As of today, the
analog cellphone is no more. Here’s the complete timeline of its
development, since Greece in 490BC to February 19, 2008, the day in
which networks are no longer obligated to provide with analog
cellphone coverage. Click to see the huge, high definition
version.
(Click the image above for a huge 2000-pixel wide version of the
timeline)
490 BC
Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to transmit the news of
the victory over the Persians.
Signal was really bad back then: he died on the spot after
delivering the message, according to Plutarch.
1876
First successful telephone transmission. Graham Bell says “Mr.
Watson, come here, I want to see you” and Watson understands each
word clearly. A century later, people would be “What? Say that
again? Watson? Watson?” over cellphone lines.
1895
Marconi puts Tesla wireless communications discoveries to practice,
developes commercial radio.
1906
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden demonstrates first wireless radio
telephone.
1908
First US Patent on a wireless phone awarded to Nathan B.
Stubblefield.
1926
Radio telephony starts to be used in the First [...]
Original post by Jesus Diaz
I don’t know what it is about steampunk, but we simply can’t get enough of it. Now we are ashamed to admit that our obsession has reached rehab-like proportions. However, it looks as though this steampunk Iron Man will have to keep us satisfied until we get the help we so desperately need. [Sillof via Fwoosh Forums via Fanmode via Plockhead]galleryPost(\’steampunkironman\’, 5, \’\');
Original post by Sean Fallon
Here’s an interesting bit: The Lenovo x300 almost had the old IBM butterfly keyboard of old. This detail and others were revealed in a Businessweek cover story on the ultrathin, quickly being recognized as the antithesis to the Apple Air. The piece has a lot of other interesting background, like the above info graphic of a teardown with weigh for each component. Also, it nearly had a 10-inch screen.
Businessweek’s headline confuses me, a bit: Building the Perfect Laptop. David Hill, father of the x300 and chief Lenovo designer says, “I’m a bit tired of looking at silver computers. I’d never wear a silver business suit.” The comparison is lost on me. Many of the people the air was designed for simply wouldn’t wear a business suit; why is wearing a suit a given for computer user? Sounds like the same kind of thinking that kept IBM trailing in the [...]
Original post by Brian Lam