Buying A Digital Camera? Snap Your Flash Memory Cards First

Once we plan to have a trip to exotic places or locations we haven't seen, probably the first thing which comes to our mind is nothing but buying a glittering digital camera. Of course, we want to come back with as much memories as possible filled in our digital cameras. What did I say? Memories?

Oh! This word 'memories' has reminded me of a very important thing. Your fancy to snap a wide array of exotic things will cease to be reality unless you grab the right flash memory card. Of course, your 'memories' will depend a lot on the storage capacity of your memory card and its compatibility with the digital camera it will be used in.

Thus if you want to collect the maximum memories of those far-off places, it is not the camera but it is the type of your flash memory card that proves handy.

If you want to choose something use is used by one and all then there is no way why you should not go for an SD flash memory card. It is most famous type of flash memory card and bears the approval of varied types of customers. Thus you will come across a series of comments regarding it if you talk to your friends.

An SD flash memory card is most suitable for those digital cameras which are made for an enhanced personal use only. The SD flash memory card with a capacity of 1GB is mostly and easily available while its upgraded versions too are widely used by the frequent travelers. So if you are planning an elongated photo session then an SD flash memory card up to 4 GB is there to serve you.

However, if you belong to the around-the-world-in-80-days breed, then undoubtedly nothing but an SDHC flash memory card will come to your rescue. This comes with a thumping 32 GB storage capacity. It will meet all your ends and needs. Such a flash memory card is comprehensively compatible with a fast-paced tour. After all, who gets the time to transfer all the snaps to a computer before he/she returns home?

However, here comes a caution with the use of an SDHC flash memory card. Not all the digital cameras, on the shelves, are made to enjoy the services of this highly efficient memory card. So you might have to buy a new digital camera too along with this SDHC flash memory card. Probably, it may be a step too harsh amid this recession.

However, if you have an advanced digital camera and are searching for a flash memory card with diversified capacity then go for a CF flash memory card. This card is the most versatile one as far as its storage capacity is concerned.

A qualitative CF memory card can have a maximum of 16 GB. Remember, it can be costlier too. However, if your trip is supposed to be a shorter one then you can buy a CF flash memory card with less than half GB too. However, not all the cameras support CF cards, so be careful.

Plug Computer By Marvell : Now Slide Your PC Into The Wall Power Socket

Ever heard of a personal computer which can be directly plugged into your wall power socket and you will see no need of your computer furniture anymore?

Or, ever heard of a computer which costs you $50 only when you buy in dozens or its price doubles up if bought in singles or something which uses power as low as 5 watts only?

Did you say it is a crazy question? If you think that anybody body who talks about such a computer might have gone mad, then better you go for a detailed research, or at least surf the official site of Marvell semiconductor, before going that much judgmental.

Do the investigation and you will find that Marvell, a famous manufacture of semiconductors, just, sincerely a fortnight ago, has launched a computer that looks like a plug and can be plugged into the wall too.

Moreover, it has all those computer accessories and features which make a full-fledged computer once they combine together. After all how can you call something a computer unless it has a 1.2GHz Marvell Kirkwood processor, a spacious storage device, a powerful memory drive and so and so. More clearly, it has a 512MB DRAM and 512 megabytes of flash memory storage. However it runs with Linux only. Mind it!

So it has got all what a modern computer should have. Thus this innovative computer is set to give you all the services which are a trademark job of a networked computer. Amazingly, the name sounds a bit of Indian. SheevaPlug! What do you say?

As per its usage, according to the manufacturer, Marvell semiconductor in this case, you can use this plug computer as a home server computer. Definitely, to do so, you have to plug your router and USB flash drive or external hard drive into your SheevaPlug simply. This plug computer comes with a USB 2.0 port.

Regarding size, it is as small as you can think of in terms of a computer. After all, you can't hang a desktop on a wall, isn't it? However, its small size is never a constraint in its performance. Marvell calls it as a computer with “a high-end performance.”

One thing more! Won't you call it an eco-friendly computer? Why.....? Your “why” should know that this plug computer uses only 5 watts, gives efficient service and possesses a very small built so extremely less hardware garbage once becomes unusable.

Of course, it has got all the features of a befitting green computer. However, ironically it may sound, it is completely white regarding its exteriors. Moreover, once you plan to get connected to a network , you can easily do it via Gigabit Ethernet.

Netbooks : Cool And Inexpensive Christmas Gifts

This Christmas, the netbooks have turned out to be a bizarre gift item. The consumers' unusual rise of interest towards them had caused their sales flying like anything. On one hand, because of global market slump, the sales of desktops and laptops has dived to some new lows, the ever-growing sales of netbooks seem to give a much needed boost and balance to computing appliances industry.

Netbooks, termed by many as mini notebooks, have made latest inroads into the schoolbags and backpacks of students. Interestingly, they prefer it to their heavy notebooks(don't mistake them as laptops). Thus the parents have no option but to buy their children a netbook instead of heavy desktops of bigger laptops.

Even the parents seem to learn a lesson from their offspring. It might be the first time in history when parents are trying to fill in their children's shoes. They are denying themselves conventional computers for their professional use and making a beeline to grab a beautiful and easy-to-carry netbook.

Though these netbooks are not as efficient as a conventional desktop or a laptop, remember they comprise very few features, buying something at a price less than half of a desktop is not a risky deal. After all it can cater to the all basic necessities successfully.

However, the crazy success story of netbooks was hardly remarkable when it was launched. The customers had shut their doors completely to those primary netbooks. After all, who likes to operate a crap with a screen measuring only 7 inches? Though you were required to pay around $300 only.

Thus the manufacturers, learning from the previous mistakes, have flooded the stores this festive season with netbooks with a screen bigger by two to three inches. Even the price is not going to burn some holes in your pockets. You need to pay not more than $400. One thing more! Unlike the very previous models, the new products can run the versions of Windows.

Statistically, it has left behind not only the desktops and laptops, the much hyped Apple's iPhones are distant runner up. DisplaySearch, a market survey agency, reported that sales of netbooks grew by 160% at the end of third quarter. More clearly, 5.6 million netbooks were sold, in that period, as compared to the sale of 4.7 million iPhones.

Advanced Optical Communication Components By Intel

The highly advanced optical communication made of silicon, by Intel, is set to change our perception related to the ways we used to see the process of computer data transfer. It is being termed as one of the wonderful innovations in the field of computer data transfer,

The company describes this products as an effort to bring in a drastic reduction in the cost while transmitting computer data. Not only cost cut, but it will accelerate the rate of data transfer to a speed not experienced so far.

The researchers, at Intel, combined germanium with silicon, the cheapest material used to make computer chips, only to come up with a product named as “avalanche photo detector.” When tested, its data transfer performance was no less than a “world record.”

The innovation, a by-product of silicon, may soon bring an end to the use of highly expensive materials like indium phosphide while making optical communication equipments. Because, according to the experts it performed miles ahead of its contemporary reigning counterparts.

Though this innovation is being challenged by many other brands, Intel, on its part, is busy presenting research papers, for the sake of its authenticity, and describing prototype optical components made from silicon.

Much to the amazement, Intel has derived a collaboration with Numonyx BV and STMicroelectronics NV. According to Intel, the leading researchers of the Universities of Virginia and California provided the much needed consultation and helped profoundly in testing.

The researchers, according to Mario Paniccia, the director, Intel's photonics-technology, used photo detectors to enhance the intensity of laser generated light pulses. During the process, the photo detector achieved a "gain-bandwidth product" of 340 gigahertz, a record so far.

The company is all set to exploit the performance of this photo detector. It hopes to improve the rate of data transfer and maximize the range a signal can travel upto. Thus we will see a fall in the energy consumed while transferring the information.

Chemical Sensor That Runs Without Battery

A chemical sensor, the latest in the line of advanced chemical sensors, is claimed to run without battery, under the variable conditions, making the detection of the concentration of various chemicals much cheaper and easier.

This was confirmed by Radislav Potyrailoat, a scientist at GE Global Research. He also headed the multidisciplinary wireless sensing development team, comprising polymer scientists, analytical chemists etc, which developed the sensor system.

“Without the need for batteries, we can make sensors that are much smaller in size and at substantially reduced costs. Because of that, he said. They also can be made for one-time use.”

This product, a testing and measuring equipment, is a brainchild of GE Global Research. Only last month, the researchers, engaged to the development of technological aspects, came up with this fascinating innovation.

There are great similarities of mechanism between any conventional radio-frequency-identification tag(RFID tag) and this innovative radio-frequency-identification sensor. However, the prominent difference between them is that the RFID sensor has a coating of chemically or biologically sensitive film.

This ultra sensitive film helps in the detection and measurement of various chemicals. It detects chemicals with equal precision whether in different mixtures or in all variable conditions.

As a matter of fact, this sensor is helpful in the detection of trace concentration of toxic gases such as toxic industrial chemicals. The same can be done with all volatile organic compounds and chemicals in liquids.

Then how this chemical sensor works without batteries? It has got a sensor reader for this purpose which provides it the required energy. The radio reader does so by activating the RFID chip and a sensor antenna.

Main Feature :

The unique selectivity is being regarded as the sensor's best feature. This selectivity helps to assess things better as it minimizes or removes completely the chances of inviting faults and flaws. The accuracy in the detection chemicals helps to come up with good products. It detects contamination in water and food, concentration of toxic elements etc of any amount. This invention is going to raise the standard of the services in the fields like food packaging, water supply etc and will help to curb air pollution.

The Fastest-Booting Computer Turns On, Hold for a Moment Only

Are you tired of waiting to see your PC getting started too slowly and taking an irritating length of two minutes or so? If yes! Then the days of panic may soon be over.

Believe it. Soon the big brands like Lenovo and Dell are going to launch products which are supposed to take not more than 30 seconds to boot up.

On its company blog, Microsoft too admits that good computer systems should not test the patience of the user. It says,“a very good system is one that boots in under 15 seconds.”

However, as a matter of content, they have already something in the block which takes not more 30 seconds to boot up. It is Vista, their latest version of Windows.

Apart from these brands some other names like Asus and Hewlett-Packard too have galloped in to join the bandwagon and promise to give a dead-end to this menace of forceful waiting while the computer gets it started slowly shaking your comfort level.

Again, on the part of Microsoft, this software giant is confident enough to come up with a newer and much improved operating system which could help it erase its notoriety as one of the slow starters and time killers.

Hopefully, this race among these brands to provide us with something “operatable” at a lightning speed will give us many sighs of relief.

There was a time when we could wait for long to see our PCs getting started spoiling our meaningful moments. However, we didn't protest as we had never been hurried users. Surely, we had ample time to gaze at the monitor.

But in these decades, or in the decades to come, which demand every job to be executed at an electric speed has forced the consumers and the suppliers to look for such options which ensure the killing of valuable time at its lowest.

More clearly, the dependence of our day-to-day life on the Internet has seemed to play a pivotal role in the emergence of this innovation.

So be patient! The end of your pathetic wait looking at your booting computer helplessly has come up round the corner.

Super-thin Solar Cells Ready To Replace Photovoltaic Cells

It might sound curiously strange but according to the scientists it is a possibility. The possibility is that we could see, very soon, a rare type of super-thin solar cells which would be printed on rollable plastic sheets or on the window glasses. Of course, the glasses need to be transparent, partially, according to them.

These super-thin solar cells are said to be more effective and user-friendly than the existing and cost-effective photovoltaic cells. Though the photovoltaic cells have always remained efficient, their main draw back is that they can't be incorporated into different panel designs with much ease.

A team of researcher at the University of Illinois, headed by John A. Rogers, has devised this unique solar cell. The team says that this cell could be combined in flexible arrays. Amazingly, these arrays could be partially transparent, though sometimes.

As a matter of interest, experts have given this rare innovative process a bizarre name too- the rubber-stamp approach.

However, the basic formula of making these cells are somewhat similar to that of photovoltaic cells. Like most of the photovoltaic cells, the super-thin solar cells too have p-n junctions- a compulsory feature in almost every photovoltaic cell.

While making, the scientists use a block of single-crystal silicon. On this piece of silicon, a semiconductor, they make a pattern of microbars.

Notably, these microbars, arranged according to a patterned gap, have a thickness of a few micrometers only.

Technically, the method, the scientists use, of making these cells is much more complex and demanding. It is a type of etching process. The blocks, after being made using silicon, are transferred to get printed on the substrates of other materials.

This technique is a time taking event and can be finished in many steps. When the bars are printed on the substrates, it requires a metal grid, as an electrical connector, to cover the structure which leads to electrical connections.

There is no doubt that these innovative and optimized ultra-thin solar cells are going to cause a revolution in the field of solar cells. Moreover, it is going to be too cost-effective. The key to the success of this technology lies in the wide-scale production of these cells.

Unfolding a Foldable And Flexible Screen

The existing heavy and rigid TV screens would soon be things of history as they are set to be replaced by the just launched flexible screens.

Believe it or not, these flexible screens would allow you to fold your computers and you would be able to keep them inside in your pocket, eventually.

Not only they ensure the folding of TV screens and computers, but also they may make screen-newspapers and publications, a possibility, which can talk too. Most amazingly, they may have moving images too.

It seems that the still images on the posters, billboards and product-packs would be a thing of the past. As a result, not surprisingly, we may see a girl describing how to operate the latest mobile phone on the package itself instead of a written manual.

This rare electronic innovation is a joint venture of Sony and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. The researchers seemed to be very enthusiastic as they said, "Rigid television screens, bulky laptops and still image posters are to be a thing of the past".

These razor-thin display screens are almost 10 times faster than liquid crystal displays(LCDs) while responding. Hence there would be least blurring on the screen and the image movement would be smoother than ever.

These screens are supposed to need very less quantum of energy as they are highly energy efficient. Moreover, it is claimed to be completely made on organic standards. So the tag of being eco-friendly will have another added feature.

The features which make these screens a specialty:

• Unlimited Viewing Angle

• Backlight Not Needed

• Highly Transparent and Energy Efficient

• Having Multiple Layers. May Have a Sort of 3D Effects

• Resolution Problem Negligible

• Excellent Brightness

• No Size Limitation

• Easily Produced

• Cost-effective Production

Launching Diver Detection Sonar : A Detection System For a Cause

The ongoing Monaco Yacht Show has to show something more than those classic and beautiful yachts. At this show, Sonardyne System International Ltd, the global leader in subsea acoustic navigation designing and manufacturing, has come up with a latest diver detection system.

The manufacturing company which has its headquarter in England terms it as technologically advanced and something capable of showing high performance. This Sonar system is added with highly advanced software. This software enables this detection system to track and classify the approaching intruders with great ease.





Also, the software used can send alert messages in form of text messages or pre-recorded voice messages to any related staff much before any damage is done to the yacht.

This Sentinel sonar is kept hanging under water while it remains attached to the yacht. The moment it detects an approaching diver, let him/her come from any of the four sides, it sends alert messages to the crew.

Much to the comfort, it is equipped with the ability to detect a diver or swimmer from a long distance. This gives enough time to the crew to make out a way to prevent the fatal collision. Moreover, it takes no time to get activated as the moment the yacht creeps into water, the sentinel system gets back to its work and starts functioning.

Interestingly, the inspirational technology behind this innovation is none other than the US Navy itself. The US navy for long has been using Integrated Swimmer Defence System to detect such kind of unwanted approaches around its ships.

This underwater protection system is being hailed as the first of its kind. Ross Gooding of Sonardyne says, “It is the first system to combine small size with exceptional performance that comes from having been designed specifically for the task of creating an underwater protective screen around vessels such as superyachts.”

Definitely, it is one of the most ultra-sophisticated and advanced detection systems which is well equipped to give 100 percent success rate. Amazingly, not only that it is capable of tracing approaching entities from a safe length, it can differentiate between things such as divers, fish, and other small crafts etc.

Further, it is being said that it is not a product of hybrid-culture, instead it is something very unique and is boasted to be designed specifically in order to make a superyacht safe and sound.

Some special features of Sentinel Sonar Head :-

New Media Server Technology by MediaMerge

MediaMerge just launched a unique and efficient media server at a trade show at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City,NJ. This media sever is called ShowSource™3D.

This ultra advanced product is too versatile and multi-functional while serving. Alongwith working as a multi-channel digital sound service, it is also equipped with a high-definition 3D video playback. Further, it comes with a built-in theater automation system. This system is regulated by a wireless touch-screen interface.

By many it is being considered as one of the most optimized and technologically advanced media server. The operations it can execute can be unparalleled as there is no such a media server available in the market which can have so many features.

Basically, this turn-key media sever is suitable for giant-screen cinemas."When theaters began approaching us about developing new products for the giant screen industry,” said Ken McKibben, the president of MediaMerge. “We realized there was a real need for the type of creativity and experience we could bring to the table."

This introduction of this multi-functional media server is the most equipped system integration launch of the company in almost last ten years.

As Ken McKibben himself said, "We've had a lot of success providing systems integration services in other markets for almost a decade, and as the world's largest third-party SPP service provider for IMAX Theaters, we've got a really unique perspective on how to solve their problems."

The system uses non-proprietary hardware as a cost-saving measure. The real craftsman behind this mediaserver is Tim Ogletree. He was given an assignment to make a possibility, a system which could cater to the various needs of a giant cinema screen.

No Compressors in Future Refrigerators

According to the researchers of Pennsylvania State University, the refrigerators with compressors will be things of history in near future.

Their research includes the use of ferroelectric polymers which are capable to lower the temperature around.



These polarpolymers which have been used in testing include poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) chlorofluoroethylene.


These ferroelectric polymers show significant temperature changes in room temperatures. Hence, the cooling will take place through magnetic field refrigeration. However, electricity is still a better option.

"This is the first step in the development of an electric field refrigeration unit," said Qiming Zhang, a professor of electrical engineering. "For the future, we can envision a flat panel refrigerator. No more coils, no more compressors, just solid polymer with appropriate heat exchangers."

The future design of compressor-free refrigerator works, when kept in an electrical field, on turning the disorganized polarpolymer into and organized one. When the disorganized molecules of polarpolymer come in the direct contact of electricity, they start getting organized.

Their concentration results into the dispersion of heat. Thus the material becomes cooler. But this process is not permanent as the molecules suddenly get disordered the moment the passage of electricity is blocked. As a result, the material goes hot.

In this method, the experts estimated a difference of 22.6 degrees Fahrenheit (12.5 degree Celsius) between the highest and lowest temperatures. According to experts, by using a suitable heat exchanger and the repetitive randomizing and rearranging of the material we can get a wide range of heating and cooling temperatures.

This future cooling system is said to be environment friendly. Because, unlike gasses used in today's cooling devices, the polymer doesn't seem to be affecting the environment negatively.

Samsung Printers To De-stress The Users

Famous for its wonderful innovations, Samsung Electronics has launched a couple of qualitative compact printers which are not only cost effective but they are here to lessen the work stress in the office too.

These mono laser printers, ML-1640 and ML-2240 , have been made, according to Samsung officials, especially for home based offices.

Madhav Narayan, general manager, Samsung Gulf Electronics, said, “Samsung understands the challenges that businesses face in an increasingly competitive environment, and have developed a range of intelligent total printing solutions to meet business users’ most pressing needs.”

As he says, these office automation products are loaded with many features to serve a user in the most possible ways. Their optimized mechanism can give a noiseless printing, that too at a great speed. Hence, these features make these printers most effective for low budget offices and home-based users.

Not only that they are here to execute printing efficiently, they are beautifully colored as well. The ML-2240 comes in black and grey finish, while the ML-1640 looks sleek black.

Their paper tray dispensers can hold 150 sheets at a time which prevent a user from early re-stocking. Further, the ML-2240 has an output capacity of 22ppm, while ML-1640 can print as much as 16 pages per minute. These features help a lot to save time in an already busy office.

The latest models are told to be too cost effective. Both models come with “ Toner Save” buttons on them. They are capable of saving more or less 30 percent of toner. Definitely, this feature will help a lot to save cost and toner.

Moreover, the “Error LED” on these printers help a user to deal with the printer problems easily and quickly. This results in less disturbances in the office related operations.

Apart from causing minimized troubles in the office, they have the added features to help a user reduce the noise factor immensely. To the much comfort of users, these two printers, ML-1640 and ML-2240 can work producing noise of 50 decibels and 51decibles only.

Gene Therapy Set to Make A Deaf Ear Singing

The days are not faraway, if an Oregon team is to be believed, when one can see a deaf listening to the chart busters and enjoying symphonies and we may ,also, see them dancing to many tunes.

Most probably, dancing to the tunes of a certain gene, which the scientists believe can bring back the lost hearing ability.

The scientists have shown success in reproducing cochlear hair cells. These cells are efficient converters of sound waves into electric signals. These signals after reaching brain turn into things what we hear or listen to.

Any damage to these hair cells lead to hearing impairment. These hair cells are mostly damaged by the continuous and elongated exposure to harsh and loud noise.

The medical professionals, once completely clueless, had been trying hard to come up with solution to bring an end to this damage. The recent breakthrough has shown many ray of hopes to millions of hearing impaired around the globe.

The experiment, on an unborn mouse, by the medical experts of Oregon Health and Science University became fruitful when it converted a different cell into a specific cochlear hair cell. The team is led by John Brigande.

They performed the gene therapy , on that unborn mouse, using a harmless virus. The key genes,Atoh1, related to hearing ability, were inserted into cells to produce the cochlear hair cells .

The experts found the newly developed cells no less useful than the natural cochlear hair cells . As the hearing ability of the mouse was found pretty normal.

However, the therapy still not done on a human, is the first of its gene therapy helpful to reproduce or repair cochlear hair cells.

Significantly, if this therapy comes favorable, the use of any mechanical or electrical devices can be forbidden in the treatment of damaged cochlea.

Moreover, seeing the result of the early experiments, it is very likely that it will work on humans too. That's why the researchers at Oregon said, "This capability is a crucial first step in defining translational therapies to ameliorate the effects of inner-ear disease in humans."

At present, the only treatment for hear loss, cochlear implant, is not capable of bringing back the hearing to its normalcy. It provides only a minimized version of the sound sensations.

Hopefully, the deaf will have their hearing days back with the normal and maximized sound sensations, may be very soon.

For a Disabled, His Tongue Controls His Computer

The round the clock “busy” tongue has been given a completely new and unique job to perform apart from doing chit-chats, differentiating sweet from salty, wiping off the melting cones etc.

It has been turned into a computer control pad for a below neck disabled. Though sounds extremely amazing, it has to be believed if it claimed by Georgia Tech researchers.

The researchers at Georgia Tech have come up successfully to transform the mouth of a disabled into a virtual computer which would be controlled by the tongue. Interestingly, his thirty-two teeth, even if he/she has the complete set intact or not, will work like a keyboard.

The innovation, though in its early stage, has shown bright results, and seems to have brought an end to all the woes of a disabled. They call it “Tongue Drive System.” As the name implies, the tongue has the lead role to play to serve a disabled.

The simple and guided movements of the tongue will help him to run his wash machines and air-conditioners and other home appliances. Now, using his tongue, he can easily roll on his wheelchair without a human support. And most importantly, he can operate his computers.

This rare scientific device is a much needed booster and a lifeline for a helpless disable. It could make him/her self dependent and competent.Assistant professors Mayasam Ghovanloo, the head of this project, seemed optimistic and said, “ You( disables) could have full control over your environment by just being able to move your tongue.”

Moreover, his precious scientific feat has got many advocates also. What they loved most of this device is its versatility and easy to use features. For example, Mike Jones, Shepherd Center, Atlanta said, “ This could give you an almost infinite number of switches and options for communications. It is easy, and somebody could learn an entirely different language.”

White Space: The Debate Over Free Wireless Spectrum

With the announcement of the website “FreetheAirWaves.com” by Google in order to support the white space campaign, the debate over the “white space” issue has reached a new level.

In terms of Google white space is the space of unused frequencies in the range traditionally defined for Television channels. Google and some other leading companies wants to transform this range from licensed, like TV where specific frequencies are granted exclusively to a specific channel, to unlicensed, like Wi-Fi where anyone can use it. They call it "Wi-Fi on steroids." The spectrum would enable longer-range, higher data rate, and faster wireless connectivity for all types of gadgets.

Along with Google other technology companies like Intel, Dell, HP, Microsoft, and Phillips Electronics are united in a coalition called the Wireless Innovation Alliance. They have been lobbying the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to open up this spectrum for unlicensed use after the digital TV transition early next year.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and phone companies are entirely against this initiative. The TV and phone companies want exclusive rights to various frequencies. These spectrum that sit idle between TV channels as buffers, in order to ensure that TV signals don't interfere with each other, could be used to provide broadband wireless services. But according to the broadcasters, these channels will cause interference with their TV signals and eventually resulting in major problems for people watching TV.

The FCC has done a number of testing of the spectrum to see if wireless devices will interfere with each other. The results of the tests have been mixed. But Google has make out a solution for this problem. Now it is proposing new rules to designate specific frequencies for TVs, wireless microphones, and for other devices, and then another spectrum for wireless Internet access.

Next month the FCC is likely to release a report based on the test results. It will finally vote on whether to open the spectrum in the next few months. This issue has become as much of a political debate as it has a technical one. The National Association of Broadcasters is pointing that interference can't be avoided, based on tests as evidence. While Google and other technology companies argue that these are simply proof of concept devices and are not even like the prototypes that could be used in commercial products.

NAB and other Wireless companies, such as Verizon are opposing the use of white spaces because they have their own business motivations for opposing the use of white spaces. The afraid of interference might be a concern for the NAB but the more prominent reason for opposing this concept is that its members are reluctant to give up control of airwaves, which they believes are theirs.

Along with other technology companies, Google has its own motivations and interests to consider. Google can make more from advertising if more wireless spectrum and broadband services are available. Other companies like Intel, Microsoft, and Motorola would also be benefited as they could sell more products and services to consumers who use this unlicensed spectrum.

What are the new features in WordPress 2.6

Blogging has provided an efficient and magnificent tool to publicize info about any company on the net. We have got so many blogging platforms and WordPress is one of them. WordPress has released its new version 2.6. WordPress 2.6 has got a no. of features for content creation and improvements. We will just take a look at the major and minor features of the newer version.

Here are the major important features of WordPress's newer version:

Edit-Tracking: The new edit-tracking system will be quite handy for multi-author blogs. It allows you to see the changes made to a post and enable you to see who made what changes to a post and when. It also provides the option to revert back to the older version of a post, in case you make a mistake.

Press This: “Press This” is like a bookmark you can add to your toolbar. It offers a fast and smart popup to do postings to your WordPress blog. Suppose you are viewing a Youtube video and finds it relevant for your blog and want to post it on your blog, then what you have to do is to just click “Press this” button. It will automatically extract the embedded code and post it on your blog. In the same way you can post to your blog from anywhere on the net.

Google Gears Support: The most exciting feature of WordPress version 2.6 is support for Google Gears. Gears is an open source browser extension project provided by Google. You can cache the most important files of the WordPress management console to your local hard drive, by clicking the "Turbo" button in the upper right-hand corner of the WordPress administrative interface. It will allow the authors to keep blogging even if the network connectivity is temporarily lost.

Theme Previews: Theme Preview support permits the admin to preview how their site will look with a new user interface before making it live. As soon as you select a theme, it pops up a window that shows the theme live with all your content. It will be great for just test driving the themes prior to publishing. It will also be helpful for the persons developing a theme and need to test it without allowing anybody to see your ongoing mistakes development.


Following are the smaller features and improvements in 2.6:

• Word count: It does the counting of number of words in your post.
• Image captions: Now you can add sweet image captions at your will.
• Bulk management of plugins.
• Version 2.6 fixes approximately 194 bugs.
• You can toggle between the Flash uploader and the classic one.

Apart from these there are a number of small changes and new features. Only time will tell that how much these new features help the bloggers.

Be ready for the new gaming experiences

Holiday season is approaching fast and so is the gaming season. Considering the right time to turn consoles and games into commercial market, the biggest companies in the video game console business, Microsoft Corp., Sony Corp., and Nintendo corp., have come up with new games and services at the same time, targeting mainstream users like never before.

Earlier most video game consoles were aimed at serious players who spent the most money and time on games but now the companies are aiming at players who purchase game machines when their costs are reduced and when better arrays of titles become available.

So what are the offers?

Microsoft has clinched a deal with Netflix Inc., an online rental service, to stream movies over the Internet to Xbox 360 game machines. The announcement came on the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo Media and Business Summit, a major video game industry trade show in Los Angeles. The Xbox owners will now be able to watch movies streamed through game consoles to their TVs.

Sony is also expected to demonstrate its own service for downloading movies and television shows from the Internet to PlayStation 3s. According to Sony, this summer, its store for buying and renting movies and other video content on the PlayStation 3 should go online.

The credit of all these current moves, by Sony and Microsoft, goes to the sensational commercial success of rival Nintendo Co. Nintendo turned industry rules by going after casual game players with its Wii gaming system right from the day the console went on sale.

Nintendo stressed on fun intuitive Wii games. Instead of the costly and hyper-realistic graphics favored by hard-core players, it has been using the console's motion-sensing controller. In the U.S., Microsoft and Nintendo are neck-to-neck in selling their latest generation of consoles.

It is slated to release a new video game accessory for its Wii game system, Wii Motion Plus. It will help improve responsiveness and precision in tracking the hand movements of players. The new accessory will attach to the existing motion-sensing controller. The device will enable even slight flicks of the wrist and arm to be rendered on screens.

Isn't it looks exciting for the video game lovers?

400 GB of data on a single Blu-ray disc

400 GB of data on a single disc. Seems to be quite amusing for some while some would say that it will take time to achieve it. But Japanese electronics giant Pioneer has made it possible. Pioneer has developed world's first 16-layer blu-ray disc, squeezing 25 GB of data on each layer thus totalling to an amazing figure of 400GB.

The currently commercially available blu-ray discs have the storage capacity of 25 GB. Those having two layers can store 50 GB of data. The problem in developing multiple layers disc have been to obtain a clear and stable signal from each recording layer. The frequently visited problems were crosstalk from adjacent layers and transmission loss. Pioneer managed to overcome these issues and developed a disc structure that reduces crosstalk from adjacent layers. Finally it came with a 16-layer optical disc that can play back high-quality signals from each layer.

The good news is that these high capacity discs are backward-compatible and will play on blu-ray disc players. These discs can be read using the same objective lens in current Blu-ray drives. Video game publishers and movie studios can use these discs to take more content on a single disc.

With the development of this technology, Pioneer is putting a green spin on the development. Discs with such enormous capacities mean fewer resources are consumed to deliver the same data or movies on Blu-ray media. For consumers, the main advantage of this technology is the chances of renting an entire season of a television show or collection of movies on a single disc. No need of disc-swapping.

So what do you think? Isn't it the future of data storage?

New chip cooling technology

According to Moore's law the density of chips in microprocessors keep doubling every two years. With the increasing density and effectiveness of the current chips the amount of heat generated by these chips is also increasing. To cope with the enormous heat, new technologies will be needed in future to cool the integrated chips that produces much more heat than the current microprocessors.

Such a new technology has been developed at Purdue University that uses "microjets" to deposit liquid into tiny channels. This technology is able to remove five times more heat than other experimental high-performance chip-cooling methods.


The conventional computer chips usually generate about 100 watts per square centimeter. The chips are air-cooled with finned metal plates called heat sinks and often a small CPU fan. Most of the liquid-cooling techniques are limited to a cooling capacity of about 200 watts per square centimeter. However the new microjet technology is able to cool chips that generate more than 1,000 watts of heat per square centimeter. With its help new doors in the advancement of chips technology can be opened.

This technology is a combination of two cooling methods, the microjets and microchannels, hence called a hybrid system. The microjets cools uniformly because the liquid is supplied in the form of jets everywhere along the length of each channel. It helps to prevent any part of chips from overheating. The coolant is collected at either ends of the channels and is circulated back through the system.

The channels in this cooling system is narrower than a millimeter, or thousandth of a meter wide. They are formed on top of a chip and covered with a metal plate. This metallic plate has tiny holes through which the coolant is pumped in microjets, and then the liquid flows along channels to cool the chip. When the coolant gets heated by the hot chip inside the channels, it bubbles and becomes a vapor, easing the cooling process.

This new technology uses a hydrofluorocarbon as the cooling liquid. It is a dielectric and will not conduct electricity or cause short circuits. However hydroflurocarbons are not very efficient coolants and their heat conductivity is far lower than water. But they avoid electrical short circuits and are environmentally better than other coolants. They have low global-warming effects and are not harmful to the ozone layer in the earth's atmosphere.

Virtualization come to mobiles

Most of the mobiles generally used are not compatible for more than one or two multimedia or web applications. Features found in one handset might be good for one application and not for other applications. In such cases you can't experience the best applications in one single handset. But virtualization can sort out this problem. Virtualization can be used by the handset makers to easily replicate the features used in other devices. It could help cell-phone makers provide a large number of features at a lower price.

The current scenario is that for each different operating system, Symbian, Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Mobile, or Google's (GOOG) Android, the programmers have to rewrite each and every application be it a game or a social networking feature. It takes a lot of time. Let's see how virtualization would help sort out these issues.

Accelerate phone design process

Virtualization software would enable the mobile-phone makers to add several features regardless of the operating system. In such a way, any hand-set manufacturer could use an e-mail application written for one system, calling features designed for another, and a web-browsing application written for a third OS. With the help of virtualization all these features could be integrated in one phone. It would definitely accelerate the phone-design process.

Lesser number of chips

Virtualization could also reduce the number of chips needed to run a phone. Typically a mobile phone require three processors. One baseband processor to communicate, an applications processor required for running applications like e-mail and a multimedia chip, which handles graphics, audio, and video. But a virtualized phone can achieve all of the above with just one or two processors instead of three. It would help the manufacturers to save $5 to $10 per phone.

Needs a boost

However the mobile-virtualization market is still in nascent stage and require sudden boost to flourish. In a recent survey it has been found that less than 5% of some 200 engineer respondents used virtualization in phones or other consumer appliances. Almost 30% of the respondents were not even familiar with this technology and half of them didn't know of its benefits. But the scenario may change in near future as some of the big names like Motorola, Intel, Texas Instruments, Cisco systems are investing in the projects related to virtualization.