Techno-News Blog

May 17, 2012

Should iEat? Testing Food Ripeness with a Smart Phone

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by David Zax, Technology Review

“Everyone’s a critic,” sighs the artist. But with new smartphone technology, average folks like you and me could take our criticism to new mediums and industries entirely. “Everyone’s a quality tester,” the industrial food producer may soon be sighing. Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute is developing a miniature spectrometer that Food Production Daily says “will pave the way for instant quality analysis of whether fruit is ripe or if meat contains too much water.” The device, which is smaller than a sugar cube, uses near infrared technology to assess starch, protein, water, and fat content in food–and you wouldn’t even have to unwrap the goods to test them, since the spectrometer works across a thin layer of plastic. The device won’t be able to perform microbiological or toxicological analysis, according to Fraunhofer–but it will be able to see if food is ripe or water-logged, and give you instant advice on whether to buy or not.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/helloworld/27844/?p1=blogs

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A Computer Interface that Takes a Load Off Your Mind

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By Kate Greene, Technology Review

Conversations between people include a lot more than just words. All sorts of visual and aural cues indicate each party’s state of mind and make for a productive interaction. But a furrowed brow, a gesticulating hand, and a beaming smile are all lost on computers. Now, researchers at MIT and Tufts are experimenting with a way for computers to gain a little insight into our inner world. Their system, called Brainput, is designed to recognize when a person’s workload is excessive and then automatically modify a computer interface to make it easier. The researchers used a lightweight, portable brain monitoring technology, called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), that determines when a person is multitasking. Analysis of the brain scan data was then fed into a system that adjusted the user’s workload at those times. A computing system with Brainput could, in other words, learn to give you a break.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/40406/?p1=A1

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5 Transformative Uses for Disney’s Touch-Sensitive Technology

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by Christopher Mims, Technology Review

Wearable computing, the end of keyboards, enhanced security and sex could all benefit from Touché. Disney has a new technology, called Touche, that can turn any object, including the human body, into a touch-sensitive surface that recognizes not only when contact has been made, but what kind of contact it is. Plenty of places have covered the details of how this technology works — which are fascinating. But I have to admit that what should have been the most exciting part of Disney’s presentation on Touché — the use cases — left me flat. So here are five use cases that could transform this technology from an interesting oddity to something potentially transformative.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/mimssbits/27848/?p1=blogs

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May 16, 2012

Facebook app store launches amid mobile revenue worries

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by the BBC

Facebook has launched its own app store to promote mobile programs that operate using the social network. The company said the App Center will become the “new, central place to find great apps like Draw Something” and other titles. Developers will have the ability to charge a fee for apps sold in the store in the near future, Facebook said. The announcement came as Facebook admitted growth in mobile use could hurt future advertising revenue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18017379#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Microsoft’s Bing search engines to use Facebook tips

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by the BBC

The new social results will appear in a grey column on the right-hand side of Bing’s results page. Microsoft is revamping its Bing search engine to include advice from Facebook and other social media platforms. The move involves the introduction of a new sidebar which seeks to connect users with friends and other enthusiasts who can provide help. The firm says it is based on the fact “90% of people consult with a friend or expert before making a decision”. Surveys suggest Bing has about a 15% share of the US search market, lagging behind Google’s 66% portion. The new service appears on the right-hand side of all results and includes a feature dubbed Friends Who Might Know.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18029771#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Video game sales drop sharply in US

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by the BBC

Sales of video games in the US have shown a sharp drop in early 2012, figures suggest. Gamers spent 42% less on video games in April compared to the same period last year, said market research firm NPD. The entire market, which includes sales of both consoles and games, was down 32% overall in April, the figures indicate. Analysts blamed some of the decline on the lack of compelling games being launched in the opening months of 2012.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18033328#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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May 15, 2012

Startup Sends More than Music through Speakers

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by Rachel Metz, Technology Review

In the not-so-distant future, you might be rocking out at a Katy Perry concert when your smart phone’s screen lights up with a sneak peek of the pop star’s new music video. Or perhaps you’ll be watching a police drama at home when your iPad lights up with clues about the identity of the serial killer being chased by the on-screen detectives. At least, this is the hope of Alex Bell, cofounder of Sonic Notify, a company that offers technology to broadcast data to smart phones and tablets via high-frequency sound waves. Rather than trying to gain critical mass for its own smart phone app, Sonic Notify offers its software to developers so they can build it into theirs—a move that could also result in more creative uses for the technology than the company might come up with on its own.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/40383/?p1=A3

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Are Smart Phones Spreading Faster than Any Technology in Human History?

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By Michael DeGusta, Technology Review

Today’s technology scene seems overheated to some. Apple is the most valuable company on earth. Software apps are reaching tens of millions of users within weeks. Major technology names like Research in Motion and Nokia are being undone by rapid changes to their markets. Underlying these developments: the unprecedented speed at which mobile computers are spreading. Those technologies with “last mile” problems—bringing electricity cables or telephone wire to individual homes—appear to spread more slowly. It took almost a century for landline phones to reach saturation, or the point at which new demand falls off. Mobile phones, by contrast, achieved saturation in just 20 years. Smart phones are on track to halve that rate yet again, and tablets could move still faster, setting consecutive records for speed to market saturation in the United States.

http://www.technologyreview.com/business/40321/?p1=BI

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Silicon Nanospheres Could Be Building Blocks of Optical Invisibility Cloaks

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by kfc, Technology Review

Given the headlines associated with invisibility cloaks, you could be forgiven for thinking that a Star Trek-style cloaking device will be available in stores before the holiday season. Sadly, no. It’s true that in recent years researchers have made great strides in their theoretical understanding of how these cloaks work and consequently built increasingly complex and impressive devices. But these devices generally work in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum, where wavelengths are measured in centimetres. A few teams have made devices that work in the optical realm but only in two dimensions and over extremely short distances.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27838/?p1=blogs

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May 14, 2012

Google’s Project Glass: Action photos from your eyewear

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by Don Reisinger, CNET news.com

Google’s Project Glass glasses might not be the most stylish pair of lenses you’ve ever worn, but a new image released by the search company shows how far they might go in changing the state of photography. Google fellow and vice president Sebastian Thrun yesterday posted an image he took while wearing his Project Glass eyewear. In it, he’s spinning his son, Jasper, around with both hands while the glasses he’s wearing snap the photo. Soon after it was posted, the image went viral on the Google+ social network, and it was reposted by company co-founder Sergey Brin, who called it “an amazing capture.” Thrun’s posting has 500 comments — nearly all of which laud the photo — and about 1,800 +1 votes. It’s just as popular elsewhere it was posted across the social network.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57430676-93/googles-project-glass-action-photos-from-your-eyewear/?tag=mncol;topStories

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Microsoft promises to go carbon neutral

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by the BBC

Microsoft has pledged to help protect the environment by reducing its carbon footprint. From July 1st 2012 its data centres, software development labs and office buildings would all be carbon neutral, the firm announced. Environmental groups have called on the technology industry to adopt more renewable energy sources. Rivals Facebook and Google have pledged to move away from coal-powered data centres.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17991865

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MirageTable: Microsoft presents augmented reality device

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by the BBC

Microsoft has shown off an augmented reality system that allows users at different locations to work together on tabletop activities, sharing objects which they can both handle. The MirageTable was demonstrated at a conference in Austin, Texas and is outlined on the firm’s research site. Researchers said it could “fool” the eye to suggest both parties were using a “seamless 3D shared task space”. The team admitted more work was needed before the system could be marketed.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18005498

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May 13, 2012

Samsung, HTC, Toshiba, LG Show Off Smartphones, Tablets, More at CTIA

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By Jeffrey Burt, eWeek

Not too long ago, “wireless” meant having a cell phone that could be used to make calls and send text messages. That has changed significantly over the past couple of years, with the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets, and the billions of dollars wireless carriers like AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile have spent to upgrade their network infrastructures. That competition is only expected to intensify as these carriers build out Long-Term Evolution (LTE) 4G networks in the coming year. Wireless now has become a way of life for consumers and is quickly becoming the way organizations do business. The devices also are coming in all shapes and sizes, from traditional smartphones to tablets the size of Toshiba’s 13.3-inch Excite 13. In addition to the various devices, there also was an emphasis on wireless security, which is a growing concern. As smartphones and tablets become more popular with consumers and business users alike, they also will become more attractive targets for cyber-criminals.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Samsung-HTC-Toshiba-LG-Show-Off-Smartphones-Tablets-More-at-CTIA-267082/

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HP Intros New Ultrabooks, Sleekbooks With Intel, AMD Chips

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By: Michelle Maisto, eWeek

At an event in Shanghai, HP introduced a fleet of new PCs for consumer and business users that included Ultrabooks and what it’s calling “Sleekbooks.” But HP says Apple was not an influence in the design of these models. Hewlett-Packard has been busy. At an event at the Shanghai Expo Center in China May 9, the company, which was once on the verge of doing away with its PC unit, introduced more new business and consumer-geared PC models than any single person could reasonably keep track of. Most likely to stand out from the pack are new portfolios of Ultrabooks and what HP is calling “Sleekbooks.” “The Ultrabook is quickly becoming the must-have solution for anyone who wants performance, responsiveness and a secure computing experience in a thin, elegant form factor,” Kirk Skaugen, an Intel vice president and general manager, said of the new HP lineup, which is equipped with Intel’s chips and other technologies.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/HP-Intros-New-Ultrabooks-Sleekbooks-with-Intel-AMD-Chips-430836/

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Researchers use diamonds to boost computer memory

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By Lucas Mearian, Computerworld

Johns Hopkins University engineers are using diamonds to change the properties of an alloy used in phase-change memory, a change that could lead to the development higher capacity storage systems that retain data more quickly and last longer than current media. The process, explained this month in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), focused on changes to the inexpensive GST phase-change memory alloy that’s composed of germanium, antimony and tellurium. “This phase-change memory is more stable than the material used in current flash drives. It works 100 times faster and is rewritable millions of times,” said the study’s lead author, Ming Xu, a doctoral student at the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. to replace hard drives in computers and give them more memory,” he suggested.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226897/Researchers_use_diamonds_to_boost_computer_memory?taxonomyId=12

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May 12, 2012

iPhone 5 to Be Thinner With Bigger Screen

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By: Nathan Eddy, eWeek

A “confirmed” report says the new iPhone will feature a larger screen, smaller connecting dock and Gorilla Glass 2. Another day, another report on Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone 5, this time from Mac blog iLounge, which claims via a “reliable source” to have confirmed details of a thinner, longer smartphone sporting scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 2 on the front, a metal panel on the back and a roughly 4-inch screen, larger than the 3.5-inch screen found on the current edition of the iPhone.  This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic.”

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/iPhone-5-to-be-Thinner-with-Bigger-Screen-306451/?kc=rss

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Amazon Kindle Fire Slumping, Company Preparing Refresh

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By: Michelle Maisto, eWeek

Amazon’s first-quarter Kindle Fire sales tanked, but the bookseller is reportedly planning a larger version of the Fire and a midyear 7-inch refresh. However, the iPad remains the top-selling tablet. Amazon wasn’t able to sustain its tablet sales momentum during the first quarter, after bursting onto the scene during the fourth quarter with the introduction of the Kindle Fire. This helped secure the online bookseller the No. 2 spot behind Apple. Holiday sales present a unique opportunity for most companies, and no manufacturer was immune from a dip in shipments during the first quarter, according to a May 3 report from IDC. However, Amazon’s shipments notably fell from nearly 17 percent during the fourth quarter to just above 4 percent during the first.  Samsung, consequently, grabbed the No. 2 spot, pushing Amazon to third place.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-Slumping-Company-Preparing-Refresh-567633/?kc=rss

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Cloud Computing, Data Analytics Top Investment Priorities for Businesses

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By: Nathan Eddy, eWeek

A Deloitte survey of midmarket businesses found they are interested in leveraging technology to improve business efficiency. Midsize businesses are looking to specific IT investments to boost their businesses, and the larger the organization, the more likely it is to cite technology as having the greatest potential to increase productivity, according to the findings of a new survey of midmarket companies by Deloitte. The study shows cloud computing emerging as an investment priority. When asked what types of investments companies were likely to make in technology, 40 of the respondents cited cloud computing. That’s close to automation of business processes (46 percent) and data analytics (41 percent).

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Midmarket/Cloud-Computing-Data-Analytics-Top-Investment-Priorities-for-Businesses-373532/?kc=rss

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May 11, 2012

MacBook Air for $799 in the Works: Report

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By: Nathan Eddy, eWeek

Apple may be prepping a lower-priced version of its ultrathin MacBook Air notebooks, according to a DigiTimes report. In an effort to market the pricey, though sublime, MacBook Air notebook to a wider audience, Apple is working on a $799 version of the computer, according to a report in the Taiwanese tech publication DigiTimes. Quoting unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain,” the article said Apple is considering offering the $799 MacBook Air in the third quarter of 2012, possibly in response to the upcoming generation of Intel-branded Ultrabook notebooks.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Macbook-Air-for-799-in-the-Works-Report-407722/?kc=rss

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Magnetic bacteria may help build future bio-computers

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by the BBC

Magnet-making bacteria may be building biological computers of the future, researchers have said. A team from the UK’s University of Leeds and Japan’s Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have used microbes that eat iron. As they ingest the iron, the microbes create tiny magnets inside themselves, similar to those in PC hard drives. The research may lead to the creation of much faster hard drives, the team of scientists say. The study appears in the journal Small. As technology progresses and computer components get smaller and smaller, it becomes harder to produce electronics on a nano-scale.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17981157#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Evernote will set up a data centre in China

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:14 am

by the BBC

Evernote, the company behind the popular digital note-taking service of the same name, plans to tap the world’s largest web community – China. It has asked Beijing to approve the building of a data centre in China, reports the Wall Street Journal. Evernote will have to comply with China’s strict regulation of web services, which hampered the ambitions of firms like Facebook and Google. Evernote recently received a $70m (£43m) investment. The firm said it intends to use the money to expand internationally, especially in Asia.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17981737#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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