Fiber Optics - SlashGear

‘fiber optics’ Stories

Google Fiber breaks ground in Kansas City

Rue Liu, Feb 6th 2012 Discuss [0]

Google announced that it will begin laying fiber today in Kansas City as part of its plans to build out a new high-speed broadband network that aims to bring speeds 100 times faster than what Americans have today. Kansas City was picked out of more than 1,100 companies bidding to receive Google's fiber network. Read The Full Story

75 Year Old “Spade Hacker” Shuts Down Internet for Two Countries

Samia Perkins, Apr 7th 2011 Discuss [4]

A 75 year old woman, who was just trying to scrape out a living by digging up copper wire to sell, inadvertently shut down the internet for two countries on March 28. The woman somehow unearthed and cut the fiber optic cable running between Georgia and Armenia, shutting down online access for a good part of the day, 5 hours in Georgia and 12 in Armenia. Read The Full Story

Fiber Optics: Past Copper

Kevin Fubar, Mar 30th 2011 Discuss [7]

Most of the active connections to this globe spanning network we all love to hate come in the form of cable or DSL. Modulated electric signals get transmitted over metal wires, coaxial or twisted pair respectively. These technologies transmit the internet as most experience it. Verizon has begun to break down this model with it's FiOS fiber optic lines, but they have been really slow to roll out. They've only managed to cover 10% of the households in the United States. AT&T isn't doing much better at getting Fiber to the people, U-Verse (where most AT&T fiber customers fall under) has even fewer subscribers than FiOS. Fiber-optics, while ten or a hundred times faster than the connection you're probably using, isn't available most places, yet. We wrote about Google's Fiber Project earlier today. Read The Full Story

Apple fiber-optic MagSafe cable patent tips potential Light Peak support

Chris Davies, Dec 2nd 2010 Discuss [1]

Apple has patented [pdf link] a combination MagSafe power connector and fiber optic docking system, that could allow future MacBook notebooks - as well as other devices using the same next-gen port - to access an external dock or port array and minimize the number of on-device connections. The concept is reminiscent of rumors earlier in the week suggesting Apple was looking to Intel's Light Peak technology for a future MacBook Pro refresh, taking advantage of the connection technology's ability to replace USB, ethernet, display and other cable types simultaneously. Read The Full Story

Hitachi’s InfiniGreen InfiniBand cables, more bandwidth, less power consumption

Daniel Lim, Mar 16th 2009 Discuss [0]

Consumers are seeking out more green and power-saving products, and frankly, there aren’t any different in IT industry. Hitachi new optical active cables solution, promised to cut cost by reducing power consumption while increase productivity, is the exactly what the IT, data communication and telecommunication industries are looking for right now. Read The Full Story

Twilight Umbrellas keep you dry; brighten up the night

Brenda Stokes, Oct 13th 2008 Discuss [0]

While there are plenty of "fashion-minded" umbrellas out there, most people just buy a cheap umbrella that opens and closes without error and will keep them relatively dry on rainy days. But if you're looking for something that offers a bit more, the Twilight Umbrella might be more your style. Twilight Umbrellas aren't new, but they have been updated a bit and the lights have been moved around a bit. There are three different umbrella styles now that serve up combinations of lighting outwards or lighting the underside of the umbrella to offer a more stylish way to keep out of the rain. Read The Full Story