it's been banking on what it calls a "unique" micro-network technology. The base stations that it has been using consist of smaller elements than are commonly utilized in an MNO installation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
With broadband speeds newly defined as starting at 25 Mbps, as opposed to the archaic 4 Mbps definition, what happens if you now no longer have residential broadband? And what do you do if, to add insult to injury, your ISP ups its prices?Well, the answer is that you pretty much do nothing. There isn't anything you can do. The ISP, in most cases, has a monopoly — a duopoly at best. If you want uncapped Internet, however jerky the video, you've got to use that hard-wired ISP.But that might soon be changing. The reason: dark fiber.Dark fiber is the term coined for private fiber networks often used for financial transactions. They're usually networks that are not owned by telcos and cable companies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Patrick Nelson