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Reading this actually makes me hope that Facebook gets their wifi-beaming balloons up and running quickly. I'd like to support Comcast as little as humanly poss
by mikekij 13y ago
Reading this actually makes me hope that Facebook gets their wifi-beaming balloons up and running quickly. I'd like to support Comcast as little as humanly possible.
- 01Michael10 13y agoI think it is actually Google looking to deploy Wi-Fi beaming balloons and Facebook is looking at solar powered drones. I vote for Google over drones...
- freehunter 13y ago>I vote for Google over drones Why is what? Are they any different? Are you balking at the word "drone"? How about "unmanned aircraft", which describes both Google and Facebook's approach? It's not like Facebook will be using the same "drones" the Air Force uses to bomb ground targets.
- 01Michael10 13y agoI know Facebook's drones are not the same as the military drones but... The idea of using "drones" leaves a bad taste in my mouth since they are currently used as immoral killing machines. I do agree with robszumski that drones may be a better bet then balloons. Hope Google provides the service as I prefer them as a company. Yes, both are data mining beasts but at least Google does some cool things and they have services I actually use. Not one Facebook service comes to mind that I use...
- freehunter 13y agoThat's what I was expecting you'd say, but I had really hoped I was wrong. Again, a drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, so Google is using drones as well. In the comparison with military drones, you might as well say you don't want to see Google's balloons because the Hindenburg was such a disaster. Completely different beast. I would wager that there are more drones out there being used for entertainment than there are being used for killing... we call them quadricopters and you can buy them at Wal Mart.
- 01Michael10 13y agoYour repeating yourself and I am being down-voted? No sh*t there are different types of drones. I simply meant they leave a bad taste in my mouth because how they are mostly being used now but did acknowledge drones may be a better bet then balloons. Oh, the Hindenburg is a bad analogy as it's purpose wasn't to target people from the sky to kill, it was an accident. Now, if Google is going to be using Hydrogen instead of Helium in their balloons like the Hindenburg then you would have a point.
- freehunter 13y agoIf Facebook was using missiles in their airplanes instead of wifi, you might have a point.
- robszumski 13y agoThe correct way to look at this is to think of the drones as very low, maneuverable satellites, not airplanes. They're up in unregulated airspace above airliners and above most weather. The lower you are, the lower the latency. Think of a laser-based optical network that connects the drones, with laser links going down to earth as well. When you think of the control required to ensure a quality of service and full coverage, the balloons seems like a terrible solution.
- wmf 13y agoNeither balloons or drones are going to be fast enough to watch Netflix.
- TTPrograms 13y agoIIRC freespace light based transmission has beaten a couple of Gbps.
- beamatronic 13y agoI wish there was a service that would just let me rent discs through the mail.