The privately-held company LonoCloud is now owned by the satellite and other wireless networking systems innovator, ViaSat Inc., the latter announced. The acquisition aims to integrate the core components of the LonoCloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) product with the ViaSat Broadband Network.
ViaSat Chairman and CEO, Mark Dankberg, said, “Adding this core technical capability to our broadband network will both enhance our existing offering as well as shorten development cycles for new service offerings. further, we’re excited to add this talented team to our rapidly-growing broadband group.”
“Joining ViaSat allows us to continue innovating in advanced cloud services with a company known for continued technical innovation,” said LonoCloud CEO, Neil Senturia.
About LonoCloud
LonoCloud (www.lonocloud.com) is a privately-held company based in La Jolla, California that has developed an innovative, cloud-based service platform to support the “Internet of Things.” The software system contains sophisticated, distributed mesh algorithms that create a network foundation for enterprise services and applications to interact and communicate with one another (the “service fabric”).
About ViaSat
ViaSat produces innovative satellite and other digital communication products that enable fast, secure, and efficient communications to any location. We bring today’s new communication applications to people out of reach of terrestrial networks, in both the commercial and government sectors, with a variety of networking products and services.
See also: Mobile Backhaul
According to a recent report by the leading international consulting and analyst firm specializing in satellite applications, communications and digital broadcasting, Euroconsult, the global In-Flight Connectivity market is expected to grow three times by 2022 with a forecast of over 12,000 commercial and 16,000 business airplanes to provide in-flight connectivity to passengers by the indicated year.
According to the report, With a take-up rate of less than 5%, in-flight connectivity services generated less than $300 million in revenue from airline passengers last year. The market is expected to grow to $1.3 billion by 2022.
Euroconsult Senior Consultant and Editor-In-Chief, Wei Li, said, “The number of connected commercial aircraft has dramatically increased since 2010. Currently 56 airlines in the world provide passenger in-flight connectivity services via satellite or ATG networks. Most of the installations are from U.S.-based airlines such as United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines; however, many airlines based in emerging markets are also starting to invest seriously in the sector. The majority of airlines with in-flight connectivity services can be found in Asia-Pacific alone.”
Currently, the In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) market is dominated by two companies (Panasonic Avionics & Thales), with some newcomers entering the market (Zodiac Aerospace, LifeTV, & Lumexis).
“The expected takeoff of in-flight connectivity will lead to a fast growing usage of satellite communications in the aeronautical sector. The planned launch of new generation High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems , such as Inmarsat Global Xpress and Intelsat Epic on a global level, and KA-SAT (from Eutelsat) and ViaSat on a regional level will certainly provide expanded capabilities compared to traditional satellites,” adds Li.
A wristwatch solution that, claims Tony Fama CEO of Global Positioning Sytem (GPS), provides 24/7 global cellular communications and GPS tracking has been developed by the CEO. Father of a son with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Fama was urged to develop TRiLOC GPS Personal Locator which took him two years of research.
“TRiLOC gives my son greater autonomy and reduces the need of constant supervision,” said Fama. “With the tethering accessory, families or caregivers can plan trips to museums, shopping centers, and even busy theme parks without the enormous stress of the individual wandering off.”
Encompassing machine-to-machine technology from Gemalto to power a GPS Personal Locator Device (PLD), which is used to track and locate those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the device also helps caregivers locate and safeguard people with special needs while minimizing the need for constant physical supervision.
With the use of Gemalto’s solutions, a remote listening feature allows caretakers to detect when immediate help is required, and the wearer has access to an SOS button in case of emergencies.
Gemalto Machine-To-Machine Division Middle East Manager, Jure Gantar said, “It is really rewarding to see our technology truly changing the lives of people with special needs, in this case those who are prone to getting lost. As a result of our miniaturisation efforts we have produced our slimmest module to date. With this solution, we can help improve the security and convenience of citizens by leveraging the full potential of the wireless and digital worlds around us.”
See also: VSAT Broadband
The leading provider of products and services for satellite-based broadband communications, Gilat Satellite Network, said in an announcement that the leading satellite operator, HISPASAT, is expanding its broadband satellite-based network with an additional SkyEdge II system. This network segment expansion, as support of the Spanish government’s Avanza 100% broadband access program, is the company’s third since 2011.
According to Gilat, SkyEdge II system will support thousands of new broadband users residing in under-serviced areas across Spain expected to join the network by the end of this year.
“The ongoing success of this project is made possible thanks to the strong partnership Gilat and HISPASAT have developed collaborating on this national initiative. The flexibility embedded in Gilat’s SkyEdge II system allowed us to offer our customers residing in under-serviced areas a true alternative for broadband access both in terms of performance and price,” said HISPASAT Director Broadband Services, Pedro Pintó Marín.
Gilat’s SkyEdge II system supports 32APSK Adaptive Coding and Modulation transmission to maximize space segment efficiency. Combined with the beam capabilities of HISPASAT’s 1E satellite, the network can boast speeds of up to 100 Mbps per 36 MHz transponder. This is a key feature for providing high quality services for the residential sector at prices low enough to rival those offered by terrestrial networks.
“We are delighted to have been awarded this opportunity to strengthen our relationship with HISPASAT,” saidRegional Vice President, Gilat Europe, Aharon Fuchs. “Their satellite engineering excellence coupled with Gilat’s innovative technology has proved that efficient and optimized VSAT solutions can be applied to the residential internet access market. We look forward to applying our combined expertise to other markets across the world, and to leveraging new Ka-band frequencies as they become available.”
See also: Mobile Backhaul
The American English-language international daily newspaper, The Wall Street Journal reported that one of the world’s most visited social networking website, Facebook, is finally incorporating its network with one of Twitter’s iconic markers, the hashtag (#).
“We do not comment on rumor or speculation,” said a Facebook spokesperson when asked to comment about the “hashtag” rumors. Unnamed sources, though, claimed that Facebook is working on it, however, it will not be up any time soon.
The pound sign (#) marks words to organize posts by topics or events or to express how users are feeling at the moment. Adding hashtags on the user’s posts will make the words clickable. Some of the websites the support the use of hashtags are as follows:
- Google+
- Orkut
- Sina Weibo
- Tout
- Tumblr
- VK
- YouTube
- Kickstarter
Perhaps Facebook is trying to up its game in search with the introduction of Graph Search. With Facebook unveiling its simplified website redesign just recently, the social networking giant, is also planning to make public posts searchable in the future.
eMarketer’s analyst Debbie Williamson said, “Historically, Facebook has come first for advertisers and Twitter has been a nice add-on. Twitter has been more aggressive.”
The gap between Twitter’s and Facebook’s revenues from mobile advertising has been narrowing, where Twitter is expected to make $249 million this year and the latter $851 million.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the hashtag also plays a key role in Twitter’s moneymaking efforts and that Facebook said Thursday it agreed to acquire the talent behind design agency Hot Studio but the terms weren’t disclosed.
See also: Teleports
Developed by a team at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, a new wireless brain implant that can help people control a computer, or even a wheelchair through their thoughts, is now possible.
According to a report in the Journal of Neural Engineering by the team behind this brain implant breakthrough, their fully implantable brain sensor can record the activity of dozens of neurons in freely moving subjects. The team also showed in a test using pigs and macaques that the device continuously works after more than a year.
However, the brain implant remains to be tested to people. As it promises, the said implant can possibly help paralyzed people regain some mobility.
A neuroscientist at Brown University, John Donoghue said, “We are trying to develop devices to connect the brain back again to the outside world or to the body. Currently, this is set up with a plug in the head through a hole in the skin.” Donoghue led one of the projects involving quadriplegics but was not involved with the new work.
Donoghue further adds that this [wireless brain implant] is complicated and introduces the risk of infection. Also, it requires a technician to hook the patient up to the external equipment. If these kinds of systems are to become available to paralyzed people in their homes, then a fully implanted, wireless device will be needed.
With the new device tested on animals, diminishing electrodes were detected in over a year that it is implanted on such animals (this outcome is consistent with the previous reports on the longevity of the recording devices.) The researches, however, could not detect any electronic leakage from the titanium case.
Brown University Electrical and neuroengineer, Arto Nurmikko said, “The strategy here is to have the subject or future patient a few meters away from the electronics that contain the receivers and means of decoding the full language of the brain circuitry that you are monitoring.”
This new devices will have to undergo safety testing and earn regulatory approval both for its electrical elements and for the material that touch the body. Nurmikko adds, “This opens up a very interesting way to naturalistically study brain circuits that has not been available before.”
See also: Satellite Communications Companies
The leading fast-food chain, McDonald’s, is debuting a new wireless charging service at a couple of its branches in Europe. Using the PowerKiss wireless technology, the fast-food giant’s tables will be able to provide wireless charging services to its customers.
Qi’s wireless charging technology is available in over 15 million devices and these devices are the ones capable of taking advantage of the wireless charging technology. Good thing, though, PowerKiss is now selling accessories called the PowerKiss Ring that plugs into any phone and makes it ready for wireless charging.
The Senior Director of European Restaurant Development and Design Studio (ERDDS) for McDonald’s Europe, Eric Burgeois, said that it’s “always important for us to create premium value for our mobile customers,” the exact reason why they are implementing the PowerKiss wireless charging technology in the McDonald’s restaurants. This innovation will sure appeal to all customer demographics.
Implementing the new technology in just select restaurants in Europe, McDonald’s plans on expanding the technology to various other countries in the future.
See also: Wireless Backhaul
This Thursday February 21, the developer preview of Ubuntu mobile operating system will be available to Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4, according to Canonical, a UK-based privately held computer software company who support and market related services for Ubuntu and other related projects.
In a press release last February 15, 2013, Canonical announced its move to the mobile space saying “[This move] marks the start of a new era for Ubuntu.” Ubuntu is known for providing a free and open source computer software based on the Debian Linux distribution.
Canonical also made it clear in the press release that this preview is a “developer” preview and is not a finalized code. Below are the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu to be published on February 21, 2013:
- Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu for Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 will be available
- Daily update mechanism to follow progress in Ubuntu
- Canonical will flash phones at MWC for industry, developers and enthusiasts
- Preview SDK and App Design Guides already available for developers building touch apps for Ubuntu
See also: Satellite Internet
With their market share that increased 34% in the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple Inc., topped the sales of smartphones in the United States in the indicated timeline according to Strategy Analytics. It was the first time that Strategy Analytics, a global organization that conducts primary research and manage consulting projects, named Apple as U.S.’s top mobile phone seller.
Dethroning their direct competitor, Samsung, Apple closed 2012 with 17.7 million units sold (up 38% in the same quarter in 2011). Closing 2012 with 32.3 market share, Samsung’s four-year rule in the smartphone market has been broken although it ruled for all of said year.
“(Apple’s success) has been driven by its popular ecosystem of iPhones and App Store, generous carrier subsidies, and extensive marketing around the new iPhone 5 model.” Apple has also been offering discounted or free versions of the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4,” said Neil Mawston, Strategy Analytics’ executive director.
LG Electronics rounds up in third place in the last quarter of 2012 (4.7 million units sold or 9% market share).
See also: Mobile Backhaul
Strategy Analytics, a company that conducts custom studies to understand the client’s customers for both B2B and B2C initiatives, conducted a research about the smartphone market. According to the said study, Android phones ruled about 70% of the market share in the last quarter of 2012, leaving Apple phones behind with 22% market share.
“Global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually from 157.0 million units in Q4 2011 to 217.0 million in Q4 2012. Global smartphone shipments for the full year reached a record 700.1 million units in 2012, increasing robustly from 490.5 million units in 2011. Global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2012 as penetration of smartphones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe,” said the senior analyst at Strategy Analyst, Neil Shah.
Also estimated, 152.1 million Android smartphones were shipped globally in Q4 2012, nearly doubling from 80.6 million units in Q4 2011. Android’s share of the global smartphone market has surged from 51 percent to 70 percent over the past year, crushing Symbian, Bada and other platforms in its wake. Almost half-a-billion Android smartphones were shipped in total worldwide during 2012. Android is clearly the undisputed volume leader of the smartphone industry at the present time. Android’s challenge for 2013 will be to defend its leadership, not only against Apple, but also against an emerging wave of hungry challengers that includes Microsoft, Blackberry, Firefox and Tizen,” adds Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics.
See: VSAT: Internet By Satellite
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