Satellite Hotspot Promises To Bring Wi-Fi Everywhere

As reported by PCWorld: There will soon be nowhere to hide from Facebook selfies, Justin Bieber news and emails from your boss.

Satellite communications company Iridium has developed a Wi-Fi hotspot that can bring Internet connectivity to almost every corner of the planet.

The pocket-size device, set to be released in the second quarter, connects to the company’s satellite voice network to provide service similar to the analog modems that were commonly used for landline Internet access until about a decade ago.

Speeds will be low—about 20 kilobits per second, according to the company—but a slow connection might be better than none at all, depending on the location.

To tackle the slow data rate, Iridium will offer its own email application that utilizes compression to increase data transmission efficiency. That should enable about 20 text-based emails per minute, the company said.

"We’re working with app developers to create apps that are maximized to run on our network," said Ashley Eames, a spokeswoman for Iridium.

The hotspot will cost about US$800 and data rates will vary depending on the Iridium airtime plan. They will be sold as regional or seasonal packages with prices of around $1 per minute on prepaid plans.

Data speeds are expected to get faster in the coming years after Iridium launches a new fleet of satellites.

The low data transmission speed on the current network is a result of the satellites having been designed when data and Internet access weren’t large priorities. The Iridium Next satellites that will launch from 2015 should provide 1.5M bps data service, according to the company.

Iridium offers a separate satellite broadband service, although it requires a large antenna and is targeted at maritime and aviation use.

At Sochi Olympics, Crowdsourced OpenStreetMap Trounces Google Maps

The Olympic ski area is virtually a blank on Google's map (right)
compared to Open Street Map.

As reported by Wired: If you’re looking for detailed maps of the Olympic sites around Sochi, Google maps may not be your best bet. OpenStreetMap, the crowdsourced Wikipedia of cartography, looks to have much better coverage of the Olympic sites, as the images in this gallery show.

The region outside Sochi where the Olympic ski and snowboard events will be held is virtually a pale green blank on Google maps, for example. The maps here come from the fun and fabulously time-sucking Map Compare tool on the website of Geofabrik, a German company developing commercial uses for OSM data. The Olympic park along the coast, and even downtown Sochi are also covered in more detail in OSM (although with some features that appear on one map but not the other, it’s not clear which is more accurate — at least not without being there).

Google still has a huge advantage in navigation — typing an address into your phone and getting step-by-step directions to your destination. That’s the next step in OSM’s evolution, OSM founder Steve Coast wrote in a recent blog post announcing that Telenav, the personal navigation company he joined last year, had acquired skobbler, a German company that developed a popular OSM-based GPS navigation app.

But the real power of OSM is its users — more than 1.5 million people have registered to edit its maps, mapping some parts of the world down to the level of shrubbery. OSM maps can be as detailed as people care to make them. You can see this in the final map in this gallery, which shows OSM edits to the area around the Sochi Olympic park in the past 90 days. People have been busy mapping.

And with all the visitors to the area, the maps are only likely to get more detailed over the next few weeks — assuming some of the spectators can find time between events to plot a few footpaths and buildings.

3D Automotive Dead Reckoning Offers Improved Urban Navigation

As reported by Motor Authority: GPS has replaced the map as most people's navigation tool of choice, but it has its limitations. In order to accurately determine a car's current position--and thus calculate a route--a system needs to constantly receive signals from an overhead network of satellites.

That can be a problem in urban areas, where tall buildings and bridges can temporarily block the signal, or where underground driving through a tunnel or parking garage can completely isolate a car and its driver from the satellite beacon.

Swiss semiconductor manufacturer thinks it has a solution. Its latest navigation chip uses a new system called "3D Automotive Dead Reckoning," or "3D ADR." 

Rather than relying exclusively on satellite signals to orient itself, 3D ADR uses sensors that track a vehicle's speed, horizontal movement, and elevation. The latter is especially important considering that enclosed multistory parking garages are among the most notorious GPS dead zones.

By measuring movement in three dimensions 3D ADR allows a car's navigation system to keep track of its location, so that it doesn't need to re-orient itself every time it loses and regains a link with a satellite.

Since 3D ADR is essentially just a chip that can work with a car's built-in sensors and navigation system, the company says it should be fairly easy to install. The company says its chip will work most vehicles regardless of their drivetrain configuration.

Want To Remotely Control A Car? $20 In Parts, Some Oily Fingers, And You're In Command

As reported by The Register: Spanish hackers have been showing off their latest car-hacking creation; a circuit board using untraceable, off-the-shelf parts worth $20 that can give wireless access to the car's controls while it's on the road.

The device, which will be shown off at next month's Black Hat Asia hacking conference, uses the Controller Area Network (CAN) ports car manufacturers build into their engines for computer-system checks. Once assembled, the smartphone-sized device can be plugged in under some vehicles, or inside the hood of other models, and give the hackers remote access to control systems.

"A car is a mini network," security researcher Alberto Garcia Illera told Forbes. "And right now there's no security implemented."

Illera and fellow security researcher Javier Vazquez-Vidal said that they had tested the CAN Hacking Tool (CHT) successfully on four popular makes of cars and had been able to apply the emergency brakes while the car was in motion, affect the steering, turn off the headlights, or set off the car alarm.

The device currently only works via Bluetooth, but the team says that they will have a GSM version ready by the time the conference starts. This would allow remote control of a target car from much greater distances, and more technical details of the CHT will be given out at the conference.

"The goal isn't to release our hacking tool to the public and say 'take this and start hacking cars'," said Vidal. "We want to reach the manufacturers and show them what can be done."

The duo aren't the first to demonstrate the total lack of security in the CAN bus system. At last year's DefCon convention, veteran hacker Charlie Miller showed how the CAN system was easily controlled using a laptop, and allowed modification of the car's firmware.

Both cracks need physical access – at least briefly – in order to work, but that's not impossible to achieve, and once the hardware's in place all you need to start causing trouble is a wireless signal. With the US government pushing for standards for car communications it might be an idea to insist there should be some security controls built-in, as well.

GPS 3 Main Payload Facing More Delays

As reported by Space News: Continuing problems with an Exelis-built payload will delay the delivery of the first of the GPS 3 next-generation navigation satellites, a senior U.S. Air Force official said Feb. 7.

Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, said the issue highlights the problem inherent in relying on one contractor for a critical technology. Exelis Geospatial Systems of Rochester, N.Y., has supplied the payloads for all previous generations of GPS satellites. 

The latest payload delay is not expected to push back the first launch of the Lockheed Martin-built GPS 3 satellites at this point. Nonetheless, Shelton made clear his patience is wearing thin. 

“Both the prime and the sub know exactly where we stand on this,” Shelton said in remarks at a Capitol Hill Club breakfast.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver is under contract to build eight GPS 3 satellites, the first of which is slated to launch in 2015. The satellites are expected to be more accurate and reliable than previous generations of GPS craft. 

In December 2012, Exelis announced it had integrated and performed initial testing of a payload aboard a prototype GPS 3 satellite.  But the company has struggled with the navigation payload since at least this past September, when Shelton mentioned the problem publicly.

In November, Exelis officials said they believed “the known technical issues have been resolved” and that the payload was expected to be delivered in spring 2014. At the time, they said the delays stemmed from “first-time development and integration issues, including design changes to eliminate signal crosstalk.” Crosstalk occurs when a signal broadcast on one circuit creates an undesired effect on another circuit. 

Chip Eschenfelder, a Lockheed Martin spokesman, said via email Feb. 7 that while “known performance issues have been resolved, we test thoroughly across the full range of launch and space flight mission environments to ensure that there are no residual problems.”  

That testing is ongoing, Eschenfelder said. “Lockheed Martin and Exelis are doing whatever it takes to get this first navigation payload right,” he said.

Shelton said he expected the current problems would push the delivery of the satellite from late 2014 into 2015, but most likely would not postpone the initial launch. 

Shelton was visibly frustrated with the issue and suggested that the U.S. government might benefit from having a diversity of GPS payload providers. 

“There is exactly one provider for navigation payloads,” Shelton said. Although not ready to abandon Exelis, Shelton said he has encouraged industry to work on an alternative payload. 

The Air Force has tried in the past — with mixed results — to create competition where none previously existed. 

Exelis spokeswoman Jane Khodos said in a Feb. 7 email that GPS 3 will meet all mission and quality requirements.

“We want to make sure to get everything right before the payload goes into space, especially with this first one,” Khodos said. “Significant testing with flight-like engineering units and the first GPS III satellite’s flight hardware indicates that the known technical issues have been resolved.”

Meanwhile, Shelton also raised questions about the long-term viability of the existing GPS constellation, calling some of the on-orbit satellites “fragile.” 

“We’re a little bit concerned about the long-term viability of the satellites,” he said, joking that some of the satellites were old enough to vote.

Currently, 31 GPS satellites are on orbit, including eight from the legacy Block 2A program. The first of those satellites, which were designed for a 7.5 year lifespan, were launched in 1990.

Beer-delivery Drone Grounded By FAA

As reported by CNN: Ice fishers in Minnesota are reeling from a recent FAA decision prohibiting beer delivery by drone.

Local brewery Lakemaid was testing a new drone delivery system to airlift frosty cases of beer to fishermen holed up in ice shacks on Mille Lacs Lake. After spotting a Lakemaid YouTube video that went up last week of one of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on a test run, the Federal Aviation Administration contacted Lakemaid and told the company to stop.

Unfortunately for Lakemaid fans and anyone else dreading a walk to the corner store, it's currently against the law to fly drones for commercial purposes or above 400 feet in the United States. The FAA is working on a comprehensive set of rules and regulations that will pave the way for commercial drone flight, but the legislation won't be ready until at least 2015 and drones might not be in the skies until 2017.

Until then, thirsty fishermen must obtain their beverages through old-fashioned terrestrial delivery methods.

The great beer grounding of 2014 might just be the issue that will turn Americans into pro-drone advocates. A WhiteHouse.gov petition has already gone up, asking the Obama administration to issue Lakemaid an airworthiness certificate. So far, 183 thirsty UAV advocates have signed the petition (only 99,817 signatures to go!).

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has previously expressed his support of aerial beer delivery on Twitter. In August he said "Perhaps I am not against ALL drones!" and linked to a news story about a drone delivering beers during a music festival in South Africa.

Only amateurs are allowed to fly drones at this time, and they're limited to small vehicles under 55 pounds. They can only operate the aircraft for fun, not for profit, and they must adhere to local and federal laws. For example, drones are not allowed to cruise over populated areas.

Some groups have received exceptions to test drones for research purposes.

"While we are evaluating many potential uses of [UAVs] as we move toward their safe integration into the nation's airspace, commercial operation of such aircraft is not yet allowed," said FAA spokesperson Elizabeth Cory in an e-mail.

Announcing plans to deliver goods by drone has been a popular publicity stunt for U.S. companies over the past year. On a recent "60 Minutes" segment, Amazon demonstrated a drone delivery system it's working on for packages. The company conducted the tests outside the country to avoid breaking U.S. law. In June, the Domino's pizza chain said it was developing a drone capable of delivering up to two pizzas.

The FAA has asked other companies and institutions to ground their drones in the past year. The agency has contacted a company in Wisconsin that used drones to capture aerial footage for real estate. And the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska received a cease-and-desist letter for its attempts to use drones for reporting purposes.

Even once FAA regulations are in place, we likely won't see the skies filling up with beer deliveries.   Interested companies will have to get proper training and licenses.

"We are concerned about possible careless and reckless operation, especially if someone on the ground is hurt by an object or objects falling from the [UAVs]," said Cory, citing the FAA regulation that prohibits careless flying.

Delivery of goods is expected to be a small segment of future drone market. The bigger commercial uses will focus on agriculture, law enforcement and aerial photography.

Delicious test cases like beer and fast-food delivery might be gimmicky, but they can help ease the public's concerns about drones in the sky. The technology is mostly known for its military applications, and civil liberties groups are concerned about drones being used for surveillance by law enforcement. Local residents in Deer Trail, Colorado, have even attempted to pass a law that makes it legal to shoot down drones with the proper drone hunting license.

But the next generation of friendly drones aren't all packing weapons or collecting data for the NSA. Some just want to bring you a nice cold one and maybe a slice without getting stuck in traffic.

New York Police Department Is Beta-Testing Google Glass

As reported by Venture Beat: Google Glass may soon become a favored tool for law enforcement agencies in the United States.

The New York City Police Department’s massive and controversial intelligence and analytics unit is evaluating whether Google Glass is a decent fit for investigating terrorists and helping cops lock up bad guys, VentureBeat has learned. The department recently received several pairs of the modernist-looking specs to test out.

“We signed up, got a few pairs of the Google glasses, and we’re trying them out, seeing if they have any value in investigations, mostly for patrol purposes,” a ranking New York City law enforcement official told VentureBeat.

“We’re looking at them, you know, seeing how they work.”

The glasses are currently only available through Google’s Glass Explorer program, in which people who interested in acquiring them first apply and then receive notification from Google on whether it accepts or denies their application. Respondents who get the green light must pay $1,500 for the privilege.

The news that the country’s largest police department is eagerly beta-testing Google’s products comes at a sensitive time for the company, given its entanglement in various intelligence-gathering efforts from spy agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Not that Google is happy about that: Google chairman Eric Schmidt blew a gasket when it was revealed that the NSA was routinely hacking into the company’s servers to spy on customers, as outlined in documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

A spokesman for Google said the company was not working with law enforcement agencies on the project and that the NYPD likely acquired the glasses through the Google Glass Explorer program.

“The Google Glass Explorer program includes people from all walks of life, including doctors, firefighters and parents. Anyone can sign up to become a Glass Explorer, provided he or she is a U.S. resident and over the age of 18,” read the wooden company response to my questions.

This isn’t the first time the NYPD has embraced new tech platforms: In 2012, the NYPD and Microsoft worked together to build the Domain Awareness System, a tool for gathering and managing surveillance data for counterterrorism efforts.

Google Glass is an Android-powered, wearable computer built into a module perched on the side of a pair of eyeglasses. It comes from Google’s somewhat clandestine special-projects division, called Google X, which is also working on driverless cars, high-tech contact lenses, and high-altitude balloons that blanket the Earth below with wireless Internet. Google Glass incorporates a heads-up display reminiscent of that used in advanced fighter jets and commercial airliners to communicate with pilots. A camera captures photo and video on demand.

The chief information officer of the San Francisco police department, Susan Merritt, said that her department has yet to test the wearable Google computers. But she says the applications for law enforcement are potentially huge.

The San Francisco department currently deploys Samsung S4 smartphones for cops working the street. Merritt says the S4 has become an integral tool because it enables officers to access the department’s criminal database to run warrant checks and pull up mugshots of wanted suspects in real time.

Google Glass could have a similar value proposition for police forces, Merritt said, pointing out that wireless facial recognition software is one potential use.

Even without facial recognition, Google Glass could help match suspects’ names and faces to information contained in various databases that police and federal law enforcement agencies use, such as those from the National Crime Information Center. That would give investigators a handy way to see a suspect’s rap sheet while interviewing them, for instance.

It could also help eliminate the time-consuming, hand-written or typed reports that are the bane of cops the world over by enabling video recording and dictation for digital reports.

But the glasses could run afoul of civil liberty groups who say Google Glass and their wireless software programs could encroach on the rights of innocent citizens, especially in a city like San Francisco.

Asked about these issues, Merritt deferred answering.

“This is very interesting,” Merritt said. “Call us back in six months!”

As for the NYPD, if the evaluators like what they see, the department could represent a significant customer for Google. With 34,500 people in the NYPD overall, that represents a lot of potential Glass-equipped cops.

That in turn could have a massive influence on Google Glass’s revenues, especially if other departments hop on the wearable bandwagon and the devices someday become standard issue for law enforcement agencies worldwide.

So far in New York, the NYPD official says, it’s too early to tell.

Some in law enforcement and the intelligence community sniff at Google Glass, arguing that while it might be a helpful gadget for geeks to manage their lives, its applicability to spying and investigations is limited.

“Its use for law enforcement and intelligence agencies is doubtful,” said Vincent Cannistraro, a former ranking clandestine operator with the CIA, who spent the majority of his career in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Central America.

“But I’ve been wrong before.”

The NYPD sees it differently.

“We think it could help impact patrol operations in New York City. We shall see,” the NY law enforcement official said.