Telus to double mobile data speeds

Vancouver-based wireless operator, Telus Mobility, has successfully tested a new cellular technology that it says could double the speed of its mobile data network by early next year, reports Teleclick.

Telus' current HSPA+ network can deliver downstream bandwidth of up to 21Mbps under perfect conditions. The new technology, known as 'HSPA+ Dual Cell,' will double the theoretical maximum speed to 42Mbps. In real world conditions, the average download speed will be around 8Mbps, roughly double the average speed for current mobile data users.

By increasing the capabilities of its data network, Telus is likely trying to stay one step ahead of new competitors, such as Mobilicity and Wind Mobile, which are aggressively promoting a number of deeply-discounted voice and data plans across Canada.

Beating efficiency limits and overheating have long been the holy grail of solar panel research and development. Now, California's solar scientists think they may have found a way to solve both problems with a single, elegant solution, writes Get Solar.

Researchers at Stanford University's Global Climate and Energy Project and the Stanford Institute for Materials Energy Systems say they have conclusively proven that a process called 'photon enhanced thermionic emission' (Pete) works to improve the efficiency of solar modules as they heat up.

Typically, solar panels lose efficiency as they heat, with energy conversion efficiency rarely exceeding 20%. With a theoretical energy conversion efficiency of as much as 50% or 60%, Pete represents a quantum leap in solar panel technology.

Scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have demonstrated new technologies that could save the lives of firefighters trapped inside burning buildings, says Boston.com.

At WPI's annual conference on indoor location tracking for rescue workers, held in Worcester, researchers demonstrated new electronic systems that cut in half the average time needed to track down a lost firefighter.

"The technology's actually better than we were expecting," said Jim Duckworth, a WPI associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Since 1999, when six Worcester firefighters died after being trapped in a burning warehouse, Duckworth has helped establish WPI as a major centre of research in location technology for rescue workers.