Report: DoT planning to end in-flight calls

Despite all the technology which wants to let you use a cell phone on a plane, the Department of Transportation (DoT) doesn’t seem to be impressed. At a meeting of the International Aviation Club last week, DoT counsel Kathryn Thomson said they’d be taking the next step on what could end up as a formal ban on cell phone usage in-flight, attendees said.

The DoT, for their part, responded to formal requests by saying they’re developing a “notice of proposed rulemaking”. That notice is said to be released in December, and would outline their objection to in-flight call activity. It would then be open to commentary until February, when the DoT would make their final judgement.

It seems the issue is with voice calls, not text or other forms of communication. The FCC recently opened up cell phone usage on flights, leaving the adjudication of that program in the hands of airlines. Those airlines would like the same from the DoT.

The DoT seems to think calls are disruptive, and may feel it falls under their jurisdiction to provide a “safe and adequate” means of transportation for us.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of the DoT positioning themselves to ban calls. In December of 2013, Secretary Anthony Foxx said the agency would “begin a process that will look at the possibility of banning these in-flight calls”. that was step one, it seems. Step two is incoming.







Source: slashgear

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LG Display unveils world’s first Quad HD AH-IPS LCD for smartphones

LG Display has announced the creation of the world’s first 2566 x 1440 panel for smartphones, a Quad HD AH-IPS LCD. This massively high resolution accompanies a 5.5-inch panel, giving it a 538ppi. As such, says the display maker, this is both the highest resolution and the highest pixels per inch of any mobile display created thus far.

The Quad HD brings clearer images than what you get with the common 1280 x 720 resolution found on many handsets, something LG Display says results in “more delicate colors” in addition to better contrast and vividness than smartphones currently offer. All of this culminates in images that are said to be both more crisp and life-like, as well as video quality that is Blu-ray equivalent.

Furthermore, the Quad HD panel is said to provide users with a full view of Web pages that is equivalent to what you get on a PC, no distortion or clipping present. Comparing this with Full HD displays, current users would only get access to about three quarters of the full screen experience, leaving a full quarter to be desired. Obviously, this has benefits for zooming in content.

Text is sharper on the Quad HD than on Full HD (and lower) displays, for example. Such a creation comes at a time when demand for larger screens is increasing in the market. The research firm DisplaySearch estimates that LTPS-based handset displays will hit a record of 765 million units being shipped in 2014, something fueled by desire for not only larger screens, but also higher resolution and lower power consumption.

As far as size goes, the panel is 1.21mm thick, and has a 1.2mm bezel in LCM, also earning it the titles of slimmest and narrowest available. The 5.2-inch Full HD panel that LG released last month, for example, is 12-percent thicker than the Quad HD.

Vice President and Head of LG Display’s IT and Mobile Development Group Dr. Byeong-koo Kim said: “LG Display, which pioneered the high resolution mobile market with introduction of the world’s first Full HD smartphone panel in 2012, again opens new possibilities with the successful application of QHD technology. With this breakthrough, LG Display will continue to raise new standards for mobile resolution and lead the mobile display market.”

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Cell phone data collection by law enforcement requires warrant, rules New Jersey

New Jersey saw a bill proposal surface last month that would allow law enforcement to confiscate a cell phone at the time of a crash to investigate whether a driver was distracted, leading to the incident. Such a proposal caused quite a bit of backlash, but at least one area in the state’s battle between police needs and consumers’ privacy has been resolved: a warrant must be obtained to get cell phone location data, according to a ruling.

The ruling came down from the New Jersey Supreme Court today, and with it is a requirement for law enforcement to acquire a warrant in order to get tracking information about a cell phone from the owner’s carrier. Montana was the first state to require such a measure, and California nearly became the second before it was vetoed by the governor under the grounds that it didn’t meet the needs of both law enforcement and citizens.

According to the state’s supreme court, which ruled unanimously in favor of requiring a warrant, by entering into a contract with a carrier, the subscriber can “reasonably expect” that the private data resulting from their handset usage will remain private. Part of the ruling came in part from a US Supreme Court ruling in 2012 declaring it unlawful for law enforcement to place a GPS unit on a car without having a warrant. Says New Jersey, a smartphone functions in the same way.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said: “Using a cellphone to determine the location of its owner can be far more revealing than acquiring toll billing, bank, or Internet subscriber records. Details about the location of a cellphone can provide an intimate picture of one’s daily life and reveal not just where people go … but also the people and groups they choose to affiliate with. That information cuts across a broad range of personal ties with family, friends, political groups, health care providers and others.”

The case cited one example where tracking information from a cell phone was used by law enforcement without a warrant, leading to the arrest of an individual discovered in a motel room with the goods he had stolen from various homes. The court has pushed the issue of whether an “emergency aid exception” to the ruling will be admissible to an appeals court.

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