Charging gadgets using a magnet

Magnetic induction could soon spell the end of tangled cables and a frustrating hunt for the gadget's charger.

Two firms at CES showed off ways to use the phenomenon to re-charge batteries inside gadgets when they are laid on a special mat.
Sensing systems allow devices with very different voltages to be charged at the same time.
The technology can also be used to power household objects such as flat screen TVs or kitchen appliances.
Israeli company Powermat uses RFID tags to identify what is being laid down to charge. The RFID tags are held in a case made to fit around popular gadgets such as iPods, laptops, and mobile phones.

When a gadget is laid down on a Powermat, it reads the RFID tag to ensure that each device only gets the charge it needs.
"It can charge a 100-watt gadget side by side with an iPod Nano that is very low power," said Ron Ferber, president of Powermat. "It knows what's on the mat."
A series of Powermats, including travel versions, should be on sale in the US by Autumn 2009, said Mr Ferber.
Also at CES, Leggett and Platt showed off a line of devices called eCoupled, made by Fulton Innovation, which uses a different method of identifying gadgets.
Leroy Johnson, senior director of emerging technologies at Leggett and Platt, said its system embeded a signal in the induction coil fitted to a gadget that helps charge it up.
"Inside each device is a coil that sends an identification signal that says 'I'm a flashlight with a three-volt Li-on battery'," he explained.
"It's almost like plugging it in, but instead you just set it down," he added. The first products fitted with the eCoupled technology should appear by late 2009, said Mr Johnson.
He said the technology was safer too, because it almost removed the need to plug devices into a wall socket.
The charging plates produced by both Powermat and Leggett can be embedded in walls, counter tops, or furniture to turn them into power stations for recharging or powering any gadget or item placed upon them.
In late December 2008, five companies joined together in a bid to create universal standards for wireless power systems. Initially, they want to develop a five-watt standard and address more power hungry gadgets.

Wireless in more ways than one - WIFI WIRELESS RADIO

The promise of thousands of radio stations at the flick of a dial is being brought by Sanyo over the next couple of weeks.
Their R227 digital radio connects via WiFi or wired internet and said Chris Palmer and "delivers the world" by allowing you to access thousands of stations around the globe.
The radio lets users search by either location or genre depending on whether or not they want to find different types of music, sports, talks shows and so on.
"There is all kinds of content out there," said Mr Palmer.
"It ranges from terrestrial broadcasters to small community stations and guys in their garages who have created specialised content.
"One of the great things about this device is that you also have the ability if you find that there are certain free stations available, you can get them added to the data base. So it's a product that can grow with you and you can customise more and more content."
Where this wins over the computer is from a format point of view said Mr Palmer.
"The computer is just not the most convenient way because of a lot of different interfaces, a lot of different formats between MP3 and AAC and real audio and Windows media."
And he says once you pay $169.99 (£113) for the radio, there is no other fee which means "out of the box you have access to thousands of stations the world over."

FROM BIG SCREEN TV TO TINY TV - Vuzix specs

From the extreme of the 65 inch TV display, CES also exhibited a screen that is no bigger than a half an inch wide but which promises to pack a cinematic punch.
The technology is embedded in a pair of glasses that plugs into a smartphone or laptop.
The UK's Cambridge Display Technology is behind the Vuzix specs. It said they are "energy miserly" which means they are not a drain on devices and can last for hours.
Chairman and chief executive David Fyfe said Vuzix signals a new way of watching video content.
"These glasses will plug into a cellphone that's playing streaming video and it will be like watching a 32 inch TV in front of your eyes.
"And all of that is from a screen that is less than a half an inch wide and less than a quarter of an inch deep."
The technology behind the glasses is called organic light emitting diode or OLED, a cutting edge technology that does not need a blacklight to work and can therefore be made much thinner than an LCD panel.
Mr Fyfe said the Vuzix experience is much more immersive than old fashioned TV and reckons they will be a boon to travellers and the so called "road warrior" who works on the road.
"This is a fantastic way of carrying a very small piece of equipment with you and getting an almost cinema like experience."

Microsoft Launches Windows 7 Beta

The first public trial, or beta, version of Windows 7 has been released. Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer used his keynote speech at CES to announce that software developers would get at the trial version on 7 January.
On 9 January members of the public will get the chance to download the successor to Windows for themselves.
Mr Ballmer said Windows 7 would be the pivot of a broader Microsoft push to improve the way its separate software and service families work together.
In delivering the opening keynote, Mr Ballmer has taken over from Bill Gates - who in 2008 bowed out of day-to-day involvement with the company he founded.
In a nod to the chilly economic climate, Mr Ballmer said: "We face some really big challenges. We are all feeling it and its impact will likely be with us for some time."
But, he said, the global economic slowdown would not hobble the pace of technological change.
"I believe our digital lives will only continue to get richer," said Mr Ballmer. "There's no turning back from the connected world."
The newest version of the Windows operating system would, he said, be the "linchpin" of an effort to make it easier for customers to do more with the different Microsoft gadgets and services they use.
Although Windows 7 was a trial version it was, said Mr Ballmer, almost "feature complete" and would help to re-define the way people thought of the software.
Instead of it being an operating system mainly associated with a PC, he said, Windows was becoming a "connected platform and experience".
Microsoft is expected to cap the number of copies of the beta version of Windows 7 available to the public. The minimum requirements for running Windows 7 are a PC with a 1 Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16 GB of disk space, 128MB of video memory and support for DX9 graphics.
Some of the Windows 7's features help it work with other devices. A "home group" system makes it straightforward to enrol PCs, Xbox consoles, media servers and other gadgets into a local network that can share media and content.
Demonstrations during Mr Ballmer's keynote also showed changes to Windows Live online services that let it act as a co-ordinating centre for many of the things people do on the web.
In connection with this Mr Ballmer announced a deal with Facebook which would mean any changes a member made to their page on the social networking site would be echoed on their Windows Live pages.
For More info on Windows 7 - TouchMe...

Watch Windows First Official Video..

Do-it-yourself 3D movies at home

3D films may soon no longer be the sole province of movie studios with big budgets.
At CES, two firms have been showing off ways for home users to make and share their own 3D films.
One is a webcam with two lenses that mimics human sight and turns the images it captures into 3D footage.
Another firm is producing software that it hopes will make it far easier for home users to show 3D movies on many different types of screen.
Manchester-based PDT has created the Minoru webcam that has two lenses set roughly the same distance apart as human eyes. Software included with the webcam turns the two images into what is known as an anaglyph.
To see the resultant footage in 3D, viewers must wear the familiar spectacles with red and blue lenses. This ensures that only one of the two images being shown is seen by each eye and forces the brain to turn them into a moving 3D image. DIY 3D movies shot with the Minoru can be shared on YouTube.
Jolie Myatt demonstrates the 3D webcam
The webcam can also be used as a more conventional 2D image grabber or as a video conferencing tool with Windows Live, Skype, AOL and many others.
David Holder, the creator of the Minoru webcam, said his children were the inspiration for the gadget.
"I took my kids to Disney World two years ago and they loved the 3D attractions there," he said. "They just loved the idea of things coming out of the screen, even though they had to wear the glasses."
Explaining why he embarked on the project to create the camera, he said: "If someone gave you an iPod with one ear piece you would think they were nuts."
He added: "I've never made anything that's grabbed so much attention."
Diverse screens
Also at CES, American firm TD Vision showed off a software codec that makes it much easier to show 3D movies on many different screen types.
Ethan Shur, spokesman for TD Vision, said the company had also developed a prototype 3D camcorder that would work with the software to turn footage into a 3D movie.
To ensure the film can be played back on different screens, it stores information about the anaglyphic characteristics of each scene separately from the standard images.
The firm's breakthrough is finding an economic way of storing only information about the parts of each frame that change to evoke the 3D effect.
"The magic is in the method of how it compares the left and right view," he said. "It takes only the differences, the delta, the changes."
Having the 3D information stored separately means that the footage can be played back as 2D on a normal television or as 3D on more capable screens.
Initially, said Mr Shur, TD Vision was working with broadcasters and DVD makers to use the 3D codec but had plans to address consumers in the future.

Source : BBC

Solar Powered Auto Mower Simplifies Gardening

Keeping your garden in prime condition is no easy task, especially if you're getting on a bit and have trouble maintaining an attractive garden. Some enthusiasts take a great deal of time to maintain their garden, and take great pride in its appearance, so a device which achieves the same results, with much less effort must sound appealing. Well look no further, in terms of grass cutting, as the new solar-powered Auto-Mower is here to relieve you of the mundane task, freeing you up to focus on other tasks at hand. The robotic device will automatically keep your lawn trim and works entirely off of solar power to ensure zero emissions.
You can also program the Mower to create "islands" which represent flower beds, ponds etcetera. The Mower will navigate its way around these islands ensuring your flowers are not destroyed by this machine. There are safety features equipped, to prevent harm to small kids or pets also.
The Auto-Mower will be available for $3,100 and can cut up to a quarter of an acre, on a 10 hour solar charge.

The Digital Shield Golf Glove

Finally, an elegant solution to a problem that plagues golfers: blistering and chafing of the thumb, middle and index finger of the exposed bottom hand (the right hand for a right-handed golfer or left hand for a left-handed golfer).
Game Theory Inc. introduces the Digital Shield(R), a streamlined, open-palmed glove for the bottom hand, created to protect against blistering and chafing while maximizing tactile sensitivity. It is the only glove of its kind that conforms to USGA and R&A Rules.
Game Theory President Justin Salomon says, "I was susceptible to chafing on my off hand and suspected I wasn't alone. After talking with hundreds of weekend golfers, pros and golf instructors, we knew we were on to something."
The Digital Shield(R) subscribes to the principle, "Less is more." Combining functionality with modern design, the glove provides protection to vulnerable areas of the bottom hand, but safeguards a golfer's touch by reducing weight and coverage to an absolute minimum. The Digital Shield(R) is remarkable for what it doesn't have.
Until now, remedies used to shield from rubbing against the club's grip have included Band-Aids(R) or adhesive tape. Both tend to roll-up or shift with repeated swings and leave a sticky residue. Replacement bandages are even less effective as they often do not properly adhere to a perspiring hand.Alternative solutions like the full and half-fingered glove are unnecessarily hot and compromise feel for the club and ball.
Salomon added, "By reducing the incidence of blisters, the Digital Shield(R) fosters the additional enjoyment of golf and improves athletic performance by allowing golfers to play golf in more comfort. The points of contact on the off hand are no longer vulnerable to blisters, chafing, and the discomfort that distracts a golfer from focus, play, and pleasure. In addition to a round of golf, the Digital Shield(R) is well suited for the driving range where golfers pound out one ball after another."
The Digital Shield(R) is scheduled to be launched for the summer 2008 season and made available at top pro shops, golf specialty shops and sport stores worldwide. Distributors and retailers may contact Game Theory Inc. at (514) 369-8931 or info@GameTheoryInc.com.
For more information, please visit The DigitalShield

Google Calendar phishing scam surfaces

Fraudsters are using Google's Calendar service as a means to develop a new strain of phishing scam.
The ruse appears in the guise of a Google Calendar email notification. Would-be marks are told their accounts will be deleted unless they submit their Google username, password and date of birth.
But rather than coming from Google's “Customer Varifaction” (sic) department the bogus emails come from fraudsters looking to extract login information.
Phishing fraudsters set up a Gmail accounts in order to set up the scam, which is slightly more credible than many because unwary punters are invited to submit information to Google's website. In addition, Google inserts the real name of the recipient in email invitations, further boosting their credibility of the fraudulent approach.
On the other hand the fact that scam emails appear to come from an address in the form customerserviceXXXX@gmail.com (where XXXX is a four digit number) exposes the dodgy provenance of the emails.
The tactic first appeared in the summer before reappearing again last week. A full write-up of the scam - including copies of the fraudulent emails - can be found in a blog entry by Graham Cluley of Sophos here.

Just 2 Know......

Ants Problem: Keep the skin of cucumbers near the place or ant hole.
To get pure and clean ice: Boil water first before freezing.
To make the mirror shine: Clean with spirit.
To remove chewing gum from clothes: Keep the cloth in the freezer for an hour.
To whiten white clothes: Soak white clothes in hot water with a slice of lemon for 10 minutes.
To give a shine to hair: Add one teaspoon of vinegar to hair, then wash hair.
To get maximum juice out of lemons: Soak lemons in hot water for one hour, and then juice them.
To avoid smell of cabbage while cooking: Keep a piece of bread on the cabbage in the vessel while cooking.
To rid the smell of fish from your hands: Wash your hands with a little apple vinegar.
To avoid tears while cutting onions: Chew gum.
To boil potatoes quickly: Skin one potato from one side only before boiling.
To boil eggs quickly: Add salt to the water and boil.
To check freshness of fish: Put it in a bowl of cold water. If the fish floats, it’s fresh.
To check freshness of eggs: Put the egg in water. If it becomes horizontal, it’s fresh. If it becomes slanting, its 3-4 days old. If it becomes vertical,its 10 days old. If it floats, it’s stale.
To remove ink from clothes: Put toothpaste on the ink spots generously and let it dry completely, then wash.
To skin sweet potatoes quickly: Soak in cold water immediately after boiling.
To get rid of mice or rats: Sprinkle black pepper in places where you find mice or rats. They will run away.
To get rid of mosquitoes at night: Keep leaves of mint near your bed or pillows and in around the room.