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Blue Jeans Network Bridges Skype, SIP, H.323 for Multipoint Telepresence Solution

May 9, 2011

Blue Jeans Network has been quietly developing a new cloud-based video conferencing and collaboration service that bridges H.323 and SIP end-points, PSTN — and even Skype, with the goal of allowing users to connect everything from high-end video telepresence systems like Tandberg/Cisco and Lifesize to web cams running Skype to desktop IP videophones from Polycom, Grandstream, Cisco, and others. This solves a major problem with video conferencing and telepresence since interoperability, while it has improved, still doesn't take into account legacy H.323 end-points or users that only have inexpensive webcams. Blue Jeans Network plans to support Google and Microsoft Lync as well. Their cloud-based service handles the transcoding of audio and video codecs as well as manages the meeting IDs, PINs, etc.

Firefox Speed Tweaks

April 26, 2011

There are dozens of articles on how to speed up and optimize Mozilla Firefox using various tweaks to the default Firefox settings. I've used Firefox for years now and when I upgrade from one PC to another I always forget my top tweaks I use to make Firefox faster and then have to research them again. So now I'm going to document my favorite speed tweaks here on my blog for future reference.

Verizon MiFi 4510L 4G WiFi Mobile Hotspot Now Available

April 18, 2011

Say goodbye to your pokey 3G MiFi. Verizon Wireless and Novatel Wireless today announced that the MiFi 4510L 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot that runs on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network is available online today. The 4G LTE MiFi 4510L is available online at www.verizonwireless.com and will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on April 21 for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a 4G Mobile Broadband plan. 4G LTE Mobile Broadband plans begin at $50 monthly access for 5GB.
 
The MiFi 4510L lets you share the connection with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously. I was hoping they'd increase the number of device to ten by now.

The HTML5 Revolution

April 14, 2011

When Steve Jobs and Apple blocked Adobe Flash from Apple's popular line of mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), Apple's main claims against Flash were that it was too processor-heavy, a battery hog, and that HTML5 was a better standard for the future. Rich Tehrani calls it the "Apple Tax". According to the HTTP Archive project, a website that tracks over 17,000 top websites and lets you compare web statistics over time, Flash experienced a 2% drop in usage over the last 4 months. It went from 49% on November 15, 2010 to 47% on March 29, 2011.

The move to HTML5 is clearly on.

Level 3 Buys Global Crossing for $3 Billion

April 11, 2011


Level 3 Communications announced on Monday that it would buy Global Crossing for $3 billion. Is it me or does it seem like the entire telecom sector is consolidating? AT&T acquiring T-Mobile being just one recent example. Not a good thing for consumers if we're back down to only a handful of telecom competitors.

Marko Rodin Smart Laser - Coolest Use of Lasers Ever!

April 1, 2011

You won't believe how cool the Marko Rodin "Smart Laser" technology is. Imagine a red laser that is intelligent enough to follow paths that you draw with a marker? Now imagine you can play a game of air hockey, except without the air and without the need for a puck.

HTML5 Conference DevCon5 Launches in New York

March 29, 2011


TMC and Crossfire Media recently announced the launch of DevCon5 Conference, July 27-28, 2011. DevCon5, which makes me think of DEFCON 5 (Defense Condition 5) and the classic 1983 movie War Games, focuses on educating web developers, designers, and architects on how to use HTML5 to create dynamic user experiences. The conference will be held at the Kimmel Center on the downtown New York City campus of New York University.

Here are some of the conference sessions:

HTML5 Track

  • HTML5 – the good, the bad, the ugly
  • CSS3 & Advanced Design
  • Browser Choices
  • Scalar Vector Graphics
  • HTML5 - canvas power
  • Mobile vs. Multiple Device Apps
  • WebGL: 3-D everywhere
  • Dynamic JavaScript

User Experience Track

  • Simple & Usable 101
  • Simple & Usable 102
  • The Impact of Color 101
  • The Impact of Color 102
  • Layout & White Space 1
  • Layout & White Space 2
  • The Power of Multi-Media
  • The Power of Story

Cloud Computing Track

  • Cloud Market Overview
  • Platform as a Service
  • Virtualization & Imaging
  • Cloud Users Speak Out
  • Cloud Security
  • 1 Minute Provisioning
  • Workloads & Componentizing
  • To Cloud or Not to Cloud
You can check out the DevCon5 Agenda for the complete conference program listing.



Browser Benchmark Battle Begin! Chrome vs. IE 9 vs. Firefox

March 28, 2011

Browser Benchmark Battle Begin!

It's Chrome vs. IE 9 vs. Firefox. CNET did some benchmarks comparing the browsers on memory usage, boot time, JavaScript, HTML5, and more. Browser users are a loyal bunch.

HomePNA Ratifies Fast EoC Delivering 640 Mbps over Coax

March 23, 2011

Home wireless too slow for you? But too much trouble to "snake" Ethernet cables throughout your home for speedier performance? Well, today we have a new solution from HomePNA, which just ratified a new broadband access specification called "Fast EoC" where EoC stands for Ethernet over Coax. The new “Fast EoC” delivers up to 640Mbps performance using Ethernet over Coax. Although this can be used in residential applications, the main target goal for Fast EoC is MDUs (multi-dwelling units) such as apartment complexes, hotels, hospitals, etc. The advantage of coax over Ethernet is that most homes and MDUs already have coax connections in most rooms.

The HomePNA Alliance said that Fast EoC can deliver performance up to 320 Megabits per second (Mbps) in regular mode, and up to 640 Megabits per second (Mbps) and more than 300 Mbps user data throughput to Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) environments in a new “enhanced” mode. 

iPad 2 Review Video (Parody)

March 11, 2011

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