Google Wave Opens Up to 1 Million Users

When Google asked what you liked and disliked about their new real-time communication application, you unquestionably said that you wanted more invites to share with friends and family. Problem solved.Today, Google () decided to play Santa with Wave invites. It has just doled out significantly more invites to existing users. In conjunction with the invite rollout, Google is also hinting that they’ll soon reach the one million user mark.

The title of their post suggestively indicates that “a million stamps” have been licked, which we take to mean that they’ve now opened up Google Wave () to a million users.While invites may be more readily available, be forewarned: Google is still not ready to graduate the service from preview phase to beta stage. Still, we’re excited that more of you can get in on the shared experience that is Google Wave.

mashable

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USB 3.0: The new speed limit

Have you spent too much time waiting for large files to crawl between a computer and an external hard drive? Don't fret -- USB 3.0 has arrived. Not only can it move data faster and provide more power, but it's compatible with USB 2.0 devices.

Developed by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), USB 3.0's SuperSpeed specification promises a theoretical top speed of 5Gbit/sec. versus USB 2.0's 480Mbit/sec.

The key to blending old and new is NEC's μPD720200 controller chip. It has the circuitry for USB 2.0 and 3.0 transfers inside and can use either, depending on what's plugged in. Right now, it's the only game in town, but look for other companies, including Symwave, Fujitsu and Via, to introduce their own USB 3.0 chips in the coming months.

The first round of USB 3.0 cards and devices works with Windows Vista and Windows 7; Apple hasn't decided whether to support the new standard. The basic software for USB 3.0 has been in the Linux kernel since last fall, and the needed drivers are slowly coming out.

There are already a few USB 3.0 devices available. To test them, I used a Lenovo ThinkPad W510 with USB 3.0 built in. I tried out a variety of new devices, including the Buffalo DriveStation USB 3.0 HD-HXU3 external hard drive; a StarTech SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to SATA Hard Drive Docking Station in combination with my current Western Digital WD Caviar Blue external drive; and a Seagate BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0 Performance Kit, a portable hard drive that includes its software on a USB 3.0 ExpressCard.

What's new in USB 3.0?

Unlike the change from USB 1.0 to USB 2.0, USB 3.0 brings actual physical differences to the connectors. The flat USB Type A plug (that goes into the computer) looks the same, but inside is an extra set of connectors; the edge of the plug is colored blue to indicate that it's USB 3.0.

On the other end of the cable, the Type B plug (that goes into the USB device) actually looks different -- it has an extra set of connectors, so it looks a bit like a USB plug that's been crimped a little ways down one end. There's also a new Micro Type B plug that has all its connectors laid out horizontally.

As a result, you won't be able to fit a USB 3.0 cable into a USB 2.0 device. However, you will be able to plug USB 3.0 devices -- and cables -- into your current computer; you just won't get the speed advantage. (Note: To get the most out of USB 3.0, the cable needs to be less than about 9 feet long, down from the USB 2.0 16-foot limit.)

The reason for the new connector is that the USB 3.0 cable contains nine wires (four more than a USB 2.0 cable); eight carry data and one is used as a ground. Despite the increase in wires, however, the cables should be no thicker than those used by USB 2.0. There will be a big difference in performance, however. USB 2.0 is like a single-lane country road that needs to handle the morning-commute traffic in and out of L.A. There are jams and slowdowns when too much data is going back and forth. With nine wires available, USB 3.0 has an additional two lanes of traffic in each direction to smooth the flow between the computer and the device.

Unlike USB 2.0, which requires synchronous transfers, where the data is asked for and then sent, the 3.0 host controller doesn't have to poll the USB device every time it wants to send data. This streamlines the flow with high-speed asynchronous transfers.

While SuperSpeed's peak speed is 5Gbit/sec., it will drop to a slower speed on occasion -- for example, when it moves data into and out of older devices or when it's being used with a too-long cable.

On top of faster data speeds, USB 3.0 provides up to 150 milliamps (mA) of electricity -- 50% more than USB 2.0 -- to an unconfigured device while the computer it's connected to is finding and loading its needed software. Once the device has been configured and accepted by the computer's operating system, USB 3.0 can deliver 900mA to the device, compared with USB 2.0's 500mA. This should be more than enough to power a hard drive or a camcorder -- or even a USB device (such as a monitor or a projector) that needs more power than is available via a USB 2.0 port.

USB 3.0 offers power conservation as well. While USB 2.0 is either on or off and wastes power when it isn't being used, the new spec comes with three levels of power use that draw progressively less power.

But be aware that first-generation USB 3.0 implementations are power-hungry. The Lenovo ThinkPad W510 that I used for testing ran for 2 hours 19 minutes while continuously playing music from a USB 3.0 external drive -- and ran for an additional 34 minutes when it used a USB 2.0 port.

computerworld

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Apple IPhone With Wi-Fi May Soon Enter China

China Unicom, the only mobile network operator selling iPhones in China, is in talks with Apple to sell a version of the popular smartphone with Wi-Fi, something the companies could not do previously due to government regulations.

Wi-Fi is seen as important to the success of the iPhone in China because many people want to use the devices to surf the Web, but don't want to pay higher data rates for using the mobile network. China so far has required mobile phones with Wi-Fi also to support WAPI (WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure), a homegrown security protocol. Versions of the iPhone on sale now in China do not offer Wi-Fi.

"I know that in the market there is hope we will offer an iPhone with Wi-Fi," said Chang Xiaobing, chairman and CEO of China Unicom, outside an event in Beijing. "We have been holding talks with Apple in this area."

Chang did not give a timetable for any release. When asked if the phone will come with WAPI, he said the phone will satisfy demands in the Chinese market.

Sales of the iPhone in China have disappointed some industry watchers, who blame slow uptake of the smartphones on a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons is that users who want one can buy an iPhone for a lower price, and with Wi-Fi, in neighboring Hong Kong. The 32GB iPhone 3GS with no service contract costs 6,999 yuan (US$1,024) in China, compared to about US$800 in Hong Kong.

Other people seek out iPhones at electronics bazaars throughout China, where entrepreneurs that have carried them into the country sell them on the gray market.

pcworld

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Intel dangles cash to lure developers to its app store

Company offers cash incentives for mobile software developers to write applications for netbooks with Atom processors inside

Intel is using cash incentives to lure mobile software developers to its AppUp Center application store, hoping to spur the development of new applications for netbooks with Atom microprocessors inside.

On Monday, Intel offered a range of financial incentives to bring mobile developers to the AppUp Center, which currently works only with Windows. Incentives include payments of $500 to 250 developers between April 1 and April 14, and a bonus of $2 per download for 100 applications during the same period, up to $5,000 for free applications and $25,000 for paid applications.

[ Netbooks in the business: Do they make sense? | The InfoWorld Test Center rates netbooks for business. See who came out on top. | Stay ahead of advances in mobile technology with InfoWorld's Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]

The awards, which Intel is calling the Million Dollar Development Fund, are meant to spur development of mobile applications for netbooks, the term it coined for small, low-cost laptops that run on Atom processors. Additional awards for developers will be announced on March 9, the company said.

While netbooks have become popular among laptop users, there is little to differentiate them from larger laptops apart from their relatively underpowered processors, price, and smaller size. The AppUp Center is meant to change that, spurring the development of applications that will make netbooks more useful. Eventually, Intel wants to see the range of available applications expand to include other Atom-based devices, such as smartphones and handheld computers.

Intel has a lot of catching up to do if the chip maker hopes to rival other application stores.

Both Apple and Google already have well-established application stores, all designed for devices, such as the Apple iPhone and Google's Nexus One, which run on chips designed by Intel rival Arm. But while Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market have thousands of applications on offer, the AppUp Center has only 100 or so -- far from enough to be considered a credible alternative by end users.

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