Jacky Bauer's Blog

The National Safety Council, which campaigned to get U.S. states to enforce seatbelt laws, is taking on cellphones, saying on Sunday it was starting a campaign to ban all use of mobile phones while driving. Even so-called hands-free devices should be banned, because studies show they do not make it any safer to talk on the telephone while driving, the group said. “It’s time to take the cellphone away,” said Janet Froetscher, president and chief executive officer of the non-profit group. “Studies show that driving while talking on a cellphone is extremely dangerous and puts drivers at a four times greater risk of a crash,” Froetscher said in a telephone interview. Many states and Washington, D.C. have laws requiring the use of a hands-free device while driving and using a cellphone. But several recent studies have shown drivers are far more distracted when speaking on a mobile phone, even with a speaker or headset, than talking to a live passenger. Last month Dave Strayer of the University of Utah and colleagues demonstrated that drivers using a hands-free device drifted out of their lanes and missed exits more frequently than drivers talking to a passenger. Strayer’s team has also shown that drivers using mobile telephones are as impaired as drivers who are legally drunk. A study from the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis estimates that cellphone use while driving contributes to 6 percent of crashes. Froetscher’s group says that translates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths in the United States each year. Source: Reuters

The epic battle between plasma and LCD manifests itself in numerous ways–Hz oneupsmanship, contrast ratio and viewing angle specs, lifespan claims–but until now, panel depth was a frontier comfortably dominated by LCD, with ultrathin models like the Hitachi UT37X902. Now Samsung and Panasonic aim to claim that frontier themselves, the latter with the new inch-thick Z1. Panasonic’s press material uses the term “Z1 series,” which indicates to us that the company is planning other screen sizes with inch-deep panels. But for now the only size the company sees fit to announce is the 54-inch TC-P54Z1, due in summer for an undisclosed, but surely sizable, chunk of change. Thin panels pose a number of design quandaries, such as where to connect the cables. Panasonic solves the problem by supplying a separate AV box, with a tuner and connections like HDMI and component-video, which streams audio, video, and control signals to the panel wirelessly. The company uses a 60GHz millimeter wave radio system that sounds similar to the one employed by LG for its wireless displays, and like LG claims the ability to transmit full, uncompressed 1080p video. Aside from Digital Cinema Color, the Z1 incorporates all of the features of the thicker V10 models, including improved 24p compatibility, VieraCast; the power-saving, high-contrast, NEO PDP panel; “infinite black;” and a 600Hz sub-field drive. Source: Cnet

Comcast is offering new, higher internet access speeds to its customers in some of Comcast’s biggest markets. This is the first step in Comcast’s plan to offer the higher speeds to all of its customers over the next two years. The new Internet connection speeds have been designed to access large amounts of information more quickly, facilitating access to videos, online games, and large software programs. The new Internet connection speeds will also make Comcast’s Internet access more competitive with Internet access offered by phone companies. Consumers will be able to choose between two new connection speeds through Comcast, and businesses will be offered one new speed, Reuters reported.

Comcast will offer an “Ultra” service package with 22 megabits per second downstream speed and 5 Mbps upstream speed for $62.95 per month, and an “Extreme 50″ package with 50 Mbps downstream speed and 10 Mbps upstream speed for $139.95 per month. Currently, Comcast Internet connection speeds range from 6 to 8 Mbps, Reuters reported. The new Internet connection speeds are based on a technology known as “Docsis 3.0,” and Comcast will make them available in the Boston metropolitan area, southern New Hampshire, and parts of New Jersey and Philidelphia. Comcast has already offered one of the new speeds in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., for several months as a test run.

Source: CRN

Adobe Systems announced late Tuesday that it had begun shipping Creative Suite 4, its bundle of professional graphics and media applications. The launch, which Adobe described as the largest in the company’s history, includes updated versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Contribute, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, OnLocation, and Encore. Four different flavors of the suite are available with prices ranging from $1,699 to $2,499. Adobe continues to improve integration among the applications.

After Effects, for example, can import Photoshop 3D layers and export content directly into Flash. Options for working with high-definition video and mobile content expand too, with support for the latest formats as well as for making Adobe AIR applications.Adobe also started distributing new version of Flash Player 10. This version of Flash, which Adobe launched in a beta version in May, includes support for custom filters and special effects, native 3D transformation and animation, advanced audio processing and GPU hardware acceleration, Adobe said. It also includes a new text engine aimed at providing designers and developers with more text layout options.

Source: CW, Cnet