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Just a few hours after we mentioned KABC's new helicopter yesterday, they were able to take it out and use it in the coverage of a high speed chase. The chase ended with the fatal shooting of the suspect. Two stations covered the event but calblog notes that with the new camera you could watch the tires disintegrate, the suspect talk on his cell phone and several other details you hadn't been able to see in the past.

You also could watch him die

 

Gates Introduces Windows Mobile 5.0
Microsoft Chairman & Chief Software Architect Bill Gates officially announced Windows Mobile 5.0 during his keynote address at the Microsoft Mobile & Embedded DevCon 2005 today. As with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, the new version comes in Pocket PC and Smartphone flavors.

Windows Mobile 5.0 ports features previously only available on the Pocket PC to the smartphone. These include support for QWERTY thumb-keyboards and Wi-Fi. The upgrade also adds to the Pocket PC edition of Windows Mobile Softkeys from the Smartphone version to make it easier to use these types of handhelds with one hand.

The purpose of these Softkeys, located on the bottom of every screen, depends on context and the application running. The Pocket PC Today screen assigns Home and Contacts to the Softkeys, for example. As with traditional Pocket PC hard keys, a user can change the functions assigned to the Softkeys.

During his speech, Gates emphasized advancements in the platform itself as well as how developers can differentiate themselves. Mobile development tools reside in Beta 2 of Visual Studio 2005 and new application programming interfaces (APIs). Developers can use them to creation location, 3-D game and video (for entertainment and productivity) software, for example.

Gates also indicated Microsoft, as basically the software company, is ideally positioned to tie information from the PC, enterprise and handheld together. So when you express something in one of those computing environments, the data shows up in the others.

For example, when a smartphone user takes a picture of an individual under Windows Mobile 5.0, he can associate it with the contact listing in Outlook Mobile and have that image automatically synced with the person's entry in the desktop version of Outlook.

Gates also realistically stated the level and type of enhancements Microsoft brings to each upgrade of its mobile device platform depends on advancements in hardware technology. Without the development of ever more powerful PDA and smartphone processors, the addition of speech recognition into Windows mobile 5.0, for instance, wouldn't be as feasible at this juncture. The same goes for larger storage capacities that enable handhelds to hold large word recognition dictionaries.

Additional Enhancements
Productivity
With data and applications stored in ROM and only run in RAM, a user's work and information is much safer than before. Like palmOne's recent handhelds and smartphones, Windows Mobile 5.0 maintains everything in the event of a complete power drain.

Word Mobile adds the capability to view tables and numbered lists, while Excel Mobile can now be used to generate and exhibit numerous types graphs and charts. Documents synced from the PC maintain their formatting on the Pocket PC or smartphone as well. And a mobile version of PowerPoint is finally available to let you view but not create presentations.

Pocket Internet Explorer adds features too. Users can, for example, view Web pages in full screen mode at last. Pocket IE also handles Security Zones the way its PC counterpart does.

Microsoft said Windows Mobile 5.0 has gone through extensive threat-modeling testing and completed the company's Trustworthy Computing security review. The platform is also FIPS-140-2-certified, meaning it meets the U.S. government requirements for IT products.
Multimedia

Windows Media Player 10 Mobile is integrated into Windows Mobile 5.0. With it, users can play protected digital music, video, and recorded television files that can be synchronized from a PC or downloaded from many Internet-based services and mobile operators' music stores. The updated player also enables synchronization of users' playlists, album art and song ratings.

A new picture and video application adds features like burst mode and a timer for Pocket PCs and smartphones with cameras.

The new platform also offers internal hard drive and Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 support to help hold and exchange more information between a handheld and a desktop faster. During the Gates keynote, a Samsung smartphone, the i300, with a 3 GB hard disk drive was demonstrated.

Microsoft didn't introduce any new handhelds or smartphones running the upgrade today. Gates did show off High Tech Computer's (HTC) previously identified but unannounced Universal smartphone (also known as the T-Mobile MDA IV) running Windows Mobile 5.0, which makes it the first 3G device to leverage the new OS. Hewlett-Packard and Dell announced plans to release updates for existing iPAQ and Axim handhelds respectively this summer.

 

Dell Promises Windows Mobile Upgrade
Dell, like competitor Hewlett-Packard, wasted no time today in announcing support for Microsoft's newest handheld operating system. So while Bill Gates and company unveiled Windows Mobile 5.0 at its annual Mobile & Embedded DevCon (MEDC) 2005 in Las Vegas, Dell promised customers it would release an upgrade for its high end yet budget friendly Axim X50 Pocket PC series.

With the upgrade, Axim X50 users can take advantage of the new features of Windows Mobile 5.0. These include many productively (e.g. Mobile Office upgrade) and multimedia (e.g. Direct3D support) improvements. It also moves all applications and data to ROM for safer data storage. (For more on Windows Mobile 5.0, click here.)

The Dell Axim X50 platform upgrades aren't due until the third quarter. They'll be available on CDâ??Dell had problems with its downloadable updates the last time aroundâ??for an as-of-yet undisclosed price.

As we mentioned above, HP informed us it would support Windows Mobile 5.0 for current select iPAQ handhelds and plans include the platform in future offerings. Upgrades to Windows Mobile 5.0 for the iPAQ hx4700, hx2100, hx2400 and hx2700 should be available this summer. The computer and printing giant is currently evaluating how much to charge for the update.

 

Indian Company Shows Off Sub-$200 Laptop
source: Hack in the Box
A computer, a mobile one, for Rs.10,000? A Bangalore-based company on Tuesday announced the development of such a system under a project sponsored by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It is expected to be available commercially in three months. Vinay L. Deshpande, chairman and chief executive officer of Encore Software, told a press conference the system would have the essential features of a conventional personal computer: everyday applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, personal information manager, e-mail and web-browser. It will play music and movies, have text-to-speech conversion facility and built-in local-language support. For now, Kannada, Hindi, and Marathi; work is in progress on Tamil and Telugu. It will weigh 500 gm and be compact. It can be synchronised with a regular PC, "considering that it [a PC] cannot be wished away. It will have no hard disk but will have built-in memory and facility to plug in memory cards for any storage over and above that provided for in the built-in memory. It will not have games. High-speed computing is ruled out. The reasoning is that "while adding to the cost, these are of no use to many users.

 

Latest Poll Shows Bloomberg With Significant Lead In Mayoral Race
how stupid are these New Yorkers? Go back to Massachusetts.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pulled ahead of former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer in a public opinion poll that had shown Ferrer in the lead since November.

The Quinnipiac University poll shows Bloomberg leading Ferrer 47 to 38 percent. The mayor was six points behind Ferrer, a Democrat, in Quinnipiac's last poll, released March 30.

The new poll also shows Bloomberg leading other Democratic challengers.

The poll found a tighter race when Bloomberg is paired against Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields. He has a 43-38 percent lead over Fields.

Ferrer still leads the Democrats, but by a smaller margin than in past polls. He takes 27 percent of the Democratic vote, compared to 23 percent for Fields. Congressman Anthony Weiner trails with 13 percent, and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller follows with 11 percent.

The poll also found Ferrer's controversial comments about Amadou Diallo are still hurting him. As NY1 reported first, Ferrer told the police sergeants' union the shooting of the unarmed man was not a crime and that there was a rush to "over-indict" the four officers involved.

Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed had heard about the comments and most said it made them think less favorably of him.

Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,169 registered New York City voters last week, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

 

Multiple Lottery Wins Tied To Fortune Cookies From Long Island City
What would be better would be, if it said as well "You will get lucky... in bed"

A flurry of concern about fraud after dozens of players picked five out of six correct numbers in the March 30 Powerball lottery has been laid to rest.

Typically, only four or five people would qualify for second place prizes.

Lottery officials quickly determined that the coincidence could be linked to fortune cookies. The winners reportedly played the lucky numbers printed on the fortunes inside the cookies, which were all manufactured at the same factory in Long Island City, Queens.

'I thought people only read the message for fun, but that's the first time I've heard of people buying the lottery with the numbers and they won the jackpot,' said Wonton Food Vice President Derrick Wong, who owns the factory.

Wonton Food makes more fortune cookies than anyone in the whole world. Four million of their Golden Bowl cookies are produced at the factory every single day. Of those cookies, there are 3,000 to 3,500 different number combinations on their fortunes.

That means thousands of the tiny sheets of paper feature the same number combination. Enough people played those numbers that when they happened to hit, there were over 100 second-place winners.

So imagine the odds of deciding to have Chinese food, opening a fortune cookie, actually looking at the numbers, playing them in the lottery, and nailing five out of six numbers? Depending on how those numbers were played, winners should receive between $$100,000 and $$500,000 each, for a total payout of $$19 million.

Will this spark a run by lottery players on fortune cookies?

“I had [used the numbers] in the past, but I had no luck with it,” said one man.

“I had one yesterday at my house and I didn't even look at it,” said another New Yorker.

But Derrick Wong thinks more people may now be paying attention to their fortunes.

“Yes, definitely [business will be better],” he said."
NY1: Top Stories

 

Hi Speed Chases in Hi Definition
source: LAist


Channel 7 has a brand new toy. KABC debuted a high definition news helicoptor on Monday. It is the first in a series of moves that will eventually bring the entire newscast into Hi-Def.

Do we really need that? We know there's great value in watching sporting events in HD but do we want to watch real life police shootouts and fatal car accidents and local fires with that much clarity? What about the situations in the past where we've seen people shot dead or in serious injury from the blurry over head cameras positioned on coptors already? LAist isn't sure it'll be a good thing to see all that more closely.

And an entire newscast in HD? There's no way Dallas Raines wants us to be able to count the wrinkles in his face or Kathy Vara wants us to be noticing how much makeup she's really wearing when we should be paying attention to the copy she's reading.

 
Using A MetroCard for Taxis?

Within the Taxi and Limousine Commissions's ambitious plans to bring technology to cabs might be a future where you can use Metrocards to pay your taxi fare. Sorta way: The NY Post reports that Cubic, a California-based company whose smart card technology NYC uses for Metrocards (San Francisco, Chicago, and DC use their technology too), has been looking into the possibility of new payment options, along with other possible vendors. The idea of a stored value card is one that Gothamist loves, although the current Metrocard material is too flimsy to hold up to it. However, as the MTA has debated Smart Cards to little avail, we think it's just cute that the TLC is even considering it. The TLC Chairman Matthew Daus doesn't want people to get their hopes up, either, as he emphasizes it's more important to put credit and debit payments options in place first - though they will consider plans that might offer a swipe system. What Gothamist would like to do next is figure out how to split cabs with people when you're all vying for the same one on those rain-flooded-subway work mornings.

And who new that Cubic also does defense applications, like "electronic warfare systems"?

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