AutoNet Mobile, a startup company wants to change the driving experience forever. The AutoNet Mobile In-Car-Router turns any moving vehicle into a Wi-Fi hotspot powered by the car’s cigarette lighter. It allows any portables that are Wi-Fi enabled to surf the net on the road.
The service covers 95% of America making it equally competitive to mobile service providers. The service is optimized for the in-car experience regardless of driving conditions or location.
How does the device connect to the Internet? The answer is TRU technology. There is no detail on what exactly it is. Without the technology, the in-car Internet connection would interrupt too frequently creating an unpleasant net surfing experience.
The new startup offers not much innovation except TRU technology, which is perhaps why they choose to keep quiet. It competes directly with mobile service providers and WiMAX although not necessary favorably.
The service begins shipping in spring 07 and is available for pre-order. The unit retails for $US399 with a monthly service charge of $US49 according to iTWire. The company is unveiling Autonet mobile in Las Vegas on January 8 at CES International 2007.
Imagine a mobile device without the need to recharge ever. BBC News has a report on the work of Assistant Professor Marin Soljacic and his colleagues Aristeidis Karalis and John Joannopoulos about wireless power transfer.
The system is consisted of two antennas - one on the power source, the other on the device - resonating at 6.4MHz. The electromagnetic waves (energy) picked up by the device is used to recharge the battery. Resonance is a natural phenomena visibly observed in musical instruments.
In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate when excited by energy at a certain frequency. This frequency is known as the system’s natural frequency of vibration, resonant frequency, or eigenfrequency. A resonant object, whether mechanical, acoustic, or electrical, will be easy to vibrate at resonant frequency, and more difficult to vibrate at other frequencies.