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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Blu-ray


Blu-ray (not Blue-ray) also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a new optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson). The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This extra capacity combined with the use of advanced video and audio codecs will offer consumers an unprecedented HD experience. 


While current optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-ray. Despite the different type of lasers used, Blu-ray products can easily be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit. The benefit of using a blue-violet laser (405nm) is that it has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with even greater precision. This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space, so it's possible to fit more data on the disc even though it's the same size as a CD/DVD. This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 is what enables Blu-ray Discs to hold 25GB/50GB. Recent development by Pioneer has pushed the storage capacity to 500GB on a single disc by using 20 layers.

 

Blu-ray is currently supported by about 200 of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer, recording media, video game and music companies. The format also has support from all Hollywood studios and countless smaller studios as a successor to today's DVD format. Many studios have also announced that they will begin releasing new feature films on Blu-ray Disc day-and-date with DVD, as well as a continuous slate of catalog titles every month. For more information about Blu-ray movies, check out our Blu-ray movies and Blu-ray reviews section which offers information about new and upcoming Blu-ray releases, as well as what movies are currently available in the Blu-ray format.  

Source
http://www.blu-ray.com/info/
 

Tidal Energy

Introduction

The tide moves a huge amount of water twice each day, and harnessing it could provide a great deal of energy - around 20% of Britain's needs.

Although the energy supply is reliable and plentiful, converting it into useful electrical power is not easy.

There are eight main sites around Britain where tidal power stations could usefully be built, including the Severn, Dee, Solway and Humber estuaries. Only around 20 sites in the world have been identified as possible tidal power stations.

A few years ago, "tidal power" meant "tidal barrage", but these days there are other options as well.

How It Works - Tidal Barrages

These work rather like a hydro-electric scheme, except that the dam is much bigger.
A huge dam (called a "barrage") is built across a river estuary. When the tide goes in and out, the water flows through tunnels in the dam.

The ebb and flow of the tides can be used to turn a turbine, or it can be used to push air through a pipe, which then turns a turbine. Large lock gates, like the ones used on canals, allow ships to pass.

If one was built across the Severn Estuary, the tides at Weston-super-Mare would not go out nearly as far - there'd be water to play in for most of the time.

But the Severn Estuary carries sewage and other wastes from many places (e.g. Bristol & Gloucester) out to sea. A tidal barrage would mean that this stuff would hang around Weston-super-Mare an awful lot longer!

Also, if you're one of the 80,000+ birds that feeds on the exposed mud flats when the tide goes out, then you have a problem, because the tide won't be going out properly any more.

More

The largest tidal power station in the world (and the only one in Europe) is in the Rance estuary in northern France, near St. Malo. It was built in 1966.

A major drawback of tidal power stations is that they can only generate when the tide is flowing in or out - in other words, only for 10 hours each day. However, tides are totally predictable, so we can plan to have other power stations generating at those times when the tidal station is out of action.

There have been plans for a "Severn Barrage" from Brean Down in Somerset to Lavernock Point in Wales. Every now and again the idea gets proposed, but nothing has been built yet.

It would cost at least £15 billion to build, but other figures about the project seem to vary depending on where you look. For example, one source says the Severn Barrage would provide over 8,000 Megawatts of power (that's over 12 nuclear power station's worth), another says it would be equivalent to 3 nuclear power stations. The variation in the numbers is because there are several different Severn Barrage projects being proposed, so be careful about which numbers you quote if you're a student researching this topic.
There would be a number of benefits, including protecting a large stretch of coastline against damage from high storm tides, and providing a ready-made road bridge. However, the drastic changes to the currents in the estuary could have huge effects on the ecosystem, and huge numbers of birds that feed on the mud flats in the estuary when the tide goes out would have nowhere to feed.
Another option is to use offshore turbines, rather like an underwater wind farm.
This has the advantage of being much cheaper to build, and does not have the environmental problems that a tidal barrage would bring.
The University of Wales Swansea and partners are also researching techniques to extract electrical energy from flowing water.
The "Swanturbines" design is different to other devices in a number of ways. The most significant is that it is direct drive, where the blades are connected directly to the electrical generator without a gearbox between. This is more efficient and there is no gearbox to go wrong. Another difference is that it uses a "gravity base", a large concrete block to hold it to the seabed, rather than drilling into the seabed. Finally, the blades are fixed pitch, rather than actively controlled, this is again to design out components that could be unreliable.
December 2008: A "Tidal Reef" across the Severn Estuary is being proposed
At first glance this looks like a tidal barrage, but this design does not block the water movement as much, so it wouldn't affect the tides as severely and the environmental consequences would be much less. It could be built in sections, so power could start being generated sooner.
Migratory fish could get through, mud flats could still be exposed at low tide, and it would be able to generate power for more hours in the tidal cycle. Sections of it would open to allow shipping through, and it could be used to control tidal levels further upstream, for example preventing storm surges from flooding low-lying land. (Author's note - I live on low-lying land near the Severn Estuary, so I'm quite keen on this!)
Tidal barrages have been built before, whereas this idea is untested - so it'll be interesting to see if it gets approved.
Advantages
  • Once you've built it, tidal power is free.
  • It produces no greenhouse gases or other waste. 
  • It needs no fuel. 
  • It produces electricity reliably. 
  • Not expensive to maintain. 
  • Tides are totally predictable. 
  • Offshore turbines and vertical-axis turbines are not ruinously expensive to build and do not have a large environmental impact.
Disadvantages
  • A barrage across an estuary is very expensive to build, and affects a very wide area - the environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream. Many birds rely on the tide uncovering the mud flats so that they can feed. Fish can't migrate, unless "fish ladders" are installed.
  • Only provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the tide is actually moving in or out.
  • There are few suitable sites for tidal barrages
 Is it renewable?
Tidal energy is renewable. The tides will continue to ebb and flow, and the energy is there for the taking. 
Source

Sunday, September 2, 2012

2012 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Black Carbon


Bugatti is lighting up the Shanghai Auto Show floor with a special edition Bugatti Veyron Super Sport developed especially for the Chinese market. The special edition will be completely painted in black visible carbon carbon, then combined with an interior that mixes "Snow Beige" and "Beluga Black."

The black carbon paint is combined with polished and anodized aluminum insertions, a new set of alloy wheels, EB logos on the wheel caps, and a fuel filler cap and rear lid. The interior of the Bugatti special edition will get "Snow Beige" leather for the seats, and that color will transfer over to the floors mats and the stitching on the steering wheel as well. The doors and center console are all dressed up in carbon fiber.
Under the hood, everything remains unchanged. This beautiful beast will feature a 16-cylinder engine with a total output of 1200 HP. With this amount of power, the Super Sport will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds and will hit a top speed of 267 mph.
Bugatti will only build one unit of this exquisite vehicle, and to make matters worse, that model has already been sold to a customer in China.
Source

Friday, August 31, 2012

Microwaves

Microwaves are very short waves of electromagnetic energy that travel at the speed of light (186,282 miles per second). Microwaves used in microwave ovens are in the same family of frequencies as the signals used in radio and television broadcasting.

The theory of electromagnetic energy can be illustrated by what happens when a pebble is tossed into a quiet pond. The pebble striking the still surface causes the water to move up and down in the form of ripples, or waves, that radiate in ever-widening circles over the surface of the pond. These waves, which move up and down at right angles to the direction they are traveling, are called transverse waves. Microwaves are examples of transverse waves. The disturbance resulting from the pebble landing in the water is transmitted through the water in the form of ripples or waves. The water serves merely as a medium through which the disturbance travels. In this sense, these ripples are more like sound waves, which also need a medium to travel through, normally using the molecules that exist in the air or water. That is why, for example, thundering rocket engines that would deafen the ears under normal circumstances, would be inaudible in the quiet vacuum of space. On the other hand, electromagnetic forms of energy, such as microwaves, radar waves, radio and TV waves, travel millions of miles through the emptiness of space without the need of any material medium through which to travel. This is because, simply put, electromagnetic waves are, in themselves, stored energy in motion.



A Phenomenal Force

Electromagnetic radiation begins with a phenomenon that occurs when electric current flows through a conductor, such as a copper wire. The motion of the electrons through the wire produces a field of energy that surrounds the wire and floats just off its surface. This floating zone or cloud of energy is actually made up of two different fields of energy, one electric and one magnetic. The electric and magnetic waves that combine to form an electromagnetic wave travel at right angles to each other and to the direction of motion. If the current flowing through the wire is made to oscillate at a very rapid rate, the floating electromagnetic field will break free and be launched into space. Then, at the speed of light, the energy will radiate outward in a pulsating pattern, much like the waves in the pond. It is theorized that these waves are made up of tiny packets of radiant energy called photons. Streams of photons, each carrying energy and momentum, travel in waves like an undulating string of cars on a speeding roller coaster.

Is Microwave Radiation the Same as Radioactive Radiation?

No. There is a very important difference. As illustrated by the frequency spectrum on the right, microwaves used in microwave ovens, similar to microwaves used in radar equipment, and telephone, television and radio communication, are in the non-ionizing range of electromagnetic radiation. Non-ionizing radiation is very different from Ionizing radiation . Ionizing radiation is extraordinarily high in frequency (millions of trillions of cycles per second). It is, therefore, extremely powerful and penetrating. Even at low levels, ionizing radiation can damage the cells of living tissue. In fact, these dangerous rays, have enough energy and intensity to actually change (ionize) the molecular structure of matter. In sufficient doses, ionizing radiation can even cause genetic mutations. As shown on the frequency spectrum, the ionizing range of frequencies includes X-rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays. Ionizing radiation is the sort of radiation we associate with radioactive substances like uranium, radium, and the fall-out from atomic and thermonuclear explosions.
Non-ionizing radiation is very different. Because of the lower frequencies and reduced energy, it does not have the same damaging and cumulative properties as ionizing radiation. Microwave radiation (at 2450 MHz) is non-ionizing, and in sufficient intensity will simply cause the molecules in matter to vibrate, thereby causing friction, which produces the heat that cooks the food.
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Friday, August 3, 2012

EU transport must be 50% more efficient by 2050, says Joris Al

A country’s transport system is the “conveyor belt” of any economy, said Forum of European Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL) president Joris Al on Monday.


Speaking at the Southern African Transport Conference, held in Pretoria, the Dutch citizen noted that a strong economy required an “affordable, acceptable and available – and available soon – transport system”.


“In the Netherlands the public is quite impatient with any failure in the transport system.”


Al said that modern day transport systems moved more freight and passengers over longer distances, in shorter time periods and at a lower cost than ever before.


In the European Union (EU) the target was for any door-to-door trip in the region to take no longer than four hours.


Al added that it had become increasingly clear that the existing transport networks in the EU could not be expanded further geographically, but that it would have to focus on new innovations to improve its efficiency.


Demand for transport was continuing to grow, he noted, despite the current dire economic situation in the region.


With congestion 20% less intense at the moment, it was expected to grow again as economic growth picked up.


However, Al said this turnaround was not expected to see significant increases in infrastructure spending. In fact, budgets were expected to “go down”.


“We also know there will be less money available for maintenance.”


Current forecasts indicated that the EU transport system had to improve its efficiency by 50% by 2050 to cater for demand, Al said.


“We need infrastructure innovations for 50% better cost effectiveness.”


He added that “the low-hanging fruit” had already been harvested, and that the next step in improving EU transport efficiencies would require much harder work.


Another challenge – proved historically – was that any paradigm shift in a transport system would change the way the entire system operated.


Al said that the introduction of electric vehicles, for example, was affecting all four transport components, namely the vehicle, infrastructure, energy and resources, as well as logistics and mobility services.


“For electric vehicles to succeed, innovations in all system components are required.”


Al believed that one way of achieving higher output would be for various department and agencies “to get our of their silos” and work together to achieve the best possible results.


He noted that the challenge was not so much the implementation of technology, but integrating various processes and systems.


“Innovation in transport is needed. Action without delay,” he emphasised.

Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter

 

View the original article here

Africa needs $360bn basic infrastructure investment over 25 years

Africa required an estimated $360-billion to implement basic regional backbone infrastructure across the continent by 2040, said African Development Bank (AfDB) manager of regional integration and trade Ralph Olaye on Tuesday.


The implementation of sufficient African infrastructure, which was previously stated to be the least developed in the world, would increase the continent’s lagging competiveness in the global economy and lower the cost of doing business.


Speaking at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) inaugural Infrastructure Africa conference, in Sandton, he said that the current infrastructure deficit was costing the continent about 2% gross domestic product (GDP) growth a year, as well as limiting intra-African trade, which currently stood at 12%.


The 2012 to 2040 Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (Pida), a multibillion-dollar initiative led by the AfDB, the African Union and Nepad, aimed to develop a web of 37 200 km of highways, 30 200 km of railways and 16 500 km of interconnected power lines.


It also planned to add 20 101 hm3 to Africa’s current water storage capacity, 54 150 MW of hydroelectric power generation capacity and an extra 1.3-billion tons capacity at the ports.


This excluded the multibillion-dollar investments required to develop the national infrastructure linked to the basic regional backbone, to ensure full infrastructure coverage throughout Africa.


The investment would be funded through, besides others, domestic revenues or tax and revenues under an affordable user pays model.


Pida was the successor of Nepad’s medium- to long-term strategic framework, which ended in 2012, and focused on short-, medium- and long-term, current and future regional and continental infrastructure projects in transport, energy, information and telecommunications technologies.


The programme’s short-term priority action plan, to deal with more immediate infrastructure needs, comprised 51 regional and continental infrastructure projects to be implemented by 2020.


Pita also set medium-term aims, to be achieved by 2030, and long-term aims to be complete by 2040.


Olaye commented that over the next 30 years, infrastructure investment would need to accelerate and increase if it was to meet the expected 6.2% GDP growth.


Further, Africa’s population was expected to double by 2040 to two-billion, and Pida hoped to create about 15-million jobs through construction, operation and maintenance of the projects. Olaye believed that millions more would be created indirectly through the increased economic activity generated through the projects.


 

View the original article here

Solutions on GFIP need exploration – Motlanthe

The best possible solutions needed to be explored for the implementation of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said in Johannesburg on Friday.


"There should be no overburdening of poor people with added cost," Motlanthe said in opening remarks at a meeting between the inter-ministerial committee on the GFIP and the Congress of SA Trade Unions.


However the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), which oversees the project, needed capital to fund its operation.


There were grey areas requiring attention and a solution needed to be found that was acceptable to the citizens of Gauteng, said the deputy president.


Sanral was one of the best agencies government had, and if the state had a "bottomless pot" of funds it would make South Africa's road infrastructure the best in the world.


One of the problems facing the agency was ensuring its credit worthiness was sustained, Motlanthe said.


Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, speaking after Motlanthe, thanked the government for the opportunity to discuss the GFIP.


He said the trade union federation understood that roads needed to be paid for.


"We accept we can't just walk away from that commitment."


However, Cosatu had concerns regarding the project.


The committee, chaired by Motlanthe, on Thursday met several businesses and representatives from Business Unity SA, the SA Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa), the Road Freight Association, and religious leaders.


On March 7, Cosatu held a nationwide strike against e-tolling and labour brokering. On April 26 an agreement was reached in a meeting between the African National Congress and the union to delay the implementation of the project by a month.


On April 28 the High Court in Pretoria granted an urgent interdict, brought by Outa, to stop implementation of the tolling system, so that a full court review could be carried out to decide if it should be scrapped.


 

View the original article here

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Uganda looks to raise about $1bn for roads

The Ugandan government is looking to raise nearly $1-billion through contractor-financing arrangements to enable the east African country to build 1 900 km of roads, a senior official said on Wednesday.


Traditionally Uganda has relied on direct budgetary allocations to fund infrastructure developments but scant tax revenues have meant the country's road network remains poor, stifling growth in east Africa's third largest economy.


Ugandan officials say the lack of basic infrastructure and a persistent power crisis has hindered the growth potential of a country that is hoping to become a top 50 oil producer.


"This is a small economy and if we're to wait for tax revenues to come in so that we develop these roads it may take time," Dan Alinange, spokesman for the state-run Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), told Reuters.


"So our new strategy is getting contractors themselves to source funding from financial institutions and we're looking to raise about $950-million to construct 1 900 km."


He said UNRA had already sent out calls for expressions of interest and hoped to receive proposals by October and hand out the first contract by early next year.


Contractors, according to UNRA, will negotiate with the finance ministry on interest rates and repayment periods.


Uganda discovered commercial hydrocarbon deposits in the Albertine rift basin along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and the government estimates reserves at about 2.5-billion barrels.


View the original article here

No use for truck, bus speed limits if not enforced, says research study

There is no reliable evidence of the safety benefits of buses and heavy trucks having lower speeds limits to adhere to than passenger cars, suggests new research by the Stellenbosch University (SU).


In 1999, following a fatal bus collision involving British tourists, the then Minister of Transport reduced the maximum speed limit for public transport vehicles (buses and minibus taxis) to 100 km/h. Heavy vehicles were already limited to 80 km/h.


SU civil engineering professor Christo Bester says there are a number of safety-related reasons why different speed limits could be applied to different types of vehicle.


For example, because of the differences in mass, different vehicles have different stopping distances. And, related to the interaction between the tyres and the road surface, is the ability of a vehicle to negotiate a horizontal curve. Excessive speeds can lead to a vehicle slipping, or overturning on a sharp curve.


Different vehicles also have different safety features, such as crumble zones, passenger restraints and electronic stability control.


However, despite these benefits, the application of variable speed limits is not without problems, with the most important of these being the ability to effectively enforce different limits on the same road, says Bester.


Variable speed limits are only viewed as effective when 85% of drivers keep to the designated limit. However, from studies carried out in the Eastern and Western Cape, 60% of minibus taxis did not comply with the speed limit, with the same true for 64% of heavy goods vehicles.


Bester says automatic speed cameras cannot differentiate between vehicle types, which is why only the highest limit can be enforced.


Speed cameras that are manually operated, or sophisticated apparatus with access to the South African vehicle data base (such as the speed-over-distance camera) are necessary.


“It is clear, however,” emphasises Bester, “that minibus taxis and heavy vehicles do not adhere to their maximum speed limits. It is clear that these [variable speed] limits should be reconsidered or at least enforced on a larger scale than is currently the case. If the limits are not enforced, there is clearly no justification for having them.”


Bester also questions why legislation regarding the 80 km/h speed limit refers to heavy goods vehicles only.


“Why allow a higher speed limit for buses than for other heavy vehicles? Or vice versa – why force drivers of heavy goods vehicles to travel slower than heavy passenger vehicles?


“Some reason that the value of time is higher for passengers than it is for freight and, therefore, buses should be allowed higher speeds, but this is an economic decision and not one that relates to safety – the main reason given for speed limits. Economic decisions regarding vehicle travel should be taken by operators and not legislators.”


Another problem is that international research has shown that increased differences in speed also result in higher crash rates, as faster and slower drivers have to be accommodated in the same road space. Particularly in two-lane, two-way roads, differentiated speed limits can result in reckless driving behaviour.


Bester says research has shown that the chance of being involved in a road accident is lowest when the vehicle is travelling around the average speed of the surrounding traffic.


In the end, argues Bester, there is no reliable evidence of the safety benefits of variable speed limits. However, there is a concern that by increasing speed variance, differential speed limits may increase overall accident rates.


“This is a solid argument against a differentiated speed limit between heavy vehicles and other road vehicles, and in favour of a standard speed limit for all vehicles.”


Bester then also suggests the more effective enforcement of reconsidered variable speed limits, or the introduction of a lower maximum speed limit for all vehicles, as proposed by the former Minister of Transport, as well as the further reduction of maximum speed limits on single lane roads, in line with international practice.


* Professor Christo Bester and US student MS Marais presented their research at the recent Southern African Transport Conference, held in Pretoria.

Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter

 

View the original article here

The costs and benefits of SA’s toll-road outrage debated

There are many reasons the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) is against the tolling of Gauteng’s freeways, says chairperson Wayne Duvenage, one of these being what the alliance believes has been a lack of consultation on the project.


“If you get 28 responses out of millions of people in Gauteng, then the consultation process was a complete failure. “None of us were aware of what was happening,” he notes.


“We saw in 2006 that some tolling strategy was put forward, but when the decision was taken, none of us knew a thing. “The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) did the absolute legal minimum when consulting with affected communities – not the maximum. “You want billboards when you do this kind of thing. Ninety-nine per cent of people did not know about the system – that is not canvassing; that is a failure.”


An interdict to prevent the launch of e-tolling on Gauteng’s freeways was granted by the North Gauteng High Court, in Pretoria, in April, pending a review of the decision to toll those freeways.


The interdict application was made by Outa.

The

National Treasury and Sanral have since filed an application for leave to appeal against this decision in the Constitutional Court, which will be heard in August.


Outa represents groups such as the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, the Retail Motor Industry Organisation and the South African National Consumers Union.


Listing the many reasons Outa is opposed to electronic toll collection on urban freeways, Duvenage says it remains unclear what the exact cost of toll collection will be, as Sanral has not been prepared to share that information.


He says Outa knows that the cost of the five-year contract between the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) consortium and Sanral for electronic toll collection is R8.3-billion, or R1.6-billion a year, but what this figure includes in unclear.


He says Outa considers R1.6-billion a year to be too high, especially in relation to the costs incurred in building the roads.


“Is if fair to pay R1.2-billion to R2-billion a year just to collect tolls? Is it right to thrust these costs onto an already overburdened and overtaxed society?”


Duvenage adds that paying R550 a month in toll fees, as capped by Sanral in an effort to curb costs to consumers, will still “affect people enormously”.


Another argument against the implementation of urban tolling is that good-quality public transport is not yet available everywhere in Gauteng, and neither has there been an effort to establish drop-off points allowing motorists to drive together and save on costs.


“I think people want to use public transport, but it is not there,” says Duvenage.


He adds that Outa believes that 10% to 15% of all Gauteng licence plates are cloned, which will create problems in terms of electronic toll collection.


Outa also believes that e-tolling in Gauteng will push up this number to 25%, which has not been factored into the collection model, notes Duvenage.


He adds that the ‘user pays’ principle, as embodied in toll roads and punted by Sanral, cannot be valid for Gauteng only. Should the agency truly believe in this principle, every South African road, old and new, would have to be tolled.


Duvenage surmises that a ringfenced fuel levy is not an unfair mechanism to collect the money for the new roads built in Gauteng.


Indeed, it is “the most equitable” form of the ‘user pays’ principle.


While it would ask drivers outside the province to contribute to the province’s new roads, it must also be considered that Gauteng puts four times more into the national fiscus than what it receives come national budget time, he elaborates.


It also costs almost nothing to collect the fuel levy.


A more efficient Gauteng economy means a more efficient South African economy, says Duvenage.


Fuel Levy Advantages
Consulting firm Transportation & Traffic Technology Africa MD Dr John Sampson concurs with Duvenage when he says a fuel levy is indeed “the best way” for the user to pay for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) system, as it allows someone with a smaller car, and, therefore, with lower fuel consumption, a lower carbon footprint and lower impact on the road infrastructure, to benefit.


“Tolling is a very expensive way of collecting tax. To my knowledge, [it is] by far the most expensive way of collecting tax. “This is probably my biggest concern – tolling is a very inefficient tax.”


Sampson argues that around 50% of all money collected on the GFIP network would go towards paying for the collection process.


“If the public is going to pay anyway, why use a tax that is inefficient? “There are dozens of ways to collect money, and toll tax is the worst possible method to collect money.”


He adds that toll roads do not constitute an equitable form of the ‘user pays’ principle.


“They may seem to comply with the ‘user pays’ principle on casual inspection but, in fact, the user pays excessively for the tolled sections of the road, which make up only a tiny part of the road network, and travels free on the remainder.”


Engineers and the public should not have to accept that, if roads are not tolled, “you will get [no infrastructure]”, adds Sampson.
“Roads should be funded by using the most efficient means possible of raising taxes and citizens should get the services they need and have paid for.”


Possible Problems
One problem with the fuel levy as a means of paying for road infrastructure is that, South African Roads Federation executive director Dr Malcolm Mitchell believes, the fuel levy will come under pressure in the years ahead.


A US study has shown that improved engine technologies, for example, will cut the fuel tax base by up to 20% by 2025.


Mitchell adds that much of the recent furore over the Gauteng toll roads has been driven by political agendas, rather than the issue itself.


He also notes that people appear to accept the ‘user pays’ principle for water and electricity, but not for roads.


Mitchell says a train system, punted in earlier years, may possibly have solved the traffic problem in Gauteng had it been implemented. He also cautions against the continued postponement of infrastructure decisions.


Arup transport planning logistics specialist Gerard de Villiers, speaking in his private capacity, concurs, noting that better public transport is a necessity in a province such as Gauteng. He adds, however, that toll roads are prob- ably the best motivation for people to leave their cars behind and make use of public transport.


He also notes that any protests taking place should be for alternative travel options to be implemented, and “not against tolling”.


Metrorail should, for example, “get its house in order”.


Court Action Casualty
An unfortunate side effect of Outa’s court case has been that any further phases of the much-needed GFIP project have been shelved, comments Sampson.


“This was the first casualty of Outa’s court case.”


Duvenage is adamant that it was never Outa’s intention to halt the roads infrastructure process, or its funding flow; neither did it want to destabilise the country’s or Sanral’s credit rating by hampering the government agency’s ability to service the debt incurred in building the roads – which is what has happened owing to the delay in starting toll collection.


He says Outa is opposed to e-tolling as “put forward by Sanral in Gauteng”, with the main focus on the high administration costs of collecting the toll fees.


“We are not opposed to long-distance tolling as we know it,” he notes. “We can stomach it, as we take these roads occasionally and there are alternatives. But if I use a road as my daily road, then it is a very different principle.”


Duvenage adds that it is important for Outa not be “suckered into a 5c/km” urban toll solution, as fees would be “back up there in two years where government wants them to be”. • Duvenage, Sampson, Mitchell and De Villiers spoke at the Saice Civil Talk debate held on June 25.


View the original article here

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Durban rolls out e-ticketing bus solution

A new electronic ticketing solution was officially launched in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, offering commuters using People Mover and Durban Transport buses throughout eThekwini as cashless experience.


KwaZulu-Natal Transport member of the executive council Willies Mchunu, who presided over the function, said the deployment of the MasterCard Muvo card formed part of the city’s plans for integrated rapid public transport networks.


The card is supported by Standard Bank and has been delivered by its innovation arm Beyond Payments and transport information technology specialist Almex Transport Solutions.


It uses Mastercard's preauthorised debit solution and has been coupled with the Department of Transport's specified ticketing solution. Ticketing devices are now being installed in city buses.


Some 50 000 Muvo cards would be distributed to commuters, free of charge, over the next two months.


The launch follows the successful piloting of the card in May and June on the city's People Mover buses, which were fitted with electronic ticketing devices.


During the trial, contactless payment cards were issued to commuters and kiosks were set up along Durban’s innercity bus route, where funds could be loaded onto the cards.


"In time, the smartcard will be usable across all modes of public transport, from buses to trains to taxis," Mchunu said.


Cards would be valid for three years and should improve commuter security.


Beyond Payments business development manager Mike Hughes says the company aims to roll out one-million smartcards by the end of the year.


"For millions of poor South Africans this will be the first access to a banking product,” he added.

Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter

 

View the original article here

As bus rapid transit systems are rolled out, some efficiency questions linger

Johannesburg has one and so does Cape Town. Port Elizabeth almost had one, Rustenburg is planning one, and Tshwane may finally roll out one after a delay of several years.


Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, although they may go by different names in different cities, are high-volume bus systems making use of dedicated traffic lanes and stations.


The pre-2010 soccer World Cup period saw a big push for these public transport systems to be developed in all South Africa’s major metropoles, but this effort largely failed. To date, there are only two systems in operation. Johannesburg’s Rea Vaya opened its doors in August 2009, long before the World Cup kick-off date, and Cape Town came on stream with some 2010 FIFA World Cup services in 2010, although its first MyCiTi network was officially opened only in 2011.


Construction of BRT lanes in Port Elizabeth started in August 2008, but work was discontinued following opposition from the taxi industry – a problem Johannesburg overcame with much effort and conviction.


In Tshwane, a BRT system was planned for 2010, but several delays saw the project surfacing again only now, with construction reportedly set to start later this year.


Rustenburg appears to be on track with its system, with construction scheduled to start this month.


But, as the roll-out of BRT systems picks up speed and as the debate around the need for reliable public transport heats up again in light of Gauteng’s e-tolling controversy, are these systems worth the time and money national government and metropolitan councils are spending on them?


Are they the efficient, high-quality public transport solution South Africans have been seeking?


Route Must Make Sense
When looking at Johannesburg as the first council to implement a BRT system, transport economist Andrew Marsay makes some interesting observations – especially around appropriate routing for these systems.


BRT systems seek to blend the higher carrying capacity and segregated carriage-way features of railways with the distributional flexibility and much lower costs of buses, he notes.


“BRT systems succeed only where these strengths can be fully capitalised on.”


To achieve the full benefits that BRT systems can offer, therefore, a system needs to apply the segregated carriageway functionality across as high a proportion of the actual commuter space it serves as possible. In Johannesburg, the dominant commuter space that is served by public transport is a combination of the routes from townships into the city centre by rail and taxi, and those leading out of the city centre to the key employment nodes of Rosebank, Sandton, Sunninghill, Randburg and so forth.


For many commuters, the major drawback in their daily journey is the need to change taxis, or change from train to taxi in or around Johannesburg Park station, says Marsay.


The big win that had been hoped for with the introduction of the Rea Vaya BRT system was the ability to run the system from Soweto through the central business district (CBD), or even bypass it, directly to Sandton and the other nodes, thus eliminating the need for interchange.


“In practice, it has not been possible to roll out the routes to the north of the city centre to complement the link from Soweto to the city. This is partly because the infrastructure has proved more costly to implement than had been anticipated; but also because of opposition to it from residents along the proposed routes,” notes Marsay.


“As a result, a route along Oxford road to Rosebank and Sandton looks as if it is being replaced with one along Louis Botha avenue. This is unfortunate, because that route is a very strong taxi route anyway. But, more importantly, Louis Botha avenue is not the natural commuter route to the key northern-suburb employment nodes. Instead of being an optimised, express Soweto-to-northern-suburbs commuter service, Rea Vaya will remain a suboptimal complementary public transport mode – if this arrangement persists.”


Marsay calls the opposition of Johannes-burg’s northern suburbs to BRT penetration “shortsighted, for two reasons”.


“Firstly, it will mean that instead of having the admittedly intrusive, but otherwise well-behaved, modern public transport services operating on their main arteries, residents will see the ‘reign of king taxi’ prolonged on these routes.


“And, secondly, it will mean that sub- optimal BRT services on suboptimal routes will have to be subsidised more heavily by the city than was anticipated. This will mean that the city will have to find more revenue and, to touch a currently very sore point, what better source than the northern suburban property rates. Once again, not quite what opponents of the BRT routes may have intended in their opposition!”


The best way of improving the BRT system in Johannesburg would be a reversion to routes through the northern suburbs to the employment nodes mentioned, and a push for the funding to roll these routes out as quickly as possible, says Marsay. This will require a major public relations exercise on the part of the city and perhaps also from the Gauteng provincial government and the national Department of Transport (DoT).


“Its aim should be, firstly, to convince residents of the environmental and commercial advantages, not only to the users of the system but also to these areas themselves. Successful BRT access will also underpin the continuing economic viability of Rosebank, Sandton, Sunninghill and Randburg.”


When considering the national picture, Marsay says South Africa still, to some extent, suffers from the legacy of viewing a large part of its public transport system as a means of maintaining a discriminatory status quo. A second-best solution to this problem has typically been improving the quality of “these same old services”. However, this solution fails to reckon with the growing economic interdependence of employment nodes and residential areas, both old and new.


“The best solution in providing good-quality public transport starts with the realisation that it is not just about easing the lives of lower-income people who need to commute long distances. Rather, it is about sustaining the economies of the nodes which are the engines of employment and economic life for everyone,” says Marsay.


“The DoT has grasped this point, to a degree, in its plans for integrated rapid public transport networks for all the metropolitan areas in the country. The trick, however, is bridging the gap between aspiration and realisation. This probably requires a far greater public relations, communications, and advertising effort than is generally appreciated. Huge amounts of energy and thought are needed about how best to communicate a vision of a future public-transport-served economy to a society that has been raised on a mix of private-car closeting and second-class public transport.”


MyCiTi vs Rea Vaya
When considering South Africa’s two operational BRT systems, Cape Town’s MyCiTi system is “better, just by a bit,” than the Rea Vaya system in Johannesburg, says University of Johannesburg Transport and Supply Chain Management Department senior lecturer Vaughan Mostert.


Having travelled on both, he notes that the MyCiTi system serves the higher-income areas in Cape Town. This means it is successful in removing cars from the road, which is one of the major aims of public transport. It is, therefore, “not just taking taxis off the road, as is the case in Johannesburg”.


Mostert adds that the system also appears to have a mixed-user demography. Travelling on the second-last bus for a weekday night, just before 22:00, he notes that there were 24 people in the bus with him, of whom nine were white women, which signals a paradigm shift in terms of who is viewed as largely, and historically, using public transport in South Africa.


“We need more of that.”


Mostert, however, also notes that the MyCiTi system does not currently reach the poorer Khayelitsha area, which he regards as an oversight.


When considering the effort to roll out BRT systems nationally, Mostert is less complimentary.


“The roll-out has not been successful, for various reasons. For one, a lot of people are simply milking the system through consultancy fees. And then also, these systems are not properly integrated with existing public transport systems, which means they do not work properly. Why are such a large number of the buses empty?


“I’m sick of the argument that we cannot integrate all our public transport systems. We should have done so years ago. No proposed new system, such as a BRT system or the Gautrain, will be successful unless it is more integrated with other public transport systems.”


Mostert says the need to integrate should take precedence over the criticism from select communities with a specific agenda, such as taxi organisations, or the residential asso-ciations of northern Johannesburg.


“If the same effort went into fixing the existing bus and rail services as went into BRT, Gautrain and toll roads systems, BRTs would not have been necessary. Money has simply been directed away from existing services, which are now falling apart.”


Mostert also advocates the need for a similar payment method, as well as frequent arrival and departure on all subsidised public transport, which should ensure ease of travel.


“If a train leaves every hour, then the bus outside should leave every hour. You can’t take a train and then spend hours waiting for a bus.”


Mostert adds that government needs to start thinking across municipal boundaries when implementing and managing systems.


In the end, South Africa has “gone for high-ticket, really expensive items, now operating suboptimally – we have done nothing to really fix the public transport problem in the country”, he concludes.


An Affordable, Reliable System
Rea Vaya’s long-term plan is to place more than 85% of Johannesburg’s population within 500 m of a Rea Vaya trunk or feeder corridor, says Johannesburg city council executive director for transport Lisa Seftel.


Phase 1A opened in a protracted fashion in 2009 and 2010, using 143 buses. Phase 1B, linking up with Phase 1A, covering 18 km and ten stations, should start operating later this year, using 134 buses.


Phase 1A runs from Thokoza Park, in Soweto, to Ellis Park, in Doornfontein, and also includes routes through the CBD. It covers 25.5 km of dedicated routes, as well as 78.5 km of feeder and complementary routes, and has 33 stations.


“The critical impact of Rea Vaya has been the provision of affordable, quality public transport,” says Seftel.


“Our prior mode survey in October 2010 revealed that 11% of Rea Vaya passengers were former private-car users, 63% were taxi users, 17% train users and 8% bus users,” she adds.


Other positives have been the creation of 830 permanent jobs – with more jobs created than lost.


Taxi drivers who now operate the system have increased their yearly income by R21-million a year. Rea Vay Phase 1A replaced 10% of the taxis operating between the city and Soweto. (However, on a negative note, a bruising driver strike last year did see Rea Vaya out of action for eight weeks.)


Greenhouse-gas emissions will have been reduced by 40 000 t of carbon dioxide a year with the introduction of Phase 1B, adds Seftel.


Phase 1A has delivered more than 40 000 passenger trips per weekday, which is more than the current number of people using the R27-billion Gautrain system per day.


Introducing Phase 1A has cost R2.4-billion to date, with the bulk of the costs linked to the required infrastructure.


“We are starting to plan for Phase 1C, which will go down Louis Botha avenue to Alexandra and then to Sandton and vice versa,” says Seftel.


“We believe that the system has been worth it,” she adds.


Apart from the benefits already mentioned, Rea Vaya is also contributing to changing the face of Soweto.


“We are seeing, and hope to see, more development and densification along the corridor. Some of the economic development spin-offs may be too early to tell.”


Looking back, would the city do things differently were it able to do it all over again?


“I’m not sure we would have done it much differently,” says Seftel. “We had the opportunity to be innovative and that led to rewards. Some of the areas of innovation included setting up a special-purpose vehicle, or temporary company, while negotiations with affected operators were being finalised, raising funding from an export credit agency and negotiating a contract with previously disadvantaged operators.”


Seftel says she regards the strengths of the system to be its speed and reliability, the negotiated fee per kilometre payment to the bus operating company and the fact that no driver handles money.


The system is also disability friendly, with high levels of job creation and broad-based black economic empowerment. The Euro IV buses are also environmentally friendly.


Just the Start
Cape Town’s MyCiTi service currently has 52 buses running the 16.7 km starter service between the central city and Table View, the services around the residential areas of Table View, Parklands and Blaauwberg, as well as the central city service and the airport service, says mayoral committee member for transport, roads and storm- water Brett Herron.


The buses travel around 9 500 km a weekday across all routes.


At a factory in Epping, Cape Town, 190 new nine-metre Optare Solo buses are being assembled from kits produced in the UK, which will serve eight new residential routes around central Cape Town.


The total expenditure to date on infrastructure, including civil and building works, buses and equipment such as fare manage- ment and control centre equipment, is R2-billion, which is about 50% of the projected infrastructure spend for Phase 1A of the MyCiTi system.


At an average 11 000 passenger trips a weekday, the younger Cape Town system currently carries fewer passengers than Rea Vaya.


Passengers load money onto a smart card before boarding the bus, and then ‘tap’ the card on a receiver, rather than pay the driver, similar to the Gautrain system.


The system also features a roving team of dedicated MyCiTi law-enforcement officers.


In November, eight new routes are expected to be launched around the central city, says Herron. These will travel to the central city, Woodstock, Salt River, the City Bowl suburbs and the Atlantic Seaboard suburbs, including Camps Bay, Hout Bay and ImizamoYethu.


The new routes are part of Phase 1A, which, during 2013, will also be extended to areas north of the central city, including Atlantis, the informal settlements of Dunoon and Joe Slovo Park, the industrial area of Montague Gardens and Century City. Phase 1B will include a trunk route from Dunoon southwards, and a feeder route to Salt River. An express service to Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha is being planned for December 2013 to alleviate the burden on the congested rail system.


The second phase will provide a more extensive service to the south-eastern parts of the city, including Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, to destinations across the peninsula.


The third phase will include Bellville, Delft, the rest of the northern suburbs and Stellenbosch, and the fourth phase the Greater Helderberg area.


The full system is expected to take 15 to 20 years to implement, with each phase being built as funds become available, says Herron. Most of the funding will come from the DoT’s public transport infrastructure and systems grant, with the balance to be funded by the city.


“The aim is to eventually build a reliable, safe and cost-effective transport network within 500 m of 75% of the homes in the city,” says Herron.


The system is currently running at a loss.


MyCiTi is projected to deliver an income of R35-million in the 2011/12 financial year. The projected direct vehicle operating costs, including insurance and vehicle tracking, total R43-million. Vehicle operation overheads, including depot costs, come to R39-million, with the projected cost for managing and maintaining the stations (including revenue collection) and insurance being R55-million.


The projected cost associated with safety and security, cleaning, passenger information, municipal services, communications, marketing and landscaping is R27-million. The expenditure to date on consultants assisting with running the bus services is R11-million. (These costs are expected to reduce as permanent staff members are recruited to undertake these functions.)


“Note that, with the above operational costs, unlike the situation with the existing transport operations, the city is factoring in a much wider set of costs than what is traditionally the case for public transport,” explains Herron.


“For example, with the current commercial scheduled bus services, the reported government subsidy usually excludes indirect subsidy and support, such as providing, managing and maintaining public transport interchanges and roads on which the buses (and other vehicles) travel. Therefore, making comparisons with existing transport operations would be incorrect, as the full costs of existing transport operations have not been factored in.”


Herron adds that the trend of increasing car travel, spending “vast sums of money” on building new roads and dealing with the societal costs associated with pollution is unsustainable.


“The city has taken the decision to invest in public transport to ensure its long-term sustainability. The integrated rapid public transport system is also a social project that will benefit the poor and improve the quality of life of all citizens.”


Capetonians make more than one-million trips every day by train, bus and minibus taxi, but these services are not safe, frequent or predictable enough, adds Herron. Mean-while, those commuting by car are facing ever-increasing delays owing to congestion.


“BRT costs 4 to 20 times less than light rail, and is the best-known way to efficiently transport large numbers of people as cost effectively as possible in developing countries. The system will need a subsidy, but this is expected to be similar to that given to Golden Arrow Bus Service, while MyCiTi is far more comfortable and efficient,” says Herron. “Every public transport system around the world is subsided by government, and ours is no exception.


“Our cost recovery – the difference between direct vehicle operating costs and fare revenue – is 87% and is improving all the time, as passenger numbers increase,” he adds.


Still to Come: Rustenburg BRT
Initial modelling for a Rustenburg BRT system has identified two main corridors, covering some 40 km along the R510 and the R565 routes, which will link the settlements of Phokeng and Kanana to the Rustenburg CBD, says Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) director Marks Rapoo.


The number of passengers along this route strongly support a BRT system, he adds.


Along the 40 km stretch some 32 closed stations and dedicated bus lanes will be constructed, with the emphasis on universal accessibility and pedestrian access.


The two BRT trunk routes will also be integrated with new traditional bus transport routes to ensure that health and education services and the mining operations around the city are easily accessible, says Rapoo.


“Smaller feeder services will further ensure that public transport reaches into communities and villages throughout the municipal region.


“In Phase 1, we expect to have over 400 buses in operation, with the full operations scenario comprising up to 900 buses,” says Rapoo.


“As a result of the RRT, by the end of 2015, up to 200 000 commuters a day will have access to a world-class, efficient, safe and affordable transport network within comfortable walking distance – 1 km – from their homes and places of work.”


The RRT project is funded through a National Treasury public transport infrastructure and systems conditional grant. Effective spend of this grant determines allocations for future years.


Construction for the first section of the RRT trunk corridor A will start this month. A three-year construction programme is planned to complete the trunk corridors, 32 stations, depots and a transport management centre.


The first phase of operations is scheduled to be rolled out late in 2015 at this stage, depending on funding.


All contracts with suppliers of the new system require that at least 25% of the contract value is delivered by Rustenburg businesses.


Legitimate taxi drivers will be employed in the new bus operating companies, having undergone training and a licence upgrade to drive the new vehicles.


One of the interesting aspects of the RRT project is its Transport Rustenburg Incubation Programme. This is a capacity-building programme for young, unemployed local graduates with a degree in transport economics.


“It presents an opportunity to transfer skills from the professionals involved in the RRT project to these graduates. The aim is for these graduates to eventually manage the system when it comes into operation in 2015,” says Rapoo.


The RRT’s biggest challenge to date has been grappling with the various intergovern- mental synergies to ensure all spatial and transport plans are aligned and comple- mentary, he adds, but progress is being made.


Another challenge has been to change mindsets around “what an integrated rapid public transport system for Rustenburg is and why it is desperately needed in one of the fastest-growing cities in our country”.



Several attempts at securing feedback from the City of Tshwane about its proposed BRT system proved fruitless.


 

View the original article here

Samsung Galaxy S III (global)

Info Reviews Shop News Forum  6

(phone photo)

Samsung's global flagship for 2012 sports a full complement of high-end features in a compact, rounded body. Key features include a large 4.8-inch display fronted by curved glass, an 8-megapixel camera that can record HD video and stills at the same time, NFC, advanced voice control, and the first memory card slot supporting up to 64 GB.

This phone is not currently available from any major U.S. carrier. It is compatible with some U.S. networks, and may be available from third-party dealers or smaller, regional carriers.

WCDMA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900WCDMA / HSPA+ 21  (3G / 4G)
850  Cellular / band 5 (V)  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
900  band 8 (VIII)  Europe, Asia, Africa
1900  PCS / band 2 (II)  Americas
2100  IMT / band 1 (I)  Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel

GSM  (2G)
850  Cellular  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
900  Europe, Asia, Africa
1800  DCS  Europe, Asia, Africa
1900  PCS  Americas

5.38" x 2.78" x 0.34"   (137 x 71 x 8.6 mm)Talk: 10.8 hours max.   (650 minutes)
Standby: 750 hours max.   (31.3 days)
2100 mAh   LiIonType: OLED (Full-Color)
Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
4.8"   diagonal
Colors: 16.7 million (24-bit)
Samsung Super AMOLEDAndroid
version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)1.4 GHz Samsung Exynos quad-core16 GB internal storage, raw hardware
1 GB RAM
or 32 GB, or 64 GB storageAD       more phone info below...

Type: A-GPS
plus compass, barometerBrowser Software: Android browser (WebKit-based)volume on left / lock on rightCard Type: microSD (TransFlash)
supports up to 64 GB cardsProtocols Supported: POP, IMAP, GMail, ExchangeNetworks Supported: Google, ChatONResolution: 8+ megapixel
auto-focus, LED flash / zero shutter lag, burst mode, HDR, smile detection, face detection & recognition, panorama, scene modes, anti-shake / can shoot still photos while recording videoResolution: 1080p HD
anti-shake / can shoot still photos while recording video

View the original article here

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Appeal

Info Reviews Shop News Forum

(phone photo)

This messaging-focused Android phone has features similar to the DoubleTime, but in a smaller, lighter sliding form factor. Key features include a text keyboard, 3-megapixel camera, memory card slot, DLNA wireless media streaming, and Wi-Fi mobile hotspot.

Offered By: 

WCDMA 850 / 1900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900WCDMA / HSPA 7.2  (3G / 4G)
850  Cellular / band 5 (V)  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
1900  PCS / band 2 (II)  Americas
2100  IMT / band 1 (I)  Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel

GSM  (2G)
850  Cellular  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
900  Europe, Asia, Africa
1800  DCS  Europe, Asia, Africa
1900  PCS  Americas

4.41" x 2.27" x 0.56"   (112 x 58 x 14.2 mm)Talk: 12.5 hours max.   (750 minutes)
Standby: 168 hours max.   (7 days)
1300 mAh   LiIonType: LCD (Color TFT/TFD)
Resolution: 320 x 480 pixels
3.2"   diagonal
Colors: 262,144 (18-bit)800 MHz Qualcomm
ARM Cortex-A54 GB internal storage, raw hardware
512 MB RAMAD       more phone info below...

Rating: M3 (mostly compatible)Browser Software: Android browser (WebKit-based)volume on left / lock on rightCard Type: microSD (TransFlash)
up to 32 GBProtocols Supported: POP, IMAP, GMail, ExchangeNetworks Supported: Google Talk

View the original article here

Huawei myTouch

Info News Forum

(phone photo)

This update to T-Mobile's myTouch is made by Huawei instead of LG. It also sports a bigger screen, faster processor, and more memory. Other features are similar, including a 5-megapixel main camera, HD video capture, front-facing camera for video chat, Wi-Fi calling and DLNA wireless video streaming, and a memory card slot.

Offered By: 

Planned Availability: August 8, 2012

Carrier availability is subject to testing and approval. This phone has not been released yet. All specifications and features are preliminary and subject to change.

WCDMA 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900WCDMA / HSPA 14.4  (3G / 4G)
850  Cellular / band 5 (V)  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
1700  AWS / band 4 (IV)  Americas
1900  PCS / band 2 (II)  Americas
2100  IMT / band 1 (I)  Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel

GSM  (2G)
850  Cellular  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
900  Europe, Asia, Africa
1800  DCS  Europe, Asia, Africa
1900  PCS  Americas

4.8" x 2.46" x 0.41"   (122 x 62 x 10.4 mm)Talk: 7 hours max.   (420 minutes)
Standby: 348 hours max.   (14.5 days)
1500 mAh   LiIonType: LCD (Color TFT/TFD)
Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
4"   diagonal1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM82554 GB internal storage, raw hardware
1 GB RAMAD       more phone info below...

Rating: M3, T4 (very tele-coil compatible)Languages Supported: English, SpanishBrowser Software: Android browser (WebKit-based)volume on left / camera on rightCard Type: microSD (TransFlash)
up to 16 GBProtocols Supported: POP, IMAP, Exchange, GMail

View the original article here

Huawei myTouch Q

Info News Forum

(phone photo)

This update to T-Mobile's myTouch Q is made by Huawei instead of LG. It also sports a bigger screen, faster processor, more memory, and a front-facing camera for video chat. Other features are similar, including a 5-megapixel main camera, HD video capture, Wi-Fi calling and DLNA wireless video streaming, and a memory card slot.

Offered By: 

Planned Availability: August 8, 2012

Carrier availability is subject to testing and approval. This phone has not been released yet. All specifications and features are preliminary and subject to change.

WCDMA 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900WCDMA / HSPA 14.4  (3G / 4G)
850  Cellular / band 5 (V)  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
1700  AWS / band 4 (IV)  Americas
1900  PCS / band 2 (II)  Americas
2100  IMT / band 1 (I)  Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel

GSM  (2G)
850  Cellular  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
900  Europe, Asia, Africa
1800  DCS  Europe, Asia, Africa
1900  PCS  Americas

4.9" x 2.5" x 0.56"   (124 x 64 x 14.2 mm)Talk: 7 hours max.   (420 minutes)
Standby: 319 hours max.   (13.3 days)
1500 mAh   LiIonType: LCD (Color TFT/TFD)
Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
4"   diagonal1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM82554 GB internal storage, raw hardware
1 GB RAMAD       more phone info below...

Rating: M3, T3 (mostly tele-coil compatible)Languages Supported: English, SpanishBrowser Software: Android browser (WebKit-based)volume on left / camera on rightCard Type: microSD (TransFlash)
up to 16 GBProtocols Supported: POP, IMAP, Exchange, Gmail

View the original article here

Monday, July 30, 2012

Research In Motion Curve 9310

Info Reviews Shop News Forum  9

(phone photo)

This update to the Curve 8530 and 9330 steps up to a better camera, FM radio, and a bigger battery, all in a slightly thinner body. Other features are similar, including QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm audio jack, memory card slot, music player, and stereo Bluetooth.

Offered By: 

BUY this phone

CDMA / 1xEV-DO r0  (2G / 3G)
850  Cellular / BC0  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
1900  PCS / BC1  Americas4.29" x 2.36" x 0.5"   (109 x 60 x 12.7 mm)Talk: 8 hours max.   (480 minutes)
Standby: 432 hours max.   (18 days)
1450 mAh   LiIonType: LCD (Color TFT/TFD)
Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA)
2.4"   diagonal800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM8655-1512 MB internal storage, raw hardware
512 MB RAMAD       more phone info below...

Rating: M4, T4 (very tele-coil compatible)Browser Software: BlackBerry BrowserBBM on left / volume, shortcut on right / lock on topCard Type: microSD (TransFlash)
up to 32 GB

View the original article here

Samsung Galaxy S III (T-Mobile)

Info Reviews  5 Shop News Forum  13

(phone photo)

Samsung's global flagship for 2012 sports a full complement of high-end features in a compact, rounded body. Key features include a dual-core S4 processor, a large 4.8-inch display fronted by curved glass, an 8-megapixel camera that can record HD video and stills at the same time, NFC, advanced voice control, and the first memory card slot supporting up to 64 GB.

Offered By: 

BUY this phone

WCDMA 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900WCDMA / HSPA+ 42  (3G / 4G)
850  Cellular / band 5 (V)  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
1700  AWS / band 4 (IV)  Americas
1900  PCS / band 2 (II)  Americas
2100  IMT / band 1 (I)  Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel

GSM  (2G)
850  Cellular  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
900  Europe, Asia, Africa
1800  DCS  Europe, Asia, Africa
1900  PCS  Americas

5.38" x 2.78" x 0.34"   (137 x 71 x 8.6 mm)Talk: 8 hours max.   (480 minutes)
Standby: 300 hours max.   (12.5 days)
2100 mAh   LiIonType: OLED (Full-Color)
Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
4.8"   diagonal
Colors: 16.7 million (24-bit)Android
version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
dual-core16 GB internal storage, raw hardware
12 GB internal storage, available to user
2 GB RAM
or 32 GB storageAD       more phone info below...

Type: A-GPS
plus compass, barometerRating: M3 (mostly compatible)Languages Supported: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, KoreanSupported Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WAVBrowser Software: Android browser (WebKit-based)volume on left / lock on rightCard Type: microSD (TransFlash)
supports up to 64 GB cardsProtocols Supported: POP, IMAP, GMail, ExchangeNetworks Supported: Google, ChatONSupported Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WAVResolution: 8+ megapixel
auto-focus, LED flash / zero shutter lag, burst mode, HDR, smile detection, face detection & recognition, panorama, scene modes, anti-shake / can shoot still photos while recording videoResolution: 1080p HD
anti-shake / can shoot still photos while recording video

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate

Info Reviews Shop News Forum

(phone photo)

This close cousin of the Galaxy S Blaze has LTE, but is otherwise similar. This Android phone sports a fast processor and 4G. Other features include an AMOLED display, NFC, memory card slot, 5-megapixel camera, and front camera for video chat.

Offered By: 

BUY this phone

LTE 700 / 1700
WCDMA 850 / 1900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900LTE  (4G)
700  Lower 700 (AT&T) / band 17  USA
1700  AWS / band 4 (IV)  Americas

WCDMA  (3G / 4G)
850  Cellular / band 5 (V)  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
1900  PCS / band 2 (II)  Americas
2100  IMT / band 1 (I)  Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel

GSM  (2G)
850  Cellular  Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel
900  Europe, Asia, Africa
1800  DCS  Europe, Asia, Africa
1900  PCS  Americas

4.8" x 2.48" x 0.46"   (122 x 63 x 11.7 mm)Talk: 7 hours max.   (420 minutes)
Standby: 250 hours max.   (10.4 days)
1750 mAh   LiIonType: OLED (Full-Color)
Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
4"   diagonal
Samsung Super AMOLED1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 APQ8060
dual-core4 GB internal storage, raw hardware
2.5 GB internal storage, available to user
1 GB RAMAD       more phone info below...

can be enabled via software update (available after launch)Rating: M3 (mostly compatible)Languages Supported: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, KoreanVersion(s): 802.11 b,g,n
with WPS, Wi-Fi Direct, WPA, WPA2Browser Software: Android browser (WebKit-based)volume on left / lock on rightCard Type: microSD (TransFlash)
up to 32 GBProtocols Supported: POP, IMAP, GMail, Exchange

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