Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Mobile Devices and Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle landing video on the screen of a Nokia N700 handheld

Kingsley asked me some time ago why I consider the screen resolution of iPhone / iPod Touch too small for normal web browsing. For context see: Tech Today: SemWeb SDForum event and Apple iPod Touch [captsolo.net - 2007.09.05]

While iPhone has got a lot of attention its screen is not that brilliant. It could be enough for many - when making a phone call or looking at a map (zoom in/out works nice in this case) but it pales when compared to screens, e.g., Nokia N-Series handhelds:

  • iPhone: 320×480 pix, 3.5 in, color LCD
  • Nokia N770: 800×480 pix, 4.1 in, 65k color LCD

In the image above you can see a snapshot of a NASA TV video of one of this year’s Space Shuttle landings. Now, you can see the crisp details of the Nokia’s user interface, but why does this picture shows a noisy, low resolution video of a Shuttle landing?

The reason: Space Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-122 is now in the process of landing at the Kennedy Space Center, scheduled for 9:07 a.m EST. Space Shuttle landings are always a fascinating event (it’s also one of the most complex machines ever built by a man) and you can follow it on NASA TV (link above).

Live coverage: NASA’s STS-122 Landing Blog

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