Android OS Developer Presents For PC

San Francisco - A group of developers who call themselves Android-x86, develop Android on the x86 platform, so OS (Operating Systems) Google's can be used to run a series netbook Asus Eee PC.

In the site, community-x86 mention Android, just a few months after creating a patch that lets Android running on the x86 platform, they are aware of these findings can be developed further. This group then decided to further develop the basic code that they find in order to support other x86 platforms and to hosting on their servers.

"This project first aims to provide a complete solution for Android on the Eee PC platform, and for the x86 platform," wrote Android-x86 on their website, as quoted by TG Daily, Thursday (21/1/2010).

So far, the developer has tested their findings in most series netbook Asus Eee PC. Among a series of Eee PC 701 series, 701SD, 900, 900A, 901, 904HD, 1000, 1000HE, 1000HD, 1005HAG, S101, T91 (VESA mode) and Eee Top 1602C. These findings could also work on the Lenovo ThinkPad x61 tablet. All of the above devices is known to run in native resolution (800x480 or 1024x600) through the i915 driver, which all run on Linux Kernel 2.6.29 with kernel mode-setting (KMS) enabled.

In addition to developing Android to use the PC even further, this development group plans to develop an external monitor, support Bluetooth support, power management better, support multi-touch touchpad, as well as 3G and GPS features.

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China Shoots GPS Satellite Into Orbit

Seeking to create an alternative to the United States' global positioning system, China is busy building its own GPS network. On Wednesday, it launched the second satellite designed to support the system. It will need 30 more to complete the system by 2015.


China fired into orbit Wednesday its second satellite in a program to build an alternative to the global positioning system based on U.S. satellites.

The geostationary satellite is one of a series being slung into space to form the Beidou, or "Compass," navigation system, the official Xinhua News Agency said, calling the system a "crucial part of the country's space infrastructure."

Home-Grown GPS
The system is touted by China as an alternative to the U.S. satellite GPS More about global positioning system network, the dominant positioning system, although it isn't clear how far China has progressed in bringing the project to fruition.

Although the U.S. government says China has already launched at least five navigation satellites, Xinhua said Wednesday's launch, which was fired off at 00:16 a.m. (1616 GMT) from the southwestern Xichang launching center using a Long March 3C rocket, was only the second directly tied to the global navigation system.

It said China's current satellite navigation system only covers China and adjacent regions.

The launch comes almost exactly two years after the first Beidou satellite was placed into orbit, Xinhua said.

Competition and Cooperation
Xinhua said 30 more satellites would be needed before 2015 to complete the system, with 10 going up by the end of next year.

China has been both a competitor and a partner in global positioning system efforts. While seeking to operate independently of the U.S. system, it has invested in the European Union's Galileo satellite navigation system and is talking about participating in Russia's GLONASS system.

Source : http://www.technewsworld.com/story/mobile-tech/

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Israel Deploys New Missile Tracker Against Hamas

NEW YORK -- In yet another signal that the war with Hamas may be intensifying, Israeli media are reporting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have deployed an experimental new rocket tracking tracking system in the port city of Ashkelon, near the Gaza border.

The IAI MC4 is now in place and operational in Ashkelon reports The Jerusalem Post.

The MC4, a new product of Israel Aerospace Industries, is an outgrowth of the Arrow anti-missile system jointly developed by Israel and the Pentagon.

The Arrow, a successor to the Patriot, was designed as part of President Reagan's Star Wars anti-missile defense originally designed to counter Soviet ICBMs.

While both the Patriot and the Arrow were designed to intercept and neutralize incoming ballistic missiles, the MC4 is designed to counter much smaller missiles such as 122mm ammunitions including Russi an made Katyusha's.

The smaller missiles are quickly launched and have a much more restricted range, giving the attacker the ability to rapidly move to new locations and minimize any counter-measures.

Tracking such highly mobile launch sites had been very difficult as Israel experienced in fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006.


As a result of the Lebanese war, IAI began a crash program to counter such mini-missiles which caused havoc in Haifa in 2006 and now in the Ashdod-Ashkelon region.

According to The Post, the MC4 had been deployed for field testing in Ashkelon last week, but now has been activated for full operation.

Built by the Malam Missile and Space Factory of IAI, the MC4 uses state-of-the-art technology including GPS and camera sensors to scan areas where rocket launch sites may be suspected.

Once a launch is detected, the MC4 pinpoints the site and projected flight path. It also has the ability to back track launches already in progress.

According to Israeli sources, the MC4 gives the IDF the ability to hit rocket launch sites in a manner that did not exist during the Lebanese war.

The MC4 is said to have the ability to triangulate the coordinates of launch sites within a minute of a firing, giving the IDF a new opportunity to respond to "hit and run" missile attacks. It can also pinpoint targets hit, giving emergency medical teams quicker response times.

Neither the US nor Russia currently have such systems in their arsenals say military sources.

Source : http://www.newsmax.com/

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Increasing Runway Safety with GPS Aircraft Positioning

For pilots, knowing what runway or taxiway they’re on is critical information. That knowledge is especially important at night, in poor weather or when the crew is unfamiliar with the airport layout.

Pilots have traditionally acquired that information by looking out their windshield. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made it easier for pilots to have an invaluable electronic tool in the cockpit. It provides a moving map display with “own ship position” — that will change and improve runway safety the way GPS has changed the way we safely navigate our cars.

The FAA has aggressively focused on reducing runway incursions for the last several years. After thoroughly reviewing safety data, including human factors research on the safety benefits of own ship position versus the potential safety risks, we changed our certification process to make this technology available while maintaining all appropriate safety standards.

Electronic Flight Bags and Moving Maps

In recent years, paper charts and manuals have increasingly been replaced by the Electronic Flight Bag or EFB: an electronic display system that gives pilots information about a variety of aviation data. These EFBs range from laptop-like devices totally independent of the aircraft that can be used on planes across the existing fleet, to high-end displays permanently installed and fully integrated into the airplane’s cockpit for newer aircraft. The FAA focused our efforts on a third type of device, referred to as a “Class 2 system” that is still portable but takes its power and data directly from aircraft systems.

Most EFBs incorporate a feature called Airport Moving Map, a display that provides a constantly changing view of an airport’s runways, taxiways and structures to help pilots identify and anticipate the airplane’s location on the surface. GPS technology makes it possible for the moving map to show pilots their actual position (own ship) on the airport surface.

The FAA has varying certification levels for Electronic Flight Bags based on the technical complexity of the EFB and the types of data it is intended to display. Devices able to show data both on the ground and in the air, including an Airport Moving Map that identifies the aircraft’s position, are subject to the highest, or “Class C,” standards. These standards were set with particular regard for the strictest in flight requirements.
Same High Standards, Streamlined Certification Process

Since issuing its original guidance for EFB certification in 2003, the FAA has been listening to industry concerns about the complexity and high cost of certifying EFBs to provide the Airport Moving Map/Own Ship Position function for surface movements. The agency also reviewed studies and human factors research on those systems.

Research showed that pilots had far better awareness of their position on the airport’s surface using an own ship position display. Tests also demonstrated that pilots typically glanced at the own ship display, then quickly looked out their windows to verify that information visually, eliminating one of the FAA’s major concerns that pilots would be “heads down” too long for safe operations.

With that data in hand, the FAA decided to streamline the process of certifying the own ship position function of moving map displays to give pilots the safety benefits on the airport surface as soon as possible. FAA certification standards for EFBs remain the same, but we worked with several companies to develop revised certification policies that make this important safety enhancement more cost-effective for operators.

The new policies were finalized and ready for use by the end of April 2007. The first certification was given to Jeppesen in March 2008.

By focusing on the Own Ship Position function and finding innovative ways to simplify certification, the FAA believes the cost of certification for surface operations could drop to as little as $20,000 per unit — about one-tenth the original anticipated cost of EFB certification for ground and air operations. Based on feedback we have received, we believe the aviation industry will have the financial incentive to produce these devices in mass quantities. The result: A higher level of safety at a significantly reduced cost.

http://www.faa.gov/news/

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