Antigravics

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/20 ... 525363.htm

>> Students in 200 schools around Victoria and Tasmania will be given hand held computers next year, as part of what is claimed to be a world-first study by the University of Tasmania.

The research will look at how students can benefit from getting maximum exposure to information technology systems.

University researchers have been given a $300,000 Australian Research Council grant to explore how a student's learning changes using palm pilots.

The hand-held computers are constantly with students and eliminate the need for text books, pens and paper.

Dr Andrew Fluck from the University of Tasmania says palm pilots give students more opportunity to use computers in the classroom.

"Most students are far happier using a keyboard then a pen for example, by having the tool with them all the time it's going to make life a lot easier," he said.

Results from the study will be passed on so governments can decide if the computer will become a permanent school feature.

The study will finish in 2008. >>

http://www.physorg.com/news90670518.html

>> WiMAX, the latest acronym invented by the telecommunications industry, is a sort of ultra-powerful wireless Internet service that has created a splash at mobile phone trade show 3GSM this year.

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It offers quicker downloading speeds at home and creates constant wireless coverage in cities, which will eventually allow subscribers to connect to the Internet with their mobile phones wherever they are.

Wireless high-speed Internet is now commonplace in hotel lobbies, airports and homes thanks to Wi-Fi technology, which enables computers to connect to the Internet via a signal sent by a transmitter.

The main drawback of Wi-Fi is its short range, requiring users to go to "hotspots" within about 100 metres (yards) of a transmitter.

"With Wifi you have to go to a hotspot', but with WiMAX you'll be able to connect anywhere and at a higher bandwidth than before," said Barbara Lopez, marketing manager for Intel's dedicated WiMAX division, Intel WiMAX.

The interest in the technology poses an obvious threat to established mobile network operators which have spent billions of dollars developing and buying licenses for 3G, or third-generation mobile phone services.

3G is a rival technology allowing users to access the Internet through their mobile phones, allowing instant messaging and downloads.

Insiders speak about a new WiMAX world when all electronic devices are capable of connecting to the Internet, when digital cameras send photos over the Internet rather than store them on memory, and when the Internet on mobile phone or on laptop computer is just a click away on buses or in cars. >>>>