World's most powerful Microscope

World's most powerful Microscope

World's most powerful Microscope

University of Manchester Research Associate Dr Wei Guo views a tiny

structure with the world's most powerful optical microscope.
Image credit: University of Manchester

World's most powerful Microscope

Scientists have developed what they say is the world's most powerful optical microscope that can allow them to watch live viruses in action.

British researchers who helped develop the microsphere claimed that the instrument is capable of examining objects as small as 50 nanometres across -- 20 times smaller than the present limit for optical microscopes.

"This is a world record in terms of how small an optical microscope can go by direct imaging under a light source covering the whole range of optical spectrum, said Prof Lin Li from the University of Manchester who led the project with colleagues from Singapore.

"Not only have we been able to see items of 50 nanometres, we believe that is just the start and we will be able to see far smaller items," Prof Lin was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

There are 10 million nanometres in a centimetre. And the researchers said the new microscope would allow scientists to look at tiny details inside cells and even "live" viruses. A cold virus is 20 nanometres in diameter.

"Theoretically, there is no limit on how small an object we will be able to see," said Prof Lin.

Electron microscopes, which use a focused beam of electrons instead of light, can image extremely small objects but have limitations.

Either they are designed only to view surface details, or they require extremely thin specimen sections, making it difficult to image fine biological structures.

But, the new instrument employs "superlenses" in the form of tiny "microspheres" -- which are small spherical particles-- to push the technical boundaries of optical microscopes.

Prof Lin said: "The common way of seeing tiny items presently is with an electron microscope, and even then you cannot see inside a cell - only the outside.

"Optical fluoresce microscopes can see inside the cells indirectly by dying them, but these dyes cannot penetrate viruses.

"Seeing inside a cell directly without dying and seeing living viruses directly could revolutionise the way cells are studied and allow us to examine closely viruses and biomedicine for the first time."

The new instrument was described in the journal Nature Communications.

PTI

Read More

World Smallest Solar-Powered Sensor System

World Smallest Solar-Powered Sensor System

World Smallest Solar-Powered Sensor System

World Smallest Solar-Powered Sensor System

In a pioneering development at the University of Michigan, researchers have come up with a tiny solar-powered sensor that is capable of supplying almost continuous energy. The device consists of a processor, solar cells and a battery, all enclosed in a small frame, measuring just 2.5 by 3.5 by 1 millimeters. Using an industry-standard ARM Cortex-M3 processor, the system contains the lowest-powered commercial-class microcontroller. It consumes about 2,000 times less power in sleep mode than its most energy-efficient counterpart available does today.

This research, presented yesterday at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco has the potential to enable new biomedical implants as well as new devices to monitor buildings, bridges and homes. The new sensor has been designed to spend most of its time in sleep mode, waking briefly every few minutes to take measurements. Claims are that its total average power consumption is less than 1 nanowatt.

According to the developers, their method for managing power is the key innovation. The processor only needs about half of a volt to operate, but its low-voltage, thin-film Cymbet battery puts out close to 4 volts. The voltage, which is essentially the pressure of the electric current, must be reduced for the system to function most efficiently.

World Smallest Solar-Powered Sensor System

Read More

Double Cell Phone Catches Rays To Run : No need to Charge

Double Cell Phone Catches Rays To Run

Double Cell Phone Catches Rays To Run

From design house ZTE Corporation comes the Double Cell phone, a solar-cell using design that lets you talk as long as the sun is up and store that power for use overnight.

Seemingly everyone has a cell phone these days, and is intent on using it as much as possible. From talking while driving, texting while at work or simply surfing the Internet while doing just about any imagined human activity, we’re a cell phone culture that just can’t get enough juice for our jabber.

Double Cell Phone Catches Rays To Run

Many cell users complain about the lack of battery life their favorite phone gets, and now the ZTC Corporation has come up with a way to make sure a phone never runs out of power. Their new “Double Phone” concept – a Red Dot Concept Design winner – features not only solar cells lining one side of the phone but a middle hinge that lets the phone fully flip in either direction.

Double Phone: seeking the sun.

The phone packs in a 3.2” screen, touch interface and transparent panel, enough to stack it up against some of the fancier offerings on the market, but the big selling point here is that it will need almost no charging. When the sun is up, the phone will not only work but be charging itself, and when the sun goes down the stored charge will be used to keep up the gift of gab.

So far, the Double Phone is concept rather than commercial, but we can see the sun shining favorably on this one.

Double Cell Phone Catches Rays To Run

Read More

Sony’s Futuristic Concept of Computers by Hiromi Kiriki

Our rapid increase in the use of internet connection for its fast access and world wide availability that secondary devices like the Nextep Computer are bound to happen. Developed to be worn as a bracelet, this computer concept is constructed out of a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen. This computer is suppose to be in the market till the year 2020, features like a holographic projector (for screen), pull-out extra keyboard panels and social networking compatibility, make the concept plausible. That means only ten years from now , this is not too far as per the expectation made by Sony.

This wearable technology is just a new concept in the tech industry right now. With a step ahead and think of this truly portable and wearable technology we can imangine to have this wearable technology in our hands.

In this furturistic approach two major technologies are being touted as the big enablers of wearable computing: Flexible and affordable organic light emitting diode (OLED) touchscreens and holographic screens. This concept has include both of them.

The wristband is bulky but has a full wraparound screen, and can be laid flat with a pop out keyboard and holographic display projected above.

Read More

100 Years of IBM

100 Years of IBM

The film features one hundred people, who each present the IBM achievement recorded in the year they were born. The film chronology flows from the oldest person to the youngest, offering a whirlwind history of the company and culminating with its prospects for the future. Here for more infos.

100 Years of IBM

Read More

Top 10 Awesome iPhone 3G Accessories

Looking to pimp up that boring new iPhone 3G of yours? Here’s the list of favorite iphone 3G accessories available on the market:

1. B&W Zeppelin speakers for iPhone 3G
These beautiful speakers from Bowers & Wilkins were released late last year. At the time we weren’t sure that they would support the iPhone 3G. Now that the iPhone 3G has been released we can confirm that they work seamlessly together. Check out the iPhone Speakers / B&W Zeppelin video which demonstrates this.

2. Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset

The Plantronics Discovery 925 is the best bluetooth headset I have played with to date. I know, I know there’s a lot of buzz about the new Aliph Jawbone but until I get my hands on one, the Plantronics Discovery 925 is my suggested iPhone bluetooth headset. Also waiting for Blueant’s Z9i to hit my desk!

3. Sennheiser MM iP iPhone Stereo / Mobile headphones
The first high quality music headset for the iPhone. Upgraded music quality to take and make calls. Tailor-made for the iPhone.

4. Parrot Minikit Slim Bluetooth Speakerphone

The new Parrot MINIKIT SLIM Bluetooth Speakerphone is packed with innovative features, including nxt SuperSound technology which gives the MINIKIT SLIM it’s sleek ultra-slim design. One of its most impressive and useful features however is the automatic phone book synchronization with text-to-speech voice synthesis.

5. iPhone 3Gscreen protector
Huge glass screen display, susceptible to scratches and the like, needs protection. Our Mr.Gadget iPhone 3G screen protectors cover the full screen and also come with a life-time warranty. Can’t go wrong.

6. DLO iPhone 3G Car Charger

We all know that battery life is an issue with both old and new version of the iPhone. So instead of whinging let’s do something practical to keep it energized throughout the day, like with the DLO iPhone 3G Car Charger!

7. DLO iPhone 3G Portable Speakers
Whether you’re at school, in the office or in the park, you can now share your music with your friends and the rest of the world. One neat trick about these speakers is that, once you’re done, you can fold them up into a ball. Not sturdy enough to play soccer with, I’m afraid.

8. XStand for iPhone 3G

Why settle for a boring desk stand when you can have an Xstand to hold up your iPhone 3G? Its named is derived from its contemporary “X” design and complements the curves of the phone to provide secure desktop support.

9. DLO Sports Action Jacket iPhone 3G Case

For those fitness buffs who want to securely carry around their iPhones while doing exercise, the DLO iPhone 3G Sports Action Jacket Case is perfect.

10. Dexim-Blue Pack Battery Pack for iPhone

Another way to keep your iPhone topped-up, this time without the aid of a free AC power point handy, is with the Dexim-Blue Pack Battery Pack for iPhone. With one of these gadgets attached, you can enjoy another 30+ hours of audio bliss or 3+ hours of talk time. Well worth considering buying and just keeping in your bag.

Read More

The Top 10 Mobile Phone Brands - 2010

Find out which are the top 10 most popular mobile phone brands this year. The top seller shipped some 100 million phones.

Nokia

According to a Bloomberg report, Finnish company Nokia is still the world's biggest mobile phone maker, with a 37.4 per cent share of the market last quarter.

That means that a cool one third of all phones in the world are made by Nokia.

In the first quarter of 2010, Nokia shipped a total of 107,800,000 phones. Talk about huge.

Samsung

South Korean firm Samsung is in second position with slightly less than a quarter of the global market share at 22.4 per cent.

The brand had some great reviews for its Omnia series of smartphones.

At 64,300,000 units shipped in the first three months of the year, it might still be quite some way behind leader of the pack Nokia, but its numbers do prove that Samsung is quite the mobile phone powerhouse.

LG

LG taking third place makes it two Korean firms in the mobile phone hall of fame top 3.

The company had some pretty nice consumer feedback about its sleek and sexy Chocolate phones, which do look good enough to eat.


Sony Ericsson

Known for their Walkman Phones and camera phones, this joint-venture between Japanese electronics giant Sony and Swedish mobile phone maker Ericsson's rankings had slipped a little from the past year and is now in fourth position.

But its sleek new devices such as the Xperia X10, with its powerhouse hardware and improved interface and features, might mean a comeback for the brand.


RIM

Everyone knows BlackBerry, but few people know the name behind those well-known smartphones popular with the business crowd.

RIM - or Research In Motion, takes fifth place, one of two companies on this list that make only smartphones (the other one is Apple).

Apple

The company behind the iMac, iPod, iPad and of course, the iPhone is in sixth place.

While the iPhone is arguably one of the most popular devices in the mobile phone market, Apple's current standing isn't surprising because it has essentially only the iPhone series of devices in its inventory list.

With a new generation iPhone rumoured to be released this summer, perhaps we might see Apple climb this ladder in the near future.


ZTE

Chinese firm ZTE may not be exactly the most heard of name in the mobile phone market, but their interesting devices and quirky designs would definitely be worth a look.

With an interesting lineup including smartphones and other mobile devices, hopefully we'll see more of this handset maker's products in the market soon.

Motorola

Formerly the number two in the mobile phone market as recently as 2007, Motorola had seen its rankings slide to number eight on the top 10 list this quarter.

According to a Bloomberg report, shipping of units had taken a hit because of the company's difficulties in offering compelling new models following the success of the RAZR.

However, while Motorola's unit shipments continued to slide, the decline reflects the company's strategic decision to shift its focus away from the cheaper, mass-market cellphones and towards higher-profit products like the Dext and Backflip.

With its MotoBlur enabled smartphones getting great reviews from cricits, we might see more great devices from Motorola soon.

Huawei

The second Chinese handset maker on the list, Huawei is known more for is wireless dongles and communications solutions.

But take a look at the handset maker's devices and you will see a few promising mobile phones with lots of potential.

Hopefully those will be more readily available in the market soon.

Alcatel

Few people would be using a device from this French handset maker today, but fans from the early adoption days would remember owning an Alcatel device at one time or the other.

With them still in the top 10 list, hopefully we'll see more of their stuff in the near future.

Read More

The History of Java Technology

Since 1995, java has changed our world . . . and our expectations..

Today, with technology such a part of our daily lives, we take it for granted that we can be connected and access applications and content anywhere, anytime. Because of java , we expect digital devices to be smarter, more functional, and way more entertaining.

In the early 90s, extending the power of network computing to the activities of everyday life was a radical vision. In 1991, a small group of Sun engineers called the "Green Team" believed that the next wave in computing was the union of digital consumer devices and computers. Led by James Gosling, the team worked around the clock and created the programming language that would revolutionize our world – java .

The Green Team demonstrated their new language with an interactive, hand held home-entertainment controller that was originally targeted at the digital cable television industry. Unfortunately, the concept was much too advanced for the them at the time. But it was just right for the Internet, which was just starting to take off. In 1995, the team announced that the Netscape Navigator Internet browser would incorporate java technology.

java was created by engineers working at Sun Microsystems. The figure that stands out most of all is James Gosling, widely regarded as the "father" of java . James and his team were working on a language whose original name was Oak. Oak was designed for embedded devices, such as mobile phones. The first publicly available version of java , however, was as java applets, in the original Hotjava browser.  

Today, java not only permeates the Internet, but also is the invisible force behind many of the applications and devices that power our day-to-day lives. From mobile phones to handheld devices, games and navigation systems to e-business solutions, java is everywhere!

Read More

Face-detecting vending machine in Taiwan

TAIPEI: Government-funded researchers in Taiwan have developed a vending machine that recommends purchases based on people's faces, one of the inventors said on Friday.

The machine, designed by the Institute for Information Industry in Taipei, builds a profile after checking characteristics such as complexion and hair color, said researcher Tsai Chi-hang. Those clues help the machine guess a shopper's gender, approximate age and other things that might be helpful in promoting a suitable product.

Researchers spent the past year using a grant from Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs to build the first machine, which was rigged up on Thursday to spit out free cosmetics samples in the institute's lobby.

The machine looks for clues like whether a person has glasses, a beard or a mustache, said Tsai. Based on that it guesses their use of make-up or frequency of shaving, Tsai said. It then might recommend a facial mask, razor, or health products that people in a certain category are statistically likely to buy.

"If you stand in front of it, the machine has ways of recognizing your characteristics, though it doesn't know exactly who you are as that would infringe on personal privacy," Tsai said in an interview.

"It's a new concept, so it's taking some time to catch on," he said, referring to a model machine installed this week in the institute's lobby.

Researchers in Japan unveiled a similar concept in August last year. The Taiwanese machine isn't a copy of that but the Taiwan researchers kept up on what Japan was doing, Tsai said.

The machine also attempts to detect any smartphones, e-readers or tablets the buyer might be carrying, the institute told Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency. That recognition would tell the machine whether the shopper was equipped to download books, music or films.

Taiwan's institute aims to tailor-design machines for vendors, with storage capacity and exact features depending on the individual order, Tsai said. The institute has already been in touch with some vendors, he said, but he declined to say how much machines would cost.

Information on what buyers actually choose will be stored and sent to the Internet, helping retailers to analyze shopping patterns. The institute has previously researched WiMax technology and worked with China to develop the Android-based Ophone OS.

Read More

Nokia 2030 Cellphone Concept

Nokia 2030 Cellphone Concept

Here’s the Nokia cellphone concept of 2030, in case you wanted a taste of the future… Created by Jim Chan, the Nokia 2030 features a scratch-resistant finished body, plus a full color display and an illuminated touch keypad.

Fast messaging is the purpose of this unit and we learn that the phone measures 2 x 4.75 x 0.25 inches and attaches colored films at the rear, to change its color. Polished titanium is the choice of metal for the case area that protects the screen. This handset looks like some sort of futuristic keycard that grants access to a high tech facility and we bet it’ll have e-wallet features and a transparent UI.

Read More

Google Magnify Translator

Google Magnify Translator

Google Magnify is the latest concept to be created by Anh Nguyen. This concept began with a funny email that he had been going around the office at his work. He went up to their intern, who just happened to be from France, before realizing that he would have a tough time reading it. After a little bit of confusion, the intern just copy and pasted the entire email into Google Translate and was cracking up just like everyone else after reading it.

Then the idea started to percolate in his mind; what if there was a device which was basically a window to the world, where everything would be translated into the language of your choosing? A modern take on the magnifying glass, which hasn’t been updated much in its 800 years of existence. With a flip out handle, triple cameras, and text recognition software running through the Google Translate engine, the device just needs to be held in front of any text to be translated on the spot.

Read More

CPU Inside Keyboard

There is something special during CeBIT 2007 at Hannover, What is it? Cybernet introduced ‘ZPC-9100′ an all-in-one PC keyboard. This innovative device equipped with all of PC devices. Estimated price between 500 and 600 us dollars. Its main specifications are: Intel Pentium 4 LGA775 3.4GHZ, 2 GB of memory, 500 GB Sata Hard Drive, Optical Drive, and 3D sound with built-in speakers.

Read More

Compact Eco Concept –Ver2 electric bike

Now it’s hard to invent something extra new and creative at the field of bycicle design. But it is possible. And industrial designer Yuji Fujimura prooved it by creating the concept of electric bike Ver2. Its main feature in addition to environmental friendliness is folding pedals and handlebars. Thanks to this feature it’s easy to save space in the parking lot. This is very important looking at the growing popularity of this transport. Also Ver2 runs by lithium-ion battery. It means that you could use it as an electric bike and electric motorcycle. The battery can recharge different electronic devices – just place it in a special compartment in Ver2.

Read More

Google Nexus S Android Phone

Google Nexus S Android Phone

Google has officially revealed the new Google Nexus S Android Phone, the latest in their line of Android-powered Nexus smart phones.  As early-adopting Android users ourselves, we’re excited.  We picked up the T-Mobile G1 (the first Android smart phone) on its release date, and we’ll be doing the same with the Nexus S on December 16th.  Why are we excited?  Read on, we’ll explain…

We love and admire the iPhone, but we’re loyal to Android for its free and open nature.  It has grown a lot since the day we picked up our G1– to a 23.5% penetration of the mobile OS market, just 1% behind Apple’s iPhone OS.  It’s latest version, Android 2.3 or “Gingerbread”, will see its first release on the new Nexus S.  It’s a safe assumption that Gingerbread will be the first Android OS to officially topple the iPhone in market share, an amazing feat in just over two years as a public OS.

The Google Nexus S Android Phone is clear step forward for the operating system.  Sure, it may not pack a dual-core processor or a double-digit megapixel camera, but the aim of Google has always been about simplicity, about being “just right” in a world where clutter often derails productivity.  The heart of the Nexus S is a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, boasting the same power as the proprietary iPhone 4 unit.  Again, like the iPhone 4, the Nexus S features memory starting at 16GB via iNAND flash.  Once again, the Nexus S features a 5MP digital camera with flash, as well as a front-facing second camera for video chat.  In short, the Google Nexus S levels the playing field to give both mobile OS’s a chance to show off on common technical ground. It’s available on December 16th for $199 with a T-Mobile contract, or $529 unlocked

Read More