Microsoft: The Kinect Accelerator

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Ten Startups. Three Months. Unlimited Innovation. 

If you are a developer or existing team/startup focused on building a business that takes advantage of the Kinect and Natural User Interface technologies, then the Kinect Accelerator is where you need to be. Through this program, Microsoft is supporting entrepreneurs, engineers and innovators like you to bring to life a wide range of business ideas that leverage the limitless possibilities Kinect enables. 

Following a competitive screening process, ten finalists will be chosen for this unique three month incubation program running from April 2 - June 28, 2012 in Seattle, WA. The Kinect Accelerator is “powered by TechStars” using the same mentor-driven methodology pioneered and proven in New York, Boulder, Seattle and Boston. Mentors for the Kinect Accelerator include a broad base of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in the industry as well as executives from Microsoft Studios, Xbox, Kinect for Windows, Microsoft Research and other Microsoft organizations.

What the Program Offers

Every company participating in the Kinect Accelerator will receive an investment of $20,000, an Xbox development kit, the Windows Kinect SDK, office space, all the resources of BizSpark, technical training and support, and mentorship from entrepreneurs, investors and Microsoft executives intensely focused on making their business a success.

At the end of the program, each company will have an opportunity to present at an Investor Demo Day to Angel investors, venture capitalists, Microsoft executives, media and industry influentials.

What Qualifies for the Kinect Accelerator?

•  Any Kinect-enabled application on Windows or Xbox SDK that can be a commercial business 

•  Manufacturing to retail, education to healthcare, art installations to gaming, social to interactive play…hmmm, the possibilities 

•  Can be cloud-hosted, on any platform, but needs to be an application 

•  Could be one view of an application that may also have a web UI, mobile UI, etc. 

•  Kinect-controlled applications, like what you have on your phone, but on a big screen or a computer screen 

•  Content you might expect to consume in your living room or in an operating room 

Go ahead, surprise them! Your company does not necessarily need experience developing with Kinect, but the business concept does need to leverage Kinect capabilities as part of the final offering.

 Your team must also be willing to develop the technical skills required to bring your solution to a functioning prototype.

Meet Them

They are visiting San Francisco, New York, Boston and Seattle in early February. 

Register for one of their tour dates to learn more about the program, meet Managing Director Dave Malcolm and possibly win Kinect for Windows hardware.

How to Apply

Applications to the Kinect Accelerator are now open! Applicants must be prepared to relocate to Seattle, Washington for the duration of the program. The early application deadline is January 25th, 2012. 

The final application deadline is February 8th, 2012. Applicants who apply by the early application deadline will receive additional consideration.

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*by andreascy*

Apple iPhone 5 - Ready for Production

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

We received word from a reliable source at Foxconn in China that the iPhone 5, as it is currently being called, is now gearing for production. 

 The source said various sample devices are also floating around (they vary slightly from one another), so it is impossible to tell which one will be the final. Some things in common with all of them, however, are: 

- 4+ inch display (made by LG on at least one of them). 

- No teardrop-shaped devices, as rumored in the lead up to the iPhone 4S. Samples so far have been symmetrical in thickness (also longer/wider). 

- Neither of the sample devices have the iPhone 4/4S form factor. 

- Neither of the devices are the final versions. 

We also heard the non-teardrop and 4-inch display information previously in a report from iLounge, but what is important to note here is that iPhone 4S production did not gear up until late spring of last year. If we follow patterns and give a five month-ish lead time, it would appear that Apple is back on its new iPhone launch for summer/WWDC pattern that it maintained until last year. 

We are still a long way off however. 

This source is the same that indicated to us late last summer that the iPhone 5 was not happening against the prevailing tide of information, and that Apple was building the iPhone 4S model instead. 

iPhone 5  - Lytro Camera Technology

The iPhone 5 News Blog picked up on a general 9to5Mac story about Steve Jobs having a chat with the CEO of a cool startup, Lytro, that makes a camera using some far-out technology that neither blog seems to really understand, or at least explain.

"iPhone 5 enthusiasts are hearing more about Lytro camera technology," writes Michael Nace, of The iPhone 5 News Blog. "Will Apple equip the iPhone 5 with Lytro, or go with the new Sony camera sensor?"

Nace inadvertently reveals one of the central dynamics that drive iPhone 5, and iPad 3, rumors. "With this kind of technology, it's no wonder that analysts have imagined it being included on the iPhone 5," he writes. If it's awesome, how can it not be in the Next Whatever?

We couldn't find dimensions for the Lytro camera, but a picture we found online shows fitting it into any current or future iPhone would qualify as a "radical" redesign. And the price tag, ranging from $399 to $499, would radically redesign the iPhone in another way.

9to5Mac built its story on two points : Lytro's technology (which you can try to follow at the company's website) and a brief passage from an upcoming book about Apple, describing a brief meeting between Steve Jobs and Lytro CEO Ren Ng. Even Nace notes, "While Apple and Lytro never forged any kind of partnership or licensing agreement, Steve Jobs reportedly picked their brains over the technology, and was incredibly excited about its possibilities."

And so, clearly, is the iOSphere.

And then after all that buildup, Nace topples it like a house of cards. "In spite of Jobs loving Lytro, however, it is still more likely that the iPhone 5 will debut with the new Sony 8MP camera sensor we wrote about recently," he concludes. Partly because Lytro "is still a relatively bulky technology that isn't at all suited to the ultra-thin trend that the iPhone 5 form factor seems to be moving toward."

If he'd just made that point at the beginning, we'd have been spared another rumor about another rumor.

iPhone 5 Will Be Named... iPhone 5

Must be a slow rumor week over at Beatweek. The Beatweek staff posted a story with the headline "iPhone 5 is sixth generation, but likely to retain '5' moniker."

"If the iPhone 4S is the fifth generation iPhone, then what is the iPhone 5? That's the question for Apple marketing execs to chew over from now until the device's launch later this year, as their upcoming sixth generation smartphone has already been popularly branded 'iPhone 5' even as a handful of skeptics point out that such a moniker would be outside of standard naming conventions."

It's so easy to imagine the anguish of Apple's marketing execs, hands pressed to their heads, moaning, "Oh woe! What are we to do? What will we call it? If we call it 'iPhone 5' all those skeptics will point out that it's outside of standard naming conventions. Oh woe. What would Steve do?"

iPhone 5 Will Have NFC

Power Retail thinks "Rumours That iPhone 5 Will Support NFC Ring True"

And that's because there's actually a foundation in fact, as reported by Power Retail's Campbell Phillips : "Visa confirms it is in discussion with Apple to include NFC technology in the next version of the iPhone, but it may still be months away. There is light at the end of the tunnel after all for iPhone users, Bill Gadja, the Global Head of Mobile Product says."

This is almost shocking : a real person, with a name and a title and company affiliation, offers an opinion.

"I can't tell you when Apple is going to put NFC in the next version of the iPhone," Gadja told business magazine Fast Company, "but we've had discussions with them around the PayWave standard and they've asked to look at our specification and certification process so that when they do decide to do something those lines of communication are open."

iPhone 5 Will Have a Physical Camera Button Because it Really Needs One

Technically speaking, Matthew Panzarino's thoughtful story at The Next Web, "Why the iPhone should have a dedicated physical shutter button" is an argument for the button, not a rumor about it.

But we're shortcutting the iOSphere rumorization process of linking to a post and then extending it: "Will iPhone 5 have shutter button?" and then "iPhone 5 expected to have shutter button" and "Sources say iPhone 5 have shutter button" and finally "iPhone 5 likely to have shutter button."

In any case, Panzarino, the news and Apple editor for TNW, clearly has given this some thought. His basic argument is that the current position of the rear-facing camera and the use of the volume button as the shutter button makes for an awkward, unstable and suboptimal shooting experience.

Instead, he wants a grip that looks like (this) where an index finger can just naturally press a dedicated button, and the grip keeps the whole thing steady. His hope: Apple is positioning the iPhone as your primary everyday camera, and the dedicated physical shutter button will be a big step toward that goal. And he notes the new Nokia 800 has come to the same conclusion.

READ ALSO: 8 Reasons to Buy the iPhone 5c

What else do you want to read? Let us know in the comments.

*by andreascy*

Next Generation 3D Holographic Projection Displays

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

The Hollywood film industry went to a whole new level after 3-D movies like James Cameron’s “Avatar” to the latest “Underworld Awakening”. The perspective of watching movies through a whole new dimension is believed to have brought movie fans closer to reality.

But, people often complain about headaches and other eye problems after watching a movie continuously for 2 to 3 hours. But, due to the awesome movie effects, most companies are ignoring this problem and are introducing more and more 3D enabled gadgets like 3D televisions and smart phones. 

Smart phones like LG Optimus 3D and HTC evo 3D give us a glass free 3D effect using auto-stereoscopic technology. Even gadgets like these produce headaches and eye pain after constant viewing for hours. The case is same with the 3D smart TV or watching a 3D movie with glasses in a theater.

These problems can be overcome by the newly developed holographic displays. They produce a 3D display that can be viewed with ease, without pain in our eyes. The technology is in its early stage developments and hence only low quality holographic displays have been shown till now.

A group of researchers from a Belgian firm “Imec” have created a MEMS (Microelectromechanical) chip that can be used to make holographic displays. 

First, a wafer of silicon is taken and a layer of silicon dioxide is grown on it. Then the silicon dioxide is etched away such that grid pixels of size 150 nm, which are shallower than the surrounding silicon dioxide layer, are formed. The entire grid is then topped with fine layer of reflective aluminum. Then a beam of laser light is made to fall in this wafer in an angle such that the light is interfaced with itself. 

Usually, the pixels are moved to make the illusion of image movement. Instead of this method, a chip covered with tiny MEMS is designed to easily create a moving holographic image. The MEMS is made to move up and down on the chip’s surface to produce the image.

If this technique is successful in making high quality holography then the problems associated with 3D viewing will be eliminated and we can get a comfortable 3D vision. This will surely pave way to watching 3D movies with ease.

READ NEXT: Why Curved Screens are the Next Innovative Trend

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*by andreascy*

Best of CES 2012

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

The International CES is the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow. With more than four decades of success, CES reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables CE innovations to grow and thrive. 

It features 2700 exhibitors, including companies who manufacture products or developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems and related products and services.

We saw this year an incredible variety of products, from stunning OLED displays and 4K prototypes, to slim, lightweight notebooks and technology that will actually affect our lives. We've collected some of the best video news so you can take a look at what's just around the corner - and what might end up becoming your next purchase. 

We also plan on purchasing some for our own use as soon as they’re available. What about you? Let us know below.

*by andreascy*

General Motors : Advanced Tech Window

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Got backseat boredom? DVD players and Game Boys are so five years ago, but a new concept in rear seat entertainment technology that uses the windows themselves could replace squirminess and snoozing with interactive scribbling, sweeping and pinching. 

General Motors Research and Development put that challenge before researchers and students from the FUTURE LAB at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel. The task :

"Conceptualize new ways to help rear seat passengers, particularly children, have a richer experience on the road."

The Windows of Opportunity (WOO) Project was inspired by psychological studies indicating car passengers often feel disconnected from their environment, GM asked the Bezalel students to turn car windows into interactive displays capable of stimulating awareness, nurturing curiosity and encouraging a stronger connection with the world outside the vehicle.

"Traditionally, the use of interactive displays in cars has been limited to the driver and front passenger, but we see an opportunity to provide a technology interface designed specifically for rear seat passengers," said Tom Seder, GM R&D lab group manager for human-machine interface.

"Advanced windows that are capable of responding to vehicle speed and location could augment real world views with interactive enhancements to provide entertainment and educational value."

Since GM has no immediate plans to put interactive display windows into production vehicles, the R&D team gave free reign to the Bezalel students to create applications without concern whether they could be mass produced. Bezalel is Israel's oldest institute of higher education and one of the more prestigious schools of its kind in the world. 

Enjoy the video!

Find out other interesting topics from General Motors and show your support by sharing our article with your friends. Let us know on the comments section what do think.

*by andreascy*

Android Malware Infects 1-5 Millions Downloads: Report

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Android malware has infected possibly one to five million downloads - "the highest distribution of any malware identified so far this year," a major security company reports.

As posted on its blog, Norton by Symantec identified 13 apps on the Android Market that are all hiding Android. Counterclank, a Trojan horse that steals information, and could also download more files and display ads on the device. 

The combined total downloads of those apps could be as high as five million. These are the apps, which are mostly games that appeal to those who like guns and girls (some of them are more risque than others).

Some of these apps are still available on the Android Market, so consider yourself warned if you still want to download anyway.

As shown in 2011, when McAfee research pinned Android as "the most 'popular' platform for new malware" by the third quarter, Google's mobile operating system and Android Market continue to be irresistible to malware. Lookout Mobile Security's "Malwarenomics: 2012 Mobile Malware Predictions" report found that for U.S. Android users, the likelihood of clicking on an unsafe link is 40 percent.

With downloads from Android Market reaching 10 billion in December, we're likely to see more malware slipping through, and more need for increased vigilance and discretion when choosing apps.
A well known Android security developer, have argued that this isn't malware, it's just aggressive advertising. 

Eventhough, we await Google’s response to Symantec’s findings with interest. 

YOU MIGHT LIKE: How to Protect Your Company’s Email Against Cyberattack

Enjoy the day! 👍

*by andreascy*

3D Printing Technology - Make things by printing them: How it works

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

3D Printing is a technique that can create 3 dimensional objects by laying down multiple layers of material. The technology in itself is not that new, but costs have now dropped to a level where domestic 3D printing is a real possibility. 

Recently the term is increasingly being used to describe all types of additive manufacturing processes, or even other types of rapid prototyping technology.

Since 2003 there has been large growth in the sale of 3D printers. The technology also finds use in the fields of jewelry, footwear, industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education, geographic information systems, civil engineering, and many others.

Methods and Technologies Used 

A large number of competing technologies are available to do 3D printing. Their main differences are found in the way layers are built to create parts. Some methods use melting or softening material to produce the layers, e.g. selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM), while others lay liquid materials that are cured with different technologies. In the case of laminated object manufacturing, thin layers are cut to shape and joined together. 

Each method has its advantages and drawbacks, and consequently some companies offer a choice between powder and polymer as the material from which the object emerges. Generally, the main considerations are speed, cost of the printed prototype, cost of the 3D printer, choice and cost of materials and colour capabilities. 

One method of 3D printing consists of an inkjet printing system. The printer creates the model one layer at a time by spreading a layer of powder (plaster, or resins) and inkjet printing a binder in the cross-section of the part. The process is repeated until every layer is printed. This technology is the only one that allows for the printing of full colour prototypes. This method also allows overhangs. 

In digital light processing (DLP), a vat of liquid polymer is exposed to light from a DLP projector under safelight conditions. The exposed liquid polymer hardens. The build plate then moves down in small increments and the liquid polymer is again exposed to light. The process repeats until the model is built. The liquid polymer is then drained from the vat, leaving the solid model. The ZBuilder Ultra is an example of a DLP rapid prototyping system. 

Fused deposition modeling, a technology developed by Stratasys that is used in traditional rapid prototyping, uses a nozzle to deposit molten polymer onto a support structure, layer by layer. 

Another approach is selective fusing of print media in a granular bed. In this variation, the unfused media serves to support overhangs and thin walls in the part being produced, reducing the need for auxiliary temporary supports for the workpiece. Typically a laser is used to sinter the media and form the solid. Examples of this are selective laser sintering and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) using metals. 

Yet another approach uses a synthetic resin that is solidified using LEDs. 

Ultra-small features may be made by the 3D microfabrication technique of 2-photon photopolymerization. In this approach, the desired 3D object is traced out in a block of gel by a focused laser. The gel is cured to a solid only in the places where the laser was focused, because of the nonlinear nature of photoexcitation, and then the remaining gel is washed away. Feature sizes of under 100 nm are easily produced, as well as complex structures such as moving and interlocked parts. 

Unlike stereolithography, inkjet 3D printing is optimized for speed, low cost, and ease-of-use, making it suitable for visualizing during the conceptual stages of engineering design through to early-stage functional testing. No toxic chemicals like those used in stereolithography are required, and minimal post printing finish work is needed; one need only to use the printer itself to blow off surrounding powder after the printing process.

Bonded powder prints can be further strengthened by wax or thermoset polymer impregnation. FDM parts can be strengthened by wicking another metal into the part. 

How 3D Printing Will Change Absolutely Everything It Touches 

The sudden buzz about 3D printing and its potential has triggered a deafening din in the media and elsewhere. Is all the hype realistic, especially since the ability to print objects made of plastics and various other materials has been around for about a decade? Will this prove a transformative technology? Will it revolutionize manufacturing or even medicine? 

The answers is Yes, Yes and Yes. 

Already, 3D printing has been refined to the point where digital models can be duplicated into physical prototypes or production parts that closely resemble mass-produced products in looks and function. And prices of 3D printers have declined substantially in the past five years, to as low as $1,000 from $400,000 five years ago. 

As a result, myriad industries - from automotive (which already created the first 3D printed car) and aerospace to footwear and jewelry - have embraced 3D printing that creates objects by laying down successive layers of materials. The Wohlers Report, an annual in-depth study of the advances in additive manufacturing technologies and applications, estimates 3D printing will grow to become a $5.2 billion industry by 2020, up from $1.3 billion last year.

Indeed, the digital age is providing companies of all sizes - as well as individuals - with the means to design and make a product relatively inexpensively. In turn, these tools are transforming the role of the traditional factory. Soon - really - it will be possible to print out products at home ranging from appliance parts to shoes. You will be able to have that dishwasher part made just for you instantly. This promises to empower a new wave of design and customization fueled by our personal taste and imagination. 

Already, Nike with its Nike iD services lets customers personalize and design their own Nike merchandise, down to their favorite colors and materials. Amsterdam-based Freedom of Creation, renowned for its lighting designs, has 3D-printed fixtures gracing the interiors of luxury hotels around the world. Canada-based Weatherhaven, which supplies portable shelters, digitally explores and validates its custom designs without having to build physical prototypes. This saves the company up to $100,000 per shelter. As a result, yesterday’s factory is evolving into a global community of custom design and personal fabrication services. And manufacturers are creatively embracing the changes. 

To be sure, the most revolutionary advances for 3D printing are probably a decade or more away. But as 3D printers continue to drop in price, much like color printer prices have fallen, it will not be long before the average tech-savvy household can afford a 3D printer. When that occurs, the dreams of inventors and entrepreneurs will be realized. They simply will build a 3D model of their breakthrough idea on their computer and click “print.” 

Furthermore, they likely will produce final products, not just prototypes; 20-25 percent of 3D “prints” are final products today, and analysts estimate that percentage will climb to 50 percent within the next decade. 

Already, the boundaries of 3D technology are widening substantially with the 3D printed car, the two-seat Urbee created by KOR EcoLogic of Canada. All of its body parts were made using 3D printers, including its glass panels. Scientists in Bristol, England, printed a fully functional bicycle in March and three months later, they printed a bikini, showing how easy it is to print unique products with the same manufacturing process. 

This explains why the medical profession foresees a time when more sophisticated 3D printing will produce replacement organs or drug therapies. There is little question that the evolution of this transformative technology promises to ignite a new era of custom manufacturing.

On the first video CNET's Rafe Needleman interviews the makers of two 3D printer makers and how they are charting the future of manufacturing. The next is a video from Christopher Barnatt of "ExplainingTheFuture.com" that illustrates 3D printing today and in the future.

Check out also :
The Pentagon is Investing Millions to Advance the Future of 3-D Printing Tech
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*by andreascy*

Microsoft Windows 8: Remote Desktop Client and Metro Apps

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

We've been talking quite a bit about Windows apps delivered to tablets over the past few weeks. As you know by now, one of the new features of the upcoming Windows 8 is the support for "metro style" which are touch-based apps which will be available from a Microsoft app store.

Metro style apps are interesting because regular (classic?) Windows apps are NOT touch-based at all, instead requiring a keyboard and mouse. In scenarios where a user accesses regular Windows apps from a tablet (via VDI, TS, GoToMyPC, etc.), the user experience is pretty poor because there's an on-screen keyboard and a lot of pinching and zooming to get the interface to work right.

So these new Windows 8 metro-style apps will change that since they're designed for tablets

 Unfortunately we now believe that tablets running Windows 8 will be in the $700-800 price range, so they're not going to be too mainstream. And considering that Apple sold over 15m iPads last quarter alone, it's a forgone conclusion that most of the tablets used to connect to Windows 8 environments will NOT be Windows-based tablets.

And that leads us to the main question of the day: What will the remote experience be like for metro style apps running on remote Windows 8 hosts?

Details About Microsoft's Own Metro Style Remote Desktop Connection Client:

Microsoft actually shared quite a few details about the remote desktop experience in Windows 8 at their build conference this past September, specifically :

The main keynote video contains a metro style remote desktop demo at 1:41:00.

A breakout session called "What's new in remote desktop?" has a more detailed metro remoting demo.

Here's What We Know So Far:

First, Microsoft is building a metro style version of the remote desktop connection software. So there will be two versions in Windows 8 - the existing mstsc.exe that works with the classic keyboard and mouse interface, and the new metro style one that's based on touch. Here are 2 screenshots of the connection screen for the metro style remote desktop client.

It's important to note that this is just the CLIENT software that you would use if your client is a touch based metro style client. You can still use this metro style client to run non-metro (classic) Windows apps though.

One cool thing is that the metro style remote desktop client WILL remote multitouch gestures to the remote host, including the touch pressure. This is not "mouse to touch" conversion or anything - this is real touch remoting.

This new client also has the ability to connect to remote metro style apps. So if you're using a Windows 8 tablet and you make a remote connection to a Windows 8 host running the metro style version of Internet Explorer, then YES, you can use IE with all your fingers and it will seem just like a local metro style application that was running on your tablet. (Assuming you had the bandwidth for a good experience, etc.)

What About Connecting to Remote Metro Apps from iPads, Android, etc.?

Microsoft's own metro style remote desktop client looks cool. The only downside is that it's a Windows 8 metro style app itself. (And there's an ironic catch-22 here : If your tablet is powerful to run Windows 8 metro, then you don't need to connect to remote metro apps--you can just run them locally on your tablet.

The real sweet spot for "metro remoting" is going to be to non-Windows 8 tablets, like the iPad and Android. Recall that in the current remote desktop world, Microsoft only really focuses on making an RDP client for Windows (well, and a really crashy Mac one). So we can assume that the same will be true moving forward. I would think that there's a huge opportunity for someone else to build a metro-aware remote desktop client for the iPad and Android. (Is that a job for Citrix? Maybe, but it could also be a simple PocketCloud-like standalone app.)

Regardless of who builds it, I think that we can all agree that yes, tablets (of all kinds) will have remote access to Windows 8 metro style apps. This is a good thing, as deploying Windows apps in the datacenter has a lot of advantages which would also apply to metro apps. (The biggest downside in the past was just that the traditional keyboard-based Windows UI was not fun when delivered to a tablet. 

But remoting metro style apps will fix that, which is great.

We'll look forward to the Windows 8 Beta, which is due out next month.

RECOMMENDED READ: Microsoft Windows 8 Now Available for Pre Order

Stay tuned! 💓

*by andreascy*

Windows 8 Release Date Rumor : Possible Summer 2012 Release?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

We just got wind of a rumor from a somewhat reliable source about the Windows 8 release date.

The gist of it is that Microsoft are internally considering releasing Windows 8 to the public much sooner than the October date that is being bandied around on blogs.

The rumor is that based on the current pace of development (ahead of schedule), they feel that a June or July 2012 release date is possible. Also, there have allegedly been discussions about getting the final OS released to the public before a possible third iteration of the popular Apple Ipad hits the market.

In addition, the software company is rumored to be receiving a LOT of pressure from hardware vendors to expedite the release the OS as soon as possible.

We haven't been able to substantiate this rumor but our source is somewhat reliable.

I personally would be surprised if Microsoft wait until October to release Windows 8, 9 months seems like an eternity in this business even though I fully understand that this would be somewhat consistent with previous releases.

Stay tuned for more..

*by andreascy*

Acer Iconia Tablet A510 Gets Release Date & Price

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Back in CES 2012, Acer did not officially talk about their Iconia Tab A510. Even if it was already displayed at the Nvidia booth, there was not much information released on the Android 4.0, Tegra 3-powered tablet. Until today, many have been left in the dark about the Acer 510.

During a pre-CeBIT event held in Germany, Acer went into details about their new 10.1-inch tablet. They even gave out a release date and price. The slated date for release will be on April and its price will be €500 (around $500 in the US).

But now that the Iconia Tab A510 has a release date, many suggest to wait for the Iconia Tab A700 as it has a massive 1920×1200 display. No news on this tablet yet so until then, we’ll have to wait for more information.

Read more on : 

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftabletcommunity.de%2F11993%2Facer-iconia-tab-a510-mit-tegra-3-ab-april-fur-rund-500-euro-erhaltlich%2F

*by andreascy*

Wikipedia Application : Now is available for Android

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Initially, it was only iPhones that could support Wikipedia, but now Android will also help Wikipedia.

The new revolution :

This modern world is a new revolution for android gadgets. The Wikipedia is free to download through android. The android market is providing access to this database for more than twenty million writings and articles in 280 and more languages. It can run on all the devices running the android 2.2 Froyo or up. You can save the articles for referring then offline. They can also share the articles. Articles in different languages can also be viewed.

Wikipedia blackout :

This facility of android gadget led viewers to use Wikipedia during the entire black out on his Wednesday, 18 Jan 2012, that lasted for, 24 hours. Wikipedia was blackout to protest for SOPA, Stop Online Piracy Act and PIPA, Protest IP Act. On the next day, 4.4 out of 5 stars was the average rating, so mainly it was a positive review, but complaints also followed with this good news, the GPS function was being used resulting in the drain of battery. The English version of the Wikipedia was black throughout the day, which filliped the traffic.

*by andreascy*

New Efficient Way to Recycle Carbon Dioxide Pollution

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Scientists in the United States have discovered a new, inexpensive way to remove excess Carbon Dioxide (or CO2), from the atmosphere, as well as from large industrial exhaust sources, such as factory smokestacks. Researchers at the University of Southern California's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute say their new CO2 extraction method achieved some of the highest rates ever reported for removing the potentially climate-changing greenhouse gas from the air under humid conditions. 

Most scientists believe that industrial carbon dioxide emissions are major contributors to global warming. The accelerating increase in the Earth’s average surface temperatures also is believed to be triggering significant changes in climate, including more intense storms, more severe floods and droughts, and major shifts in rainfall patterns. 

Study co-author and Loker Institute director Professor Surya Prakash said the CO2 extraction technique involves a plastic-like substance dispersed in a sandy material called fumed silica.

Prakash says the goal of the research was to create an efficient way to capture excess CO2 from the air and recycle it for use in the production of all the fuels and carbon-based products now made from refined petroleum. He adds that the extracted carbon dioxide also can be permanently isolated from the environment. 

Prakash says he expects to see his team’s CO2 recycling technology in commercial use within three to five years. The USC researchers say the fumed silica materials they developed for the CO2 extractor are much cheaper, more energy efficient and more chemically stable than existing extraction devices. They also report that the new materials can be used multiple times without losing their efficiency.

Prakash said he and his colleagues tested the new materials in humid air because capturing CO2 in humid conditions is especially difficult, and provided realistic conditions for the experiment since most air contains moisture. A report on the new USC study is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. 

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*by andreascy*

Microsoft Windows 8 : Building Windows 8 motion sensor support

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Microsoft upcoming Windows 8 operating system will incorporate an improved support for motion sensors (software-based and on a new all-in-one chip that includes the sensors).
Windows 8 Beta (a.k.a Windows 8 Customer Preview) is due late February and the software giant still coming up with new improvements in the operating system - and we like it! This time they are showing off their improve support for motion sensors in a new article from the Building Windows 8 blog.



Essentially, Microsoft has developed a new process called “sensor fusion” that allows the use of multiple sensors (accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope) data input together, providing a better experience for developers when the make use of the PC hardware to create motion-based Metro style apps, and for the end users to enjoy those applications and games with motion capabilities.
It turns out that an accelerometer, magnetometer, and a gyro can complement each other’s weaknesses, effectively filling in gaps in data and data responsiveness. Using a combination of these sensors it is possible to create a better, more responsive, and more fluid experience than the sensors can provide individually - Gavin Gear said, Program Manager on the Device Connectivity team for Windows.
This is not a new concept, in fact sensors can now be found in many PC laptops and mobile devices like the iPhone and Android. But the difference (or the magic) is that Microsoft’s “sensor fusion” has the ability to mathematically combine the sensors’ data more accurately and provide a more fluid response based on 9 distinct axes for games and applications with motion capabilities.
Microsoft new technology is a software-based algorithm that works across different sensors or it can also be done at the hardware level with a single chip that incorporates all the sensors. Microsoft has already been working with different manufactures to produce a chip for use in future devices.
If you were one of the lucky ones getting your hand on one of the Samsung Windows 8 stale PC, the support is already there, for everyone else that would like to test Microsoft’s sensor fusion technology, there is a developer board that connects via USB to test the new sensor support and can be purchased here.
Here is a video demo from Microsoft using sensor fusion technology :

*by andreascy*