China Mobile, the World largest mobile phone service provider with its 350 millions customers (mainly in China!) has completed the installation and testing of their 3 mobile phone base stations installed on Mt-Everest slopes.

The 3 solar-powered stations installed respectively at 5200, 5820 and 6500 meters above sea level, were transported by porters and yaks and built in a harsh environment where oxygen level is only 38 percent of what it would be on ground. They will make possible for climbers and those who will be 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay route to establish and receive calls along the entire Mount Everest climbing route, including its 8'848m. peak.

After the completion of these ultimate test, China mobile workers immediately started to pack all equipments away for the winter. The station will be reinstalled next summer before 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Tags: 2007, 2008, art, blog, customer, everest, gsm, himalaya, ia, im, install, lan, LED, mobile, Mobile Communications, mobile phone, nomadcom.net, olympics, phone, power, tibet, world, wp, www

Hilarious, "you have to trust me on this"!

Try to imagine CTU's agent, Jack Bauer (24H) saving the world, using hi-tech solutions of the moment…in 1994.

http://5.content.collegehumor.com/d1/ch6/9/4/collegehumor.728e46a9be4b8772dafbec9427e36dad.flv

A Collegehumor production. Great job! 

Tags: 1994, 2007, 24, 24H, air, blog, collegehumor, CTU, humor, ia, im, jack bauer, lan, nomadcom.net, space, unaired pilot, video, world, wp, www

8th of November: World Usability Day "Make life easy" 

Swiss UPA, the Swiss chapter of the Usability Professional Association proposes to ease access to free public wireless networks using a specific sign ((o)) that would help users to detect easy to use wireless networks. 

Today, before getting online using a wireless device, users have first to find an user-friendly wireless access point and then try to connect to it.

The user has to detect which wireless networks are available from his location and check if they are public and free of charge. Often wireless network names do not inform the visitor if the access to the network is free or not. The wireless access point might not be protected but once connected users are redirected to a page where they will be invited to purchase access rights.

Swiss UPS also highlight the fact that once connected to a free and public wireless network, it is not uncommon to reach an authentication page before getting access to the Internet. This procedure has 2 main disadvantage:

• Some authentication pages cannot be completed when using a Smartphone or a PDA.
• Some services such email, Instant Messaging, VoIP, etc… do not require the use of a browser and users cannot pass easily through this authentication method.

To make users' life easier, Swiss UPS proposes to include at the beginning of the SSID (Service Set Identifier which broadcasts the name of the wireless network) of public and free wireless networks the  following distinctive sign:  ((0))

Usage of the sign ((o)) is free and open to all individuals, collectivities and organizations which operate a WiFi network respecting  Swiss UPA usability charter.

More about Swiss UPA (in German), UPA International (English) and about World Usability Day

Source: Canard WiFi 

Tags: 2007, access, art, blog, ces, ergonomic, find, free, ia, im, International, internet, IT World, lan, light, location, network, nomadcom.net, online, pda, phone, public, services, smartphone, swiss, swiss upa, Telecommunications, upa, USA, usability, usage, user, wifi, wireless, world, wp, www