Philips shows of glowing wallpaper

Enlarge

(PhysOrg.com) -- Recently, Philips has announced that it will partner with Kvadrat Soft Cells in order to create a luminous type of textile to the consumer market. The panels will work by integrating Philips' addressable LEDs into the Soft Cells acoustic panels, designed to work with sound waves, in order to create a fabric that can glow and play with the idea of ambient light in designs as well as adding a textural element to the lighting in a room.

This style of lighting will create a kind of a glowing wallpaper panels for rooms that can be used in ways that traditional wall and ceiling mounted lighting cannot be. The lights could potentially have the ability to change colors based on the owner’s desires. The textile will also have a secondary effect, the dampening of noise, since the panels are designed to dampen noise and softens echoes.

Intel predicts the death of mobile computing as we know it

QR code (PhysOrg.com) -- The folks over at Intel have come up with an interesting prediction, one that may make all of you feel a little bit foolish for buying a laptop, and a netbook or a tablet. They are predicting that as time goes on the form factors in the mobile device market will break down and the distinctions between the devices will be largely a moot point. Companies will instead make multi-purpose smart computing devices.

This prediction is based on the statements of Rama Skukla, the vice president of Intel's architecture group. During his keynote address at SEMICON West, a conference that takes place regularly in San Francisco, he stated that "tablets are disappearing", and that the current types of devices we would be using in a decade from now "could not be described".

His remarks went off to say that, "The lines between a netbook, laptop and tablet are disappearing faster than designers today realize. It's going to be very difficult to see where one device goes and the next one takes off."

Of course, he also has some other ideas about the future of technology. It was strongly implies by his remarks that he thinks that the personal computer will become outdated and that the future of PCs will be more like personal syncing grounds, connecting the users to an individual cloud of information that can be shared at will. While that concept is intriguing it could easily make the more security minded consumers out there nervous, since all data that is on the cloud is data that can be breached by determined hackers.

In order to be read for these changes Intel is expecting to make major advances in processors over the next five years, including raising graphics performance by a factor of 12.

More information:
via V3, Inquirer

GE announces 500 GB holographic disc writer that runs at Blue-Ray speed

Enlarge

A prototype holographic drive system designed by GE researchers in the Applied Optics Lab at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, NY.

(PhysOrg.com) -- GE's technology research group has announced the development of an optical disc writer capable of writing 500 GB of data onto a disc the same physical size as a DVD, at roughly the same speed as Blue Ray technology. This comes two years after announcing the holographic technology that was used to first imprint the discs with 25 times as much data as a Blue Ray Disc can hold.

By making an announcement about an advancement in what most see as a dying technology, GE is taking somewhat of a risk, but Peter Lorraine, Manager at GE Global Research, who will be presenting today at the IEEE's Joint International Symposium on Optical Memory & Optical Data Storage meeting is expected to pooh-pooh such notions and instead explain how the new technology could be used for long term storage for data, that the company says, will last for a hundred years (presumably if stored in ideal conditions).

The technology works by initially stamping millions of tiny holographic images into a polycarbonate (a type of thermoplastic polymer) material, then a laser (which uses the same wavelength as Blue Ray technology) is used to erase parts of the holograms to encode data. Write speeds are 4-5 megabytes per second, which is on a par with Blue Ray (4.5 Mbytes/s). With this process the entire surface of the disc can be used, rather than just the four layers on the surface of the disc that Blue Ray is able to use, which is why it can hold so much more.

And while critics point out that at such a rate it would take something like a whole day to fill the disc, GE counters by saying that since its primary purpose would be for archival storage, creating specialized writers that use multiple heads could very well be an option; and If such multiple read/write head drives could be created, it seems plausible to believe that such discs would be capable of carrying not just HD/3-D movies, but something even better, such as movies in a super HD (holographic?) format that hasn’t even been discovered yet.

GE also points out that because the new writer uses the same wavelength as Blue Ray, its conceivable drives could be made for the new technology that would be backwards compatible, minimizing risk for both developers and end users. The company is expected to begin building arrangements with interested parties to license the new technology in just the new few months, so actual products appearing on the market can’t be too far off.

More information: Press release

Toyota demos 'Window to the World' vehicle back seat smart window technology (w/ video)

Enlarge

(PhysOrg.com) -- Designers from the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design and engineers from Toyota have been working together and have come up with a unique and innovative concept they call the "Window to the Word" where the window of the back seat of an automobile is converted into a see-through touch-screen device capable of allowing people, likely children, to draw images with their finger, magnify objects they see outside the car, learn by having objects they touch converted into another language, get distance for objects seen and be given information about objects they see.

This video is not supported by your browser at this time.

Watching the video the team has created of a child using the new technology is both awe inspiring and head scratching. On the one hand, you have to give the designers and engineers credit for even thinking of such a thing, and for portraying it in such a beautiful and simplistic way. But, on the other, the practicalities of such a technology soon surpass the feelings of wonder at this new demonstration of the power of applied technology. Would window smudging ruin the effect after awhile, for example, or would a child bother with it if buckled in so tight that turning to use the window would become a strenuous activity; or would kids prefer to just have a tablet computer on their lap, etc.

Using the new technology, which was demoed at the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association meeting last month, in Belgium, appears to be straightforward and simple. To zoom in on an object, two fingers are spread outwardly from a single point, as on a tablet device. To draw, a single finger is pressed against the window and moved about, again, similar to any other touch-screen. Menuing is controlled via a designated area in the lower left corner of the window. One truly interesting feature is that objects drawn on the window appear to move out of the framed window at the same rate as the car is moving, giving the illusion that the object drawn was actually part of the outside landscape and is being left behind as the car heads off.

Whether or not the “Window to the World” concept ever makes it to real world vehicles, the ideas behind it demonstrate that car manufacturers are intent on using every bit of available technology to make driving, or riding in cars in the future, a better experience for all of us.

30-Year-Old 3-D movie made from viking data gets new life

QR code Back in 1979, scientists at Stanford University created a 3-D movie from images sent back by the Viking landers on Mars. It was rather novel in that, while 3-D movies had been around since the 1950′s — mostly for low-budget B movies in theaters — this stereographic film was more scientific in nature, but was created for the public to learn more about the Viking mission and Mars, providing a “you are there” experience.
It was created using 16mm film, which degrades over time. Considering the unique historical and scientific value of this film, a group from NASA’s Ames Research Center have constructed a new remastered digital version, made from the original 16mm film footage, sound reels, and related documentation.
This video is not supported by your browser at this time.
Plans are underway to hold screenings of this new version of Mars in 3-D in Digital Cinema 3-D format. But in the meantime you can watch it now online in a digital anaglyph version, best viewed with red-cyan 3-D glasses.
Read more about the remastering process and read original papers from the imaging team from Viking at the Ames History Office website.

Source: Universe Today

Google+ traffic dropping already?

?

Google's social-networking foray saw fewer U.S. visitors last week, and those who did visit spent less time on the site on average, according to new data released today by market researcher Experian Hitwise.

Google

Wave goodbye to free Internet TV

Fox's decision to make anybody but cable, satellite, or Hulu Plus subscribers wait an extra week to access hit shows--such as Bones--is just the latest reduction of free Web TV.

(Credit:Fox)

They said Hulu was going to save the film studios and television networks from repeating the mistakes of the music industry.

They said the video portal would help turn the Internet into a new means of distributing the most popular TV shows and movies for less money than cable and offer viewers much more control over where and when they watch.

But the latest news out of Hollywood seems to indicate that enthusiasm was misplaced, premature, or both. The most recent and most dramatic sign of this came yesterday, when the Fox Network, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., announced the network would begin limiting Web access of its TV shows to viewers who subscribed to participating cable and satellite TV providers (Dish Network is the only one so far to have signed on) or subscribers to Hulu Plus, the portal's paid-subscription service. If you don't pay for any one of those three then you'll have to wait eight days to watch the latest episodes of such Fox shows as "Bones" and "Glee."

Fox's move may not seem the sort of thing worthy of breathless "the free content dream is gone" coverage, but it's the most dramatic example of a yearlong trend. The studios and TV networks are giving up on Web distribution on an ad-supported basis. They want to quash the perception that the Internet is some magic gateway to cut-rate content. Instead, content creators are effectively turning the Web into an extension of the cash-rich cable industry.

Look at what's going on all across the Web: subscription prices are rising at Netflix; Hulu began charging last year and pushing more content behind the pay wall and now the media companies behind the service are trying to sell the portal; HBO Go dropped a bomb by building a slick streaming service andiPad app that offers all the best parts of Internet delivery--provided you are a cable customer and subscribe to HBO. That's television, but it isn't much different in Hollywood. Last year, Netflix agreed to hold off renting newly released DVDs for 28 days for such studios as Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and NBC Universal. The deal was designed to help boost disc sales.

According to Dan Rayburn, principal analyst at research firm Frost & Sullivan, some studios intend to try and extend those 28-day sales-only windows when they renegotiate their Netflix deals. Apparently, the windows do increase sales.

And the studios and TV networks aren't done yet. ABC and other broadcasters could follow Fox's move by walling off some of its content in the same way, according to The New York Times. Need more evidence? Major League Baseball and HBO content has never been available free online (legally) and that's unlikely to change anytime soon as their content is behind a pay wall and is doing just fine.

Related links
• Fox Network to limit Web access to its shows
• Netflix price hike stirs subscriber ire (roundup)
• What HBO's app can teach Netflix (and vice versa)
• Nine Netflix alternatives

The Web as a means to obtain free or less-expensive content was, unfortunately for consumers, a pipe dream, Rayburn argues.

"Somehow the idea got out there that consumers will have access to any type of content they want on any device," Rayburn said. "That's not going to be the reality...This stuff costs money. So, I'm not at all surprised by the Fox move and I expect we'll see a lot more of that down the road. Some will argue that that's not the right approach. You can debate that but the bottom line is they are obviously concerned about their core business and they want to do everything possible to protect that."

Judging by the hostile reaction Netflix has received to a planned rate increase, Fox is likely to take a lot of heat for the decision. Watchdog groups have already criticized the move as a step backward. "This development is very unfortunate for consumers and ultimately will be self-destructive for the TV industry," said Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, a public-interest group that focuses on digital issues.

Lodsys files opposition to an Apple intervention

More than a month after Apple filed a motion to intervene as the defendant in a lawsuit from Lodsys that targets 11 application developers, Lodsys has filed a rebuttal seeking to get Apple's efforts denied.

In a heavily redacted document filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division, and picked up by blog Foss Patents, Lodsys notes that things have changed since Apple got involved. That includes who's been targeted by the suit, which was expanded last week to include a number of gaming giants like Atari, Electronic Arts, Rovio, Square Enix, and Take-Two Interactive, all of which Lodsys says violate the patents it holds with their mobile software.

"Apple repeatedly asserts that the defendants are allegedly individuals or 'small entities with limited resources'...But Apple prematurely filed its Motion before Lodsys filed its Amended Complaint against several large companies with substantial financial and technical resources," the filing says. "Accordingly, there can be no serious dispute that the defendants will more than adequately represent Apple's purported interest."

What is that interest? In its original filing last month, Apple said that its business and the businesses of its developers depend on it.

"Apple has an interest in property that is at the center of this dispute, namely, its license to the patents in suit and its business with the developers, which depends on their use of products and services that Apple is expressly licensed under the patents in suit to offer them," Apple's June intervention filing read. "Both Lodsys' complaint and its threats to other Apple developers adversely affect the value of Apple's license and its business with the developers."

In today's filing, Lodsys fires back, saying that this interest is "at best, purely economic," and that "economic interests do not satisfy the requirements for intervention," making the argument "speculative."

As for the redacted section, which is what Lodsys kicks off its counter-argument with, intellectual property analyst Florian Mueller over at Foss Patents suggests it includes details of Apple's license agreement to use the patents that are now being used as ammo against developers. The part that hasn't been blacked out suggests the court begins the discovery process, presumably to dig up the full details on that arrangement.

Lodsys triggered a controversy back in May when it began going after developers directly for a licensing fee on apps that made use of the in-app purchase feature, something it claimed to have the patent rights for, eventually threatening legal action against those who did not comply. After a period of silence, Apple responded, saying that its licensing of those patents covered its developers too, and following that up two months later with an attempt to intervene.

The outcome of this case and others by Lodsys could have a dramatic impact on developers looking to build things on Apple and Google's mobile platforms, both of which have been targeted. If Lodsys can manage a win or two, especially against Apple's intervention effort, there looms the threat of a much wider-reaching legal campaign.

Share Print E-mail

New AVG suite defends your digits

AVG Premium Security 2011 adds two identity protection features to the AVG Internet Security interface for helping you protect your personal data.

(Credit:Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

A new suite from AVG called Premium Security introduces one new feature that AVG Antivirus Free and AVG Internet Security lack: identity protection. AVG Premium Security 2011, available only to people in the United States and United Kingdom, includes a new personal data protection feature called Identity Alert.

The feature is a direct response to the interests of AVG customers, said the company's ambassador of free products, Tony Anscombe. "Identity on thePlayStation Network highlights it perfectly," he said. "Ninety-four million people were affected by the hacks, and the information was hosted on servers in Japan. This is a global problem."

Once registered for the service, it will warn you when your personal data such as e-mail address, telephone number, Social Security or National Insurance number, and credit card numbers are revealed on the Internet. It also includes a service that advises you on how to restore anonymity to your personal data, should it become compromised.

iPhone 5 features will have big home button

The latest rumors about the iPhone 5 release date as September 5 indicate probable date. Until the iPhone home button features include 5 large and 8 MP camera A diagram supposed to be the case for the iPhone coming 5 shows the device will be only minor changes from the iPhone 4.