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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (538039)	12/22/2009 8:26:44 AM
From: jlallen	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1576866

That post of yours is just another excellent example of your ignorance on display. J.

To: tejek who wrote (538039)	12/22/2009 9:18:26 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 1576866

Ford Will Let Car Occupants Access the Web at 70 mph Barry Levine, newsfactor.com Barry Levine, newsfactor.com Mon Dec 21, 5:14 pm ET Starting next year, the latest trend for with-it groups of travelers could be posting on each others' Facebook pages while hurtling down the highway. On Monday, Ford Motor Company announced that cars with its next-generation SYNC system will be able to use a USB broadband modem to turn the entire car into a Wi-Fi hot spot. The capability, available on selected vehicles, won't require any additional hardware or subscriptions, except for a mobile broadband modem or "air card," which is not supplied by the car maker and connects to a USB port on the car. Wi-Fi will then be available throughout the car wherever the broadband modem has reception. Driver Controls Network Mark Fields, president of Ford's Americas division, said that "while you're driving to grandma's house, your spouse can be finishing the holiday shopping and the kids can be chatting with friends and updating their Facebook profiles." Lest one shudder at the thought that any Wi-Fi-equipped laptop in an adjacent car could tap into the traveling hot spot, Ford said only owner-permitted devices will be able to use the network, and standard Protected Access 2 (WPA2) security protocols will be employed. Users have to enter a randomly chosen password, and any new Wi-Fi device must be specifically allowed to connect by the driver. Ford said the potential customer base for this feature is more than a third of Americans, who, according to a study by the Consumer Electronics Association, would like to be able to check e-mail and visit web sites in their vehicles. The USB port to the SYNC system will take any external technology plugged into it, which the company said would allow the system to "ensure 'forward compatibility'" by leveraging a user's current hardware. SYNC Going Open-Source The SYNC system, developed by Ford with Microsoft, provides in-car communications and entertainment, and was first shown at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show. It's an integrated, flash-memory-based system that allows such things as drivers making hands-free calls, or the ability to control digital audio through voice commands or steering-wheel-mounted controls. The voice-recognition system can accommodate English, Spanish and Canadian French. Ford is also reported to have decided to make the platform open source, so third-party developers can create downloadable applications for use in the car, such as traffic reports or news. This would make Ford's SYNC-equipped cars into a new kind of platform, comparable to, say, iPhones. Bill Ho, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, compared car-based Wi-Fi to the popular MiFi, a personal router that turns a 3G signal into a hot spot. He noted, however, that "there may be some performance issues when you're comparing a static hot spot to a mobile one." Ho added that "being connected is the way to go," so expect to see more car makers getting their vehicles connected not only through GPS units but to the Internet.

To: tejek who wrote (538039)	12/22/2009 10:40:31 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1576866

November home sales soar 7.4 percent By ALAN ZIBEL, AP Real Estate Writer Alan Zibel, Ap Real Estate Writer 10 mins ago WASHINGTON – Home resales surged last month to the highest level in nearly three years, reflecting an extraordinary level of federal support that has pulled the housing market back from the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Buyers were racing to complete their sales before the original expiration date of a tax credit for first-time buyers that was scheduled to expire Nov. 30. Last month, Congress decided to extend and expand the credit to ensure the housing market could sustain its recovery. The Realtors estimated that about 2 million homebuyers have taken advantage of the credit so far and forecasts that another 2.4 million will use it by the middle of next year. First-time buyers made up about half of all transactions last month, driving sales up 44 percent above last year's levels, a record jump. Sales are now up 46 percent from the bottom in January, but down 10 percent from the peak more than four years ago. The median sales price was $172,600, down 4.3 percent from a year earlier, and up 0.2 percent from October. "Things are stabilizing," said Pete Flint, chief executive of real estate Web site Trulia.com. "There is a significant amount of buyer interest out there." November sales rose 7.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.54 million, from a downwardly revised pace of 6.09 million in October. Sales had been expected to rise to an annual pace of 6.25 million, according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters. The inventory of unsold homes on the market fell about 1 percent to 3.5 million. That's a healthy 6.5 month supply at the current sales pace, the lowest level in three years. Besides the existing tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time buyers, homeowners who have lived in their current properties for at least five years can now claim a tax credit of up to $6,500 if they relocate. To qualify, buyers must sign a purchase agreement by April 30. Postponing the deadline could mean sales will drop during the winter months and recover in the spring. "Buyers have no sense of urgency now," said Gary DeRosa, an agent with ZipRealty Inc. in Seattle.