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Welcome to Our Generation USA!
Our Mobile World
covers electronic devices and applications via the Internet including from your personal device, whether a specialized gaming console player, or from your Smartphone, Computer, Tablet or other device, as well as the video game apps and other software technology, including Online Games.
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Mobile Technology
YouTube Video: Mobile Technology - Connecting the World
Pictured below: Mobile Commerce Technologies
Mobile technology is the technology used for cellular communication. Mobile code-division multiple access (CDMA) technology has evolved rapidly over the past few years.
Since the start of this millennium, a standard mobile device has gone from being no more than a simple two-way pager to being a mobile phone, GPS navigation device, an embedded web browser and instant messaging client, and a handheld game console.
Many experts believe that the future of computer technology rests in mobile computing with wireless networking. Mobile computing by way of tablet computers are becoming more popular. Tablets are available on the 3G and 4G networks.
Mobile phone generations:
Main article: List of mobile phone generations
In the early 1980s, 1G was introduced as voice-only communication via "brick phones".
Later in 1991, the development of 2G introduced Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) capabilities, allowing picture messages to be sent and received between phones.
In 1998, 3G was introduced to provide faster data-transmission speeds to support video calling and internet access.
4G was released in 2008 to support more demanding services such as gaming services, HD mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D TV.
5G technology is being released now.
4G networking:
Main article: 4G
4G is the current mainstream wireless cellular service offered to cell phone users, exhibiting performance roughly 10 times faster than 3G service.
One of the most important features in the 4G mobile networks is the domination of high-speed packet transmissions or burst traffic in the channels. The same codes used in the 2G-3G networks are applied to 4G mobile or wireless networks, the detection of very short bursts will be a serious problem due to their very poor partial correlation properties.
Recent study has indicated that traditional multilayer network architecture based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model may not be well suited for 4G mobile network, where transactions of short packets will be the major part of the traffic in the channels. As the packets from different mobiles carry completely different channel characteristics, the receiver should execute all necessary algorithms, such as channel estimation, interactions with all upper layers and so on, within a very short period of time.
Operating systems:
Many types of mobile operating systems (OS) are available for smartphones, including the following:
The most popular are the Apple iPhone, and the newest: Android. Android, a mobile OS developed by Google, is the first completely open-source mobile OS, meaning that it is free to any cell phone mobile network.
Since 2008 customizable OSs allow the user to download apps like games, GPS, utilities, and other tools. Users can also create their own apps and publish them, e.g. to Apple's App Store.
The Palm Pre using webOS has functionality over the Internet and can support Internet-based programming languages such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML, and JavaScript.
The Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry is a smartphone with a multimedia player and third-party software installation. The Windows Mobile Professional Smartphones (Pocket PC or Windows Mobile PDA) are like personal digital assistants (PDA) and have touchscreen abilities.
The Windows Mobile Standard does not have a touch screen but uses a trackball, touchpad, or rockers.
Channel hogging and file sharing:
There will be a hit to file sharing, the normal web surfer would want to look at a new web page every minute or so at 100 kbs a page loads quickly. Because of the changes to the security of wireless networks users will be unable to do huge file transfers because service providers want to reduce channel use.
AT&T claimed that they would ban any of their users that they caught using peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications on their 3G network. It then became apparent that it would keep any of their users from using their iTunes programs.
The users would then be forced to find a Wi-Fi hotspot to be able to download files. The limits of wireless networking will not be cured by 4G, as there are too many fundamental differences between wireless networking and other means of Internet access.
If wireless vendors do not realize these differences and bandwidth limits, future wireless customers will find themselves disappointed and the market may suffer setbacks.
Impacts on the modern family:
Increasing mobile technology use has changed how the modern family interacts with one another through technology. With the rise of mobile devices, families are becoming increasingly "on-the-move", and spend less time in physical contact with one another.
However, this trend does not mean that families are no longer interacting with each other, but rather have evolved into a more digitized variant. A study has shown that the modern family actually learns better with usage of mobile media, and children are more willing to cooperate with their parents via a digital medium than a more direct approach. For example, family members can share information from articles or online videos via mobile devices and thus stay connected with one another during a busy day.
This trend is not without controversy, however. Many parents of elementary school-age children express concern and sometimes disapproval of heavy mobile technology use. Parents may feel that excessive usage of such technologies distracts children from "un-plugged" bonding experiences, and many express safety concerns about children using mobile media.
While parents may have many concerns are, they are not necessarily anti-technology. In fact, many parents express approval of mobile technology usage if their children can learn something from the session. for example, through art or music tutorials on YouTube.
The future of smartphones:
The next generation of smartphones will be context-aware, taking advantage of the growing availability of embedded physical sensors and data exchange abilities. One of the main features applying to this is that phones will start keeping track of users' personal data, and adapt to anticipate the information will need.
All-new applications will come out with the new phones, one of which is an X-ray device that reveals information about any location at which the phone is pointed.
Companies are developing software to take advantage of more accurate location-sensing data. This has been described as making the phone a virtual mouse able to click the real world. An example would be pointing the phone's camera at a building while having the live feed open, and the phone will show text with the image of the building, and save its location for use in the future.
Omnitouch is a device via which apps can be viewed and used on a hand, arm, wall, desk, or any other everyday surface. The device uses a sensor touch interface, which enables the user to access all the functions through the use of the touch of a finger. It was developed at Carnegie Mellon University. This device uses a projector and camera worn on the user's shoulder, with no controls other than the user's fingers.
Since the start of this millennium, a standard mobile device has gone from being no more than a simple two-way pager to being a mobile phone, GPS navigation device, an embedded web browser and instant messaging client, and a handheld game console.
Many experts believe that the future of computer technology rests in mobile computing with wireless networking. Mobile computing by way of tablet computers are becoming more popular. Tablets are available on the 3G and 4G networks.
Mobile phone generations:
Main article: List of mobile phone generations
In the early 1980s, 1G was introduced as voice-only communication via "brick phones".
Later in 1991, the development of 2G introduced Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) capabilities, allowing picture messages to be sent and received between phones.
In 1998, 3G was introduced to provide faster data-transmission speeds to support video calling and internet access.
4G was released in 2008 to support more demanding services such as gaming services, HD mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D TV.
5G technology is being released now.
4G networking:
Main article: 4G
4G is the current mainstream wireless cellular service offered to cell phone users, exhibiting performance roughly 10 times faster than 3G service.
One of the most important features in the 4G mobile networks is the domination of high-speed packet transmissions or burst traffic in the channels. The same codes used in the 2G-3G networks are applied to 4G mobile or wireless networks, the detection of very short bursts will be a serious problem due to their very poor partial correlation properties.
Recent study has indicated that traditional multilayer network architecture based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model may not be well suited for 4G mobile network, where transactions of short packets will be the major part of the traffic in the channels. As the packets from different mobiles carry completely different channel characteristics, the receiver should execute all necessary algorithms, such as channel estimation, interactions with all upper layers and so on, within a very short period of time.
Operating systems:
Many types of mobile operating systems (OS) are available for smartphones, including the following:
- Android,
- BlackBerry OS,
- webOS,
- iOS,
- Symbian,
- Windows Mobile Professional (touch screen),
- Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch screen),
- and Bada.
The most popular are the Apple iPhone, and the newest: Android. Android, a mobile OS developed by Google, is the first completely open-source mobile OS, meaning that it is free to any cell phone mobile network.
Since 2008 customizable OSs allow the user to download apps like games, GPS, utilities, and other tools. Users can also create their own apps and publish them, e.g. to Apple's App Store.
The Palm Pre using webOS has functionality over the Internet and can support Internet-based programming languages such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML, and JavaScript.
The Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry is a smartphone with a multimedia player and third-party software installation. The Windows Mobile Professional Smartphones (Pocket PC or Windows Mobile PDA) are like personal digital assistants (PDA) and have touchscreen abilities.
The Windows Mobile Standard does not have a touch screen but uses a trackball, touchpad, or rockers.
Channel hogging and file sharing:
There will be a hit to file sharing, the normal web surfer would want to look at a new web page every minute or so at 100 kbs a page loads quickly. Because of the changes to the security of wireless networks users will be unable to do huge file transfers because service providers want to reduce channel use.
AT&T claimed that they would ban any of their users that they caught using peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications on their 3G network. It then became apparent that it would keep any of their users from using their iTunes programs.
The users would then be forced to find a Wi-Fi hotspot to be able to download files. The limits of wireless networking will not be cured by 4G, as there are too many fundamental differences between wireless networking and other means of Internet access.
If wireless vendors do not realize these differences and bandwidth limits, future wireless customers will find themselves disappointed and the market may suffer setbacks.
Impacts on the modern family:
Increasing mobile technology use has changed how the modern family interacts with one another through technology. With the rise of mobile devices, families are becoming increasingly "on-the-move", and spend less time in physical contact with one another.
However, this trend does not mean that families are no longer interacting with each other, but rather have evolved into a more digitized variant. A study has shown that the modern family actually learns better with usage of mobile media, and children are more willing to cooperate with their parents via a digital medium than a more direct approach. For example, family members can share information from articles or online videos via mobile devices and thus stay connected with one another during a busy day.
This trend is not without controversy, however. Many parents of elementary school-age children express concern and sometimes disapproval of heavy mobile technology use. Parents may feel that excessive usage of such technologies distracts children from "un-plugged" bonding experiences, and many express safety concerns about children using mobile media.
While parents may have many concerns are, they are not necessarily anti-technology. In fact, many parents express approval of mobile technology usage if their children can learn something from the session. for example, through art or music tutorials on YouTube.
The future of smartphones:
The next generation of smartphones will be context-aware, taking advantage of the growing availability of embedded physical sensors and data exchange abilities. One of the main features applying to this is that phones will start keeping track of users' personal data, and adapt to anticipate the information will need.
All-new applications will come out with the new phones, one of which is an X-ray device that reveals information about any location at which the phone is pointed.
Companies are developing software to take advantage of more accurate location-sensing data. This has been described as making the phone a virtual mouse able to click the real world. An example would be pointing the phone's camera at a building while having the live feed open, and the phone will show text with the image of the building, and save its location for use in the future.
Omnitouch is a device via which apps can be viewed and used on a hand, arm, wall, desk, or any other everyday surface. The device uses a sensor touch interface, which enables the user to access all the functions through the use of the touch of a finger. It was developed at Carnegie Mellon University. This device uses a projector and camera worn on the user's shoulder, with no controls other than the user's fingers.
Virtual Reality: Better than 3-D!
YouTube Video" Experience a Virtual Reality Experience: Great White Sharks 360 Video 4K!! - Close encounter on Amazing Virtual Dive
Article in Consumer Reports magazine, October, 2016 issue: "VR That Is Out of This World"
Article by Tech Insider (source of the images below): "6 things you should know before buying a virtual reality headset" (January 7, 2016 by Ben Gilbert)
Pictured: To date, there are three companies making high-end VR headsets: Sony, Facebook, and HTC/Valve. (From left to right: The HTC Vive Pre, the Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR (respectively)
Virtual reality (or VR) is a computer technology that uses software-generated realistic images, sounds and other sensations to replicate an a real environment or an imaginary setting, and simulates a user's physical presence in this environment to enable the user to interact with this space.
A person using virtual reality equipment is typically able to "look around" the artificial world, move about in it and interact with features or items that are depicted. Virtual realities artificially create sensory experiences, which can include sight, touch, hearing, and, less commonly, smell.
Most 2016-era virtual realities are displayed either on a computer monitor, a projector screen, or with a virtual reality headset (also called head-mounted display). Some simulations include additional sensory information and provide sounds through speakers or headphones.
Some advanced haptic systems in the 2010s now include tactile information, generally known as force feedback in medical, video gaming and military applications. Some VR systems used in video games can transmit vibrations and other sensations to the user via the game controller.
Virtual reality also refers to remote communication environments which provide a virtual presence of users with through telepresence and telexistence or the use of a virtual artifact (VA), either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove or omnidirectional treadmills.
The immersive environment can be similar to the real world in order to create a lifelike experience—for example, in simulations for pilot or combat training, which depict realistic images and sounds of the world, where the normal laws of physics apply, or it can differ significantly from reality, such as in VR video games that take place in fantasy settings, where gamers can use fictional magic and telekinesis powers.
Click on any of the following (blue) hyperlinks to learn more:
A person using virtual reality equipment is typically able to "look around" the artificial world, move about in it and interact with features or items that are depicted. Virtual realities artificially create sensory experiences, which can include sight, touch, hearing, and, less commonly, smell.
Most 2016-era virtual realities are displayed either on a computer monitor, a projector screen, or with a virtual reality headset (also called head-mounted display). Some simulations include additional sensory information and provide sounds through speakers or headphones.
Some advanced haptic systems in the 2010s now include tactile information, generally known as force feedback in medical, video gaming and military applications. Some VR systems used in video games can transmit vibrations and other sensations to the user via the game controller.
Virtual reality also refers to remote communication environments which provide a virtual presence of users with through telepresence and telexistence or the use of a virtual artifact (VA), either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove or omnidirectional treadmills.
The immersive environment can be similar to the real world in order to create a lifelike experience—for example, in simulations for pilot or combat training, which depict realistic images and sounds of the world, where the normal laws of physics apply, or it can differ significantly from reality, such as in VR video games that take place in fantasy settings, where gamers can use fictional magic and telekinesis powers.
Click on any of the following (blue) hyperlinks to learn more:
- Etymology and terminology
- History
- Use
- In fiction
- Concerns and challenges
- Pioneers and notables
- Commercial industries
- See also:
Drones including Drone Racing
YouTube Video of Drone racing in an Aerial Grand Prix - BBC News Channel - Click
For the Photos below, click on the following blue hyperlink: Is Drone Racing the Future of Olympic Sports?
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS); which include a UAV, a ground-based controller, and a system of communications between the two.
The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy: either under remote control by a human operator or autonomously by onboard computers.
Compared to manned aircraft, UAVs were originally used for missions too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans. While they originated mostly in military applications, their use is rapidly expanding to include:
Civilian UAVs now vastly outnumber military UAVs, with estimates of over a million sold by 2015, so they can be seen as an early commercial application of Autonomous Things, to be followed by the autonomous car and home robots.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Drones:
FPV drone racing (where FPV stands for first-person view or first person video) is a motorsport type where participants control "drones" (typically small radio-controlled aircraft or quadcopters), equipped with cameras while wearing head-mounted displays showing the live stream camera feed from the drones. Similar to full size air racing the goal is to complete a set course as quickly as possible. Drone racing began as an amateur sport in Australia in late 2014.
FPV (first person view) flying means that pilots only see what the drone sees. This is accomplished by live streaming footage from a camera mounted on the nose of the drone. The image is transmitted via radio waves (typically 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz frequency) to goggles or monitor worn by the pilot.
The remote control, drone, and goggles are all connected via radio and must transmit with sufficient speed and reliability to allow effective control. This technology is very new and is constantly being improved.
FPV goggles on the market range from $50 to $500, with the more expensive goggles offering more and better features. Some of these features include a wide field of view (FOV), receiver diversity, head tracking, multiple frequency settings, and DVR (digital video recorder) recording functionality.
While the pilot always requires goggles, some drone racing organizations insist they should also be used among spectators alike by simply switching the frequency to the channel of the racer you want to watch.
Any drone could be used to race, however competitive FPV racing leagues require drones to meet certain standards. The Drone Racing League (DRL) makes all of the drones used in its events in house; pilots are supplied with drones, backup drones, and parts by the league itself, not independently.
DR1 Racing, utilizes a open spec class format that relies on each team in the series to supply their own drones, goggles and gear.
MultiGP, defines community produced specifications and allows participants to supply their own drones increasing competitiveness and innovation. For competition, aircraft are typically separated into classes, separating winged craft from rotorcraft; and also categorizing by size and power.
Racing drones are designed to focus all of their energy into moving forward, as opposed to a photography/video drone which is focused more on hovering. A photography quadcopter design will typically have four motors configured in an X-pattern, all equally spaced apart.
A racing model will typically have its four motors configured in an H-pattern configured to thrust the drone forward, not up. Because of their light weight and electric motors with large amounts of torque, drones can accelerate and maneuver with great speed and agility. This makes for very sensitive controls and requires a pilot with quick reaction times and a steady hand.
Course design:
The DRL focus uses an indoor course, single-lap courses with many movie props and LED illuminated shapes for obstacles.
DR1 Racing’s Champions Series is an outdoor racing circuit, flying in iconic locations around the world. Each location or race uses a mixture of environmental and manmade elements to create the course.
The courses for the 2017 season include the Trona Pinnacles, the Mojave Boneyard at the Mojave Air and Space Port, the DHL Bonn Post Tower, Bunowen Castle in Ireland, Spike Island, and Isle of Man TT. DR1’s Micro Series uses indoor locations, with thematic elements.
Others such as the U.S. National Drone Racing Championship tend to conduct their races in open areas with less catastrophic obstacles (flags and cones vs. walls and tunnels).
MultiGP provides community standards for their chapters to safely design their own courses and also generates individual pilot competition through their Universal Time Trial Track program which ranks pilots worldwide on standard measured courses.
Organizations:
FPV racing organizations create regulations and rules to offer a fair race among its pilots.
For more about Drone Racing, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks:
The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy: either under remote control by a human operator or autonomously by onboard computers.
Compared to manned aircraft, UAVs were originally used for missions too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans. While they originated mostly in military applications, their use is rapidly expanding to include:
- commercial,
- scientific,
- recreational,
- agricultural,
- policing,
- peacekeeping,
- and surveillance,
- product deliveries,
- aerial photography,
- smuggling,
- and drone racing.
Civilian UAVs now vastly outnumber military UAVs, with estimates of over a million sold by 2015, so they can be seen as an early commercial application of Autonomous Things, to be followed by the autonomous car and home robots.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Drones:
- Terminology
- History
- Classification
- UAV components
- Autonomy
- Functions
- Market trends
- Development considerations
- Applications
- Aerospace
- Military
- Demining
- Civil
- Existing UAVs
- Events
- Safety
- Air traffic
Malicious use - Security vulnerabilities
Wildfires
- Air traffic
- Regulation
- Popular culture
- "UAE Drones for Good" award
- See also:
- International Aerial Robotics Competition
- Micro air vehicle
- Miniature UAV
- Quadcopter
- ParcAberporth
- Radio-controlled aircraft
- Satellite Sentinel Project
- Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a National Science Foundation Industry & University Cooperative Research Center
- UVS International Non Profit Organization representing manufacturers of unmanned vehicle systems (UVS), subsystems and critical components for UVS and associated equipment, as well as companies supplying services with or for UVS, research organizations and academia.
- Cities and Drones National League of Cities report on urban government use and regulation of UAS equipment
- Drones and Drone Data Technical Interest Group (TIG) Technology and techniques (equipment, software, workflows, survey designs) to allow individuals to enhance their capabilities with data obtained from drones and drone surveys. Chaired by Karl Osvald and James McDonald.
FPV drone racing (where FPV stands for first-person view or first person video) is a motorsport type where participants control "drones" (typically small radio-controlled aircraft or quadcopters), equipped with cameras while wearing head-mounted displays showing the live stream camera feed from the drones. Similar to full size air racing the goal is to complete a set course as quickly as possible. Drone racing began as an amateur sport in Australia in late 2014.
FPV (first person view) flying means that pilots only see what the drone sees. This is accomplished by live streaming footage from a camera mounted on the nose of the drone. The image is transmitted via radio waves (typically 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz frequency) to goggles or monitor worn by the pilot.
The remote control, drone, and goggles are all connected via radio and must transmit with sufficient speed and reliability to allow effective control. This technology is very new and is constantly being improved.
FPV goggles on the market range from $50 to $500, with the more expensive goggles offering more and better features. Some of these features include a wide field of view (FOV), receiver diversity, head tracking, multiple frequency settings, and DVR (digital video recorder) recording functionality.
While the pilot always requires goggles, some drone racing organizations insist they should also be used among spectators alike by simply switching the frequency to the channel of the racer you want to watch.
Any drone could be used to race, however competitive FPV racing leagues require drones to meet certain standards. The Drone Racing League (DRL) makes all of the drones used in its events in house; pilots are supplied with drones, backup drones, and parts by the league itself, not independently.
DR1 Racing, utilizes a open spec class format that relies on each team in the series to supply their own drones, goggles and gear.
MultiGP, defines community produced specifications and allows participants to supply their own drones increasing competitiveness and innovation. For competition, aircraft are typically separated into classes, separating winged craft from rotorcraft; and also categorizing by size and power.
Racing drones are designed to focus all of their energy into moving forward, as opposed to a photography/video drone which is focused more on hovering. A photography quadcopter design will typically have four motors configured in an X-pattern, all equally spaced apart.
A racing model will typically have its four motors configured in an H-pattern configured to thrust the drone forward, not up. Because of their light weight and electric motors with large amounts of torque, drones can accelerate and maneuver with great speed and agility. This makes for very sensitive controls and requires a pilot with quick reaction times and a steady hand.
Course design:
The DRL focus uses an indoor course, single-lap courses with many movie props and LED illuminated shapes for obstacles.
DR1 Racing’s Champions Series is an outdoor racing circuit, flying in iconic locations around the world. Each location or race uses a mixture of environmental and manmade elements to create the course.
The courses for the 2017 season include the Trona Pinnacles, the Mojave Boneyard at the Mojave Air and Space Port, the DHL Bonn Post Tower, Bunowen Castle in Ireland, Spike Island, and Isle of Man TT. DR1’s Micro Series uses indoor locations, with thematic elements.
Others such as the U.S. National Drone Racing Championship tend to conduct their races in open areas with less catastrophic obstacles (flags and cones vs. walls and tunnels).
MultiGP provides community standards for their chapters to safely design their own courses and also generates individual pilot competition through their Universal Time Trial Track program which ranks pilots worldwide on standard measured courses.
Organizations:
FPV racing organizations create regulations and rules to offer a fair race among its pilots.
- DR1 Racing is the global leader in drone racing, with various races and formats airing on broadcast television in over 100 countries, and 300 markets worldwide on Eurosport, CBS, Fox Sports, Discovery Channel, beIN, and Twitch.tv.
- MultiGP - MultiGP governs and sanctions drone racing events internationally, with over 16,000 members and over 500 chapters worldwide. Official Special Interest Group of the Academy of Model Aeronautics for first person view racing. The organization is the only drone racing league which hosts frequent competition-based tournaments, free-fly gatherings and casual events by executing the most successful grassroots and professional racing initiatives in the history of the sport. Complimentary event management assets and community guidance help the organization strengthen and grow organically without exploitation resulting in hundreds of official chapters and thousands of registered pilots worldwide. This makes MultiGP the most accessible organization to a pilot wishing to compete in drone racing.
- X Class Drone Racing - North America's giant drone racing league, hosting races and special events for drones 800mm to 1200mm.
- Freedom Class (drone racing) - is the world's first giant drone racing league. The aircraft are the largest and most powerful racing drones ever built, designed specifically as a spectator sport. With successful tests occurring throughout 2016 and 2017, the first international series is set to take place in late 2017.
- Drone Racing League (DRL) A drone sports television show. Similar to Battlebots, pilots are invited to participate in several races that are filmed and edited into 30 minute episodes that air on ESPN and SKY Sports.
- Drone Sports Association (DSA) (For Profit) - The Drone Sports Association (Formerly RotorSports) was the oldest drone racing and drone sports organization worldwide.
- International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) (For Profit) - The International Drone Racing Association is a professional racing organization that sanctions and governs multiple drone racing events
- TOS FPV Racing Club (For Profit) - China based drone racing organisation that holds many regular events, making drone races accessible to anyone and everyone. In 2016, TOS Asia Cup Shanghai and China Drone National was the largest FPV Drone Racing in Asia over 140 registered pilots.
- Canadian Federation for Drone Racing (CFDR) (Non Profit) - The official governing body, safety influence and national voice for organized multi-rotor and FPV activities in Canada.
- FPV Canada (For Profit) - Began as FPV Montreal in late 2014 and is now Canada’s largest, multi-group racing league with franchise locations in most major cities in Canada. Organizers of the Montreal Drone Expo (2016), Canadian Drone Nationals (2016/17) and Vancouver Drone Expo (2017).
For more about Drone Racing, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks:
Your Own Personal Assistant(?)
YouTube Video: Fun With Amazon Echo
Pictured: Comparison of two brands: Google Home vs. Amazon Echo (Courtesy of Forbes Magazine: see below for article in which the comparison appeared).
For an article in Forbes Magazine's October 4, 2016 issue comparing the Amazon Echo to the Google Home, click here.
An intelligent personal assistant (or simply IPA) is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual. These tasks or services are based on user input, location awareness, and the ability to access information from a variety of online sources (such as weather or traffic conditions, news, stock prices, user schedules, retail prices, etc.).
Examples of such an agent include:
Intelligent personal assistant technology are enabled by the combination of mobile devices, application programming interfaces (APIs), and the proliferation of mobile apps.
However, intelligent automated assistants are designed to perform specific, one-time tasks specified by user voice instructions, while smart personal agents perform ongoing tasks (e.g., schedule management) autonomously.
One of the key aspects of an intelligent personal assistant is its ability to organize and maintain information. This includes the management of emails, calendar events, files, to-do lists, etc.
However, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that Siri and similar devices often gave unhelpful responses to mental health questions.
Click here for a chart that compares different Intelligent Personal Assistant brands.
See also:
An intelligent personal assistant (or simply IPA) is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual. These tasks or services are based on user input, location awareness, and the ability to access information from a variety of online sources (such as weather or traffic conditions, news, stock prices, user schedules, retail prices, etc.).
Examples of such an agent include:
- Apple's Siri,
- Google's Google Home,
- Google Now (and later Google Assistant).
- Amazon Alexa,
- Amazon's Evi (branded as Evi),
- Microsoft's Cortana,
- the open source Lucida,
- Braina (application developed by Brainasoft for Microsoft Windows),
- Samsung's S Voice,
- LG G3's
- Voice Mate,
- BlackBerry's Assistant,
- SILVIA,
- HTC's Hidi,
- IBM's Watson (computer),
- Facebook's M (app)
- and One Voice Technologies (IVAN).
Intelligent personal assistant technology are enabled by the combination of mobile devices, application programming interfaces (APIs), and the proliferation of mobile apps.
However, intelligent automated assistants are designed to perform specific, one-time tasks specified by user voice instructions, while smart personal agents perform ongoing tasks (e.g., schedule management) autonomously.
One of the key aspects of an intelligent personal assistant is its ability to organize and maintain information. This includes the management of emails, calendar events, files, to-do lists, etc.
However, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that Siri and similar devices often gave unhelpful responses to mental health questions.
Click here for a chart that compares different Intelligent Personal Assistant brands.
See also:
[Trivia: Did you know that the concept of a smartwatch actually was unveiled in the 1960 television cartoon series "Dick Tracy"? Tracy communicated with other police officers using his own "smart" watch, some 50+ years before such a watch became possible!]
Personal Mobile Devices
including the Smartphone and Smartwatch
Pictured: Various makes of (TOP ROW) Smartphones and (BOTTOM ROW) Smartwatches
Personal Mobile Devices
including the Smartphone and Smartwatch
- YouTube Video: How to Make YouTube Videos on Your Phone START to FINISH!
- YouTube Video: 10 CRAZY THINGS You Can Do With Your Smartphone!!!
- YouTube Video from the cartoon series "Dick Tracy", using his Smartwatch! (Circa 1960)*
Pictured: Various makes of (TOP ROW) Smartphones and (BOTTOM ROW) Smartwatches
A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a small computing device, typically, small enough to hold and operate in the hand and having an operating system capable of running mobile apps. These may provide a diverse range of functions. Typically, the device will have a display screen with a small numeric or alphanumeric keyboard or a touchscreen providing a virtual keyboard and buttons (icons) on-screen.
Many such devices can connect to the Internet and interconnect with other devices such as car entertainment systems or headsets via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or near field communication (NFC).
Integrated cameras, digital media players, mobile phone and GPS capabilities are common. Power is typically provided by a lithium battery.
Early pocket-sized devices were joined in the late 2000s by larger but otherwise similar tablet computers. Input and output is now usually via a touch-screen interface.
Smartphones and personal digital assistants may provide much of the functionality of a laptop or desktop computer but more conveniently.
Enterprise digital assistants can provide additional business functionality such as integrated data capture via barcode, RFID and smart card readers By 2010, mobile devices often contained sensors such as:
Mobile devices may provide biometric user authentication such as face recognition or fingerprint recognition.
Manufacturers include:
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Many such devices can connect to the Internet and interconnect with other devices such as car entertainment systems or headsets via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or near field communication (NFC).
Integrated cameras, digital media players, mobile phone and GPS capabilities are common. Power is typically provided by a lithium battery.
Early pocket-sized devices were joined in the late 2000s by larger but otherwise similar tablet computers. Input and output is now usually via a touch-screen interface.
Smartphones and personal digital assistants may provide much of the functionality of a laptop or desktop computer but more conveniently.
Enterprise digital assistants can provide additional business functionality such as integrated data capture via barcode, RFID and smart card readers By 2010, mobile devices often contained sensors such as:
- accelerometers,
- compasses,
- magnetometers
- and gyroscopes allowing detection of orientation and motion.
Mobile devices may provide biometric user authentication such as face recognition or fingerprint recognition.
Manufacturers include:
___________________________________________________________________________
A smartphone is a portable device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which facilitate wider software, internet (including web browsing over mobile broadband), and multimedia functionality (including music, video, cameras, and gaming), alongside core phone functions such as voice calls and text messaging.
Smartphones typically contain a number of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) chips, include various sensors that can be leveraged by pre-included and third-party software (such as a magnetometer, proximity sensors, barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer and more), and support wireless communications protocols (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or satellite navigation).
Early smartphones were marketed primarily towards the enterprise market, attempting to bridge the functionality of standalone personal digital assistant (PDA) devices with support for cellular telephony, but were limited by their bulky form, short battery life, slow analog cellular networks, and the immaturity of wireless data services.
These issues were eventually resolved with the exponential scaling and miniaturization of MOS transistors down to sub-micron levels (Moore's law), the improved lithium-ion battery, faster digital mobile data networks (Edholm's law), and more mature software platforms that allowed mobile device ecosystems to develop independently of data providers.
In the 2000s, NTT DoCoMo's i-mode platform, BlackBerry, Nokia's Symbian platform, and Windows Mobile began to gain market traction, with models often featuring QWERTY keyboards or resistive touchscreen input, and emphasizing access to push email and wireless internet.
Following the rising popularity of the iPhone in the late 2000s, the majority of smartphones have featured thin, slate-like form factors, with large, capacitive screens with support for multi-touch gestures rather than physical keyboards, and offer the ability for users to download or purchase additional applications from a centralized store, and use cloud storage and synchronization, virtual assistants, as well as mobile payment services. Smartphones have largely replaced PDAs, handheld/palm-sized PCs and portable media players (PMP).
Improved hardware and faster wireless communication (due to standards such as LTE) have bolstered the growth of the smartphone industry. In the third quarter of 2012, one billion smartphones were in use worldwide. Global smartphone sales surpassed the sales figures for feature phones in early 2013.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Smartphones:
___________________________________________________________________________
Smartphones typically contain a number of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) chips, include various sensors that can be leveraged by pre-included and third-party software (such as a magnetometer, proximity sensors, barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer and more), and support wireless communications protocols (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or satellite navigation).
Early smartphones were marketed primarily towards the enterprise market, attempting to bridge the functionality of standalone personal digital assistant (PDA) devices with support for cellular telephony, but were limited by their bulky form, short battery life, slow analog cellular networks, and the immaturity of wireless data services.
These issues were eventually resolved with the exponential scaling and miniaturization of MOS transistors down to sub-micron levels (Moore's law), the improved lithium-ion battery, faster digital mobile data networks (Edholm's law), and more mature software platforms that allowed mobile device ecosystems to develop independently of data providers.
In the 2000s, NTT DoCoMo's i-mode platform, BlackBerry, Nokia's Symbian platform, and Windows Mobile began to gain market traction, with models often featuring QWERTY keyboards or resistive touchscreen input, and emphasizing access to push email and wireless internet.
Following the rising popularity of the iPhone in the late 2000s, the majority of smartphones have featured thin, slate-like form factors, with large, capacitive screens with support for multi-touch gestures rather than physical keyboards, and offer the ability for users to download or purchase additional applications from a centralized store, and use cloud storage and synchronization, virtual assistants, as well as mobile payment services. Smartphones have largely replaced PDAs, handheld/palm-sized PCs and portable media players (PMP).
Improved hardware and faster wireless communication (due to standards such as LTE) have bolstered the growth of the smartphone industry. In the third quarter of 2012, one billion smartphones were in use worldwide. Global smartphone sales surpassed the sales figures for feature phones in early 2013.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Smartphones:
- History
- Hardware
- Software
- List of current smartphone brands
- Sales
- Use
- Criticism and issues
- Lifespan
- See also:
- Comparison of smartphones
- E-reader
- Lists of mobile computers
- List of mobile app distribution platforms
- Media Transfer Protocol
- Mobile Internet device
- Portable media player
- Second screen
- Smartphone kill switch
- Smartphone zombie
- Telephones portal
- Internet portal
- Modern history portal
- Media related to Smartphone at Wikimedia Commons
___________________________________________________________________________
A smartwatch is a computerized wristwatch with functionality that goes beyond timekeeping. While early models can perform basic tasks, such as calculations, translations, and game-playing, 2010s smartwatches are effectively wearable computers.
Many run mobile apps, using a mobile operating system. Some smartwatches function as portable media players, with FM radio and playback of digital audio and video files via a Bluetooth or USB headset.
Some models, also called 'watch phones', feature full mobile phone capability, and can make or answer phone calls or text messages.
While internal hardware varies, most have an electronic visual display, either backlit LCD or OLED.
Some use transflective or electronic paper, to consume less power. Most have a rechargeable battery and many have a touchscreen. Peripheral devices may include:
Software may include digital maps, schedulers and personal organizers, calculators, and various kinds of watch faces.
The watch may communicate with external devices such as sensors, wireless headsets, or a heads-up display.
Like other computers, a smartwatch may collect information from internal or external sensors and it may control, or retrieve data from, other instruments or computers. It may support wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. For many purposes, a "wristwatch computer" serves as a front end for a remote system such as a smartphone, communicating with the smartphone using various wireless technologies.
Smartwatches are advancing, especially their design, battery capacity, and health related applications.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for additional information about Smartwatches:
Many run mobile apps, using a mobile operating system. Some smartwatches function as portable media players, with FM radio and playback of digital audio and video files via a Bluetooth or USB headset.
Some models, also called 'watch phones', feature full mobile phone capability, and can make or answer phone calls or text messages.
While internal hardware varies, most have an electronic visual display, either backlit LCD or OLED.
Some use transflective or electronic paper, to consume less power. Most have a rechargeable battery and many have a touchscreen. Peripheral devices may include:
- digital cameras,
- thermometers,
- accelerometers,
- altimeters,
- barometers,
- compasses,
- GPS receivers,
- tiny speakers,
- and SD card (that are recognized as a storage device by a computer).
Software may include digital maps, schedulers and personal organizers, calculators, and various kinds of watch faces.
The watch may communicate with external devices such as sensors, wireless headsets, or a heads-up display.
Like other computers, a smartwatch may collect information from internal or external sensors and it may control, or retrieve data from, other instruments or computers. It may support wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. For many purposes, a "wristwatch computer" serves as a front end for a remote system such as a smartphone, communicating with the smartphone using various wireless technologies.
Smartwatches are advancing, especially their design, battery capacity, and health related applications.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for additional information about Smartwatches:
- Features and applications
- History
- Operating systems
- List of models in production
- Comparison
- See also:
- Apple Watch
- Android Wear
- Android OS
- Artificial neural membrane (smartskin)
- Automatic parking and connected car
- Button cell
- Clock face
- E-ink
- GPS locator
- GPS watch
- G-Shock
- IP Code
- Key finder
- Open-source computing hardware
- Personal organizer
- Remote shutter
- Rollable display
- Smart band
- Smartglasses
- Smart keychain (NFC keychain)
- Smartphone
- Wearable computer
Smartphone Mobile Apps including List of most downloaded Android Apps, The Apple Store (iOS), and a Comparison of Mobile Operating Systems
YouTube Video How To Create A Smartphone App
YouTube Video featuring Top 10 Video Games of All Time by WatchMojo
Pictured: App Development for TOP: Android devices; BOTTOM: Apple (iOS) devices
Click on any of the following for:
A mobile app is a software application designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.
Most such devices are sold with several apps bundled as pre-installed software, such as a web browser, email client, calendar, mapping program, and an app for buying music or other media or more apps.
Some pre-installed apps can be removed by an ordinary uninstall process, thus leaving more storage space for desired ones. Where the software does not allow this, some devices can be rooted to eliminate the undesired apps.
Native mobile apps often stand in contrast to desktop applications that run on desktop computers, and with web applications which run in mobile web browsers rather than directly on the mobile device.
Apps that are not preinstalled are usually available through distribution platforms called app stores. They began appearing in 2008 and are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, including:
Some apps are free, while others must be bought. Usually, they are downloaded from the platform to a target device, but sometimes they can be downloaded to laptops or desktop computers.
For apps with a price, generally a percentage, 20-30%, goes to the distribution provider (such as iTunes), and the rest goes to the producer of the app. The same app can therefore cost a different price depending on the mobile platform.
The term "app" is a shortening of the term "application software". It has become very popular, and in 2010 was listed as "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society. In 2009, technology columnist David Pogue said that newer smartphones could be nicknamed "app phones" to distinguish them from earlier less-sophisticated smartphones.
The official US Army iPhone app presents the service's technology news, updates and media in a single place.Mobile apps were originally offered for general productivity and information retrieval, including email, calendar, contacts, stock market and weather information.
However, public demand and the availability of developer tools drove rapid expansion into other categories, such as those handled by desktop application software packages. As with other software, the explosion in number and variety of apps made discovery a challenge, which in turn led to the creation of a wide range of review, recommendation, and curation sources, including blogs, magazines, and dedicated online app-discovery services. In 2014 government regulatory agencies began trying to regulate and curate apps, particularly medical apps.
Some companies offer apps as an alternative method to deliver content with certain advantages over an official website.
Usage of mobile apps has become increasingly prevalent across mobile phone users. A May 2012 comScore study reported that during the previous quarter, more mobile subscribers used apps than browsed the web on their devices: 51.1% vs. 49.8% respectively.
Researchers found that usage of mobile apps strongly correlates with user context and depends on user's location and time of the day. Mobile apps are playing an ever increasing role within healthcare and when designed and integrated correctly can yield many benefits.
Market research firm Gartner predicted that 102 billion apps would be downloaded in 2013 (91% of them free), which would generate $26 billion in the US, up 44.4% on 2012's US$18 billion. By Q2 2015, the Google Play and Apple stores alone generated $5 billion. An analyst report estimates that the app economy creates revenues of more than €10 billion per year within the European Union, while over 529,000 jobs have been created in 28 EU states due to the growth of the app market.
Developing apps for mobile devices requires considering the constraints and features of these devices. Mobile devices run on battery and have less powerful processors than personal computers and also have more features such as location detection and cameras.
Developers also have to consider a wide array of screen sizes, hardware specifications and configurations because of intense competition in mobile software and changes within each of the platforms (although these issues can be overcome with mobile device detection).
Mobile application development requires use of specialized integrated development environments. Mobile apps are first tested within the development environment using emulators and later subjected to field testing. Emulators provide an inexpensive way to test applications on mobile phones to which developers may not have physical access.
Mobile user interface (UI) Design is also essential. Mobile UI considers constraints and contexts, screen, input and mobility as outlines for design.
The user is often the focus of interaction with their device, and the interface entails components of both hardware and software. User input allows for the users to manipulate a system, and device's output allows the system to indicate the effects of the users' manipulation.
Mobile UI design constraints include limited attention and form factors, such as a mobile device's screen size for a user's hand. Mobile UI contexts signal cues from user activity, such as location and scheduling that can be shown from user interactions within a mobile application. Overall, mobile UI design's goal is primarily for an understandable, user-friendly interface.
Mobile UIs, or front-ends, rely on mobile back-ends to support access to enterprise systems. The mobile back-end facilitates data routing, security, authentication, authorization, working off-line, and service orchestration.
This functionality is supported by a mix of middleware components including mobile app servers, Mobile Backend as a service (MBaaS), and SOA infrastructure.
Conversational interfaces display the computer interface and present interactions through text instead of graphic elements. They emulate conversations with real humans. There are two main types of conversational interfaces: voice assistants (like the Amazon Echo) and chatbots.
Conversational interfaces are growing particularly practical as users are starting to feel overwhelmed with mobile apps (a term known as “app fatigue”).
David Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices, says in an interview with Bloomberg, “We believe the next big platform is voice.”
Distribution:
See also: List of mobile software distribution platforms
The two biggest app stores are Google Play for Android and App Store for iOS.
Google Play Main article: Google Play:
Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market) is an international online software store developed by Google for Android devices. It opened in October 2008. In July 2013, the number of apps downloaded via the Google Play Store surpassed 50 billion, of the over 1 million apps available. As of September 2016, according to Statista the number of apps available exceeded 2.4 million. The store generated a revenue of 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2015.
App Store: Main article: App Store (iOS)
Apple's App Store for iOS was not the first app distribution service, but it ignited the mobile revolution and was opened on July 10, 2008, and as of January 2011, reported over 10 billion downloads.
The original AppStore was first demonstrated to Steve Jobs in 1993 by Jesse Tayler at NeXTWorld Expo. As of June 6, 2011, there were 425,000 apps available, which had been downloaded by 200 million iOS users.
During Apple's 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the App Store has 650,000 available apps to download as well as 30 billion apps downloaded from the app store until that date.
From an alternative perspective, figures seen in July 2013 by the BBC from tracking service Adeven indicate over two-thirds of apps in the store are "zombies", barely ever installed by consumers.
Other App Stores:
Enterprise management: Main article: Mobile application management
Mobile application management (MAM) describes software and services responsible for provisioning and controlling access to internally developed and commercially available mobile apps used in business settings. The strategy is meant to off-set the security risk of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) work strategy.
When an employee brings a personal device into an enterprise setting, mobile application management enables the corporate IT staff to transfer required applications, control access to business data, and remove locally cached business data from the device if it is lost, or when its owner no longer works with the company. Containerization is an alternate BYOD security solution.
Rather than controlling an employees entire device, containerization apps create isolated and secure pockets separate from all personal data. Company control of the device only extends to that separate container.
App wrapping vs. native app management: Especially when employees "bring your own device", mobile apps can be a significant security risk for businesses, because they transfer unprotected sensitive data to the Internet without knowledge and consent of the users.
Reports of stolen corporate data show how quickly corporate and personal data can fall into the wrong hands. Data theft is not just the loss of confidential information, but makes companies vulnerable to attack and blackmail.
Professional mobile application management helps companies protect their data. One option for securing corporate data is app wrapping. But there also are some disadvantages like copyright infringement or the loss of warranty rights.
Functionality, productivity and user experience are particularly limited under app wrapping. The policies of a wrapped app can't be changed. If required, it must be recreated from scratch, adding cost.
Alternatively, it is possible to offer native apps securely through enterprise mobility management without limiting the native user experience. This enables more flexible IT management as apps can be easily implemented and policies adjusted at any time.
See also:
- List of the most downloaded Android Applications
- Apple's App Store (iOS)
- Comparison of mobile operating systems
A mobile app is a software application designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.
Most such devices are sold with several apps bundled as pre-installed software, such as a web browser, email client, calendar, mapping program, and an app for buying music or other media or more apps.
Some pre-installed apps can be removed by an ordinary uninstall process, thus leaving more storage space for desired ones. Where the software does not allow this, some devices can be rooted to eliminate the undesired apps.
Native mobile apps often stand in contrast to desktop applications that run on desktop computers, and with web applications which run in mobile web browsers rather than directly on the mobile device.
Apps that are not preinstalled are usually available through distribution platforms called app stores. They began appearing in 2008 and are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, including:
- the Apple App Store,
- Google Play,
- Windows Phone Store,
- and BlackBerry App World.
Some apps are free, while others must be bought. Usually, they are downloaded from the platform to a target device, but sometimes they can be downloaded to laptops or desktop computers.
For apps with a price, generally a percentage, 20-30%, goes to the distribution provider (such as iTunes), and the rest goes to the producer of the app. The same app can therefore cost a different price depending on the mobile platform.
The term "app" is a shortening of the term "application software". It has become very popular, and in 2010 was listed as "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society. In 2009, technology columnist David Pogue said that newer smartphones could be nicknamed "app phones" to distinguish them from earlier less-sophisticated smartphones.
The official US Army iPhone app presents the service's technology news, updates and media in a single place.Mobile apps were originally offered for general productivity and information retrieval, including email, calendar, contacts, stock market and weather information.
However, public demand and the availability of developer tools drove rapid expansion into other categories, such as those handled by desktop application software packages. As with other software, the explosion in number and variety of apps made discovery a challenge, which in turn led to the creation of a wide range of review, recommendation, and curation sources, including blogs, magazines, and dedicated online app-discovery services. In 2014 government regulatory agencies began trying to regulate and curate apps, particularly medical apps.
Some companies offer apps as an alternative method to deliver content with certain advantages over an official website.
Usage of mobile apps has become increasingly prevalent across mobile phone users. A May 2012 comScore study reported that during the previous quarter, more mobile subscribers used apps than browsed the web on their devices: 51.1% vs. 49.8% respectively.
Researchers found that usage of mobile apps strongly correlates with user context and depends on user's location and time of the day. Mobile apps are playing an ever increasing role within healthcare and when designed and integrated correctly can yield many benefits.
Market research firm Gartner predicted that 102 billion apps would be downloaded in 2013 (91% of them free), which would generate $26 billion in the US, up 44.4% on 2012's US$18 billion. By Q2 2015, the Google Play and Apple stores alone generated $5 billion. An analyst report estimates that the app economy creates revenues of more than €10 billion per year within the European Union, while over 529,000 jobs have been created in 28 EU states due to the growth of the app market.
Developing apps for mobile devices requires considering the constraints and features of these devices. Mobile devices run on battery and have less powerful processors than personal computers and also have more features such as location detection and cameras.
Developers also have to consider a wide array of screen sizes, hardware specifications and configurations because of intense competition in mobile software and changes within each of the platforms (although these issues can be overcome with mobile device detection).
Mobile application development requires use of specialized integrated development environments. Mobile apps are first tested within the development environment using emulators and later subjected to field testing. Emulators provide an inexpensive way to test applications on mobile phones to which developers may not have physical access.
Mobile user interface (UI) Design is also essential. Mobile UI considers constraints and contexts, screen, input and mobility as outlines for design.
The user is often the focus of interaction with their device, and the interface entails components of both hardware and software. User input allows for the users to manipulate a system, and device's output allows the system to indicate the effects of the users' manipulation.
Mobile UI design constraints include limited attention and form factors, such as a mobile device's screen size for a user's hand. Mobile UI contexts signal cues from user activity, such as location and scheduling that can be shown from user interactions within a mobile application. Overall, mobile UI design's goal is primarily for an understandable, user-friendly interface.
Mobile UIs, or front-ends, rely on mobile back-ends to support access to enterprise systems. The mobile back-end facilitates data routing, security, authentication, authorization, working off-line, and service orchestration.
This functionality is supported by a mix of middleware components including mobile app servers, Mobile Backend as a service (MBaaS), and SOA infrastructure.
Conversational interfaces display the computer interface and present interactions through text instead of graphic elements. They emulate conversations with real humans. There are two main types of conversational interfaces: voice assistants (like the Amazon Echo) and chatbots.
Conversational interfaces are growing particularly practical as users are starting to feel overwhelmed with mobile apps (a term known as “app fatigue”).
David Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices, says in an interview with Bloomberg, “We believe the next big platform is voice.”
Distribution:
See also: List of mobile software distribution platforms
The two biggest app stores are Google Play for Android and App Store for iOS.
Google Play Main article: Google Play:
Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market) is an international online software store developed by Google for Android devices. It opened in October 2008. In July 2013, the number of apps downloaded via the Google Play Store surpassed 50 billion, of the over 1 million apps available. As of September 2016, according to Statista the number of apps available exceeded 2.4 million. The store generated a revenue of 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2015.
App Store: Main article: App Store (iOS)
Apple's App Store for iOS was not the first app distribution service, but it ignited the mobile revolution and was opened on July 10, 2008, and as of January 2011, reported over 10 billion downloads.
The original AppStore was first demonstrated to Steve Jobs in 1993 by Jesse Tayler at NeXTWorld Expo. As of June 6, 2011, there were 425,000 apps available, which had been downloaded by 200 million iOS users.
During Apple's 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the App Store has 650,000 available apps to download as well as 30 billion apps downloaded from the app store until that date.
From an alternative perspective, figures seen in July 2013 by the BBC from tracking service Adeven indicate over two-thirds of apps in the store are "zombies", barely ever installed by consumers.
Other App Stores:
- Amazon Appstore is an alternative application store for the Android operating system. It was opened in March 2011 and as of June 2015, the app store has nearly 334,000 apps. The Amazon Appstore's Android Apps can also be installed and run on BlackBerry 10 devices.
- BlackBerry World is the application store for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS devices. It opened in April 2009 as BlackBerry App World.
- Ovi (Nokia) for Nokia phones was launched internationally in May 2009. In May 2011, Nokia announced plans to rebrand its Ovi product line under the Nokia brand and Ovi Store was renamed Nokia Store in October 2011. Nokia Store will no longer allow developers to publish new apps or app updates for its legacy Symbian and MeeGo operating systems from January 2014.
- Windows Phone Store was introduced by Microsoft for its Windows Phone platform, which was launched in October 2010. As of October 2012, it has over 120,000 apps available.
- Windows Store was introduced by Microsoft for its Windows 8 and Windows RT platforms. While it can also carry listings for traditional desktop programs certified for compatibility with Windows 8, it is primarily used to distribute "Windows Store apps"—which are primarily built for use on tablets and other touch-based devices (but can still be used with a keyboard and mouse, and on desktop computers and laptops).
- Samsung Apps was introduced in September 2009. As of October 2011, Samsung Apps reached 10 million downloads. The store is available in 125 countries and it offers apps for Windows Mobile, Android and Bada platforms.
- The Electronic AppWrapper was the first electronic distribution service to collectively provide encryption and purchasing electronically
- F-Droid — Free and open Source Android app repository.
- There are numerous other independent app stores for Android devices.
Enterprise management: Main article: Mobile application management
Mobile application management (MAM) describes software and services responsible for provisioning and controlling access to internally developed and commercially available mobile apps used in business settings. The strategy is meant to off-set the security risk of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) work strategy.
When an employee brings a personal device into an enterprise setting, mobile application management enables the corporate IT staff to transfer required applications, control access to business data, and remove locally cached business data from the device if it is lost, or when its owner no longer works with the company. Containerization is an alternate BYOD security solution.
Rather than controlling an employees entire device, containerization apps create isolated and secure pockets separate from all personal data. Company control of the device only extends to that separate container.
App wrapping vs. native app management: Especially when employees "bring your own device", mobile apps can be a significant security risk for businesses, because they transfer unprotected sensitive data to the Internet without knowledge and consent of the users.
Reports of stolen corporate data show how quickly corporate and personal data can fall into the wrong hands. Data theft is not just the loss of confidential information, but makes companies vulnerable to attack and blackmail.
Professional mobile application management helps companies protect their data. One option for securing corporate data is app wrapping. But there also are some disadvantages like copyright infringement or the loss of warranty rights.
Functionality, productivity and user experience are particularly limited under app wrapping. The policies of a wrapped app can't be changed. If required, it must be recreated from scratch, adding cost.
Alternatively, it is possible to offer native apps securely through enterprise mobility management without limiting the native user experience. This enables more flexible IT management as apps can be easily implemented and policies adjusted at any time.
See also:
SmartGlasses
YouTube Video wearable digioptix smart glasses technology video eyeglasses 2016*
* -- Wearable on your head and hands-free, all you need to do is motion with your hand, making the defined gestures around the sensors.
Pictured: Using the touch pad built on the side of the 2013 Google Glass to communicate with the user's phone using Bluetooth, device.
Smartglasses or smart glasses are wearable computer glasses that add information alongside or to what the wearer sees.
Typically this is achieved through an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) or embedded wireless glasses with transparent heads-up display (HUD) or augmented reality (AR) overlay that has the capability of reflecting projected digital images as well as allowing the user to see through it, or see better with it.
While early models can perform basic tasks, such as just serve as a front end display for a remote system, as in the case of smartglasses utilizing cellular technology or Wi-Fi, modern smart glasses are effectively wearable computers which can run self-contained mobile apps. Some are handsfree that can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands, while other use touch buttons.
Like other computers, smartglasses may collect information from internal or external sensors. It may control or retrieve data from other instruments or computers. It may support wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS.
While a smaller number of models run a mobile operating system and function as portable media players to send audio and video files to the user via a Bluetooth or WiFi headset. Some smartglasses models, also feature full lifelogging and activity tracker capability.
Such smartglasses devices may also have all the features of a smartphone. Some also have activity tracker functionality features (also known as "fitness tracker") as seen in some GPS watches.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about SmartWatches:
Typically this is achieved through an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) or embedded wireless glasses with transparent heads-up display (HUD) or augmented reality (AR) overlay that has the capability of reflecting projected digital images as well as allowing the user to see through it, or see better with it.
While early models can perform basic tasks, such as just serve as a front end display for a remote system, as in the case of smartglasses utilizing cellular technology or Wi-Fi, modern smart glasses are effectively wearable computers which can run self-contained mobile apps. Some are handsfree that can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands, while other use touch buttons.
Like other computers, smartglasses may collect information from internal or external sensors. It may control or retrieve data from other instruments or computers. It may support wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS.
While a smaller number of models run a mobile operating system and function as portable media players to send audio and video files to the user via a Bluetooth or WiFi headset. Some smartglasses models, also feature full lifelogging and activity tracker capability.
Such smartglasses devices may also have all the features of a smartphone. Some also have activity tracker functionality features (also known as "fitness tracker") as seen in some GPS watches.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about SmartWatches:
- Features and applications
- Display types
- Human Computer Interface (HCI) control input
- Products
- 2010s
- Market structure
- Public reception for commercial usage
- See also:
Record shares of Americans Now Own Smartphones and Have Home Broadband
(as reported by PEW Research Center on January 12, 2017)
YouTube Video: Workshop on the Future of Broadband Regulation*
* -- FCC (U.S. Federal Communications Commission) on May 29, 2014
Pictured Below: the Evolution of Technology Adoption and Usage from 2000 to 2015-2016.
Nearly nine-in-ten Americans today are online, up from about half in the early 2000s. Pew Research Center has chronicled this trend and others through more than 15 years of surveys on internet and technology use. On Thursday, we released a new set of fact sheets that will be updated as we collect new data and can serve as a one-stop shop for anyone looking for information on key trends in digital technology.
To mark the occasion, here are four key trends illustrating the current technology landscape in the U.S.:
For more, click on any of the following topics:
To mark the occasion, here are four key trends illustrating the current technology landscape in the U.S.:
- Roughly three-quarters of Americans (77%) now own a smartphone, with lower-income Americans and those ages 50 and older exhibiting a sharp uptick in ownership over the past year, according a Pew Research Center survey conducted in November 2016. Smartphone adoption has more than doubled since the Center began surveying on this topic in 2011: That year, 35% of Americans reported that they owned a smartphone of some kind. Smartphones are nearly ubiquitous among younger adults, with 92% of 18- to 29-year-olds owning one. But growth in smartphone ownership over the past year has been especially pronounced among Americans 50 and older. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans ages 50-64 are now smartphone owners (a 16-percentage-point increase compared with 2015), as are 42% of those 65 and older (up 12 points from 2015). There has also been a 12-point increase in smartphone ownership among households earning less than $30,000 per year: 64% of these lower-income Americans now own a smartphone.
- After a modest decline between 2013 and 2015, the share of Americans with broadband service at home increased by 6 percentage points in 2016.Between 2013 and 2015, the share of Americans with home broadband service decreased slightly – from 70% to 67%. But in the past year, broadband adoption rates have returned to an upward trajectory. As of November 2016, nearly three-quarters (73%) of Americans indicate that they have broadband service at home. But although broadband adoption has increased to its highest level since the Center began tracking this topic in early 2000, not all Americans have shared in these gains. For instance, those who have not graduated from high school are nearly three times less likely than college graduates to have home broadband service (34% vs. 91%). Broadband adoption also varies by factors such as age, household income, geographic location and racial and ethnic background. Even as broadband adoption has been on the rise, 12% of Americans say they are “smartphone dependent” when it comes to their online access – meaning they own a smartphone but lack traditional broadband service at home. The share of Americans who are smartphone dependent has increased 4 percentage points since 2013, and smartphone reliance is especially pronounced among young adults, nonwhites and those with relatively low household incomes.
- Nearly seven-in-ten Americans now use social media. When the Center started tracking social media adoption in 2005, just 5% of Americans said they used these platforms. Today, 69% of U.S. adults are social media users. Social media is especially popular among younger adults, as 86% of 18- to 29-year-olds are social media users. But a substantial majority of those ages 30-49 (80%) and 50-64 (64%) use social media as well. Only about one-third (34%) of Americans 65 and older currently use social media, but that figure has grown dramatically in recent years: As recently as 2010, only around one-in-ten Americans age 65 and older used social media.
- Half the public now owns a tablet computer. Though less widespread than smartphones, tablet computers have also become highly common in a very short period of time. When the Center first began tracking tablet ownership in 2010, just 3% of Americans owned a tablet of some kind. That figure has risen to 51% as of November 2016.
For more, click on any of the following topics:
- EMERGING TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS,
- FUTURE OF THE INTERNET,
- INTERNET ACTIVITIES,
- MOBILE,
- SOCIAL MEDIA,
- TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
Bluetooth
YouTube Video: How Bluetooth Works
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength UHF radio waves in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz) from fixed and mobile devices, and building personal area networks (PANs). Invented by telecom vendor Ericsson in 1994, it was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS-232 data cables.
Bluetooth is managed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which has more than 30,000 member companies in the areas of telecommunication, computing, networking, and consumer electronics. The IEEE standardized Bluetooth as IEEE 802.15.1, but no longer maintains the standard. The Bluetooth SIG oversees development of the specification, manages the qualification program, and protects the trademarks. A manufacturer must meet Bluetooth SIG standards to market it as a Bluetooth device. A network of patents apply to the technology, which are licensed to individual qualifying devices.
The development of the "short-link" radio technology, later named Bluetooth, was initiated in 1989 by Nils Rydbeck, CTO at Ericsson Mobile in Lund, Sweden, and by Johan Ullman. The purpose was to develop wireless headsets, according to two inventions by Johan Ullman, SE 8902098-6, issued 1989-06-12 and SE 9202239, issued 1992-07-24. Nils Rydbeck tasked Tord Wingren with specifying and Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson with developing. Both were working for Ericsson in Lund. The specification is based on frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology.
The idea of this name was proposed in 1997 by Jim Kardach of Intel who developed a system that would allow mobile phones to communicate with computers. At the time of this proposal he was reading Frans G. Bengtsson's historical novel The Long Ships about Vikings and King Harald Bluetooth. The implication is that Bluetooth does the same with communications protocols, uniting them into one universal standard.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Bluetooth:
Bluetooth is managed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which has more than 30,000 member companies in the areas of telecommunication, computing, networking, and consumer electronics. The IEEE standardized Bluetooth as IEEE 802.15.1, but no longer maintains the standard. The Bluetooth SIG oversees development of the specification, manages the qualification program, and protects the trademarks. A manufacturer must meet Bluetooth SIG standards to market it as a Bluetooth device. A network of patents apply to the technology, which are licensed to individual qualifying devices.
The development of the "short-link" radio technology, later named Bluetooth, was initiated in 1989 by Nils Rydbeck, CTO at Ericsson Mobile in Lund, Sweden, and by Johan Ullman. The purpose was to develop wireless headsets, according to two inventions by Johan Ullman, SE 8902098-6, issued 1989-06-12 and SE 9202239, issued 1992-07-24. Nils Rydbeck tasked Tord Wingren with specifying and Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson with developing. Both were working for Ericsson in Lund. The specification is based on frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology.
The idea of this name was proposed in 1997 by Jim Kardach of Intel who developed a system that would allow mobile phones to communicate with computers. At the time of this proposal he was reading Frans G. Bengtsson's historical novel The Long Ships about Vikings and King Harald Bluetooth. The implication is that Bluetooth does the same with communications protocols, uniting them into one universal standard.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Bluetooth:
- Implementation
- Uses
- Computer requirements
- Specifications and features
- Technical information
- Security
- Health concerns
- Bluetooth award programs
- See also:
- luesniping
- BlueSoleil – proprietary driver
- Bluetooth low energy beacons (iBeacon and Eddystone)
- Continua Health Alliance
- DASH7
- Headset (audio)
- Hotspot (Wi-Fi)
- Java APIs for Bluetooth
- Li-Fi
- MyriaNed
- Near field communication
- RuBee – secure wireless protocol alternative
- Tethering
- ZigBee – low-power lightweight wireless protocol in the ISM band
- Official website
- Specifications at Bluetooth SIG
Video Games including a List of Video Game Genres
YouTube Video of Top 10 Video Games by WatchMojo
Pictured:
TOP: Xbox Game Pass; Backward Compatibility; Xbox Play Anywhere
BOTTOM: PlayStation Plus Subscriptions have Tripled Since PlayStation 4 Launch
A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device such as a TV screen or computer monitor.
The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but as of the 2000s, it implies any type of display device that can produce two- or three-dimensional images. Some theorists categorize video games as an art form, but this designation is controversial.
The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms; examples of these are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large mainframe computers to small handheld computing devices.
Specialized video games such as arcade games, in which the video game components are housed in a large, typically coin-operated chassis, while common in the 1980s in video arcades, have gradually declined due to the widespread availability of affordable home video game consoles (e.g., PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Wii U) and video games on desktop and laptop computers and smartphones.
The input device used for games, the game controller, varies across platforms. Common controllers include the following:
Players typically view the game on a video screen or television or computer monitor, or sometimes on virtual reality head-mounted display goggles.
There are often game sound effects, music and, in the 2010s, voice actor lines which come from loudspeakers or headphones.
Some games in the 2000s include haptic, vibration-creating effects, force feedback peripherals and virtual reality headsets.
In the 2010s, the video game industry is of increasing commercial importance, with growth driven particularly by the emerging Asian markets and mobile games, which are played on smartphones.
As of 2015, video games generated sales of USD 74 billion annually worldwide, and were the third-largest segment in the U.S. entertainment market, behind broadcast and cable TV.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Video Games:
A video game genre is a specific category of games related by similar gameplay characteristics. Genres are not usually defined by the actual content of the game or its medium of play, but by its common challenge.
Genres may encompass a wide variety of games, leading to even more specific classifications called subgenres. For example, an action game can be classified into many subgenres such as platform games and fighting games.
Some games, most notably browser and mobile games, are commonly classified into multiple genres.
The following is a list of all commonly defined video game genres, with short descriptions for individual genres and major subgenres. Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about each genre and major subgenres:
The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but as of the 2000s, it implies any type of display device that can produce two- or three-dimensional images. Some theorists categorize video games as an art form, but this designation is controversial.
The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms; examples of these are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large mainframe computers to small handheld computing devices.
Specialized video games such as arcade games, in which the video game components are housed in a large, typically coin-operated chassis, while common in the 1980s in video arcades, have gradually declined due to the widespread availability of affordable home video game consoles (e.g., PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Wii U) and video games on desktop and laptop computers and smartphones.
The input device used for games, the game controller, varies across platforms. Common controllers include the following:
- gamepads,
- joysticks,
- mouse devices,
- keyboards,
- the touchscreens of mobile devices,
- and buttons, or even, with the Kinect sensor, a person's hands and body.
Players typically view the game on a video screen or television or computer monitor, or sometimes on virtual reality head-mounted display goggles.
There are often game sound effects, music and, in the 2010s, voice actor lines which come from loudspeakers or headphones.
Some games in the 2000s include haptic, vibration-creating effects, force feedback peripherals and virtual reality headsets.
In the 2010s, the video game industry is of increasing commercial importance, with growth driven particularly by the emerging Asian markets and mobile games, which are played on smartphones.
As of 2015, video games generated sales of USD 74 billion annually worldwide, and were the third-largest segment in the U.S. entertainment market, behind broadcast and cable TV.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Video Games:
- History
- Overview
- Development
- Theory
- Emulation
- Social aspects
- Possible benefits
- Ratings and censorship
- Commercial aspects
- Museums
- See also:
- List of accessories to video games by system
- Outline of video games
- Video game addiction
- Video games bibliography by the French video game research association Ludoscience
A video game genre is a specific category of games related by similar gameplay characteristics. Genres are not usually defined by the actual content of the game or its medium of play, but by its common challenge.
Genres may encompass a wide variety of games, leading to even more specific classifications called subgenres. For example, an action game can be classified into many subgenres such as platform games and fighting games.
Some games, most notably browser and mobile games, are commonly classified into multiple genres.
The following is a list of all commonly defined video game genres, with short descriptions for individual genres and major subgenres. Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about each genre and major subgenres:
- Action
- Action-adventure
- Adventure
- Role-playing
- Simulation
- Strategy
- Sports
- Other notable genres
- Idle gaming
- Video game genres by purpose
- Scientific studies
- See also:
Simulation Video Games including a List
YouTube Video: Top 10 Most Addictive City Builder Games by WatchMojo
Pictured: The best simulation games for Android and iPhone in 2017
A simulation video game describes a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities.
A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such as training, analysis, or prediction.
Usually there are no strictly defined goals in the game, with players instead allowed to freely control a character. Well-known examples are war games, business games, and role play simulation.
From three basic types of strategic, planning, and learning exercises: games, simulations, and case studies, a number of hybrids may be considered, including simulation games that are used as case studies.
Comparisons of the merits of simulation games versus other teaching techniques have been carried out by many researchers and a number of comprehensive reviews have been published.
History:
While many credit simulation games beginning with Will Wright and SimCity in 1989, the true progenitor of the genre was Fortune Builder, released in 1984 for ColecoVision.
Games such as SimLife and SimEarth were subsequently created and are capable of teaching players the basics of genetics and global ecosystems.
A study of adolescents who played SimCity 2000 found that those players had a greater appreciation and expectation of their government officials after playing.
Subgenres:
Construction and management simulation:
Main article: Construction and management simulation
Construction and management simulation (CMS) is a type of simulation game in which players build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources.
Strategy games sometimes incorporate CMS aspects into their game economy, as players must manage resources while expanding their projects. Pure CMS games differ from strategy games in that "the player's goal is not to defeat an enemy, but to build something within the context of an ongoing process." Games in this category are sometimes also called "management games".
Life simulation:
Main article: Life simulation game
Life simulation games (or artificial life games) are a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more artificial lifeforms. A life simulation game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem".
Sports:
Main article: Sports game
Some video games simulate the playing of sports. Most sports have been recreated by video games, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports.
Some games emphasize playing the sport (such as the Madden NFL series), whilst others emphasize strategy and organization (such as Championship Manager). Some, such as Arch Rivals, satirize the sport for comic effect.
This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games, and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes.
Other types:
See also:
The following is a list of simulation games for all video game platforms:
A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such as training, analysis, or prediction.
Usually there are no strictly defined goals in the game, with players instead allowed to freely control a character. Well-known examples are war games, business games, and role play simulation.
From three basic types of strategic, planning, and learning exercises: games, simulations, and case studies, a number of hybrids may be considered, including simulation games that are used as case studies.
Comparisons of the merits of simulation games versus other teaching techniques have been carried out by many researchers and a number of comprehensive reviews have been published.
History:
While many credit simulation games beginning with Will Wright and SimCity in 1989, the true progenitor of the genre was Fortune Builder, released in 1984 for ColecoVision.
Games such as SimLife and SimEarth were subsequently created and are capable of teaching players the basics of genetics and global ecosystems.
A study of adolescents who played SimCity 2000 found that those players had a greater appreciation and expectation of their government officials after playing.
Subgenres:
Construction and management simulation:
Main article: Construction and management simulation
Construction and management simulation (CMS) is a type of simulation game in which players build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources.
Strategy games sometimes incorporate CMS aspects into their game economy, as players must manage resources while expanding their projects. Pure CMS games differ from strategy games in that "the player's goal is not to defeat an enemy, but to build something within the context of an ongoing process." Games in this category are sometimes also called "management games".
Life simulation:
Main article: Life simulation game
Life simulation games (or artificial life games) are a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more artificial lifeforms. A life simulation game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem".
Sports:
Main article: Sports game
Some video games simulate the playing of sports. Most sports have been recreated by video games, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports.
Some games emphasize playing the sport (such as the Madden NFL series), whilst others emphasize strategy and organization (such as Championship Manager). Some, such as Arch Rivals, satirize the sport for comic effect.
This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games, and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes.
Other types:
- Dating sims focus on dating as the principal theme.
- In medical simulation games, the player takes the role of a surgeon. Examples include the Trauma Center and LifeSigns series.
- In photography simulation games, players take photographs of animals or people. This includes games such as Pokémon Snap and Afrika.
- Certain wargames with higher degrees of realism than other wargames set in a fantasy or science fiction environment. These attempt to simulate real warfare at either a tactical or strategic level.
- Certain tactical shooters have higher degrees of realism than other shooters. Sometimes called "soldier sims", these games try to simulate the feeling of being in combat. This includes games such as Arma.
- Some simulators, like GeoCommander by Intelligence Gaming, are designed for the US military to help new officers learn how to handle situations in a game setting before taking command in the field.
- "Sim" games marketed by companies such as Maxis have simulated many kinds of experiences.
- Social simulation game
- Vehicle simulation game
- Digital card games simulating blackjack and poker (including video poker)
- Video games designed to simulate mechanical or other real-world games. These may include simulations of pinball games and casino games such as slot machines, pachinko, and roulette.
See also:
- Games and learning
- Game based learning
- Game classification
- Serious game
- Simming
- Simulated reality
- Simulation
- Simulation game
- Tabletop game
- Simulation & Gaming - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Theory, Practice and Research, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
- scienceviz.com - Scientific Vizualisation, Simulation and CG Animation for Universities, Architects and Engineers
The following is a list of simulation games for all video game platforms:
- Biological simulation
- Social simulation
- Construction and management simulation
- Vehicle simulation
- Other simulations
- Motion simulators with screens
- See also:
Smart Devices including a Listing of Smart Devices
YouTube Video of a person talking into his Apple Smartwatch
Click here for a List of Smart Devices.
A smart device is an electronic device, generally connected to other devices or networks via different wireless protocols such as Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, 3G, etc., that can operate to some extent interactively and autonomously.
The following are several notable types of smart devices:
The term can also refer to a device that exhibits some properties of ubiquitous computing, including—although not necessarily--artificial intelligence.
Smart devices can be designed to support a variety of form factors, a range of properties pertaining to ubiquitous computing and to be used in three main system environments: physical world, human-centered environments and distributed computing environments.
In 1991 Mark Weiser proposed three basic forms for ubiquitous system devices: tabs, pads and boards:
These three forms proposed by Weiser are characterized by being macro-sized, having a planar form and by incorporating visual output displays. These were also envisioned more as information appliances.
If we relax each of these three characteristics we can expand this range into a much more diverse and potentially more useful range of ubiquitous computing devices.
Hence, three additional forms for ubiquitous systems have been proposed:
Characteristics:
Smart devices can be characterised as follows:
Computing Properties:
Weiser's vision for ubiquitous computing can be summarized in terms of three core properties:
However, it is hard to fix a closed set of properties that define all ubiquitous computing devices because of the sheer range and variety of ubiquitous computing research and applications. Rather than to propose a single definition for ubiquitous computing, a taxonomy of properties for ubiquitous computing has been proposed, from which different kinds or flavors of ubiquitous systems and applications can be composed and described.
Environments:
The term Smart Device Environments has two meanings. First, it can refer to a greater variety of device environments. Three different kinds of environments for devices can be differentiated:
Second, the term Smart Device Environments can also refer to the concept of a smart environment which focuses more specifically on the physical environment of the device. The physical environment is smart because it is embedded or scattered with smart devices that can sense and control part of it.
Although smart devices partially overlap in definition with specific types of appliance such as information appliances, smart devices are characterized and differ in several key ways.
First, smart devices in general can take a much wider range of form-factors than appliances.
Second, smart devices support the ubiquitous computing properties.
Third information appliances focus on remote interaction with computing environments that tend to be personalized whereas smart devices can also focus heavily on impersonal physical world interaction.
Four, the term appliance generally implies that devices are task specific and under the control of some embedded system or application specific operating system, whereas smart devices may support multiple tasks, e.g., a mobile phone can act as a phone but also as a games console, music player, camera, etc.
See also:
A smart device is an electronic device, generally connected to other devices or networks via different wireless protocols such as Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, 3G, etc., that can operate to some extent interactively and autonomously.
The following are several notable types of smart devices:
- smartphones,
- phablets and tablets,
- smartwatches,
- smart bands,
- and smart key chains.
The term can also refer to a device that exhibits some properties of ubiquitous computing, including—although not necessarily--artificial intelligence.
Smart devices can be designed to support a variety of form factors, a range of properties pertaining to ubiquitous computing and to be used in three main system environments: physical world, human-centered environments and distributed computing environments.
In 1991 Mark Weiser proposed three basic forms for ubiquitous system devices: tabs, pads and boards:
- Tabs: accompanied or wearable centimeter-sized devices, e.g., smartphones, smart cards
- Pads: hand-held decimetre-sized devices, e.g., laptops
- Boards: meter sized interactive display devices, e.g., horizontal surface computers and vertical smart boards.
These three forms proposed by Weiser are characterized by being macro-sized, having a planar form and by incorporating visual output displays. These were also envisioned more as information appliances.
If we relax each of these three characteristics we can expand this range into a much more diverse and potentially more useful range of ubiquitous computing devices.
Hence, three additional forms for ubiquitous systems have been proposed:
- Dust: miniaturised devices without direct HCI interfaces, e.g., Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), ranging from nanometres through micrometers to millimetres. See also: Smart dust.
- Skin: fabrics based upon light emitting and conductive polymers and organic computer devices. These can be formed into more flexible non-planar display surfaces and products such as clothes and curtains, see OLED display. MEMS devices can also be painted onto various surfaces so that a variety of physical world structures can act as networked surfaces of MEMS.
- Clay: ensembles of MEMS can be formed into arbitrary three-dimensional shapes, as artefacts resembling different kinds of physical object. See also: Tangible interface.
Characteristics:
Smart devices can be characterised as follows:
- A set of system hardware & software ICT resources. This set is usually static fixed at design time
- Dynamic component-oriented resource extensions & plug-ins (Plug and play) of some hardware resources
- Remote external service access and execution
- Local, internal autonomous service execution
- Access to specific external environments: human interaction, physical world interaction and distributed ICT / virtual computing interaction.
- Ubiquitous computing properties.
- Tab and pad type smart devices that often act as personalised smart mobile devices
- Smart environment devices.
Computing Properties:
Weiser's vision for ubiquitous computing can be summarized in terms of three core properties:
- Devices need to be networked, distributed and transparently accessible.
- Human–computer interaction with devices is hidden to a degree from its users.
- Devices exhibit context awareness of an environment in order to optimize their operation in that environment.
- Devices can operate to some extent autonomously, i.e., without human intervention, be self-governed.
- Devices can handle a multiplicity of dynamic actions and interactions, governed by intelligent decision-making and organisational interaction. This may entail some form of artificial intelligence in order to:
- handle incomplete and non-deterministic interactions
- cooperation and competition between members of organisations
- richer interaction through sharing of context, semantics and goals etc.
However, it is hard to fix a closed set of properties that define all ubiquitous computing devices because of the sheer range and variety of ubiquitous computing research and applications. Rather than to propose a single definition for ubiquitous computing, a taxonomy of properties for ubiquitous computing has been proposed, from which different kinds or flavors of ubiquitous systems and applications can be composed and described.
Environments:
The term Smart Device Environments has two meanings. First, it can refer to a greater variety of device environments. Three different kinds of environments for devices can be differentiated:
- Virtual computing environments that enable smart devices to access pertinent services anywhere and anytime.
- Physical environments that may be embedded with a variety of smart devices of different types including tags, sensors and controllers. These can have different form factors ranging from nano to micro to macro sized.
- Humans environments: humans, either individually or collectively, inherently form a smart environment for devices. However, humans may themselves be accompanied by smart devices such as mobile phones, use surface-mounted devices (wearable computing) and contain embedded devices (e.g., pacemakers to maintain a healthy heart operation).
Second, the term Smart Device Environments can also refer to the concept of a smart environment which focuses more specifically on the physical environment of the device. The physical environment is smart because it is embedded or scattered with smart devices that can sense and control part of it.
Although smart devices partially overlap in definition with specific types of appliance such as information appliances, smart devices are characterized and differ in several key ways.
First, smart devices in general can take a much wider range of form-factors than appliances.
Second, smart devices support the ubiquitous computing properties.
Third information appliances focus on remote interaction with computing environments that tend to be personalized whereas smart devices can also focus heavily on impersonal physical world interaction.
Four, the term appliance generally implies that devices are task specific and under the control of some embedded system or application specific operating system, whereas smart devices may support multiple tasks, e.g., a mobile phone can act as a phone but also as a games console, music player, camera, etc.
See also:
- Computer appliance
- Connected Devices
- Home automation
- Information appliance
- Internet of Things
- Mobile device
- Mobile phone
- Sensor node
- Smart environment
- Smart, connected products
- Smartphone
- Telerobotics
- Ubiquitous computing
- Web of Things (WoT)
Robot Competition
YouTube Video: Vex Robotic Competition Skyrise Xavier WI, FINALS*
* - FINALS:The First Match:
Blue: Robot Blasters (Oconomowoc High School, Oconomowoc) and FVL Robotics A(Fox Valley Lutheran High School, Appleton)
vs.
Red: Technical Breakdown (St. Mary Catholic High School, Neenah) and The FIVE (Oconomowoc Robotics Club, Oconomowoc)
Pictured: Clockwise, from Upper Left Photo: Robot Invasion Takes Over Downtown Knoxville; The Robots are coming to Connecticut; Robots Battle Robots in World Championship; and Robocup 2013 in Eindhoven. Photo credit: Ralf Roletschek via Wikimedia Commons.
A robotic competition is an event where robots have to accomplish a task. Usually they have to beat other robots in order to become the best one.
Many competitions are for schools but several professional competitions are arising.
The following examples describe a few of the higher profile events: click on any of the blue hyperlinks to amplify on each:
Many competitions are for schools but several professional competitions are arising.
The following examples describe a few of the higher profile events: click on any of the blue hyperlinks to amplify on each:
- Outdoor unmanned ground vehicle competition
- Indoor manned/unmanned ground vehicle competitions
- FIRST
- World Robot Olympiad (WRO)
- RobotArt.org
- RoboRAVE International
- RoboGames
- BEST Robotics
- International METU Robotics Days
- IEEE Micromouse competition
- The VEX Robotics Competition
- RoboCup
- SAURO
- Botball Educational Robotics
- Mobile Autonomous Systems Laboratory competition (Maslab)
- Annual fire-fighting home robot contest
- Duke Annual Robo-Climb Competition (DARC)
- AAAI Grand Challenges
- ITURO
- Robofest
- Collegiate Robofest
- International Robot Olympiad (IRO)
- Rat's Life robot programming contest
- ABU RoboCon
- Defcon Robot Contest (DefconBots)
- Eurobot
- UBBOTS competition
- National Engineering Robotics Contest
- Student Robotics
- Pioneers in Engineering
- FIRA RoboWorld Cup
- First Robot Olympics
- STEAMCUP Online Competition
- Underwater robotic vehicle competitions
- Maritime/Surface robotic vehicle competitions
- Aerial robotic vehicle competitions
- See also:
Online Video Games including a List of Video Game Websites
YouTube Video of "Game Shakers | Interactive Studio Tour | Nick"
Pictured: An image of the free online games offered at http://www.onlinegameforfree.org/
Click here for a list of online game websites.
An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or another computer network. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PCs, consoles and mobile devices, and span many genres, including first-person shooters, strategy games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG).
The history of online games dates back to the early days of packet-based computer networking in the 1970s.
An early example of online games are MUD, including the first, MUD1, which was created in 1978 and originally confined to an internal network before becoming connected to ARPANet in 1980.
Commercial games followed in the next decade, with Islands of Kesmai, the first commercial online role-playing game, debuting in 1984, as well as more graphical games, such as:
The rapid availability of the Internet in the 1990s led to an expansion of online games, with notable titles including:
Video game consoles also began to receive online networking features, such as:
Following improvements in connection speeds, more recent developments include the popularization of new genres, such as social games, and new platforms, such as mobile games.
Online game sessions are hosted by a game server, which can be a dedicated computer managed by the game company or a gamer organization, or the computer of one of the players. The design of online games can range from simple text-based environments to the incorporation of complex graphics and virtual worlds.
The prominence of online components within a game can range from being minor features, such as an online leaderboard, to being part of core gameplay, such as directly playing against other players. Many online games, especially MMORPG, create their own online communities, while other games, especially social games, integrate the players' existing real-life communities.
Traditionally, researchers thought of motivations to use computer systems to be primarily driven by extrinsic purposes and have designed these systems accordingly; however, use of online games is by intrinsic motivations such as fun, relaxation, competition, achievement and learning, which considerations must drive their design.
Online game culture sometimes faces criticisms for an environment that might promote cyberbullying, violence, and xenophobia. Some gamers are also concerned about gaming addiction or social stigma.
Online games have attracted players from a variety of ages, nationalities, and occupations. Online game content can also be studied in scientific field, especially gamers' interactions within virtual societies in relation to the behavior and social phenomena of everyday life.
Click here for further amplification.
An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or another computer network. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PCs, consoles and mobile devices, and span many genres, including first-person shooters, strategy games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG).
The history of online games dates back to the early days of packet-based computer networking in the 1970s.
An early example of online games are MUD, including the first, MUD1, which was created in 1978 and originally confined to an internal network before becoming connected to ARPANet in 1980.
Commercial games followed in the next decade, with Islands of Kesmai, the first commercial online role-playing game, debuting in 1984, as well as more graphical games, such as:
- the MSX LINKS action games in 1986,
- the flight simulator Air Warrior in 1987,
- and the Famicom Modem's online Go game in 1987.
The rapid availability of the Internet in the 1990s led to an expansion of online games, with notable titles including:
- Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds (1996),
- Quakeworld (1996),
- Ultima Online (1997),
- Lineage (1998),
- Starcraft (1998),
- Counter-Strike (1999)
- and EverQuest (1999).
Video game consoles also began to receive online networking features, such as:
- Famicom Modem (1987),
- Sega Meganet (1990),
- Satellaview (1995),
- SegaNet (1996),
- PlayStation 2 (2000)
- and Xbox (2001).
Following improvements in connection speeds, more recent developments include the popularization of new genres, such as social games, and new platforms, such as mobile games.
Online game sessions are hosted by a game server, which can be a dedicated computer managed by the game company or a gamer organization, or the computer of one of the players. The design of online games can range from simple text-based environments to the incorporation of complex graphics and virtual worlds.
The prominence of online components within a game can range from being minor features, such as an online leaderboard, to being part of core gameplay, such as directly playing against other players. Many online games, especially MMORPG, create their own online communities, while other games, especially social games, integrate the players' existing real-life communities.
Traditionally, researchers thought of motivations to use computer systems to be primarily driven by extrinsic purposes and have designed these systems accordingly; however, use of online games is by intrinsic motivations such as fun, relaxation, competition, achievement and learning, which considerations must drive their design.
Online game culture sometimes faces criticisms for an environment that might promote cyberbullying, violence, and xenophobia. Some gamers are also concerned about gaming addiction or social stigma.
Online games have attracted players from a variety of ages, nationalities, and occupations. Online game content can also be studied in scientific field, especially gamers' interactions within virtual societies in relation to the behavior and social phenomena of everyday life.
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Video Game Consoles Including a List of Best Selling Models along with a History of Video Games
YouTube Video of the Playstation Vita
Pictured: Microsoft XBox One and the Sony hand-held Playstation Vita
Click here for lists of video games that can be played on a Video Game Console)
Click here for the top ten best Video Games as selected by CBS News for promoting Fitness to reduce the extent of Child Obesity.
A video game console is an electronic, digital or computer device that outputs a video signal or visual image to display a video game that one or more people can play.
The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a console machine primarily designed for consumers to use for playing video games, in contrast to arcade machines or home computers. An arcade machine consists of a video game computer, display, game controller (joystick, buttons, etc.) and speakers housed in large chassis.
A home computer is a personal computer designed for home use for a variety of purposes, such as bookkeeping, accessing the Internet and playing video games.
There are various types of video game consoles, including:
Although Ralph Baer had built working game consoles by 1966, it was nearly a decade before the Pong game made them commonplace in regular people's living rooms. Through evolution over the 1990s and 2000s, game consoles have expanded to offer additional functions such as CD players, DVD players, Blu-ray disc players, web browsers, set-top boxes, and more.
For a Listing of the Best-selling Video Game Consoles, click here.
____________________________________________________________
The history of video games goes as far back as the early 1950s, when academic computer scientists began designing simple games and simulations as part of their research. Video gaming did not reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s, when video arcade games and gaming consoles using joysticks, buttons, and other controllers, along with graphics on computer screens and home computer games were introduced to the general public.
Since the 1980s, video gaming has become a popular form of entertainment and a part of modern popular culture in most parts of the world. One of the early games was Spacewar!, which was developed by computer scientists.
Early arcade video games developed from 1972 to 1978. During the 1970s, the first generation of home consoles emerged, including the popular game Pong and various "clones".
The 1970s was also the era of mainframe computer games. The golden age of arcade video games was from 1978 to 1982. Video arcades with large, graphics-decorated coin-operated machines were common at malls and popular, affordable home consoles such as the Atari 2600 and Intellivision enabled people to play games on their home TVs.
During the 1980s, gaming computers, early online gaming and handheld LCD games emerged; this era was affected by the video game crash of 1983. From 1976 to 1992, the second generation of video consoles emerged.
The third generation of consoles, which were 8-bit units, emerged from 1983 to 1995. The fourth generation of consoles, which were 16-bit models, emerged from 1987 to 1999.
The 1990s saw the resurgence and decline of arcades, the transition to 3D video games, improved handheld games, and PC gaming. The fifth generation of consoles, which were 32 and 64-bit units, was from 1993 to 2006.
During this era, mobile phone gaming emerged. During the 2000s, the sixth generation of consoles emerged (1998–2013). During this period, online gaming and mobile games became important.
The seventh generation of consoles was from 2005 to 2012. This era was marked by huge development budgets for some games, with some having cinematic graphics; the launch of the top-selling Wii console, in which the user could control the game actions with real-life movement of the controller; the rise of casual PC games marketed to non-gamers; and the emergence of cloud computing in video games.
In 2013, the eighth generation of consoles emerged, including Nintendo's Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft's Xbox One, and Sony's PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. PC gaming has been holding a large market share in Asia and Europe for decades and continues to grow due to digital distribution.
Since the development and widespread consumer use of smartphones, mobile gaming has been a driving factor for games, as they can reach people formerly uninterested in gaming, and those unable to afford or support dedicated hardware, such as video game consoles.
For additional information about the history of video games, click here.
Click here for the top ten best Video Games as selected by CBS News for promoting Fitness to reduce the extent of Child Obesity.
A video game console is an electronic, digital or computer device that outputs a video signal or visual image to display a video game that one or more people can play.
The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a console machine primarily designed for consumers to use for playing video games, in contrast to arcade machines or home computers. An arcade machine consists of a video game computer, display, game controller (joystick, buttons, etc.) and speakers housed in large chassis.
A home computer is a personal computer designed for home use for a variety of purposes, such as bookkeeping, accessing the Internet and playing video games.
There are various types of video game consoles, including:
Although Ralph Baer had built working game consoles by 1966, it was nearly a decade before the Pong game made them commonplace in regular people's living rooms. Through evolution over the 1990s and 2000s, game consoles have expanded to offer additional functions such as CD players, DVD players, Blu-ray disc players, web browsers, set-top boxes, and more.
For a Listing of the Best-selling Video Game Consoles, click here.
____________________________________________________________
The history of video games goes as far back as the early 1950s, when academic computer scientists began designing simple games and simulations as part of their research. Video gaming did not reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s, when video arcade games and gaming consoles using joysticks, buttons, and other controllers, along with graphics on computer screens and home computer games were introduced to the general public.
Since the 1980s, video gaming has become a popular form of entertainment and a part of modern popular culture in most parts of the world. One of the early games was Spacewar!, which was developed by computer scientists.
Early arcade video games developed from 1972 to 1978. During the 1970s, the first generation of home consoles emerged, including the popular game Pong and various "clones".
The 1970s was also the era of mainframe computer games. The golden age of arcade video games was from 1978 to 1982. Video arcades with large, graphics-decorated coin-operated machines were common at malls and popular, affordable home consoles such as the Atari 2600 and Intellivision enabled people to play games on their home TVs.
During the 1980s, gaming computers, early online gaming and handheld LCD games emerged; this era was affected by the video game crash of 1983. From 1976 to 1992, the second generation of video consoles emerged.
The third generation of consoles, which were 8-bit units, emerged from 1983 to 1995. The fourth generation of consoles, which were 16-bit models, emerged from 1987 to 1999.
The 1990s saw the resurgence and decline of arcades, the transition to 3D video games, improved handheld games, and PC gaming. The fifth generation of consoles, which were 32 and 64-bit units, was from 1993 to 2006.
During this era, mobile phone gaming emerged. During the 2000s, the sixth generation of consoles emerged (1998–2013). During this period, online gaming and mobile games became important.
The seventh generation of consoles was from 2005 to 2012. This era was marked by huge development budgets for some games, with some having cinematic graphics; the launch of the top-selling Wii console, in which the user could control the game actions with real-life movement of the controller; the rise of casual PC games marketed to non-gamers; and the emergence of cloud computing in video games.
In 2013, the eighth generation of consoles emerged, including Nintendo's Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft's Xbox One, and Sony's PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. PC gaming has been holding a large market share in Asia and Europe for decades and continues to grow due to digital distribution.
Since the development and widespread consumer use of smartphones, mobile gaming has been a driving factor for games, as they can reach people formerly uninterested in gaming, and those unable to afford or support dedicated hardware, such as video game consoles.
For additional information about the history of video games, click here.
Digital Distribution Platforms including a List of Mobile Software Distribution Platforms
YouTube Video: Mobile Application Development: The fundamentals of Architecture & Platforms
Pictured: The App Store as an example of a digital distribution platform
Digital distribution (also called content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution (ESD), among others) is the delivery or distribution of media content such as audio, video, software and video games.
The term is generally used to describe distribution over an online delivery medium, such as the Internet, thus bypassing physical distribution methods, such as paper, compact discs, and DVDs.
The term online distribution is typically applied to freestanding products; downloadable add-ons for other products are more commonly known as downloadable content. With the advancement of network bandwidth capabilities, online distribution became prominent in the 2000s.
Content distributed online may be streamed or downloaded, and often consists of books, films and television programs, music, software, and video games.
Streaming involves downloading and using content at a user's request, or "on-demand", rather than allowing a user to store it permanently. By contrast, fully downloading content to a hard drive or other form of storage media may allow offline access in the future.
Specialist networks known as content delivery networks help distribute content over the Internet by ensuring both high availability and high performance. Alternative technologies for content delivery include peer-to-peer file sharing technologies. Alternatively, content delivery platforms create and syndicate content remotely, acting like hosted content management systems.
However, the term is also used in film distribution to describe distribution of content through physical media, in opposition to distribution by analog media such as photographic film and magnetic tape (see Digital cinema).
Click on any of the blue hyperlinks below for further amplification:
The term is generally used to describe distribution over an online delivery medium, such as the Internet, thus bypassing physical distribution methods, such as paper, compact discs, and DVDs.
The term online distribution is typically applied to freestanding products; downloadable add-ons for other products are more commonly known as downloadable content. With the advancement of network bandwidth capabilities, online distribution became prominent in the 2000s.
Content distributed online may be streamed or downloaded, and often consists of books, films and television programs, music, software, and video games.
Streaming involves downloading and using content at a user's request, or "on-demand", rather than allowing a user to store it permanently. By contrast, fully downloading content to a hard drive or other form of storage media may allow offline access in the future.
Specialist networks known as content delivery networks help distribute content over the Internet by ensuring both high availability and high performance. Alternative technologies for content delivery include peer-to-peer file sharing technologies. Alternatively, content delivery platforms create and syndicate content remotely, acting like hosted content management systems.
However, the term is also used in film distribution to describe distribution of content through physical media, in opposition to distribution by analog media such as photographic film and magnetic tape (see Digital cinema).
Click on any of the blue hyperlinks below for further amplification:
- Basis
- Impact on traditional retail:
- Challenges
- See also:
- Application store
- Online shopping
- Cloud gaming
- Comparison of online music stores
- Content delivery network
- Digital distribution in video games
- E-book
- Electronic publishing
- Electronic commerce
- Film distribution
- Film distributor
- Internet pornography
- List of Internet television providers
- List of mobile software distribution platforms
- Streaming media
- Video on demand
- Uberisation
Our Virtual World
YouTube Video: The Hunger Games - Virtual Reality Experience (VR Video)
YouTube video: Designing for virtual reality and the impact on education
by Alex Faaborg | TEDxCincinnati
Pictured: Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality Are About to Transform Business. Here's How to Be Prepared
A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities and communicate with others. These avatars can be textual, two or three-dimensional graphical representations, or live video avatars with auditory and touch sensations.
In general, virtual worlds allow for multiple users but single player computer games, such as Skyrim, can also be considered a type of virtual world.
The user accesses a computer-simulated world which presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modeled world and thus experience a degree of presence. Such modeled worlds and their rules may draw from reality or fantasy worlds.
Example rules are gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication.
Communication between users can range from text, graphical icons, visual gesture, sound, and rarely, forms using touch, voice command, and balance senses.
Massively multiplayer online games depict a wide range of worlds, including those based on science fiction, the real world, super heroes, sports, horror, and historical milieus. The most common form of such games are fantasy worlds, whereas those based on the real world are relatively rare.
Most MMORPGs have real-time actions and communication. Players create a character who travels between buildings, towns, and worlds to carry out business or leisure activities. Communication is usually textual, but real-time voice communication is also possible. The form of communication used can substantially affect the experience of players in the game.
Virtual worlds are not limited to games but, depending on the degree of immediacy presented, can encompass computer conferencing and text-based chatrooms. Sometimes, emoticons or 'smilies' are available to show feeling or facial expression. Emoticons often have a keyboard shortcut.
Edward Castronova is an economist who has argued that "synthetic worlds" is a better term for these cyberspaces, but this term has not been widely adopted.
Application Domains:
Social:
Although the social interactions of participants in virtual worlds are often viewed in the context of 3D Games, other forms of interaction are common as well, including forums, blogs, wikis, chatrooms, instant messaging, and video-conferences.
Communities are born in places which have their own rules, topics, jokes, and even language. Members of such communities can find like-minded people to interact with, whether this be through a shared passion, the wish to share information, or a desire to meet new people and experience new things.
Users may develop personalities within the community adapted to the particular world they are interacting with, which can impact the way they think and act. Internet friendships and participation online communities tend to complement existing friendships and civic participation rather than replacing or diminishing such interactions.
Systems that have been designed for a social application include:
Medical:
Disabled or chronically invalided people of any age can benefit enormously from experiencing the mental and emotional freedom gained by temporarily leaving their disabilities behind and doing, through the medium of their avatars, things as simple and potentially accessible to able, healthy people as:
They may also be able to socialize, form friendships and relationships much more easily and avoid the stigma and other obstacles which would normally be attached to their disabilities.
This can be much more constructive, emotionally satisfying and mentally fulfilling than passive pastimes such as television watching, playing computer games, reading or more conventional types of internet use.
The Starlight Children's Foundation helps hospitalized children (suffering from painful diseases or autism for example) to create a comfortable and safe environment which can expand their situation, experience interactions (when the involvement of a multiple cultures and players from around the world is factored in) they may not have been able to experience without a virtual world, healthy or sick.
Virtual worlds also enable them to experience and act beyond the restrictions of their illness and help to relieve stress.
Virtual worlds can help players become more familiar and comfortable with actions they may in real-life feel reluctant or embarrassed. For example, in World of Warcraft, /dance is the emote for a dance move which a player in the virtual world can "emote" quite simply.
And a familiarization with said or similar "emotes" or social skills (such as, encouragement, gratitude, problem-solving, and even kissing) in the virtual world via avatar can make the assimilation to similar forms of expression, socialization, interaction in real life smooth.
Interaction with humans through avatars in the virtual world has potential to seriously expand the mechanics of one's interaction with real-life interactions.
Virtual Ability, Inc., a Colorado-based community of over 1,000 members from 6 continents, has brought together people with disabilities on the Second Life platform since 2007. Virtual Ability, Inc.’s mission is to enable people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds.
Commercial:
As businesses compete in the real world, they also compete in virtual worlds. As there has been an increase in the buying and selling of products online (e-commerce) this twinned with the rise in the popularity of the internet, has forced businesses to adjust to accommodate the new market.
Many companies and organizations now incorporate virtual worlds as a new form of advertising. There are many advantages to using these methods of commercialization. An example of this would be Apple creating an online store within Second Life. This allows the users to browse the latest and innovative products.
Players cannot actually purchase a product but having these “virtual stores” is a way of accessing a different clientele and customer demographic. The use of advertising within "virtual worlds" is a relatively new idea. This is because Virtual Worlds is a relatively new technology.
Before companies would use an advertising company to promote their products. With the introduction of the prospect of commercial success within a Virtual World, companies can reduce cost and time constraints by keeping this "in-house". An obvious advantage is that it will reduce any costs and restrictions that could come into play in the real world.
Using virtual worlds gives companies the opportunity to gauge customer reaction and receive feedback. Feedback can be crucial to the development of a project as it will inform the creators exactly what users want.
Using virtual worlds as a tool allows companies to test user reaction and give them feedback on products. This can be crucial as it will give the companies an insight as to what the market and customers want from new products, which can give them a competitive edge. Competitive edge is crucial in the ruthless world that is today's business.
Another use of virtual worlds business is where players can create a gathering place. Many businesses can now be involved in business-to-business commercial activity and will create a specific area within a virtual world to carry out their business. Within this space all relevant information can be held. This can be useful for a variety of reasons.
Players can conduct business with companies on the other side of the world, so there are no geographical limitations, it can increase company productivity. Knowing that there is an area where help is on hand can aid the employees.
Sun Microsystems have created an island in Second Life dedicated for the sole use of their employees. This is a place where people can go and seek help, exchange new ideas or to advertise a new product.
Gronstedt identifies additional business applications, including: simulations, collaboration, role-playing, mentoring, and data-visualization.
According to trade media company Virtual Worlds Management, commercial investments in the "virtual worlds" sector were in excess of US$425 million in Q4 2007, and totaled US$184 million in Q1 2008. However, the selection process for defining a "virtual worlds" company in this context has been challenged by one industry blog.
E-commerce (Legal):
A number of virtual worlds have incorporated systems for sale of goods through virtual interfaces and using virtual currencies. Transfers of in-world credits typically are not bound by laws governing commerce. Such transactions may lack the oversight and protections associated with real-world commerce, and there is potential for fraudulent transactions.
One example is that of Ginko Financial, a bank system featured in Second Life where avatars could deposit their real life currency after converted to Linden Dollars for a profit. In July 2007, residents of Second Life crowded around the ATM's in an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw their money. After a few days the ATM's along with the banks disappeared altogether.
Around $700,000 in real world money was reported missing from residents in Second Life. An investigation was launched but nothing substantial ever came of finding and punishing the avatar known as Nicholas Portocarrero who was the head of Ginko Financial.
Civil and criminal laws exist in the real world and are put in place to govern people’s behavior. Virtual Worlds such as Eve Online and Second Life also have people and systems that govern them.
Providers of online virtual spaces have more than one approach to the governing of their environments. Second Life for instance was designed with the expectation being on the residents to establish their own community rules for appropriate behavior. On the other hand, some virtual worlds such as Habbo enforce clear rules for behavior, as seen in their terms and conditions.
In some instances virtual worlds don’t need established rules of conduct because actions such as ‘killing’ another avatar is impossible. However, if needed to, rule breakers can be punished with fines being payable through their virtual bank account, alternatively a players suspension may be put into effect.
Instances of real world theft from a virtual world do exist, Eve Online had an incident where a bank controller stole around 200bn credits and exchanged them for real world cash amounting to £3,115. The player in question has now been suspended as trading in-game cash for real money is against Eve Online’s terms and conditions.
Entertainment:
See also: MMOG
There are many MMORPG virtual worlds out on many platforms. Most notable are IMVU for Windows, PlayStation Home for PlayStation 3, and Second Life for Windows. Many Virtual worlds have shut down since launch however. Notable shutdowns are The Sims Online, The Sims Bustin Out Online Weekend Mode, PlayStation Home, and Club Penguin.
Single-player games:
Some single-player video games contain virtual worlds populated by non-player characters (NPC). Many of these allow players to save the current state of this world instance to allow stopping and restarting the virtual world at a later date. (This can be done with some multiplayer environments as well.)
The virtual worlds found in video games are often split into discrete levels.
Single-player games such as Minecraft allow players to optionally create their own world without other players, and then combine skills from the game to work together with other players and create bigger and more intricate environments. These environments can then be accessed by other players, if the server is available to other players then they may be able to modify parts of it, such as the structure of the environment.
At one level, a more or less realistic rendered 3D space like the game world of Halo 3 or Grand Theft Auto V is just as much a big database as Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia.
Use in Education:
See also: Virtual learning environment and Online communication between school and home
Virtual worlds represent a powerful new medium for instruction and education that presents many opportunities but also some challenges. Persistence allows for continuing and growing social interactions, which themselves can serve as a basis for collaborative education.
The use of virtual worlds can give teachers the opportunity to have a greater level of student participation. It allows users to be able to carry out tasks that could be difficult in the real world due to constraints and restrictions, such as cost, scheduling or location.
Virtual worlds have the capability to adapt and grow to different user needs, for example, classroom teachers are able to use virtual worlds in their classroom leveraging their interactive whiteboard with the open source project Edusim. They can be a good source of user feedback, the typical paper-based resources have limitations that Virtual Worlds can overcome.
Multi-user virtual worlds with easy-to-use affordances for building are useful in project-based learning. For example, Active Worlds is used to support classroom teachers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the out-of-school NASA RealWorld-InWorld Engineering Design Challenge, and many after school and in school programs in EDUni-NY.
Projects range from tightly scaffolded reflection spaces to open building based on student-centered designs. New York Museums AMNH and NYSci have used the medium to support STEM learning experiences for their program participants.
Virtual worlds can also be used with virtual learning environments, as in the case of what is done in the Sloodle project, which aims to merge Second Life with Moodle.
Virtual worlds allow users with specific needs and requirements to access and use the same learning materials from home as they would receive if they were physically present. Virtual worlds can help users stay up to date with relevant information and needs while also feeling as they are involved.
Having the option to be able to attend a presentation via a virtual world from home or from their workplace, can help the user to be more at ease and comfortable. Although virtual worlds are used as an alternative method of communicating and interacting with students and teachers, a sense of isolation can occur such as losing certain body language cues and other more personal aspects that one would achieve if they were face to face.
Some virtual worlds also offer an environment where simulation-based activities and games allow users to experiment various phenomenon and learn the underlying physics and principles.
An example is Whyville launched in 1999, which targets kids and teenagers, offering them many opportunities to experiment, understand and learn. Topics covered in Whyville vary from physics to nutrition to ecology. Whyville also has a strong entrepreneurial structure based on user created virtual content sold in the internal virtual economy.
VirBELA is a unity-based virtual world that embeds business simulations as a way to assess and develop global leadership skills of students and professionals from around the world.
Some multi-user virtual worlds have become used for educational purposes and are thus called Multi-User Virtual Learning Environments (MUVLEs). Examples have included the use of Second Life for teaching English as a foreign languages (EFL)
Many specialist types of MUVLE have particular pedagogies associated with them. For instance, George Siemens, Stephen Downes continue to promote the use of a type of MUVLE Dave Cormier coined called a 'MOOC'.
Even though MOOCs were once seen as "next big thing" by universities and online education service providers such as Blackboard Inc, this was in fact what has been called a "stampede." By early 2013, serious questions emerged about whether MOOCs were simply part of a hype cycle and indeed following that hype whether academia was thus "MOOC'd out."
2016 saw the pilot release of a new virtual world technology, ALiS Online, which is a real-time, social and collaborative 3D platform designed and developed specifically for use in Educational settings. It combines elements of gamification, VoIP technology and UI design in an attempt to remove frequently cited barriers to the successful adoption and implementation of virtual worlds in educational contexts.
The platform's creators are supporters of the Open Education movement, and contribute by running live, publicly accessible, academic sessions in ALiS Online on a regular basis.
Language:
Main article: Virtual World Language Learning
Language learning is the most widespread type of education in virtual worlds.
Business:
Online training overcomes constraints such as distance, infrastructure, accommodation costs and tight scheduling. Although video conferencing may be the most common tool, virtual worlds have been adopted by the business environment for training employees. For example, Second Life has been used in business schools.
Virtual training content resembles traditional tutorials and testing of user knowledge. Despite the lack of face to face contact and impaired social linking, learning efficiency may not be adversely affected as adults need autonomy in learning and are more self-directed than younger students. Some companies and public places allow free virtual access to their facilities as an alternative to a video or picture.
In fiction:
See also: Category:Virtual reality in fiction and Category:MMORPGs in fiction
Virtual worlds, virtual reality, and cyberspace are popular fictional motifs. A prominent example is the work of William Gibson. The first was probably John M. Ford's 1980 novel Web of Angels.
Virtual worlds are integral to the following:
In A.K. Dewdney's novel, the Planiverse (1984), college students create a virtual world called 2DWorld, leading to contact with Arde, a two-dimensional parallel universe.
The main focus of the cyberpunk, psychological, 13-episode anime titled Serial Experiments Lain is the Wired, a virtual reality world that governs the sum of all electronic communication and machines; outer receptors are used to mentally transport a person into the Wired itself as a uniquely different virtual avatar.
Yasutaka Tsutsui's novel, Gaspard in the Morning (1992), is the story of an individual immersed in the virtual world of a massively multiplayer online game. The plots of .hack, Sword Art Online, Accel World and Summer Wars also involve the virtual worlds of massively multiplayer online games.
The fourth series of the New Zealand TV series The Tribe features the birth of Reality Space and the Virtual World that was created by Ram, the computer genius-wizard leader of The Technos.
In 2009, BBC Radio 7 commissioned Planet B, set in a virtual world in which a man searches for his girlfriend, believed to be dead, but in fact still alive within the world called "Planet B". The series is the biggest-ever commission for an original drama series.
In the novel Holo.Wars: The Black Hats, three virtual worlds overlap and comprise a majority of the book's milieu.
In general, virtual worlds allow for multiple users but single player computer games, such as Skyrim, can also be considered a type of virtual world.
The user accesses a computer-simulated world which presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modeled world and thus experience a degree of presence. Such modeled worlds and their rules may draw from reality or fantasy worlds.
Example rules are gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication.
Communication between users can range from text, graphical icons, visual gesture, sound, and rarely, forms using touch, voice command, and balance senses.
Massively multiplayer online games depict a wide range of worlds, including those based on science fiction, the real world, super heroes, sports, horror, and historical milieus. The most common form of such games are fantasy worlds, whereas those based on the real world are relatively rare.
Most MMORPGs have real-time actions and communication. Players create a character who travels between buildings, towns, and worlds to carry out business or leisure activities. Communication is usually textual, but real-time voice communication is also possible. The form of communication used can substantially affect the experience of players in the game.
Virtual worlds are not limited to games but, depending on the degree of immediacy presented, can encompass computer conferencing and text-based chatrooms. Sometimes, emoticons or 'smilies' are available to show feeling or facial expression. Emoticons often have a keyboard shortcut.
Edward Castronova is an economist who has argued that "synthetic worlds" is a better term for these cyberspaces, but this term has not been widely adopted.
Application Domains:
Social:
Although the social interactions of participants in virtual worlds are often viewed in the context of 3D Games, other forms of interaction are common as well, including forums, blogs, wikis, chatrooms, instant messaging, and video-conferences.
Communities are born in places which have their own rules, topics, jokes, and even language. Members of such communities can find like-minded people to interact with, whether this be through a shared passion, the wish to share information, or a desire to meet new people and experience new things.
Users may develop personalities within the community adapted to the particular world they are interacting with, which can impact the way they think and act. Internet friendships and participation online communities tend to complement existing friendships and civic participation rather than replacing or diminishing such interactions.
Systems that have been designed for a social application include:
Medical:
Disabled or chronically invalided people of any age can benefit enormously from experiencing the mental and emotional freedom gained by temporarily leaving their disabilities behind and doing, through the medium of their avatars, things as simple and potentially accessible to able, healthy people as:
- walking,
- running,
- dancing,
- sailing,
- fishing,
- swimming,
- surfing,
- flying,
- skiing,
- gardening,
- exploring
- and other physical activities which their illnesses or disabilities prevent them from doing in real life.
They may also be able to socialize, form friendships and relationships much more easily and avoid the stigma and other obstacles which would normally be attached to their disabilities.
This can be much more constructive, emotionally satisfying and mentally fulfilling than passive pastimes such as television watching, playing computer games, reading or more conventional types of internet use.
The Starlight Children's Foundation helps hospitalized children (suffering from painful diseases or autism for example) to create a comfortable and safe environment which can expand their situation, experience interactions (when the involvement of a multiple cultures and players from around the world is factored in) they may not have been able to experience without a virtual world, healthy or sick.
Virtual worlds also enable them to experience and act beyond the restrictions of their illness and help to relieve stress.
Virtual worlds can help players become more familiar and comfortable with actions they may in real-life feel reluctant or embarrassed. For example, in World of Warcraft, /dance is the emote for a dance move which a player in the virtual world can "emote" quite simply.
And a familiarization with said or similar "emotes" or social skills (such as, encouragement, gratitude, problem-solving, and even kissing) in the virtual world via avatar can make the assimilation to similar forms of expression, socialization, interaction in real life smooth.
Interaction with humans through avatars in the virtual world has potential to seriously expand the mechanics of one's interaction with real-life interactions.
Virtual Ability, Inc., a Colorado-based community of over 1,000 members from 6 continents, has brought together people with disabilities on the Second Life platform since 2007. Virtual Ability, Inc.’s mission is to enable people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in online virtual worlds.
Commercial:
As businesses compete in the real world, they also compete in virtual worlds. As there has been an increase in the buying and selling of products online (e-commerce) this twinned with the rise in the popularity of the internet, has forced businesses to adjust to accommodate the new market.
Many companies and organizations now incorporate virtual worlds as a new form of advertising. There are many advantages to using these methods of commercialization. An example of this would be Apple creating an online store within Second Life. This allows the users to browse the latest and innovative products.
Players cannot actually purchase a product but having these “virtual stores” is a way of accessing a different clientele and customer demographic. The use of advertising within "virtual worlds" is a relatively new idea. This is because Virtual Worlds is a relatively new technology.
Before companies would use an advertising company to promote their products. With the introduction of the prospect of commercial success within a Virtual World, companies can reduce cost and time constraints by keeping this "in-house". An obvious advantage is that it will reduce any costs and restrictions that could come into play in the real world.
Using virtual worlds gives companies the opportunity to gauge customer reaction and receive feedback. Feedback can be crucial to the development of a project as it will inform the creators exactly what users want.
Using virtual worlds as a tool allows companies to test user reaction and give them feedback on products. This can be crucial as it will give the companies an insight as to what the market and customers want from new products, which can give them a competitive edge. Competitive edge is crucial in the ruthless world that is today's business.
Another use of virtual worlds business is where players can create a gathering place. Many businesses can now be involved in business-to-business commercial activity and will create a specific area within a virtual world to carry out their business. Within this space all relevant information can be held. This can be useful for a variety of reasons.
Players can conduct business with companies on the other side of the world, so there are no geographical limitations, it can increase company productivity. Knowing that there is an area where help is on hand can aid the employees.
Sun Microsystems have created an island in Second Life dedicated for the sole use of their employees. This is a place where people can go and seek help, exchange new ideas or to advertise a new product.
Gronstedt identifies additional business applications, including: simulations, collaboration, role-playing, mentoring, and data-visualization.
According to trade media company Virtual Worlds Management, commercial investments in the "virtual worlds" sector were in excess of US$425 million in Q4 2007, and totaled US$184 million in Q1 2008. However, the selection process for defining a "virtual worlds" company in this context has been challenged by one industry blog.
E-commerce (Legal):
A number of virtual worlds have incorporated systems for sale of goods through virtual interfaces and using virtual currencies. Transfers of in-world credits typically are not bound by laws governing commerce. Such transactions may lack the oversight and protections associated with real-world commerce, and there is potential for fraudulent transactions.
One example is that of Ginko Financial, a bank system featured in Second Life where avatars could deposit their real life currency after converted to Linden Dollars for a profit. In July 2007, residents of Second Life crowded around the ATM's in an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw their money. After a few days the ATM's along with the banks disappeared altogether.
Around $700,000 in real world money was reported missing from residents in Second Life. An investigation was launched but nothing substantial ever came of finding and punishing the avatar known as Nicholas Portocarrero who was the head of Ginko Financial.
Civil and criminal laws exist in the real world and are put in place to govern people’s behavior. Virtual Worlds such as Eve Online and Second Life also have people and systems that govern them.
Providers of online virtual spaces have more than one approach to the governing of their environments. Second Life for instance was designed with the expectation being on the residents to establish their own community rules for appropriate behavior. On the other hand, some virtual worlds such as Habbo enforce clear rules for behavior, as seen in their terms and conditions.
In some instances virtual worlds don’t need established rules of conduct because actions such as ‘killing’ another avatar is impossible. However, if needed to, rule breakers can be punished with fines being payable through their virtual bank account, alternatively a players suspension may be put into effect.
Instances of real world theft from a virtual world do exist, Eve Online had an incident where a bank controller stole around 200bn credits and exchanged them for real world cash amounting to £3,115. The player in question has now been suspended as trading in-game cash for real money is against Eve Online’s terms and conditions.
Entertainment:
See also: MMOG
There are many MMORPG virtual worlds out on many platforms. Most notable are IMVU for Windows, PlayStation Home for PlayStation 3, and Second Life for Windows. Many Virtual worlds have shut down since launch however. Notable shutdowns are The Sims Online, The Sims Bustin Out Online Weekend Mode, PlayStation Home, and Club Penguin.
Single-player games:
Some single-player video games contain virtual worlds populated by non-player characters (NPC). Many of these allow players to save the current state of this world instance to allow stopping and restarting the virtual world at a later date. (This can be done with some multiplayer environments as well.)
The virtual worlds found in video games are often split into discrete levels.
Single-player games such as Minecraft allow players to optionally create their own world without other players, and then combine skills from the game to work together with other players and create bigger and more intricate environments. These environments can then be accessed by other players, if the server is available to other players then they may be able to modify parts of it, such as the structure of the environment.
At one level, a more or less realistic rendered 3D space like the game world of Halo 3 or Grand Theft Auto V is just as much a big database as Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia.
Use in Education:
See also: Virtual learning environment and Online communication between school and home
Virtual worlds represent a powerful new medium for instruction and education that presents many opportunities but also some challenges. Persistence allows for continuing and growing social interactions, which themselves can serve as a basis for collaborative education.
The use of virtual worlds can give teachers the opportunity to have a greater level of student participation. It allows users to be able to carry out tasks that could be difficult in the real world due to constraints and restrictions, such as cost, scheduling or location.
Virtual worlds have the capability to adapt and grow to different user needs, for example, classroom teachers are able to use virtual worlds in their classroom leveraging their interactive whiteboard with the open source project Edusim. They can be a good source of user feedback, the typical paper-based resources have limitations that Virtual Worlds can overcome.
Multi-user virtual worlds with easy-to-use affordances for building are useful in project-based learning. For example, Active Worlds is used to support classroom teachers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the out-of-school NASA RealWorld-InWorld Engineering Design Challenge, and many after school and in school programs in EDUni-NY.
Projects range from tightly scaffolded reflection spaces to open building based on student-centered designs. New York Museums AMNH and NYSci have used the medium to support STEM learning experiences for their program participants.
Virtual worlds can also be used with virtual learning environments, as in the case of what is done in the Sloodle project, which aims to merge Second Life with Moodle.
Virtual worlds allow users with specific needs and requirements to access and use the same learning materials from home as they would receive if they were physically present. Virtual worlds can help users stay up to date with relevant information and needs while also feeling as they are involved.
Having the option to be able to attend a presentation via a virtual world from home or from their workplace, can help the user to be more at ease and comfortable. Although virtual worlds are used as an alternative method of communicating and interacting with students and teachers, a sense of isolation can occur such as losing certain body language cues and other more personal aspects that one would achieve if they were face to face.
Some virtual worlds also offer an environment where simulation-based activities and games allow users to experiment various phenomenon and learn the underlying physics and principles.
An example is Whyville launched in 1999, which targets kids and teenagers, offering them many opportunities to experiment, understand and learn. Topics covered in Whyville vary from physics to nutrition to ecology. Whyville also has a strong entrepreneurial structure based on user created virtual content sold in the internal virtual economy.
VirBELA is a unity-based virtual world that embeds business simulations as a way to assess and develop global leadership skills of students and professionals from around the world.
Some multi-user virtual worlds have become used for educational purposes and are thus called Multi-User Virtual Learning Environments (MUVLEs). Examples have included the use of Second Life for teaching English as a foreign languages (EFL)
Many specialist types of MUVLE have particular pedagogies associated with them. For instance, George Siemens, Stephen Downes continue to promote the use of a type of MUVLE Dave Cormier coined called a 'MOOC'.
Even though MOOCs were once seen as "next big thing" by universities and online education service providers such as Blackboard Inc, this was in fact what has been called a "stampede." By early 2013, serious questions emerged about whether MOOCs were simply part of a hype cycle and indeed following that hype whether academia was thus "MOOC'd out."
2016 saw the pilot release of a new virtual world technology, ALiS Online, which is a real-time, social and collaborative 3D platform designed and developed specifically for use in Educational settings. It combines elements of gamification, VoIP technology and UI design in an attempt to remove frequently cited barriers to the successful adoption and implementation of virtual worlds in educational contexts.
The platform's creators are supporters of the Open Education movement, and contribute by running live, publicly accessible, academic sessions in ALiS Online on a regular basis.
Language:
Main article: Virtual World Language Learning
Language learning is the most widespread type of education in virtual worlds.
Business:
Online training overcomes constraints such as distance, infrastructure, accommodation costs and tight scheduling. Although video conferencing may be the most common tool, virtual worlds have been adopted by the business environment for training employees. For example, Second Life has been used in business schools.
Virtual training content resembles traditional tutorials and testing of user knowledge. Despite the lack of face to face contact and impaired social linking, learning efficiency may not be adversely affected as adults need autonomy in learning and are more self-directed than younger students. Some companies and public places allow free virtual access to their facilities as an alternative to a video or picture.
In fiction:
See also: Category:Virtual reality in fiction and Category:MMORPGs in fiction
Virtual worlds, virtual reality, and cyberspace are popular fictional motifs. A prominent example is the work of William Gibson. The first was probably John M. Ford's 1980 novel Web of Angels.
Virtual worlds are integral to the following:
- Tron,
- Neuromancer,
- Ghost in the Shell,
- Snow Crash,
- The Lawnmower Man,
- Lawnmower Man 2,
- ReBoot,
- Digimon,
- The Matrix,
- MegaMan NT Warrior,
- Epic,
- Code Lyoko,
- Real Drive,
- and Ready Player One.
In A.K. Dewdney's novel, the Planiverse (1984), college students create a virtual world called 2DWorld, leading to contact with Arde, a two-dimensional parallel universe.
The main focus of the cyberpunk, psychological, 13-episode anime titled Serial Experiments Lain is the Wired, a virtual reality world that governs the sum of all electronic communication and machines; outer receptors are used to mentally transport a person into the Wired itself as a uniquely different virtual avatar.
Yasutaka Tsutsui's novel, Gaspard in the Morning (1992), is the story of an individual immersed in the virtual world of a massively multiplayer online game. The plots of .hack, Sword Art Online, Accel World and Summer Wars also involve the virtual worlds of massively multiplayer online games.
The fourth series of the New Zealand TV series The Tribe features the birth of Reality Space and the Virtual World that was created by Ram, the computer genius-wizard leader of The Technos.
In 2009, BBC Radio 7 commissioned Planet B, set in a virtual world in which a man searches for his girlfriend, believed to be dead, but in fact still alive within the world called "Planet B". The series is the biggest-ever commission for an original drama series.
In the novel Holo.Wars: The Black Hats, three virtual worlds overlap and comprise a majority of the book's milieu.
Mobile Operating Systems, including a Comparison of Mobile Operating Systems
Video: The Top 10 Reasons Why Android is Better Than iOS by WatchMojo
A mobile operating system (or mobile OS) is an operating system for phones, tablets, smartwatches, or other mobile devices.
While computers such as typical laptops are 'mobile', the operating systems usually used on them are not considered mobile ones, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific mobile features. This distinction is becoming blurred in some newer operating systems that are hybrids made for both uses.
Mobile operating systems combine features of a personal computer operating system with other features useful for mobile or handheld use; usually including, and most of the following considered essential in modern mobile systems;
By the end of 2016, over 430 million smartphones were sold with 81.7 percent running Android, 17.9 percent running iOS, 0.3 percent running Windows 10 Mobile (no longer marketed) and the other OSes cover 0.1 percent.
Android alone is more popular than the popular desktop operating system Windows, and in general smartphone use (even without tablets) outnumber desktop use (desktop use, web use, overall is down to 44.9% in the first quarter of 2017).
Mobile devices with mobile communications abilities (e.g., smartphones) contain two mobile operating systems – the main user-facing software platform is supplemented by a second low-level proprietary real-time operating system which operates the radio and other hardware. Research has shown that these low-level systems may contain a range of security vulnerabilities permitting malicious base stations to gain high levels of control over the mobile device.
Mobile operating systems have majority use as of 2017 (measured by web use); with even only the smartphones running them (excluding tablets) more used than any other kind of device.
Thus traditional desktop OS is now a minority used kind of OS; see usage share of operating systems. However, variations occur in popularity by regions, while desktop-minority also applies on some days in regions such as United States and United Kingdom.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Operating Systems: ___________________________________________________________________________
The following is a comparison of mobile operating systems:
Only the latest versions are shown in the table below, even though older versions may still be marketed:
While computers such as typical laptops are 'mobile', the operating systems usually used on them are not considered mobile ones, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific mobile features. This distinction is becoming blurred in some newer operating systems that are hybrids made for both uses.
Mobile operating systems combine features of a personal computer operating system with other features useful for mobile or handheld use; usually including, and most of the following considered essential in modern mobile systems;
- a touchscreen,
- cellular,
- Bluetooth,
- Wi-Fi Protected Access,
- Wi-Fi,
- Global Positioning System (GPS) mobile navigation,
- video- and single-frame picture cameras,
- speech recognition,
- voice recorder,
- music player,
- near field communication,
- and infrared blaster.
By the end of 2016, over 430 million smartphones were sold with 81.7 percent running Android, 17.9 percent running iOS, 0.3 percent running Windows 10 Mobile (no longer marketed) and the other OSes cover 0.1 percent.
Android alone is more popular than the popular desktop operating system Windows, and in general smartphone use (even without tablets) outnumber desktop use (desktop use, web use, overall is down to 44.9% in the first quarter of 2017).
Mobile devices with mobile communications abilities (e.g., smartphones) contain two mobile operating systems – the main user-facing software platform is supplemented by a second low-level proprietary real-time operating system which operates the radio and other hardware. Research has shown that these low-level systems may contain a range of security vulnerabilities permitting malicious base stations to gain high levels of control over the mobile device.
Mobile operating systems have majority use as of 2017 (measured by web use); with even only the smartphones running them (excluding tablets) more used than any other kind of device.
Thus traditional desktop OS is now a minority used kind of OS; see usage share of operating systems. However, variations occur in popularity by regions, while desktop-minority also applies on some days in regions such as United States and United Kingdom.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Operating Systems: ___________________________________________________________________________
The following is a comparison of mobile operating systems:
Only the latest versions are shown in the table below, even though older versions may still be marketed:
- About OS
- Advanced controls
- Accessibility features
- App ecosystem
- Basic features
- Browser
- Communication and connectivity
- Language and inputs
- Maps and navigation
- Media playback and controls
- Peripheral support
- Photo and video
- Productivity
- Ringtones and alerts
- Security and privacy
- Sound and voice
- Other features
- See also:
Android Operating System
YouTube Video: Android version history - evolution of android operating system
Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
In addition, Google has further developed Android TV for televisions, Android Auto for cars, and Wear OS for wrist watches, each with a specialized user interface. Variants of Android are also used on game consoles, digital cameras, PCs and other electronics.
Initially developed by Android Inc., which Google bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007, with the first commercial Android device launched in September 2008. The operating system has since gone through multiple major releases, with the current version being 9.0 "Pie", released in August 2018.
The core Android source code is known as Android Open Source Project (AOSP), and is primarily licensed under the Apache License.
Android is also associated with a suite of proprietary software developed by Google, including core apps for services such as Gmail and Google Search, as well as the application store and digital distribution platform Google Play, and associated development platform.
These apps are licensed by manufacturers of Android devices certified under standards imposed by Google, but AOSP has been used as the basis of competing Android ecosystems, such as Amazon.com's Fire OS, which utilize their own equivalents to the Google Mobile Services.
Android has been the best-selling OS worldwide on smartphones since 2011 and on tablets since 2013. As of May 2017, it has over two billion monthly active users, the largest installed base of any operating system, and as of June 2018, the Google Play store features over 3.3 million apps.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Android Operating System:
In addition, Google has further developed Android TV for televisions, Android Auto for cars, and Wear OS for wrist watches, each with a specialized user interface. Variants of Android are also used on game consoles, digital cameras, PCs and other electronics.
Initially developed by Android Inc., which Google bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007, with the first commercial Android device launched in September 2008. The operating system has since gone through multiple major releases, with the current version being 9.0 "Pie", released in August 2018.
The core Android source code is known as Android Open Source Project (AOSP), and is primarily licensed under the Apache License.
Android is also associated with a suite of proprietary software developed by Google, including core apps for services such as Gmail and Google Search, as well as the application store and digital distribution platform Google Play, and associated development platform.
These apps are licensed by manufacturers of Android devices certified under standards imposed by Google, but AOSP has been used as the basis of competing Android ecosystems, such as Amazon.com's Fire OS, which utilize their own equivalents to the Google Mobile Services.
Android has been the best-selling OS worldwide on smartphones since 2011 and on tablets since 2013. As of May 2017, it has over two billion monthly active users, the largest installed base of any operating system, and as of June 2018, the Google Play store features over 3.3 million apps.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Android Operating System:
- History
- Features
- Hardware
- Development
- Security and privacy
- Licensing
- Reception
- Legal issues
- Other uses
- Mascot
- See also:
Digital Media Players including a Comparison of Digital Media Players
YouTube Video: 10 Best DJ Digital Media Players 2017
Click on above YouTube Video for more about the "Best DJ Digital Media Players 2017" (image below):
Click here for a comparison of Digital Media Players.
A digital media player (DMP) is a home entertainment consumer electronics device that can connect to a home network to stream digital media such as music, photos or digital video.
Digital media players can stream files from a personal computer, network-attached storage or another networked media server, to play the media on a television or video projector display for home cinema.
Most digital media players utilize a 10-foot user interface, and many are navigated via a remote control. Some digital media players also have smart TV features, such as allowing users to stream media such as digital versions of movies and TV shows from the Internet or streaming services.
Digital media players were first introduced in 2000. In the 2010s, the main difference between most digital media players and modern set-top boxes was the obligation to have a TV tuner. Set-top boxes generally contain at least one TV tuner and are as such capable of receiving broadcasting signals from cable television, satellite television, over-the-air television or IPTV.
Overview:
In the 2010s, with the popularity of portable media players and digital cameras, as well as fast Internet download speeds and relatively cheap mass storage, many people came into possession of large collections of digital media files that cannot be played on a conventional analog HiFi without connecting a computer to an amplifier or television. The means to play these files on a network-connected digital media player that is permanently connected to a television is seen as a convenience.
The rapid growth in the availability of online content has made it easier for consumers to use these devices and obtain content. YouTube, for instance, is a common plug-in available on most networked devices.
Netflix has also struck deals with many consumer-electronics makers to make their interface available in the device's menus, for their streaming subscribers. This symbiotic relationship between Netflix and consumer electronics makers has helped propel Netflix to become the largest subscription video service in the U.S., using up to 20% of U.S. bandwidth at peak times.
Media players are often designed for compactness and affordability, and tend to have small or non-existent hardware displays other than simple LED lights to indicate whether the device is powered on.
Interface navigation on the television is usually done with an infrared remote control, while more-advanced digital media players come with high-performance remote controls which allow control of the interface using integrated touch sensors.
Some remotes also include accelerometers for air mouse features which allow basic motion gaming. Most digital media player devices are unable to play physical audio or video media directly, and instead require a user to convert these media into playable digital files using a separate computer and software. They are also usually incapable of recording audio or video.
In the 2010s, it is also common to find digital media player functionality integrated into other consumer-electronics appliances, such as DVD players, set-top boxes, smart TVs, or even video game consoles.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Digital Media Players:
A digital media player (DMP) is a home entertainment consumer electronics device that can connect to a home network to stream digital media such as music, photos or digital video.
Digital media players can stream files from a personal computer, network-attached storage or another networked media server, to play the media on a television or video projector display for home cinema.
Most digital media players utilize a 10-foot user interface, and many are navigated via a remote control. Some digital media players also have smart TV features, such as allowing users to stream media such as digital versions of movies and TV shows from the Internet or streaming services.
Digital media players were first introduced in 2000. In the 2010s, the main difference between most digital media players and modern set-top boxes was the obligation to have a TV tuner. Set-top boxes generally contain at least one TV tuner and are as such capable of receiving broadcasting signals from cable television, satellite television, over-the-air television or IPTV.
Overview:
In the 2010s, with the popularity of portable media players and digital cameras, as well as fast Internet download speeds and relatively cheap mass storage, many people came into possession of large collections of digital media files that cannot be played on a conventional analog HiFi without connecting a computer to an amplifier or television. The means to play these files on a network-connected digital media player that is permanently connected to a television is seen as a convenience.
The rapid growth in the availability of online content has made it easier for consumers to use these devices and obtain content. YouTube, for instance, is a common plug-in available on most networked devices.
Netflix has also struck deals with many consumer-electronics makers to make their interface available in the device's menus, for their streaming subscribers. This symbiotic relationship between Netflix and consumer electronics makers has helped propel Netflix to become the largest subscription video service in the U.S., using up to 20% of U.S. bandwidth at peak times.
Media players are often designed for compactness and affordability, and tend to have small or non-existent hardware displays other than simple LED lights to indicate whether the device is powered on.
Interface navigation on the television is usually done with an infrared remote control, while more-advanced digital media players come with high-performance remote controls which allow control of the interface using integrated touch sensors.
Some remotes also include accelerometers for air mouse features which allow basic motion gaming. Most digital media player devices are unable to play physical audio or video media directly, and instead require a user to convert these media into playable digital files using a separate computer and software. They are also usually incapable of recording audio or video.
In the 2010s, it is also common to find digital media player functionality integrated into other consumer-electronics appliances, such as DVD players, set-top boxes, smart TVs, or even video game consoles.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Digital Media Players:
- Terminology
- History
- Typical features
- Connections
- Use
- See also:
- Cord-cutting
- Digital Living Network Alliance
- Digital video recorder
- List of net-connected media players
- List of smart TV platforms and middleware software
- Second screen
- Streaming media
- HP MediaSmart Connect Wins Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice Award at CES 2008
- CNET Editors' Best Network Music Players
- PC Magazine Media Hub & Receiver Finder
- AudioFi Reviews of wireless players
- PC World's Future Gear: PC on the HiFi, and the TV
What is Wi-Fi and How Does Wi-Fi Work?
- YouTube Video: What is Wifi & How Does Wifi Work in Plain English
- YouTube Video: How to Set Up a Wireless Router (PC Magazine)
- YouTube Video: Help With Choosing the Best Wi-Fi Router for Your Home
Wi-Fi is technology for radio wireless local area networking of devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.
Wi‑Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which restricts the use of the term Wi-Fi Certified to products that successfully complete interoperability certification testing.
Devices that can use Wi-Fi technologies include desktops and laptops, video game consoles, smartphones and tablets, smart TVs, digital audio players, cars, and modern printers.
Wi-Fi compatible devices can connect to the Internet via a WLAN and a wireless access point. Such an access point (or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters (66 feet) indoors and a greater range outdoors. Hotspot coverage can be as small as a single room with walls that block radio waves, or as large as many square kilometres achieved by using multiple overlapping access points.
Depiction of a device sending information wirelessly to another device, both connected to the local network, in order to print a documentDifferent versions of Wi-Fi exist, with different ranges, radio bands and speeds.
Wi-Fi most commonly uses the 2.4 gigahertz (12 cm) UHF and 5 gigahertz (6 cm) SHF ISM radio bands; these bands are subdivided into multiple channels. Each channel can be time-shared by multiple networks.
These wavelengths work best for line-of-sight. Many common materials absorb or reflect them, which further restricts range, but can tend to help minimise interference between different networks in crowded environments. At close range, some versions of Wi-Fi, running on suitable hardware, can achieve speeds of over 1 Gbit/s.
Anyone within range with a wireless network interface controller can attempt to access a network; because of this, Wi-Fi is more vulnerable to attack (called eavesdropping) than wired networks.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a family of technologies created to protect information moving across Wi-Fi networks and includes solutions for personal and enterprise networks.
Security features of WPA have included stronger protections and new security practices as the security landscape has changed over time.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Wi-Fi:
Wi‑Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which restricts the use of the term Wi-Fi Certified to products that successfully complete interoperability certification testing.
Devices that can use Wi-Fi technologies include desktops and laptops, video game consoles, smartphones and tablets, smart TVs, digital audio players, cars, and modern printers.
Wi-Fi compatible devices can connect to the Internet via a WLAN and a wireless access point. Such an access point (or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters (66 feet) indoors and a greater range outdoors. Hotspot coverage can be as small as a single room with walls that block radio waves, or as large as many square kilometres achieved by using multiple overlapping access points.
Depiction of a device sending information wirelessly to another device, both connected to the local network, in order to print a documentDifferent versions of Wi-Fi exist, with different ranges, radio bands and speeds.
Wi-Fi most commonly uses the 2.4 gigahertz (12 cm) UHF and 5 gigahertz (6 cm) SHF ISM radio bands; these bands are subdivided into multiple channels. Each channel can be time-shared by multiple networks.
These wavelengths work best for line-of-sight. Many common materials absorb or reflect them, which further restricts range, but can tend to help minimise interference between different networks in crowded environments. At close range, some versions of Wi-Fi, running on suitable hardware, can achieve speeds of over 1 Gbit/s.
Anyone within range with a wireless network interface controller can attempt to access a network; because of this, Wi-Fi is more vulnerable to attack (called eavesdropping) than wired networks.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a family of technologies created to protect information moving across Wi-Fi networks and includes solutions for personal and enterprise networks.
Security features of WPA have included stronger protections and new security practices as the security landscape has changed over time.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Wi-Fi:
- History
- Etymology and terminology
- Wi-Fi certification
- Versions
- Uses
- Wi-Fi radio spectrum
- Communication stack
- Performance
- Multiple access points
- Hardware
- Network security
- Health concerns
- Alternatives
- See also:
- Gi-Fi — a term used by some trade press to refer to faster versions of the IEEE 802.11 standards
- Indoor positioning system
- Li-Fi
- List of WLAN channels
- Operating system Wi-Fi support
- San Francisco Digital Inclusion Strategy
- WiGig
- Wireless Broadband Alliance
Mobile Phones and the Mobile Phone Industry in the United States, including a List of Best-selling Mobile Phones
The Following YouTubeVideos are by WatchMojo:
The Following YouTubeVideos are by WatchMojo:
- Top 10 Iconic Cell Phones
- Top 10 Phones to Buy INSTEAD of an iPhone 8 - Gear UP^
- Top 5 Amazing Upcoming Smartphone Features - GearUP^
A mobile phone, cell phone, cellphone, or hand phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area.
The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use a cellular network architecture, and, therefore, mobile telephones are called cellular telephones or cell phones, in North America.
In addition to telephony, 2000s-era mobile phones support a variety of other services, such as:
Mobile phones offering only those capabilities are known as feature phones; mobile phones which offer greatly advanced computing capabilities are referred to as smartphones.
The first handheld mobile phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchell and Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing c. 2 kilograms (4.4 lbs). In 1979, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) launched the world's first cellular network in Japan. In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the first commercially available handheld mobile phone.
From 1983 to 2014, worldwide mobile phone subscriptions grew to over seven billion—enough to provide one for every person on Earth. In first quarter of 2016, the top smartphone developers worldwide were Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, and smartphone sales represented 78 percent of total mobile phone sales. For feature phones (or "dumbphones") as of 2016, the largest were Samsung, Nokia, and Alcatel.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Phones:
Mobile Phone Industry in the United States:
History:
Main article: History of mobile phones
In 1983, Ameritech launched the first generation mobile phone service (1G) in Chicago.
Wireless Service Providers:
National operators:
There are four major operators in the United States that offer nationwide wireless services.Two of these (AT&T and T-Mobile) provide service using the GSM standard, while the other two (Verizon and Sprint) primarily use CDMA. All four also operate networks using LTE standard for their 4G services.
Verizon Wireless:
Verizon Wireless, headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, that offers 2G service using cdmaOne, 3G service using CDMA2000, and 4G service using LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
AT&T Mobility:
AT&T Mobility, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, subsidiary of AT&T Inc., offers 2G service using GSM, 3G service using W-CDMA, and 4G service using HSPA+ and LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
T-Mobile US:
T-Mobile US, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, is a subsidiary of German telecommunications company T-Mobile International AG (with Deutsche Telekom as its majority stakeholder). T-Mobile US offers 2G service using GSM, 3G service using W-CDMA, and 4G service using HSPA+ and LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
Sprint Corporation:
Sprint Corporation, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is majority owned by Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank Group. Sprint offers 2G service using cdmaOne, 3G service using CDMA2000, and 4G service using LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
Regional operators:
Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs):
Boost Mobile: a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, Boost Mobile provides prepaid wireless service using Sprint's CDMA and 4G LTE network.
Cricket Wireless: A subsidiary of AT&T Inc., Cricket Wireless provides service using AT&T's GSM, HSPA+, and LTE network.
H2O Wireless: A service brand of Locus Telecommunications LLC, H2O Wireless provides service using AT&T's GSM, HSPA+, and LTE network.
Metro by T-Mobile: Wireless service of T-Mobile US, Metro currently provides service using GSM, HSPA+, and LTE network.
Ting Inc.: Provides service in the United States through a no-contract tiered pricing model using Sprint Corporation's CDMA and 4G LTE network as well as GSM, HSPA+, and LTE on T-Mobile US's network.
TracFone Wireless: MVNO using Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular. Subsidiary of Mexican telecommunications operator América Móvil, TracFone Wireless provides nationwide prepaid wireless service under the TracFone, NET10 Wireless, Straight Talk, Telcel America, Total Wireless, SafeLink Wireless, SIMPLE Mobile and PagePlus Cellular brands. TracFone provides service using GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, and LTE on one of the top five U.S. networks (dependent on phone programming or SIM card).
Virgin Mobile USA: A subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, Virgin Mobile USA provides prepaid wireless service using Sprint's CDMA and 4G LTE network.
Mobile Phone Industry:
The Federal Communications Commission is the main regulator of the mobile phone industry in the United States.
Qualcomm is the inventor of and main contributor to cdmaOne and CDMA2000 mobile phone standards.
Mobile Phone Production:
U.S. based producers:
International producers:
Mobile phone vs. cell phone?
While it is "mobile phone" in British English, it is "cell phone" in American English. The term "cell phone", short for "cellular phone" came into the day-to-day American English vocabulary during the 1980s when the mobile phone companies had to distinguish their mobile phone that can be carried from one cell to another, each controlled by a land-based antenna, from the earlier Improved Mobile Telephone Service phones. In Wikipedia, "mobile phone" is more often used because it can be used across various technologies.
See also: ___________________________________________________________________________
List of best-selling mobile phones:
With over 4 decades on the market, mobile phones have become the most used electronic device in the world. Below is a list of best-selling mobile phones, released between 1992 and 2017.
The best-selling mobile devices are the Nokia 1100 and 1110, two bar phones released in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Both have sold over 250 million units.
The best-selling touchscreen phones are the Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, both released in 2014. Together, they have sold over 220 million units.
The best-selling flip phone is the Motorola RAZR V3, released in 2004. It sold over 130 million units.
The best-selling slider phone is the Samsung E250, released in 2006. It has sold over 30 million units.
Of the 40 phones on the list, Nokia sold the most models, with 15. In 2017, over 1.5 billion mobile phones were sold, with Samsung dominating yearly sales at over 321.2 million units sold, taking up 20.9% market share.
Click on an year blue hyperlink below for the top-selling mobile phones:
The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use a cellular network architecture, and, therefore, mobile telephones are called cellular telephones or cell phones, in North America.
In addition to telephony, 2000s-era mobile phones support a variety of other services, such as:
- text messaging,
- MMS,
- email,
- Internet access,
- short-range wireless communications (infrared, Bluetooth),
- business applications,
- video games,
- and digital photography.
Mobile phones offering only those capabilities are known as feature phones; mobile phones which offer greatly advanced computing capabilities are referred to as smartphones.
The first handheld mobile phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchell and Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing c. 2 kilograms (4.4 lbs). In 1979, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) launched the world's first cellular network in Japan. In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the first commercially available handheld mobile phone.
From 1983 to 2014, worldwide mobile phone subscriptions grew to over seven billion—enough to provide one for every person on Earth. In first quarter of 2016, the top smartphone developers worldwide were Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, and smartphone sales represented 78 percent of total mobile phone sales. For feature phones (or "dumbphones") as of 2016, the largest were Samsung, Nokia, and Alcatel.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Phones:
- History
- Types
- Infrastructure
- Hardware
- Software
- Sales
- Use
- See also:
- Cellular frequencies
- Customer proprietary network information
- Field telephone
- List of countries by number of mobile phones in use
- Mobile broadband
- Mobile Internet device (MID)
- Mobile phone accessories
- Mobile phones on aircraft
- Mobile phone use in schools
- Mobile phone form factor
- Optical head-mounted display
- OpenBTS
- Personal Handy-phone System
- Prepaid mobile phone
- Two-way radio
- Push-button telephone
- Rechargeable battery
- Smombie
- Surveillance
- Tethering
- VoIP phone
- Media related to Mobile phones at Wikimedia Commons
- How Cell Phones Work at HowStuffWorks
- "The Long Odyssey of the Cell Phone", 15 photos with captions from Time magazine
- Cell Phone, the ring heard around the world—a video documentary by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Mobile Phone Industry in the United States:
History:
Main article: History of mobile phones
In 1983, Ameritech launched the first generation mobile phone service (1G) in Chicago.
Wireless Service Providers:
National operators:
There are four major operators in the United States that offer nationwide wireless services.Two of these (AT&T and T-Mobile) provide service using the GSM standard, while the other two (Verizon and Sprint) primarily use CDMA. All four also operate networks using LTE standard for their 4G services.
Verizon Wireless:
Verizon Wireless, headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, that offers 2G service using cdmaOne, 3G service using CDMA2000, and 4G service using LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
AT&T Mobility:
AT&T Mobility, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, subsidiary of AT&T Inc., offers 2G service using GSM, 3G service using W-CDMA, and 4G service using HSPA+ and LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
T-Mobile US:
T-Mobile US, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, is a subsidiary of German telecommunications company T-Mobile International AG (with Deutsche Telekom as its majority stakeholder). T-Mobile US offers 2G service using GSM, 3G service using W-CDMA, and 4G service using HSPA+ and LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
Sprint Corporation:
Sprint Corporation, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is majority owned by Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank Group. Sprint offers 2G service using cdmaOne, 3G service using CDMA2000, and 4G service using LTE technology. See its coverage area map.
Regional operators:
Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs):
Boost Mobile: a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, Boost Mobile provides prepaid wireless service using Sprint's CDMA and 4G LTE network.
Cricket Wireless: A subsidiary of AT&T Inc., Cricket Wireless provides service using AT&T's GSM, HSPA+, and LTE network.
H2O Wireless: A service brand of Locus Telecommunications LLC, H2O Wireless provides service using AT&T's GSM, HSPA+, and LTE network.
Metro by T-Mobile: Wireless service of T-Mobile US, Metro currently provides service using GSM, HSPA+, and LTE network.
Ting Inc.: Provides service in the United States through a no-contract tiered pricing model using Sprint Corporation's CDMA and 4G LTE network as well as GSM, HSPA+, and LTE on T-Mobile US's network.
TracFone Wireless: MVNO using Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular. Subsidiary of Mexican telecommunications operator América Móvil, TracFone Wireless provides nationwide prepaid wireless service under the TracFone, NET10 Wireless, Straight Talk, Telcel America, Total Wireless, SafeLink Wireless, SIMPLE Mobile and PagePlus Cellular brands. TracFone provides service using GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, and LTE on one of the top five U.S. networks (dependent on phone programming or SIM card).
Virgin Mobile USA: A subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, Virgin Mobile USA provides prepaid wireless service using Sprint's CDMA and 4G LTE network.
Mobile Phone Industry:
The Federal Communications Commission is the main regulator of the mobile phone industry in the United States.
Qualcomm is the inventor of and main contributor to cdmaOne and CDMA2000 mobile phone standards.
Mobile Phone Production:
U.S. based producers:
- Akyumen
- Apple
- Blu Products
- Firefly children's phone
- Garmin
- HP
- Motorola Mobility
- O Plus
- Sonim
- Kodak Phones
International producers:
- Alcatel (previously Alcatel OneTouch)
- BlackBerry
- Coolpad
- HTC
- Huawei
- Kyocera
- LG
- Microsoft Mobile Oy (previously part of Nokia Oyj)
- NEC Casio (G'zOne)
- Pantech
- Personal Communications Devices (PCD)
- Samsung
- Sharp
- Sony
- ZTE
Mobile phone vs. cell phone?
While it is "mobile phone" in British English, it is "cell phone" in American English. The term "cell phone", short for "cellular phone" came into the day-to-day American English vocabulary during the 1980s when the mobile phone companies had to distinguish their mobile phone that can be carried from one cell to another, each controlled by a land-based antenna, from the earlier Improved Mobile Telephone Service phones. In Wikipedia, "mobile phone" is more often used because it can be used across various technologies.
See also: ___________________________________________________________________________
List of best-selling mobile phones:
With over 4 decades on the market, mobile phones have become the most used electronic device in the world. Below is a list of best-selling mobile phones, released between 1992 and 2017.
The best-selling mobile devices are the Nokia 1100 and 1110, two bar phones released in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Both have sold over 250 million units.
The best-selling touchscreen phones are the Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, both released in 2014. Together, they have sold over 220 million units.
The best-selling flip phone is the Motorola RAZR V3, released in 2004. It sold over 130 million units.
The best-selling slider phone is the Samsung E250, released in 2006. It has sold over 30 million units.
Of the 40 phones on the list, Nokia sold the most models, with 15. In 2017, over 1.5 billion mobile phones were sold, with Samsung dominating yearly sales at over 321.2 million units sold, taking up 20.9% market share.
Click on an year blue hyperlink below for the top-selling mobile phones:
Cellular Phone Network, including a List of United States Wireless Communications Service Providers
A mobile base station sends/receives radio signals and is responsible for forming the cell area. A typical cell tower is made up of several parts:
- YouTube Video: Mobile Networks Are Necessary to Deliver a Connected World.
- YouTube Video: How Cell Towers Work: Hands-On!
- YouTube Video: Ranking the best wireless carriers by the numbers (CNet)
A mobile base station sends/receives radio signals and is responsible for forming the cell area. A typical cell tower is made up of several parts:
- The antennas - to send and receive radio signals within the cell.
- The tower or supporting structure - where the antennas are mounted, this could be a building, mast or tower.
- Hardware - supports the operations of the base station often called the BTS (Base Transceiver Station) and is stored in a cabinet or shelter.
- A link back to the digital exchange which can either be a cable or wireless connection.
A cellular network or mobile network is a communication network where the last link is wireless. The network is distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver, but more normally three cell sites or base transceiver stations.
These base stations provide the cell with the network coverage which can be used for transmission of voice, data, and other types of content. A cell typically uses a different set of frequencies from neighboring cells, to avoid interference and provide guaranteed service quality within each cell.
When joined together, these cells provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area. This enables a large number of portable transceivers (e.g., mobile phones, tablets and laptops equipped with mobile broadband modems, pagers, etc.) to communicate with each other and with fixed transceivers and telephones anywhere in the network, via base stations, even if some of the transceivers are moving through more than one cell during transmission.
Cellular networks offer a number of desirable features:
Major telecommunications providers have deployed voice and data cellular networks over most of the inhabited land area of Earth. This allows mobile phones and mobile computing devices to be connected to the public switched telephone network and public Internet.
Private cellular networks can be used for research or for large organizations and fleets, such as dispatch for local public safety agencies or a taxicab company.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Cellular Networks:
List of United States wireless communications service providers:
The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), lists approximately 30 facilities-based wireless service providers in the United States as members.
Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) has over 100 members. Besides the facilities-based providers there are 50+ virtual operators that use the top four networks to provide the service.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the List of United States wireless communications service providers:
These base stations provide the cell with the network coverage which can be used for transmission of voice, data, and other types of content. A cell typically uses a different set of frequencies from neighboring cells, to avoid interference and provide guaranteed service quality within each cell.
When joined together, these cells provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area. This enables a large number of portable transceivers (e.g., mobile phones, tablets and laptops equipped with mobile broadband modems, pagers, etc.) to communicate with each other and with fixed transceivers and telephones anywhere in the network, via base stations, even if some of the transceivers are moving through more than one cell during transmission.
Cellular networks offer a number of desirable features:
- More capacity than a single large transmitter, since the same frequency can be used for multiple links as long as they are in different cells
- Mobile devices use less power than with a single transmitter or satellite since the cell towers are closer
- Larger coverage area than a single terrestrial transmitter, since additional cell towers can be added indefinitely and are not limited by the horizon
Major telecommunications providers have deployed voice and data cellular networks over most of the inhabited land area of Earth. This allows mobile phones and mobile computing devices to be connected to the public switched telephone network and public Internet.
Private cellular networks can be used for research or for large organizations and fleets, such as dispatch for local public safety agencies or a taxicab company.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Cellular Networks:
- Concept
- Cell signal encoding
- Frequency reuse
- Directional antennas
- Broadcast messages and paging
- Movement from cell to cell and handing over
- Mobile phone network
- See also:
- Lists and technical information:
- Deployed networks by technology:
- Deployed networks by country (including technology and frequencies)
- List of mobile network operators of Europe
- List of mobile network operators of the Americas
- List of mobile network operators of the Asia Pacific region
- List of mobile network operators of the Middle East and Africa
- List of mobile network operators (summary)
- Mobile country code - code, frequency, and technology for each operator in each country
- Comparison of mobile phone standards
- Equipment:
- Other:
List of United States wireless communications service providers:
The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), lists approximately 30 facilities-based wireless service providers in the United States as members.
Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) has over 100 members. Besides the facilities-based providers there are 50+ virtual operators that use the top four networks to provide the service.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the List of United States wireless communications service providers:
- Largest U.S. wireless providers
- Technologies used
- Facilities-based service providers
- Defunct, merged and acquired operators
- See also:
List of most popular smartphone apps
Pictured below: App Download and Usage Statistics -- On summer of 2018 the mobile app ecosystem, one of the biggest industries on this planet, will turn 10. It encapsulates millions of app developers, literally billions of smartphone owners who use mobile apps daily and the companies that drive this ecosystem – Apple, Google and, in a lesser degree, Amazon and Microsoft.
- YouTube Video: Top 10 Reasons Android is Better Than iOS - Gear Up^ (WatchMojo)
- YouTube Video: Best Apps for Apple Watch
Pictured below: App Download and Usage Statistics -- On summer of 2018 the mobile app ecosystem, one of the biggest industries on this planet, will turn 10. It encapsulates millions of app developers, literally billions of smartphone owners who use mobile apps daily and the companies that drive this ecosystem – Apple, Google and, in a lesser degree, Amazon and Microsoft.
The following is a top 10 list of the most popular smartphone apps by number of unique users in the United States as of the end of 2016. All of the smartphone apps in this list are owned by Google, Facebook, Apple or Amazon; all of these apps are free to download:
The following is a top 10 list of the most used smartphone apps in the U.S. as of August 2017. All of these apps come from publicly traded companies based in California:
See also:
- Facebook Messenger
- YouTube
- Google Maps
- Google Search
- Google Play
- Gmail
- Apple Music
- Amazon App
The following is a top 10 list of the most used smartphone apps in the U.S. as of August 2017. All of these apps come from publicly traded companies based in California:
- YouTube
- Facebook Messenger
- Google Search
- Google Maps
- Snapchat
- Google Play
- Gmail
- Pandora Radio
See also:
Mobile Network Operators including a List of Mobile Operators Pictured below: A partial listing of the Major Mobile Network Operators
A mobile network operator or MNO, also known as a wireless service provider, wireless carrier, cellular company, or mobile network carrier, is a provider of wireless communications services that owns or controls all the elements necessary to sell and deliver services to an end user including:
In addition to obtaining revenue by offering retail services under its own brand, an MNO may also sell access to network services at wholesale rates to mobile virtual network operators (MVNO): See next topic.
A key defining characteristic of a mobile network operator is that an MNO must own or control access to a radio spectrum license from a regulatory or government entity . A second key defining characteristic of an MNO is that an MNO must own or control the elements of the network infrastructure necessary to provide services to subscribers over the licensed spectrum.
A mobile network operator typically also has the necessary provisioning, billing and customer care computer systems and the marketing, customer care and engineering organizations needed to sell, deliver and bill for services. However, an MNO can outsource any of these systems or functions and still be considered a mobile network operator.
See also:
- radio spectrum allocation,
- wireless network infrastructure,
- back haul infrastructure, billing,
- customer care,
- provisioning computer systems
- and marketing and repair organizations.
In addition to obtaining revenue by offering retail services under its own brand, an MNO may also sell access to network services at wholesale rates to mobile virtual network operators (MVNO): See next topic.
A key defining characteristic of a mobile network operator is that an MNO must own or control access to a radio spectrum license from a regulatory or government entity . A second key defining characteristic of an MNO is that an MNO must own or control the elements of the network infrastructure necessary to provide services to subscribers over the licensed spectrum.
A mobile network operator typically also has the necessary provisioning, billing and customer care computer systems and the marketing, customer care and engineering organizations needed to sell, deliver and bill for services. However, an MNO can outsource any of these systems or functions and still be considered a mobile network operator.
See also:
Mobile Virtual Network Operator, including a List of Virtual Network Operators in the United States
YouTube Video: Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) allows companies to run their own telco*.
* -- MVNE delivers cellular-based services to allowing companies to have a direct relationship with customers without needing to build out the entire network. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has worldwide relationships with carriers and provides the technology that allows a company to deploy their own cellular service. Giorgio Curatolo explains how MVNE works and how a company could deploy it.
Pictured below: What are Mobile Virtual Network Operators?
YouTube Video: Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) allows companies to run their own telco*.
* -- MVNE delivers cellular-based services to allowing companies to have a direct relationship with customers without needing to build out the entire network. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has worldwide relationships with carriers and provides the technology that allows a company to deploy their own cellular service. Giorgio Curatolo explains how MVNE works and how a company could deploy it.
Pictured below: What are Mobile Virtual Network Operators?
A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), virtual network operator (VNO), or mobile other licensed operator (MOLO), is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provides services to its customers.
An MVNO enters into a business agreement with a mobile network operator to obtain bulk access to network services at wholesale rates, then sets retail prices independently.
An MVNO may use its own customer service, billing support systems, marketing, and sales personnel, or it could employ the services of a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE).
Types:
MVNOs are distinguished by their commitment to owning and managing the operational components of the MVNO business model, consisting of:
Because MVNOs are effectively defined by their lack of spectrum licenses, an MVNO necessarily will need to have agreements in place to access the network of at least one MNO.
The type of MVNO is determined by how "thick" or "thin" a technological layer an MVNO adds over its access to its host MNO's network.
Branded reseller:
Sometimes referred to as a "Skinny MVNO", as the reseller almost totally relies on the MVNO's facilities. They do not own any network elements, but may own and operate their own customer care, marketing, and sales operations.
Service Provider:
Sometimes referred to as a "Light MVNO". The service provider operates its own customer support, marketing, sales and distribution operations, and has the ability to set its tariffs independently from the retail prices set by the MNO.
Enhanced Service Provider:
Sometimes referred to as a "Thick MVNO". The MVNO manages a more complete technical implementation with its own infrastructure which allows the MVNO more control over its offerings.
These MVNOs have a heavier focus on branding, customer-ownership, and differentiation through added services like data and SIM applications.
Full MVNO:
These MVNOs have a network implementation operating essentially the same technology as a mobile network operator. Full MVNOs only lack their own radio networks.
United States:
See also: List of United States mobile virtual network operators
There are 139 MVNOs operating in the U.S., which are estimated to hold about 7 out of every 100 wireless subscribers representing 23 million customers in all.
That number has roughly doubled since 2009, thanks to a trend of the larger providers allowing customers to more easily switch networks, and a significant decrease in the cost of wholesale network capacity rates.
MVNOs have tended to receive better customer service marks in the U.S. than the big carriers, with Consumer Cellular, Ting, and Republic Wireless topping the Consumer Reports industry customer service satisfaction rankings.
To better compete with MVNOs, which tend to offer service at lower rates than the major US wireless networks directly, some large American carriers also market wireless service using their own captive MVNOs or alternative brands, including
Other notable MVNOs offering lower rates are Lycamobile, ChatSIM, Ultra Mobile, US Mobile, RedPocket and TracFone.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Virtual Network Operators:
An MVNO enters into a business agreement with a mobile network operator to obtain bulk access to network services at wholesale rates, then sets retail prices independently.
An MVNO may use its own customer service, billing support systems, marketing, and sales personnel, or it could employ the services of a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE).
Types:
MVNOs are distinguished by their commitment to owning and managing the operational components of the MVNO business model, consisting of:
- Access to basic network infrastructure, like base stations, transceivers, home location registers, and switching centres.
- Service packaging, pricing, and billing systems, including value-added services like voicemail and missed call notifications.
- Consumer-facing aspects like sales, marketing, and customer relationship management activities like customer care and dispute resolution.
Because MVNOs are effectively defined by their lack of spectrum licenses, an MVNO necessarily will need to have agreements in place to access the network of at least one MNO.
The type of MVNO is determined by how "thick" or "thin" a technological layer an MVNO adds over its access to its host MNO's network.
Branded reseller:
Sometimes referred to as a "Skinny MVNO", as the reseller almost totally relies on the MVNO's facilities. They do not own any network elements, but may own and operate their own customer care, marketing, and sales operations.
Service Provider:
Sometimes referred to as a "Light MVNO". The service provider operates its own customer support, marketing, sales and distribution operations, and has the ability to set its tariffs independently from the retail prices set by the MNO.
Enhanced Service Provider:
Sometimes referred to as a "Thick MVNO". The MVNO manages a more complete technical implementation with its own infrastructure which allows the MVNO more control over its offerings.
These MVNOs have a heavier focus on branding, customer-ownership, and differentiation through added services like data and SIM applications.
Full MVNO:
These MVNOs have a network implementation operating essentially the same technology as a mobile network operator. Full MVNOs only lack their own radio networks.
United States:
See also: List of United States mobile virtual network operators
There are 139 MVNOs operating in the U.S., which are estimated to hold about 7 out of every 100 wireless subscribers representing 23 million customers in all.
That number has roughly doubled since 2009, thanks to a trend of the larger providers allowing customers to more easily switch networks, and a significant decrease in the cost of wholesale network capacity rates.
MVNOs have tended to receive better customer service marks in the U.S. than the big carriers, with Consumer Cellular, Ting, and Republic Wireless topping the Consumer Reports industry customer service satisfaction rankings.
To better compete with MVNOs, which tend to offer service at lower rates than the major US wireless networks directly, some large American carriers also market wireless service using their own captive MVNOs or alternative brands, including
- Boost Mobile (Sprint),
- Cricket Wireless (AT&T)
- and Wal-Mart Family Mobile (Tracfone).
Other notable MVNOs offering lower rates are Lycamobile, ChatSIM, Ultra Mobile, US Mobile, RedPocket and TracFone.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Virtual Network Operators:
- History
- Around the world
- Multiple Countries MVNOs
- United States: above
- United Kingdom
- Regulation
- See also:
List of mobile phone generations
TOP: Generation 1; Generation 2
CENTER: Generation 3, Generation 4
BOTTOM: Generation 5
- YouTube Video: A Short History of the Cell Phone by the Wall Street Journal
- YouTube Video: Android vs Apple iOS - Top 5 reasons Android is better than Apple
- YouTube Video: 10 Steps To Avoid Getting Hacked On Your Smartphone
TOP: Generation 1; Generation 2
CENTER: Generation 3, Generation 4
BOTTOM: Generation 5
The following is a List of Mobile Phone Generations:
First Generation as "1G":
1G refers to the first generation of wireless cellular technology (mobile telecommunications). These are the analog telecommunications standards that were introduced in the 1980s and continued until being replaced by 2G digital telecommunications. The main difference between the two mobile cellular systems (1G and 2G), is that the radio signals used by 1G networks are analog, while 2G networks are digital.
Although both systems use digital signaling to connect the radio towers (which listen to the handsets) to the rest of the telephone system, the voice itself during a call is encoded to digital signals in 2G whereas 1G is only modulated to higher frequency, typically 150 MHz and up. The inherent advantages of digital technology over that of analog meant that 2G networks eventually replaced them almost everywhere.
One such standard is Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT), used in Nordic countries, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe and Russia.
Others include Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) used in North America and Australia, TACS (Total Access Communications System) in the United Kingdom, C-450 in West Germany, Portugal and South Africa, Radiocom 2000 in France, TMA in Spain, and RTMI in Italy.
In Japan there were multiple systems. Three standards, TZ-801, TZ-802, and TZ-803 were developed by NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), while a competing system operated by Daini Denden Planning, Inc. (DDI) used the Japan Total Access Communications System (JTACS) standard.
The antecedent to 1G technology is the mobile radio telephone.
Click here for more about Generation 1.
___________________________________________________________________________
Second Generation as "2G":
2G (or 2-G) is short for second-generation cellular technology. Second-generation 2G cellular networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa Oyj) in 1991.
Three primary benefits of 2G networks over their predecessors were that phone conversations were digitally encrypted; 2G systems were significantly more efficient on the spectrum enabling far greater wireless penetration levels; and 2G introduced data services for mobile, starting with SMS text messages.
2G technologies enabled the various networks to provide the services such as text messages, picture messages, and MMS (multimedia messages). All text messages sent over 2G are digitally encrypted, allowing the transfer of data in such a way that only the intended receiver can receive and read it.
After 2G was launched, the previous mobile wireless network systems were retroactively dubbed 1G. While radio signals on 1G networks are analog, radio signals on 2G networks are digital. Both systems use digital signaling to connect the radio towers (which listen to the devices) to the rest of the mobile system.
With General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), 2G offers a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 50 kbit/s (40 kbit/s in practice).With EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), there is a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 1 Mbit/s (500 kbit/s in practice).
The most common 2G technology was the time division multiple access (TDMA)-based GSM, originally from Europe but used in most of the world outside North America. Over 60 GSM operators were also using CDMA2000 in the 450 MHz frequency band (CDMA450) by 2010.
Click here for more about Generation 2.
___________________________________________________________________________
Third Generation as "3G":
3G, short for third generation, is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. It is the upgrade for 2G and 2.5G GPRS networks, for faster internet speed.
This is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunications use services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union.
3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.
3G telecommunication networks support services that provide an information transfer rate of at least 0.2 Mbit/s. Later 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers.
This ensures it can be applied to wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV technologies.
A new generation of cellular standards has appeared approximately every tenth year since 1G systems were introduced in 1979 and the early to mid-1980s. Each generation is characterized by new frequency bands, higher data rates and non–backward-compatible transmission technology. The first 3G networks were introduced in 1998 and 4G networks in 2008.
Click here for more about Generation 3.
___________________________________________________________________________
Next (interim) Generation as "3.5G":
High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols, High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunication networks using the WCDMA protocols.
A further improved 3GPP standard, Evolved High Speed Packet Access (also known as HSPA+), was released late in 2008 with subsequent worldwide adoption beginning in 2010. The newer standard allows bit-rates to reach as high as 337 Mbit/s in the downlink and 34 Mbit/s in the uplink. However, these speeds are rarely achieved in practice.
Click here for more about Generation 3.5.G.
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Fourth Generation as 4G:
4G is the fourth generation of broadband cellular network technology, succeeding 3G. A 4G system must provide capabilities defined by ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D television.
The first-release Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard was commercially deployed in Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden in 2009, and has since been deployed throughout most parts of the world. It has, however, been debated whether first-release versions should be considered 4G LTE, as discussed in the technical understanding section below.
Click here for more about Generation 4G.
___________________________________________________________________________
Fifth Generation as 5G:
5G (from "5th Generation") is the latest generation of cellular mobile communications. It succeeds the 4G (LTE-A, WiMax), 3G (UMTS, LTE) and 2G (GSM) systems. 5G performance targets high data rate, reduced latency, energy saving, cost reduction, higher system capacity, and massive device connectivity.
The first phase of 5G specifications in Release-15 will be completed by April 2019 to accommodate the early commercial deployment. The second phase in Release-16 is due to be completed by April 2020 for submission to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a candidate of IMT-2020 technology.
The ITU IMT-2020 specification demands speeds up to 20 Gbit/s, achievable with wide channel bandwidths and massive MIMO.
3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is going to submit 5G NR (New Radio) as its 5G communication standard proposal. 5G NR can include lower frequencies (FR1), below 6 GHz, and higher frequencies (FR2), above 24 GHz and into the millimeter waves range.
However, the speed and latency in early deployments, using 5G NR software on 4G hardware (non-standalone), are only slightly better than new 4G systems, estimated at 15% to 50% better. Simulation of standalone eMBB deployments showed improved throughput between 2.5×, in the FR1 range, and nearly 20×, in the FR2 range.
Click here for more about Generation 5G.
First Generation as "1G":
1G refers to the first generation of wireless cellular technology (mobile telecommunications). These are the analog telecommunications standards that were introduced in the 1980s and continued until being replaced by 2G digital telecommunications. The main difference between the two mobile cellular systems (1G and 2G), is that the radio signals used by 1G networks are analog, while 2G networks are digital.
Although both systems use digital signaling to connect the radio towers (which listen to the handsets) to the rest of the telephone system, the voice itself during a call is encoded to digital signals in 2G whereas 1G is only modulated to higher frequency, typically 150 MHz and up. The inherent advantages of digital technology over that of analog meant that 2G networks eventually replaced them almost everywhere.
One such standard is Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT), used in Nordic countries, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe and Russia.
Others include Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) used in North America and Australia, TACS (Total Access Communications System) in the United Kingdom, C-450 in West Germany, Portugal and South Africa, Radiocom 2000 in France, TMA in Spain, and RTMI in Italy.
In Japan there were multiple systems. Three standards, TZ-801, TZ-802, and TZ-803 were developed by NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), while a competing system operated by Daini Denden Planning, Inc. (DDI) used the Japan Total Access Communications System (JTACS) standard.
The antecedent to 1G technology is the mobile radio telephone.
Click here for more about Generation 1.
___________________________________________________________________________
Second Generation as "2G":
2G (or 2-G) is short for second-generation cellular technology. Second-generation 2G cellular networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa Oyj) in 1991.
Three primary benefits of 2G networks over their predecessors were that phone conversations were digitally encrypted; 2G systems were significantly more efficient on the spectrum enabling far greater wireless penetration levels; and 2G introduced data services for mobile, starting with SMS text messages.
2G technologies enabled the various networks to provide the services such as text messages, picture messages, and MMS (multimedia messages). All text messages sent over 2G are digitally encrypted, allowing the transfer of data in such a way that only the intended receiver can receive and read it.
After 2G was launched, the previous mobile wireless network systems were retroactively dubbed 1G. While radio signals on 1G networks are analog, radio signals on 2G networks are digital. Both systems use digital signaling to connect the radio towers (which listen to the devices) to the rest of the mobile system.
With General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), 2G offers a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 50 kbit/s (40 kbit/s in practice).With EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), there is a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 1 Mbit/s (500 kbit/s in practice).
The most common 2G technology was the time division multiple access (TDMA)-based GSM, originally from Europe but used in most of the world outside North America. Over 60 GSM operators were also using CDMA2000 in the 450 MHz frequency band (CDMA450) by 2010.
Click here for more about Generation 2.
___________________________________________________________________________
Third Generation as "3G":
3G, short for third generation, is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. It is the upgrade for 2G and 2.5G GPRS networks, for faster internet speed.
This is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunications use services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union.
3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.
3G telecommunication networks support services that provide an information transfer rate of at least 0.2 Mbit/s. Later 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers.
This ensures it can be applied to wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV technologies.
A new generation of cellular standards has appeared approximately every tenth year since 1G systems were introduced in 1979 and the early to mid-1980s. Each generation is characterized by new frequency bands, higher data rates and non–backward-compatible transmission technology. The first 3G networks were introduced in 1998 and 4G networks in 2008.
Click here for more about Generation 3.
___________________________________________________________________________
Next (interim) Generation as "3.5G":
High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols, High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunication networks using the WCDMA protocols.
A further improved 3GPP standard, Evolved High Speed Packet Access (also known as HSPA+), was released late in 2008 with subsequent worldwide adoption beginning in 2010. The newer standard allows bit-rates to reach as high as 337 Mbit/s in the downlink and 34 Mbit/s in the uplink. However, these speeds are rarely achieved in practice.
Click here for more about Generation 3.5.G.
___________________________________________________________________________
Fourth Generation as 4G:
4G is the fourth generation of broadband cellular network technology, succeeding 3G. A 4G system must provide capabilities defined by ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D television.
The first-release Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard was commercially deployed in Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden in 2009, and has since been deployed throughout most parts of the world. It has, however, been debated whether first-release versions should be considered 4G LTE, as discussed in the technical understanding section below.
Click here for more about Generation 4G.
___________________________________________________________________________
Fifth Generation as 5G:
5G (from "5th Generation") is the latest generation of cellular mobile communications. It succeeds the 4G (LTE-A, WiMax), 3G (UMTS, LTE) and 2G (GSM) systems. 5G performance targets high data rate, reduced latency, energy saving, cost reduction, higher system capacity, and massive device connectivity.
The first phase of 5G specifications in Release-15 will be completed by April 2019 to accommodate the early commercial deployment. The second phase in Release-16 is due to be completed by April 2020 for submission to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a candidate of IMT-2020 technology.
The ITU IMT-2020 specification demands speeds up to 20 Gbit/s, achievable with wide channel bandwidths and massive MIMO.
3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is going to submit 5G NR (New Radio) as its 5G communication standard proposal. 5G NR can include lower frequencies (FR1), below 6 GHz, and higher frequencies (FR2), above 24 GHz and into the millimeter waves range.
However, the speed and latency in early deployments, using 5G NR software on 4G hardware (non-standalone), are only slightly better than new 4G systems, estimated at 15% to 50% better. Simulation of standalone eMBB deployments showed improved throughput between 2.5×, in the FR1 range, and nearly 20×, in the FR2 range.
Click here for more about Generation 5G.
Mobile Commerce(Hacking into mobile phones is a walk in the park, say experts. All it takes is a single SMS sent from the hacker's phone, to break into a phone and gain total control over it, including listening to recordings of phone conversations, reading text messages and even accessing passwords. Experts say that mobile is the new playground for hackers as these devices are easier to break into than PCs, and consumers pay less attention and are tardy when securing their phone.)
Pictured below: Mobile internet to grow >300% to $700B in 4 years
Pictured below: Mobile internet to grow >300% to $700B in 4 years
The phrase mobile commerce was originally coined in 1997 by Kevin Duffey at the launch of the Global Mobile Commerce Forum, to mean "the delivery of electronic commerce ("e-Commerce") capabilities directly into the consumer’s hand, anywhere, via wireless technology." Many choose to think of Mobile Commerce as meaning "a retail outlet in your customer’s pocket."
Mobile commerce is worth US$230 billion, with Asia representing almost half of the market, and has been forecast to reach US$700 billion in 2017.
According to BI Intelligence, in January 2013, 29% of mobile users have now made a purchase with their phones.
Walmart estimated that 40% of all visits to their internet shopping site in December 2012 was from a mobile device.
Bank of America predicts $67.1 billion in purchases will be made from mobile devices by European and U.S. shoppers in 2015.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Commerce:
Mobile commerce is worth US$230 billion, with Asia representing almost half of the market, and has been forecast to reach US$700 billion in 2017.
According to BI Intelligence, in January 2013, 29% of mobile users have now made a purchase with their phones.
Walmart estimated that 40% of all visits to their internet shopping site in December 2012 was from a mobile device.
Bank of America predicts $67.1 billion in purchases will be made from mobile devices by European and U.S. shoppers in 2015.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mobile Commerce:
- History
- Products and services available
- Influence on youth markets
- Payment methods
- App Design for M-Commerce
- See also:
The Mobile Web
YouTube Video: Benefits of a Mobile Website
Pictured: Websites re-designed for mobile screens, with sizes ranging from smartphones, netbooks, and tablets, to laptops, with a desktop screen shown for scale
YouTube Video: Benefits of a Mobile Website
Pictured: Websites re-designed for mobile screens, with sizes ranging from smartphones, netbooks, and tablets, to laptops, with a desktop screen shown for scale
The mobile Web refers to the use of browser-based Internet services from handheld mobile devices, such as smartphones or feature phones, through a mobile or other wireless network.
Traditionally, access to the World Wide Web has been via fixed-line services on laptops and desktop computers. However, the Web is becoming more accessible by portable and wireless devices. An early 2010 ITU (International Telecommunication Union) report said that with the current growth rates, web access by people on the go — via laptops and smart mobile devices – is likely to exceed web access from desktop computers within the next five years.
In January 2014 the time of mobile access to the internet exceeded desktop use in the USA. The shift to mobile Web access has been accelerating with the rise since 2007 of larger multi-touch smartphones, and of multi-touch tablet computers since 2010. Both platforms provide better Internet access, screens, and mobile browsers- or application-based user Web experiences than previous generations of mobile devices have done. Web designers may work separately on such pages, or pages may be automatically converted as in Mobile Wikipedia.
The distinction between mobile Web applications and native applications is anticipated to become increasingly blurred, as mobile browsers gain direct access to the hardware of mobile devices (including accelerometers and GPS chips), and the speed and abilities of browser-based applications improve. Persistent storage and access to sophisticated user interface graphics functions may further reduce the need for the development of platform-specific native applications.
The Mobile Web has also been called Web 3.0, drawing parallels to the changes users were experiencing as Web 2.0 websites proliferated.
Mobile Web access today still suffers from interoperability and usability problems. Interoperability issues stem from the platform fragmentation of mobile devices, mobile operating systems, and browsers.
Usability problems are centered on the small physical size of the mobile phone form factors (limits on display resolution and user input/operating). Despite these shortcomings, many mobile developers choose to create apps using mobile Web. A June 2011 research on mobile development found mobile Web the third most used platform, trailing Android and iOS.
In an article in Communications of the ACM in April 2013, Web technologist Nicholas C. Zakas, noted that mobile phones in use in 2013 were more powerful than Apollo 11's 70 lb (32 kg) Apollo Guidance Computer used in the July 1969 lunar landing.
However, in spite of their power, in 2013, mobile devices still suffer from Web performance with slow connections similar to the 1996 stage of Web development. Mobile devices with slower download request/response times, the latency of over-the-air data transmission, with "high-latency connections, slower CPUs, and less memory" force developers to rethink Web applications created for desktops with "wired connections, fast CPUs, and almost endless memory."
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for additional information about The Mobile Web:
Traditionally, access to the World Wide Web has been via fixed-line services on laptops and desktop computers. However, the Web is becoming more accessible by portable and wireless devices. An early 2010 ITU (International Telecommunication Union) report said that with the current growth rates, web access by people on the go — via laptops and smart mobile devices – is likely to exceed web access from desktop computers within the next five years.
In January 2014 the time of mobile access to the internet exceeded desktop use in the USA. The shift to mobile Web access has been accelerating with the rise since 2007 of larger multi-touch smartphones, and of multi-touch tablet computers since 2010. Both platforms provide better Internet access, screens, and mobile browsers- or application-based user Web experiences than previous generations of mobile devices have done. Web designers may work separately on such pages, or pages may be automatically converted as in Mobile Wikipedia.
The distinction between mobile Web applications and native applications is anticipated to become increasingly blurred, as mobile browsers gain direct access to the hardware of mobile devices (including accelerometers and GPS chips), and the speed and abilities of browser-based applications improve. Persistent storage and access to sophisticated user interface graphics functions may further reduce the need for the development of platform-specific native applications.
The Mobile Web has also been called Web 3.0, drawing parallels to the changes users were experiencing as Web 2.0 websites proliferated.
Mobile Web access today still suffers from interoperability and usability problems. Interoperability issues stem from the platform fragmentation of mobile devices, mobile operating systems, and browsers.
Usability problems are centered on the small physical size of the mobile phone form factors (limits on display resolution and user input/operating). Despite these shortcomings, many mobile developers choose to create apps using mobile Web. A June 2011 research on mobile development found mobile Web the third most used platform, trailing Android and iOS.
In an article in Communications of the ACM in April 2013, Web technologist Nicholas C. Zakas, noted that mobile phones in use in 2013 were more powerful than Apollo 11's 70 lb (32 kg) Apollo Guidance Computer used in the July 1969 lunar landing.
However, in spite of their power, in 2013, mobile devices still suffer from Web performance with slow connections similar to the 1996 stage of Web development. Mobile devices with slower download request/response times, the latency of over-the-air data transmission, with "high-latency connections, slower CPUs, and less memory" force developers to rethink Web applications created for desktops with "wired connections, fast CPUs, and almost endless memory."
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for additional information about The Mobile Web:
- Mobile access
- Standards
- Development
- Top-level domain
- Advertising
- Accelerated Mobile Pages
- Limitations
- See also:
5G Advanced Wireless Technology
- YouTube Video: Everything You Need to Know About 5G
- YouTube Video: How 5G will change your smartphone, and your life
- YouTube Video: 5G Will Be Ultrafast, but the Roll Out Will Be Anything But
5G Wireless Will Improve Our Understanding Of The World - Including The Weather
(Forbes) Bret Swanson Contributor
"One of the chief virtues of the next generation of wireless technology, known as 5G, is that it will not just make our smartphones much faster but that it will also connect tens of billions of varied devices and sensors.
So it’s odd that the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is warning that it could harm their ability to collect weather data. The alarms from NOAA, which is part of the Commerce Department, have been so loud that many outside the wireless world wonder if there is something to the agency’s claim.
There isn’t. 5G will make weather sensing better, not worse. For decades, however, government agencies have jealously (and sometimes disingenuously) guarded their gigantic and often underutilized spectrum hoards. NOAA’s complaints are likely just another example of this phenomenon, which has prevented spectrum from flowing to its best uses, or being used at all.
Here’s the background. Two weeks ago the Federal Communications Commission completed an auction of wireless spectrum in the 24 gigahertz (GHz) range. Such high frequency airwaves will be key to 5G, and it was just one in a series of auctions designed to substantially expand wireless capacity across the nation.
These auctions take years and go through many rounds of public comment where experts, including government agencies, weigh in with suggestions or complaints. Only as the auction was concluding, however, did NOAA issue its alert that the nation’s weather sensing capabilities were in danger.
NOAA claimed that deploying 5G in the 24 GHz range might interfere with its sensing devices. Among many problems with its argument, however, was the fact that the sensing device doesn’t exist. NOAA claims 5G could reduce its collection effectiveness by 77 percent. But the study they cite is based on a far less sensitive device that was never deployed. In fact, that project was canceled in 2006.
As opposed to the imaginary sensors, the passive sensors that actually exist today are more sensitive and less prone to interference. They operate at 23.8 GHz, hundreds of megahertz away from the newly auctioned spectrum, the lower bound of which is 24.25 GHz.
The FCC’s existing interference rules, meanwhile, provide an additional layer of protection. The interference rules are well understood and operate across all our wireless technologies and work well to protect spectrum rights and network functionality.
Administrations of both parties have said unleashing spectrum for 5G is crucial for innovation and economic growth. Many government agencies, such as NOAA and especially the Pentagon, are granted special rights to spectrum to promote public safety and national security.
These are crucial capabilities. But after decades of foot-dragging, we are finally moving more unused spectrum into the marketplace. And we should not allow bureaucratic turf protection to impede the deployment of unused spectrum to the commercial marketplace, thus impeding 5G, and thus economic growth, and thus our ability to support even more advanced weather prediction and military technologies.
The bigger point is that 5G itself will only augment these important public objectives and capabilities. The recent 24 GHz auction alone will add an amazing 700 megahertz of new wireless bandwidth. To grasp just how much new capacity this is, consider that the total deployed spectrum for mobile networks in the U.S. today is under 600 MHz. This one auction will more than double the spectrum available for commercial wireless. And there are more auctions to come – for example, the 37 and 39 GHz auctions scheduled for November.
These auctions and the deployment of hundreds of thousands or even millions of new small cells will expand wireless coverage and capacity by at least 10-times and, along some parameters, by several orders of magnitude. 5G and the billions of new devices it connects will therefore complement NOAA’s own collection efforts (and those of other public agencies, large and small).
Yes, 5G will power augmented reality, connected cars, and much faster smartphones. But 5G will also enable a vast array of passive and active sensing and reporting that will only improve public agency analytics, research, and the important services they offer to the American people.
[End of Forbes Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
5G is an advanced wireless technology that has begun wide deployment in 2019.
4 million Koreans have 5G phones in October 2019, with 5 million expected year end. China has deployed over 100,000 base stations. 150 million 5G mobile subscribers are expected in 2020 in China.
Nine companies are shipping 5G phones in December 2019, driving prices as low as US$470 in China. Indoor hubs, sometimes called MiFi, are available from Verizon in the US, Optus in Australia, Three in the UK and others. Virtually every major telco in the developed world is deploying or intends to deploy.
5G millimeter wave is the fastest, with actual speeds often of a gigabit or two. Verizon's 28 GHz network is the largest. Frequencies are above 24 GHz and soon up to 72 GHz. The reach is short, so more cells are required. mmWave 5G bands are 400 MHz, allowing much faster speeds than the lower bands of 20-100 MHz.. mmWave has difficulty traversing many walls and windows, so indoor coverage is limited.
5G mid-band is the most widely deployed, in over 20 networks. Speeds in a 100 MHz band are usually 100-400 megabits. In the lab and occasionally in the field, speeds can go over a gigabit. Frequencies deployed are from 2.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz.
Sprint and China Mobile are using 2.5 GHz spectrum. Others are mostly between 3.3 and 4.2 GHz. Reach is better. Many areas can be covered simply by upgrading existing towers, which lowers the cost.
5G low-band offers similar capacity to advanced 4G. T-Mobile and AT&T are launching the first week of December. T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray warns that speeds on his 600 MHz 5G may be as low as 25 Mbit/s down. AT&T, using 850 MHz, will also usually deliver less than 100 Mbit/s in 2019. The performance will improve, but cannot be much higher than good 4G in the same spectrum.
Verizon, AT&T, and almost all 5G in 2019 have latencies between 25-35 milliseconds. The "air latency" (between your phone and a tower) in 2019 equipment is 8-12 ms. The latency to the server, further back in the network, raise the average to ~30 ms, 25%-40% lower than typical 4G deployed. Adding "Edge Servers" close to the towers can bring latency down to 10-20 ms. Lower latency, such as the often touted 1 ms, is years away and does not include the time to the server.
The industry association 3GPP defines any system using "5G NR" (5G New Radio) software as, "5G", a definition that came into general use by late 2018. Previously, some reserved the term for systems that deliver speeds of 20 GHz shared called for by ITU IMT-2020. 3GPP will submit their 5G NR to the ITU. In addition to traditional mobile operator services, 5G NR also addresses specific requirements for private mobile networks ranging from industrial IoT to critical communications.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about 5G Wireless Technology:
(Forbes) Bret Swanson Contributor
"One of the chief virtues of the next generation of wireless technology, known as 5G, is that it will not just make our smartphones much faster but that it will also connect tens of billions of varied devices and sensors.
So it’s odd that the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is warning that it could harm their ability to collect weather data. The alarms from NOAA, which is part of the Commerce Department, have been so loud that many outside the wireless world wonder if there is something to the agency’s claim.
There isn’t. 5G will make weather sensing better, not worse. For decades, however, government agencies have jealously (and sometimes disingenuously) guarded their gigantic and often underutilized spectrum hoards. NOAA’s complaints are likely just another example of this phenomenon, which has prevented spectrum from flowing to its best uses, or being used at all.
Here’s the background. Two weeks ago the Federal Communications Commission completed an auction of wireless spectrum in the 24 gigahertz (GHz) range. Such high frequency airwaves will be key to 5G, and it was just one in a series of auctions designed to substantially expand wireless capacity across the nation.
These auctions take years and go through many rounds of public comment where experts, including government agencies, weigh in with suggestions or complaints. Only as the auction was concluding, however, did NOAA issue its alert that the nation’s weather sensing capabilities were in danger.
NOAA claimed that deploying 5G in the 24 GHz range might interfere with its sensing devices. Among many problems with its argument, however, was the fact that the sensing device doesn’t exist. NOAA claims 5G could reduce its collection effectiveness by 77 percent. But the study they cite is based on a far less sensitive device that was never deployed. In fact, that project was canceled in 2006.
As opposed to the imaginary sensors, the passive sensors that actually exist today are more sensitive and less prone to interference. They operate at 23.8 GHz, hundreds of megahertz away from the newly auctioned spectrum, the lower bound of which is 24.25 GHz.
The FCC’s existing interference rules, meanwhile, provide an additional layer of protection. The interference rules are well understood and operate across all our wireless technologies and work well to protect spectrum rights and network functionality.
Administrations of both parties have said unleashing spectrum for 5G is crucial for innovation and economic growth. Many government agencies, such as NOAA and especially the Pentagon, are granted special rights to spectrum to promote public safety and national security.
These are crucial capabilities. But after decades of foot-dragging, we are finally moving more unused spectrum into the marketplace. And we should not allow bureaucratic turf protection to impede the deployment of unused spectrum to the commercial marketplace, thus impeding 5G, and thus economic growth, and thus our ability to support even more advanced weather prediction and military technologies.
The bigger point is that 5G itself will only augment these important public objectives and capabilities. The recent 24 GHz auction alone will add an amazing 700 megahertz of new wireless bandwidth. To grasp just how much new capacity this is, consider that the total deployed spectrum for mobile networks in the U.S. today is under 600 MHz. This one auction will more than double the spectrum available for commercial wireless. And there are more auctions to come – for example, the 37 and 39 GHz auctions scheduled for November.
These auctions and the deployment of hundreds of thousands or even millions of new small cells will expand wireless coverage and capacity by at least 10-times and, along some parameters, by several orders of magnitude. 5G and the billions of new devices it connects will therefore complement NOAA’s own collection efforts (and those of other public agencies, large and small).
Yes, 5G will power augmented reality, connected cars, and much faster smartphones. But 5G will also enable a vast array of passive and active sensing and reporting that will only improve public agency analytics, research, and the important services they offer to the American people.
[End of Forbes Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
5G is an advanced wireless technology that has begun wide deployment in 2019.
4 million Koreans have 5G phones in October 2019, with 5 million expected year end. China has deployed over 100,000 base stations. 150 million 5G mobile subscribers are expected in 2020 in China.
Nine companies are shipping 5G phones in December 2019, driving prices as low as US$470 in China. Indoor hubs, sometimes called MiFi, are available from Verizon in the US, Optus in Australia, Three in the UK and others. Virtually every major telco in the developed world is deploying or intends to deploy.
5G millimeter wave is the fastest, with actual speeds often of a gigabit or two. Verizon's 28 GHz network is the largest. Frequencies are above 24 GHz and soon up to 72 GHz. The reach is short, so more cells are required. mmWave 5G bands are 400 MHz, allowing much faster speeds than the lower bands of 20-100 MHz.. mmWave has difficulty traversing many walls and windows, so indoor coverage is limited.
5G mid-band is the most widely deployed, in over 20 networks. Speeds in a 100 MHz band are usually 100-400 megabits. In the lab and occasionally in the field, speeds can go over a gigabit. Frequencies deployed are from 2.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz.
Sprint and China Mobile are using 2.5 GHz spectrum. Others are mostly between 3.3 and 4.2 GHz. Reach is better. Many areas can be covered simply by upgrading existing towers, which lowers the cost.
5G low-band offers similar capacity to advanced 4G. T-Mobile and AT&T are launching the first week of December. T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray warns that speeds on his 600 MHz 5G may be as low as 25 Mbit/s down. AT&T, using 850 MHz, will also usually deliver less than 100 Mbit/s in 2019. The performance will improve, but cannot be much higher than good 4G in the same spectrum.
Verizon, AT&T, and almost all 5G in 2019 have latencies between 25-35 milliseconds. The "air latency" (between your phone and a tower) in 2019 equipment is 8-12 ms. The latency to the server, further back in the network, raise the average to ~30 ms, 25%-40% lower than typical 4G deployed. Adding "Edge Servers" close to the towers can bring latency down to 10-20 ms. Lower latency, such as the often touted 1 ms, is years away and does not include the time to the server.
The industry association 3GPP defines any system using "5G NR" (5G New Radio) software as, "5G", a definition that came into general use by late 2018. Previously, some reserved the term for systems that deliver speeds of 20 GHz shared called for by ITU IMT-2020. 3GPP will submit their 5G NR to the ITU. In addition to traditional mobile operator services, 5G NR also addresses specific requirements for private mobile networks ranging from industrial IoT to critical communications.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about 5G Wireless Technology:
- Overview
- Performance
- Standards
- Deployment
- 5G devices
- Investing in 5G
- Availabilitty (by Country)
- Technology
- Concerns
- History
- Other applications
- See also:
- Media related to 5G at Wikimedia Commons
- Online messages decoder for the new TS24.501 5GS Non-Access-Stratum 5G protocol
List of Video Games based on Films
- YouTube Video: Top 20 Best Games Based on Movies
- YouTube Video: Top 10 The LION KING like games
- YouTube Video: Google Play's Best Of 2018 Awards - Game Winners
Click here for Total List (to-date) of Video Games based on Films.
The following is a Partial List of Video games based on films.
0–9
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
O
P
R
S
T
W
X
The following is a Partial List of Video games based on films.
0–9
- ► 101 Dalmatians video games (2 P)
A
- ► The Addams Family video games (3 P)
- ► Aladdin (franchise) video games (4 P)
- ► Alien (franchise) games (2 C, 21 P)
- ► Alien vs. Predator games (14 P)
- ► Antz video games (2 P)
- ► Austin Powers games (4 P)
B
- ► Back to the Future video games (8 P)
- ► Arcade and video games based on Batman films (12 P)
- ► Beauty and the Beast video games (4 P)
- ► Bill & Ted video games (4 P)
C
- ► Cars (franchise) video games (8 P)
- ► Casper video games (3 P)
- ► The Cheetah Girls video games (3 P)
- ► The Chronicles of Narnia video games (3 P)
- ► The Chronicles of Riddick (franchise) video games (2 P)
- ► Cool World video games (3 P)
D
- ► Video games based on Dark Horse Comics films (6 P)
- ► Die Hard (film series) arcade and video games (7 P)
- ► Dirty Harry video games (3 P)
E
- ► E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video games (5 P, 4 F)
- ► The Empire Strikes Back video games (17 P)
- ► The Evil Dead (franchise) video games (6 P)
F
- ► The Fast and the Furious video games (2 P)
- ► Video games based on The Flintstones (9 P)
- ► Video games based on Friday the 13th (franchise) (5 P)
G
- ► Ghostbusters games (13 P)
- ► Godzilla games (21 P)
- ► Goonies video games (4 P)
H
- ► Harry Potter video games (18 P)
- ► High School Musical video games (9 P)
- ► Highlander (franchise) books and games (5 P)
- ► Home Alone (franchise) video games (2 P)
- ► How The Grinch Stole Christmas! video games (2 P)
- ► Video games based on The Hunt for Red October (3 P)
I
- ► The Incredibles video games (6 P)
- ► Indiana Jones video games (20 P)
J
- ► James Bond video games (29 P)
- ► Jaws video games (6 P)
- ► The Jungle Book (Disney) video games (2 P)
- ► Jurassic Park video games (33 P)
K
- ► King Kong video games (3 P)
- ► Kung Fu Panda video games (5 P)
L
- ► Lilo & Stitch video games (4 P)
- ► The Lion King video games (8 P)
- ► The Little Mermaid (franchise) video games (4 P)
- ► Video games based on Looney Tunes (4 C, 43 P)
- ► The Lord of the Rings (film series) video games (16 P)
M
- ► Madagascar (film) video games (5 P)
- ► Video games based on Marvel Comics films (3 C, 16 P)
- ► The Matrix (franchise) video games (3 P)
- ► Megamind video games (1 P)
- ► Mission: Impossible video games (4 P)
- ► Monsters, Inc. video games (3 P)
- ► Monty Python video games (5 P)
- ► The Mummy video games (2 P)
- ► The Muppets video games (1 C, 10 P)
O
- ► Over the Hedge video games (3 P)
P
- ► The Pink Panther (cartoons) video games (3 P)
- ► Pirates of the Caribbean video games (13 P)
- ► Predator (franchise) games (1 C, 7 P)
R
- ► Rambo video games (7 P)
- ► Ringu cycle video games (2 P)
- ► Video games based on RoboCop (9 P)
- ► Rocky video games (6 P)
S
- ► Saw video games (2 P)
- ► The Scorpion King video games (2 P)
- ► Shrek video games (15 P)
- ► Video games based on Spider-Man films (6 P)
- ► Video games based on Star Trek (film franchise) (7 P)
- ► Star Wars (film) video games (14 P)
- ► Star Wars video games (15 C, 73 P)
- ► Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace video games (14 P)
- ► Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones video games (9 P)
- ► Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith video games (4 P)
- ► Star Wars: The Force Awakens video games (2 P)
T
- ► Tarzan (franchise) video games (4 P)
- ► Terminator video games (17 P)
- ► Toy Story video games (15 P)
- ► Transformers (film series) video games (8 P)
- ► Tron video games (13 P)
W
- ► Wallace and Gromit video games (4 P)
- ► Who Framed Roger Rabbit video games (5 P)
- ► Winnie-the-Pooh video games (9 P)
X
- ► Video games based on X-Men films (3 P)
Automated Personal Assistant
- YouTube Video: Mark Zuckerberg's AI - Personal Assistant - Jarvis - Home Automation
- YouTube Video: Virtual Assistant - powered by Artificial Intelligence
- YouTube Video: This AI device will be your personal assistant for the car
An automated personal assistant or an Intelligent Personal Assistant is a mobile software agent that can perform tasks, or services, on behalf of an individual based on a combination of user input, location awareness, and the ability to access information from a variety of online sources (such as weather conditions, traffic congestion, news, stock prices, user schedules, retail prices, etc.).
There are two types of automated personal assistants: intelligent automated assistants (for example, Apple’s Siri and Tronton’s Cluzee), which perform concierge-type tasks (e.g., making dinner reservations, purchasing event tickets, making travel arrangements) or provide information based on voice input or commands; and smart personal agents, which automatically perform management or data-handling tasks based on online information and events often without user initiation or interaction.
According to Chi-Hua Chien of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, examples of tasks that may be performed by a smart personal agent-type of automated personal assistant include schedule management (e.g., sending an alert to a dinner date that a user is running late due to traffic conditions, update schedules for both parties, and change the restaurant reservation time) and personal health management (e.g., monitoring caloric intake, heart rate and exercise regimen, then making recommendations for healthy choices).
Both types of automated personal assistant technology are enabled by the combination of mobile computing devices, application programming interfaces (APIs), and the proliferation of mobile apps. However, intelligent automated assistants are designed to perform specific, one-off tasks specified by user voice instructions, while smart personal agents perform ongoing tasks (e.g., schedule management) autonomously.
See also:
There are two types of automated personal assistants: intelligent automated assistants (for example, Apple’s Siri and Tronton’s Cluzee), which perform concierge-type tasks (e.g., making dinner reservations, purchasing event tickets, making travel arrangements) or provide information based on voice input or commands; and smart personal agents, which automatically perform management or data-handling tasks based on online information and events often without user initiation or interaction.
According to Chi-Hua Chien of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, examples of tasks that may be performed by a smart personal agent-type of automated personal assistant include schedule management (e.g., sending an alert to a dinner date that a user is running late due to traffic conditions, update schedules for both parties, and change the restaurant reservation time) and personal health management (e.g., monitoring caloric intake, heart rate and exercise regimen, then making recommendations for healthy choices).
Both types of automated personal assistant technology are enabled by the combination of mobile computing devices, application programming interfaces (APIs), and the proliferation of mobile apps. However, intelligent automated assistants are designed to perform specific, one-off tasks specified by user voice instructions, while smart personal agents perform ongoing tasks (e.g., schedule management) autonomously.
See also: