signals

LAS VEGAS -- Windows that only let in sunlight and provide a view to the outside world? That's so yesterday's news.

Ericsson believes it can do more with windows, and it had on display here a few windows enhanced with different modifications. One had a transparent cellular antenna embedded in the glass, potentially improving smartphone reception. Another was outfitted with infrared sensors around the frame, allowing it to detect swipes and taps. … Read more

For the first time since its descent onto the red planet, the Mars rover Curiosity is getting a little alone time.

The rover and NASA scientists are having a communication breakdown, of sorts. But, not to worry, no hurt feelings are involved. The issue is that the sun has got in the way.

Once every 26 months, as the Earth and Mars rotate around the sun, the two planets end up on opposite sides of the star in an event called the Mars solar conjunction. Because of the sun's massive size, any communication sent between the two planets can … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday announced new regulations for cell phone signal boosters.

Under the new rules, anyone who has a signal booster or plans to buy one must obtain permission to use it from their carrier. If permission is obtained, the signal booster must be registered with the carrier to ensure it meets specifications and all parties are aware of its use.

The FCC's rules, which were first brought to the floor in 2011, take aim at reducing interference with wireless networks. Signal boosters are designed to connect to cell phones to improve a connection with towers in … Read more

Staying ahead of the curve has been a hallmark of Lookout Mobile Security (download), one of the few Android-only security companies to gain a loyal fanbase on Google's mobile platform, and today they've released a major update.

The key feature improvements in the refreshed Android app are a new feature for tracking lost phones with low battery and a dialer-scanner to prevent Dialer app attacks like the one that reared its head in September. The threat was no mere digital crank call. Had you tapped the link and dialed the malicious number, it could remotely wipe your phone. … Read more

This Wednesday's top stories are sharing the love of data (but not the love of sharing data):

It began with Verizon, and now AT&T has joined the data-sharing movement. Starting in August, new AT&T customers will be signing up for "Mobile Share" plans. All have unlimited voice and text, but you pick how much data you need, and up to 10 devices can share from that bucket of data. Generally speaking, AT&T and Verizon's plan prices are pretty similar in the lower data tiers. Depending on your needs, one can … Read more

We have ceded our attempts to communicate with aliens far too often to Hollywood.

There, paunchy producers and pugnacious directors have portrayed aliens as scary, difficult people, not unlike certain recording artists and movie actors.

Now you have the chance to speak to aliens directly and offer a peace pipe, or at least a pipingly warm greeting.

For, as part of the National Geographic Channel's "Chasing UFOs" series, everyone is invited to reply to a message sent (maybe) by aliens.… Read more

If America's Wi-Fi routers could vote, they'd likely reelect President Obama by about 6 percentage points.

That's just one of the unprovable conclusions I reached after looking at some clever new research by OpenSignalMaps, an Android app that relies on its crowd of users to keep track of all kinds of wireless data signals around the world. The app has gathered a database of almost 75 million geolocated routers worldwide and OpenSignalMaps co-founder James Robinson decided to parse some of that data for sentiments toward the president after noticing how many nearby routers were expressing themselves politically. … Read more

I've listened to a lot of speakers over the past thirty-odd years, and I can tell you this, they're all imperfect.

No hi-fi or home theater sounds like live music, and not a single one of the most exalted high-end speakers has truly flat frequency response.

Of course, everyday speakers are less accurate, which is why just about every receiver sold today has a calibration system that corrects speaker anomalies and tames room acoustic problems.

That's all fine in theory, but most speaker calibration systems only change rather than improve the sound of a hi-fi or home theater. So I'm a bit of a skeptic about the benefits of this type of processing, but I finally heard a correction system that delivered the goods. It's the DEQX HDP-Express. I listened to it over a very high-end system (owned by DEQX's publicist).

The sonic transformation was at once subtle and dramatic. I first listened to the system without any correction, and the sound was excellent. The speakers were large floor-standing towers (Focal Utopias). I played a few recordings I know well, and the sound was beautifully balanced and natural.

Ah, but then my host switched on the DEQX speaker correction, and the sound of the "Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues" CD snapped into focus.… Read more

You might have already read that we're anticipating 4G phones and products dominating this year's CES.

That's why it comes as no surprise that companies are banking on some users wanting even more of a boost on their 4G network.

So far, at least two new cell phone signal boosters will be announced at CES 2012.

The first is from Wilson Electronics, which you may remember debuted its Sleek Cell Phone Signal Booster at last year's CES. The company also released a signal booster for the iPhone in 2009 called the iBooster.

This year, the company … Read more