Spectrum smarts: XG Technology demonstrated its cognitive radio technology to FCC officials in Washington, D.C., in September. 

Credit: XG Technology

Early next year in a swath of northern Florida, as many as 8,000 people will be able to get 4G wireless broadband with a twist: the service will beam over a frequency normally used by gadgets like garage-door openers and baby monitors.

The project at Northeast Florida Telephone, using gear from a startup called XG Technology of Sarasota, Florida, appears to be the first commercial use of cognitive radio, which senses available frequencies and switches between them on the fly. Cognitive radios are now used mainly by the military.

The technology is one of many creative approaches that will be needed to forestall a spectrum shortage triggered by the boom in super-fast smartphones. U.S. mobile data traffic quadrupled last year.

Other companies are filling gaps with something called "super Wi-Fi," tapping unused parts of the TV spectrum (also often called white spaces) to deliver service. But those frequencies become available only with advance notice, not on an instant, real-time basis.

The $2.4 million Florida project is different. When it is running, the service will send and receive signals over the 902 to 928 megahertz band—the usual domain of cordless phones, baby monitors, garage-door openers, and similar short-range devices. (Normally, in the United States, cell-phone service is delivered in the 800 megahertz and 1,900 megahertz bands.) Then, using an approach called dynamic spectrum access, the technology divides that range into 18 channels, and uses real-time sensing to detect sudden interference—triggered by someone else using the channel to, say, open the garage—and switch channels within 20 milliseconds. The service should deliver data at six megabits per second, about four times faster than DSL service.

The service provider will install about 130 bread-box sized transmitters on rooftops and light poles in the area, and then give each subscriber a device the size of a deck of cards. The subscriber could use that converter box at home or while mobile. In the future, such a converter could be miniaturized and included within smartphones.

Despite the drawback of having to tote around the converter for now, people in Baker County, Florida, "will have, for the first time, access to pretty good broadband speeds at low prices, and they'll have it for fixed and mobile, and access to mobile voice at very competitive prices," says Ben Dickens, counsel to Northeast Florida Telephone. (Dickens says he doesn't yet know what the monthly pricing will be.)

Craig Partridge, chief scientist for networking research at Raytheon BBN Technologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says the Florida deal will mark the first commercial use of cognitive radios and will highlight the fact that the technology has "an important role to play in the commercial sector."

The Florida carrier is one of about 1,300 U.S. carriers serving rural areas that may never get full coverage from giants like AT&T and Verizon. The FCC is subsidizing myriad efforts to fill these gaps. Last week, for example, it announced $300 million in grants to bring mobile broadband to rural areas that include 83,000 miles of roadway (see "635,392 U.S. Road Miles Lack 3G or 4G.")

Other companies are making advanced cognitive radios and research platforms, including Cognitive Radio Technologies, a startup out of Virginia Tech, and Radio Technology Systems of Ocean Grove, New Jersey (see "Frequency Hopping Radio Wastes Less Spectrum"). The latter company's research platform, called CogRadio, stretches the approach to new limits. It's able to sense available spectrum and switch between frequencies anywhere from 100 megahertz to 7.5 gigahertz.

Such a radio, if it ever became cheap enough, could ultimately make optimal use of any spectrum all the way from AM and FM bands though television and Wi-Fi and cellular frequencies—even delivering unbroken audio and video streams that might at any given moment be using any piece of that spectrum.

Such technologies will increasingly be needed. A White House report, coauthored by industry leaders including Google chairman Eric Schmidt, earlier this year urged the industry to develop intelligent spectrum-sharing technologies.

And last week in a speech, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski reiterated that "spectrum is finite, at least with current and foreseeable technologies. Just as we must pursue future-oriented energy technologies and policies, we have no choice on our airwaves: we must make better, more efficient use of spectrum." He added: "The sobering fact is that based on today's projections and today's technologies, demand threatens to outpace the supply of spectrum available for mobile broadband in the coming years."

Read more…

Finger moves: A Microsoft research project, called Digits, makes gestural commands mobile. 

Credit: Microsoft Research

In a few short years, the technologies found in today's mobile devices—touch screens, gyroscopes, and voice-control software, to name a few—have radically transformed how we access computers. To glimpse what new ideas might have a similar impact in the next few years, you need only to have walked into the Marriott Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this week. There, researchers from around the world demonstrated new ideas for computer interaction at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology. Many were focused on taking mobile devices in directions that today feel strange and new but could before long be as normal as swiping the screen of an iPhone or Android device.

"We see new hardware, like devices activated by tongue movement or muscle-flexing, or prototypes that build on technology we already have in our hands, like Kinect, Wii, or the sensors built into existing phones," said Rob Miller, a professor at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) and the chair of the conference.

One of the most eye-catching, and potentially promising, ideas that was on show makes it possible to perform complex tasks with a flick of the wrist or a snap of the fingers.

The interface, called Digits, created by David Kim, a U.K. researcher at both Microsoft Research and Newcastle University, is worn around the wrist and consists of a motion sensor and an infrared light source and camera. Like a portable version of Microsoft's motion-sensing device for the Xbox Kinect, Digits can follow arm and finger movements with enough accuracy to replicate them on screen or allow control of a complex computer game. "We envision a smaller device that could be worn like a watch that allows users to communicate with their surroundings and personal computing devices with simple hand gestures," said Kim (watch a video of Digits in action).

Projects like Kim's could be a glimpse into the future of mobile computing. After all, prior to the iPhone's launch, multi-touch interfaces were found only at this kind of event. Researchers believe that mobile computers are still being held back by the limitations of existing control methods, without which they could become even more powerful.

"We have an increasing desire and need to access and work with our computing devices anywhere and everywhere we are," Kim said. "Productive input and interaction on mobile devices is, however, still challenging due to the trade-offs we have to make regarding a device's form factor and input capacity."

The advance of mobile technology has also given researchers easy ways to experiment. Several groups at the conference showed off modifications of existing mobile interfaces designed to give them new capabilities.

Hong Tan, a professor at Purdue University currently working at Microsoft Research Asia, demonstrated a way to add the feel of buttons and other physical controls to a touch screen: vibrating piezoelectric actuators installed on the side of a normal screen generate friction at the point of contact with a finger. The design, dubbed SlickFeel, can make an ordinary sheet of glass feel as if it has physical buttons or even a physical slider with varying levels of resistance. Such haptic feedback could help users find the right control on compact devices like smartphones, or enable the use of a touch screen without looking at it, for example while driving.

Who's that? A touch screen that recognizes different people's fingers, developed by Chris Harrison and colleagues at Disney Research.

Credit: Chris Harrison

In another effort to make more of the touch screen, Chris Harrison of Disney Research presented a way for devices to recognize the swipes and presses of particular people. His interface, a capacitive touch screen with a resistance sensor attached, identifies the unique "impedance profile" of a person's body through his or her fingers. Users need to hold a finger to the device for few seconds the first time they use it, after which subsequent presses are attributed to them. That could allow apps to do things like track modifications to a document made by different people as a tablet is handed around a table (see a video of the screen). "It's similar to the technology that is already in smartphones," said Harrison. "There are lots of implications for gaming—no more split screens—and for collaborative applications."

The motion and touch sensors in current phones were another target for experimentation. Mayank Goel, a PhD student the University of Washington, and colleagues, modified the software on an Android phone to automatically determine in which hand a person is holding it. The software figures this out by monitoring the angle at which the device is tilted, as revealed by its motion sensor, and the precise shape of pressure on its touch screen. Goel says this can allow a keyboard to automatically adjust to whether a person is using the left or right hand, an adjustment that cut typos by 30 percent in his experiments.

Touchy feely: A malleable interface made by Sean Follmer and colleagues at MIT's Media Lab.

Credit: Sean Follmer

Other prototypes on display were less obviously connected with the gadgets in your pocket today. One was a malleable interface that can be shaped somewhat the way clay can, developed by a team at MIT's Media Lab. Sean Follmer, a PhD student in the lab of Professor Hiroshi Ishii, demonstrated several versions, including a translucent bendable touch screen laid flat on a table. This was made from a plastic material containing glass beads and oil, with a projector and a 3-D sensor positioned below. Pinches and twists made to the pliable screen changed the colors displayed on it, which were also shown on a 3-D model of the material on a computer screen nearby.

It's hard to imagine such an interface in your pocket. However, Desney Tan, a who manages Microsoft's Computational User Experiences group in Redmond, Washington, and the company's Human-Computer Interaction group in Beijing, China, believes that being able to choose from multiple modes of interaction will be an important part of the future of computing. "We will stop thinking about mobile devices, and instead focus on mobile computing," said Tan, who was winner of Technology Review's 35 Innovators under 35 Award in 2011. "As I see it, no one input or output modality will dominate quite in the same way as visual display and mouse and keyboard has so far."

Read more…

Iconic cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar has advocated "systemic changes" in Indian sports so that "12 medals in next Olympics in Rio or 20 in 2020 is not a pipe dream".

Tendulkar, who has expressed a desire to promote sports in educational institutes, said sports in curriculum and history books highlighting the monumental achievements of greats like hockey legend Dhyan Chand will help stir a passion for the games hitherto less developed.

"Organisation of Asian Games in 1951 encouraged by Pandit Nehru is an integral part of Indian national story that should be read by our students. It helped shape Delhi, as did the 1982 Asiad and the 2010 CWG," he has said in his letter to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.

Tendulkar's assertion for a change in the system comes from his belief that vision for "sports for all is still in its infancy" in this country.

"...I wish to argue that the time is ripe to build on the success of London to take giant strides in sports and achieve excellence in the not too near future. 12 medals in Rio or 20 in 2020 isn't a pipedream if we appropriate the momentum created and undertake a few fundamental changes," feels Tendulkar.

Outlining his objectives in a three-page letter, he has suggested state-of-the-art finishing schools for specific Olympic disciplines on the lines of National Cricket Academy in Bangalore where the country has shown potential.

For instance, he said, in Haryana the centre of excellence can cater to wrestling and boxing.

"We welcome Sachin Tendulkar's proposals and I have already written to him inviting him for a presentation," Sibal had said.

The cricketer, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, also rooted for a National Institute of Sports Science, saying "India desperately needs" it.

The institute will act as a nodal agency for treating sports-related injuries and ensuring proper rehabilitation facilities for sports icons, besides educating sportspersons about anti-doping regulations, Tendulkar said.

He suggested the setting up of a sports museum to immortalise the achievements of sports-stars.

Stating that the museum could be set up in the capital, preferably at a heritage site, Tendulkar said an advisory body with international experts should be formed for the purpose.

Expressing a keen desire to emulate the US sports system model in India which is reliant on College-University framework producing US Olympians of repute, he said, "my dream is to accomplish the same in India."

He felt mobile phones possessed by most youths today can be used for harnessing sports talent. They could be urged to send SMS or MMS detailing their sports achievement, which experts can examine.

"If the candidate is deemed to have talent, he or she will be called to access the sports facilities created within the academic framework. By making facilities available to them, the talented youngsters, sports, I expect, will get the necessary recognition and become part of India's everyday existence," he said.

Noting that Olympic sports should also dominate India's national imagination, he said the country could well bid for 2024 or 2028 Olympics.

Read more…

Johannesburg: Sydney Sixers relied on a superb all-round show from Moises Henriques and a couple of stunning catches as they thumped Chennai Super Kings by 14 runs in their opening Champions League Twenty20 match here on Sunday.

SCORECARD: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS vs SYDNEY SIXERS

Henriques smashed five fours and three sixes towards the close of Sydney Sixers' innings for his 23-ball unbeaten 49 to take his side to 185 for five after being sent into bat in the Group B match. He later took three wickets for 23 in his three overs to play the leading role in his side's victory.

Chasing the big target, Chennai were on course till the 16th over as they needed 50 runs from the last four overs before the Sydney side affected two stunning catches to end their innings at 171 for nine at the New Wanderers Stadium.

Suresh Raina, who top-scored with an impressive 33-ball 57 which included eight fours and two sixes, fell in the 17th over to a stunning catch by Steven Smith who held onto a high ball just inches before the boundary ropes.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was out two balls later as his pull shot was held by Josh Hazlewood who dived forward to take a superb catch.

Chennai had two substantial partnership in their run chase - 61 for the second wicket between Faf du Plessis (43) and Michael Hussey (16) and then the 55-run stand for the fourth wicket between Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath (6).

They began slowly in their run chase and they were dealt with a blow as Murali Vijay was out for just one in the second over as his stump flew cartwheeling while trying to hit a swinging full delivery without moving his feet.

At three for one, Chennai had to settle down for a while but they did not take much time to launch their attack with du Plessis and Hussey finding the boundaries to keep the asking rate under control.

Du Plessis punished Mitchel Starc with a six in the fourth over while Hussey also found a boundary as Chennai took 12 runs from that over.

Du Plessis then smashed three fours off Pat Cummins in the next over which yielded 13 runs before launching Hazlewood for a six and a then a four in the seventh over.

It was an even contest till then, but Chennai lost two quick wickets in successive overs with du Plessis and Hussey departing in quick succession in the eighth and ninth overs respectively.

Du Plessis walked down the wicket to hit a Cummins delivery out of the park only to miscue and land at Mitchell Starc's hands at long-on, thereby ending the second wicket stand of 61 runs from 6.3 overs. Du Plessis hit five fours and two sixes from 25 balls in his 43.

Hussey was out in the last ball of the ninth over as his slog-sweep off Steve O'Keefe landed straight at Michael Lumb's hands.

Chennai were 73 for three at the halfway mark with the asking rate climbing to 11 and a half per over and new man in Raina had to press the accelerator straightaway.

Raina hit a six and four from an over off O'Keefe and Henriques while also smashing two boundaries off Shane Watson.

Raina was so dominant that his partner Badrinath could just contribute six runs in the four-wicket stand of 55 from 5.2 overs before the latter was out.

Chennai needed 61 runs from the last five overs and 50 from the last four but the dismissals of Raina and Dhoni, who scored just eight from as many balls ended their hopes.

Ravindra Jadeja (2) could not do much as he was out in the penultimate over while Ravichandran Ashwin (18) and Yo Mahesh were out in the final over.

Besides Henriques (3/23), Mitchell Starc grabbed three wickets for 31 runs while Watson, Pat Cummins and Steve O'Keefe took a wicket each.

Earlier, Henriques, who came at the 14th over as number six batsman, produced a stunning late onslaught of fours and sixes as Sydney Sixers posted a big total of 185 for five after being sent into bat. His onslaught took the Sixers from 124 for four at the end of 16th over to 185 for five.

He was joined in the exhibition of strokeplay for a brief period by Smith (26 off 17) balls. The duo shared 75 runs for the fifth wicket from just 6.3 overs.

World Twenty20 man-of-the-tournament Watson was instrumental in a solid start for the Sixers with a 30-ball 46 which included five fours and two sixes as he and Michael Lumb (18) were involved in a quick 50-run stand in 6.1 overs for the opening wicket.

But, run rate slowed down once Watson was out in the ninth over and the Sixers were 82 for six at halfway mark. The Sixers were then jolted by a double dismissal - of captain Brad Haddin (20) and Nic Maddinson (12) - in the 14th over before Henriques' stunning show saved them.

The onslaught began in the 17th over with Henriques and Smith hitting a four each off du Plessis as Sixers took 13 runs from that over.

The next over also yielded 13 runs with Henriques clobbering a four and a six off Ravichandran Ashwin. But, the highlight of the innings was in the penultimate over when Doug Bollinger was plundered for 22 runs.

Henriques hit Bollinger for two sixes and a four while Smith also joined in with a boundary.

Smith was out in the last ball of the innings off Hilfenhaus who conceded 13 runs for the wicket in that over.

Off-spinner Aswin was the pick of Chennai Super Kings bowlers with figures of two for 32 while Ravindra Jadeja and Hilfenhaus chipped in with a wicket each.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c), R Ashwin, Michael Hussey, Doug Bollinger, M Vijay, Faf du Plessis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nuwan Kulasekara, Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, S Anirudha, Yo Mahesh, S Badrinath.

Sydney Sixers: Brad Haddin (c), Patrick Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Michael Lumb, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McCullum, Ian Moran, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Dom Thornely, Shane Watson.

Read more…

Hyderabad: Yuvraj Singh made a brilliant comeback into first-class arena as he smashed an unbeaten century for North Zone against Central on the first day of a semifinal match in the Duleep Trophy.

At stumps, North were in commanding position having scored 346 for 4, riding on Yuvraj's superb unbeaten 133 while skipper Shikhar Dhawan also made his presence felt with an innings of 121.

The innings on Sunday will certainly end any doubts whatsoever about Yuvraj's fitness and his ability to withstand the rigours of longer version of the game after recovering from rare germ cell cancer.

He played only 152 deliveries during his knock and hit 20 boundaries and two huge sixes off discarded India veteran Murali Kartik.

Both sixes were sent soaring over deep mid-wicket and the second one saw the talented left-hander reach three-figure mark. This is Yuvraj's 19th first-class century but certainly one he would remember for a long time to come.

There were no demons in the 22-yard strip at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal and Yuvraj didn't for once looked like in any sort of trouble as he kept on punishing the Central bowlers.

Credit should also be given to Dhawan who scored his second Duleep Trophy century of the season. His 200-ball innings contained 14 hits to the fence and, more importantly, added 160 runs with his senior partner for the third wicket in just over 20 overs.

Such was Yuvraj's dominance that he came to bat only in the 53rd over of the innings which was well after lunch but took on the bowlers from the very beginning.

The trio of Praveen Kumar (2-72), Bhuvenshwar Kumar (0-63) and Rituraj Singh (0-67) were treated with equal disdain while Kartik was singled out for special treatment.

36-year-old Railways left-arm spinner Kartik, who is not known to perform well on good batting tracks, was hammered for 92 runs in 19 overs as Yuvraj sent him on a leatherhunt.

The two towering sixes he hit off Kartik were majestic as the veteran bowler looked clueless during Yuvraj-Dhawan partnership.

Yuvraj's innings can give Sandeep Patil and Co another option in the Indian Test team's middle-order. With his handy left-arm spin to complement his elegant batting, the day might not be far when Yuvraj might be seen playing Test matches where he badly wants to make a mark.

At least today's innings was an indicator of what can be expected from this enormously gifted cricketer.

Brief Score: North Zone 346/4 (Yuvraj Singh batting 133, Shikhar Dhawan 121, Praveen Kumar 2-72) vs Central Zone.

Read more…

Johannesburg: Defending champions Mumbai Indians started their campaign on a disappointing note, losing to Lions by eight wickets, in their opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 here on Sunday.

SCORECARD: MUMBAI INDIANS VS LIONS

The catalysts for Lions' victory were Neil McKenzie (68 not out off 41 balls) and 19-year-old Quinton de Kock (51 not out off 33) as the duo helped the side chase the target of 158 with seven balls to spare at the New Wanderers Stadium. 

Mumbai posted 157 for six after being invited to bat and then failed to find an answer for McKenzie and de Kock's joint assault that left them bruised and battered.

For the record, Mumbai had lost to Lions in the second edition of the event two years ago.

It could have been anybody's game till Dhawal Kulkarni and Mumbai skipper Harbhajan Singh were taken to the cleaners in the 16th and 17th over.

While Kulkarni conceded 17 runs, Harbhajan was smashed for 16 as Lions inched towords the target.

Kulkarni's three overs went for 37 while Harbhajan gave away 36 in his four. Pragyan Ojha was knocked for 19 in his two.

Lions lost their first wicket when Ambati Rayudu pulled off a blinder at cover, holding on to Alviro Petersen's full-blooded shot off Lasith Malinga.

Bringing himself on in the seventh over, Harbhajan was on the money straightaway as he got Ghulam Bodi to edge one to first slip where Rohit Sharma completed a good catch.

At 37 for two in the seventh over, the prospect looked gloomy for Lions. However, an unbeaten 121-run partnership for the third wicket between de Kock and McKenzie sealed the match in Lions' favour.

While de Kock was the more dominant of the two initially, the experienced Mckenzie, who got off the mark with a reverse- paddle four off Harbhajan, too played his part before launching into a flurry of boundaries.

The 50-partnership between the two was up in six overs and they continued to torment the Mumbai bowlers till the task was achieved.

Earlier, Mumbai relied on useful contributions from their batsmen to reach a total, which did not prove to be enough.

Mitchell Johnson scored 30 while Rohit Sharma and Dwayne Smith fell in the 20s after getting starts. Dinesh Karthik scored a breezy nine-ball 19 towards the end.

Helping the visiting side to a great extent was the 24 extras conceded by Lions.

Mumbai were off to a brisk start as Smith smashed half a dozen fours to put the South Africans under pressure first up.

Chris Morris erred in line and the easy pickings were treated with disdain by Smith. The bowler, however, had the last laugh when he had the West Indian trapped in front of wicket.

After missing out on the strike initially, Tendulkar steered Sohail Tanvir in front of backward point for his first boundary.

Tendulkar found the fence one more time before left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso disturbed his stumps after the batsman tried to make room and launch into a heave.

This was the fourth time in recent months that Tendulkar has been bowled. He got out in similar fashions thrice in the Test series against New Zealand in August-September. The bowlers, though, were pacers on those occasions.

Till the time he was there in the middle, Sharma gave Mumbai solidity, playing some opportunistic shots before Dirk Nannes cleaned him up.

Sharma was severe on Zander de Bruyn who was smashed for a six and two fours, the maximum sailing over point region.

The promotion of Johnson, who is returning from a toe injury, ahead of specialists Ambati Rayudu and Karthik, and the powerful Kieron Pollard, seemed to have boomeranged on Mumbai as they lost momentum halfway into the innings.

Though he top-scored for the visitors, Johnson gobbled up a lot of balls, and it was largely due to Karthik's enterprise towards the end that Mumbai reached a respectable total.

Read more…

Read more…

All the essential Barcelona tourist guide and travel information to arrange your trip is on this one website. www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com was born out of a personal love for the city and a desire to share 18 years worth of knowledge of Barcelona Spain with you. In doing so, we've concentrated on answering your most important questions on transport, activities and attractions, and accommodation.

Barcelona Spain - location in Europe

In addition to essential Barcelona tourism information, you will also find dozens of time and money saving tips from local people - information hard to find anywhere else. These special tips will make your Barcelona city break that much more special.

To help you find your answers as quickly as possible your Barcelona tourist information has been grouped into 2 main categories:

1) If you've already made your decision to come to Barcelona then I recommend you go to the top of the page and type in your question into the search bar. This search bar will search every page on our site (of which we have several thousand pages) and present you with the answers to your questions. This is the single quickest and easiest way for you to find answers to your questions. Alternatively you can search through our menu on the left hand side. Please be aware however that we have many more thousands of pages that we can't put links to on the left menu and you are more than likely going to miss what you are searching for this way.

2) If you need help in making your decision whether Barcelona is the right destination for you we recommend you visit our photo Barcelona map that has over 500 photos of the top Barcelona tourism attractions linked directly to the map. Using the interactive map will show you first hand the most important landmarks and attractions - it's almost as if you were walking around the locations for yourself. I've also included guide notes to give you information on each of the sites and areas.

This Barcelona tourism and travel information is updated daily and includes money and time saving tips from people living in Barcelona city so check back frequently for valuable updates.

If you have any questions about your trip take a look at our frequently asked questions section (FAQ) with hundreds of popular questions already answered it can help you quickly find the answers you need.

Read more…

In London, life is invigorating. That's why people visit and then come back time and time again. The English writer Samuel Johnson famously said: "You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." More than two centuries have passed since Johnson's era, but even today reviewers agree that this two-millennia-old city remains one of the most exhilarating places on earth. 

Here, what's antiquated -- the Tower of London, built in 1078 -- clasps hands with the contemporary -- the Millennium Bridge, finished in 2000. The gray foggy climate settles in a city that still performs Shakespeare but with actors who don modern garb. Londoners most certainly still awe at Prince William and his new fiancée, Kate, but they also rock out to Coldplay and Lily Allen. And while they still sip tea, they now drink Starbucks, too. A current-day leader in everything from politics and banking to fashion and music, London also keeps its history alive, and interested guests can still trace Jack the Ripper's steps on an evening tour, or watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

How To Save Money in London

Find the free attractions Many of London's top things to do, including the National Gallery, Hyde Park and the Portobello Road Market, are absolutely free to enjoy.

Ride the Tube Taking taxis will add up quickly, so buy a pay-as-you-go Oyster Card and hop on London's Underground system, nicknamed the "Tube."

Dine smart Corridors like Brick Lane offer fantastic ethnic food for bargain prices; fish and chip shops are a cheap standby (not to mention, a cultural must) and takeaway food costs less than dine-in. 

London Culture & Customs

The British aren't being rude when they ask to bum a fag in the queue for the loo, but they might be if they ask to snog. To avoid misunderstandings, here is some British slang to add to your repertoire: To snog is to kiss; a fag is a cigarette; the loo is the restroom; bollocks means "that's wrong," queuing means to form a line and quid is slang for pounds, or money. However, for the most part, Americans find the city accessible because of London's official English language.

Although the language is the same, the exchange rate most definitely isn't. London is already remarkably expensive but the United Kingdom Pound raises the bar even higher.

London is one of the fashion capitals of the world, and its residents tend to reflect that, donning if not trendy, classy attire, even for a trip to the local grocery store. If you don't want to stick out as American tourists, leave the fanny packs and visors at home. Practically, pack an umbrella for the rainy days and a scarf or some layers for the chilly ones.

As for tipping, restaurants and cafes will usually add a 10- to 15-percent service charge to the bill. If a service charge is not allotted, it's customary to tip the same (between 10 and 15 percent). If you're drinking at a pub or wine bar, tipping is discretionary. And in a taxicab, tip the driver to the nearest pound or about 10 percent of the cost.

London Dining

London used to be highly criticized for its heavy and uninspired menu items. Fish and chips (fried cod and French fries). Bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes). Mince meat pies. You get the picture. Now, London is hailed as one of the more gourmet cities in the world. And with its melting pot of cultures, it's not difficult to see why. London offers everything from Modern British to Malaysian.

Reviewers recommend checking out Chinatown for dozens of Chinese restaurants. For Indian food, we suggest visiting the curry houses on Brick Lane. If you want a real high-tea experience, book reservations at the Ritz, at Fortnum & Mason or at the Dorchester -- but be sure to dress the part. Chef Gordon Ramsay is a celebrity in London, and a handful of his restaurants Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's and Murano, are well loved by foodies and critics alike. Each offers a fine-dining experience and serves up Modern British meals. Pub culture is still alive and well, so if you've a hankering for fried fish and salty chips (or French fries), you'll still find them here. And for a quick bite, exchange a few pounds for a kebab, a quick sandwich or some to-go sushi, which can be found in eateries throughout the city.

Plan Your Trip to London

• Top Things to Do in London
• Best Hotels in London
• Map of London
• London Photos

• When to Visit London
• Getting Around London
• London Towns & Neighborhoods

Read more…