 |
Back to the main page
Archives Of Computer Blog
Subscribe To Computer Blog RSS Feed
|
Rock Pegasus 660 and Quaddra TX2 Notebook
The available model is the 15.1-inch widescreen Pegasus 660 which boasts an Intel Centrino Core Duo Mobile Technology and nVidia's GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB onboard memory. The silent mode button on the keyboard will allow down its processor cores to 1GHz with a press of the button. It weight 3.1kg and its one of the lightest in its class. The next line up model is Quaddra TX2 which is a 17-inch notebook which features AMD's latest Turion 64 X2 dual core processor, nVidia's GeForce Go 7600 graphics card and WSXGA+ resolutions with supported graphic up to 1680 x 1050 pixels X-Glass screen. The new Quaddra TX2 remains the same outer casing as the Quaddra T64 and has Bluetooth and wireless capabilities as standard. No words on the availability and pricing yet......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source I am Mr. Robot, your companion
The concept of a cognitive robotic companion inspires some of the best science fiction but one day may be science fact following the work of the four-year COGNIRON project funded since January 2004 by the IST's Future and Emerging Technologies initiative. But what could a cognitive robot companion do? "Well, that's a difficult question. The example that's often used is a robot that's able to fulfil your needs, like passing you a drink or helping in everyday tasks," says Dr Raja Chatila, research director at the Systems Architecture and Analysis Laboratory of the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (LAAS-CNRS), and COGNIRON project coordinator. "That might seem a bit trivial, but let me ask you a question: In the 1970s, what was the use of a personal computer?" he asks. It's a good point. In fact, it was then impossible to imagine how PCs would change the world's economics, politics and society in just 30 years. The eventual uses, once the technology developed, were far from trivial. COGNIRON set out on the same principle, given that society is constantly evolving, and the project partners hope to tackle some of the key issues that need to be resolved for the development of a cognitive robot companion, which could be used as assistants for disabled and elderly people or the general population. Who wouldn't like, for instance, their breakfast ready when they awoke, deliveries accepted while they were at work and their apartment cleaned upon their return?........ Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source Breakthrough in Silicon Photonics Devices
In a study to be presented today at the 2006 International Optical Amplifiers and Applications Conference in Vancouver, Canada, UCLA Engineering scientists report that not only can optical amplification in silicon be achieved with zero power consumption, but power can now be generated in the process. The team's research shows that silicon Raman amplifiers possess nonlinear photovoltaic properties, a phenomenon correlation to power generation in solar cells. In 2004, the same group at UCLA Engineering demonstrated the first silicon laser, a device that took advantage of Raman amplification. "After dominating the electronics industry for decades, silicon is now on the verge of becoming the material of choice for the photonics industry, the traditional stronghold of today's semiconductors," said Bahram Jalali, the UCLA Engineering professor who led researcher Sasan Fathpour and graduate student Kevin Tsia in making the recent discovery. The amount of information that can be sent through an optical wire is directly correlation to the intensity of the light. In order to perform some of the key functions in optical networking - such as amplification, wavelength conversion, and optical switching - silicon must be illuminated with high intensity light to take advantage of its nonlinear properties. One example is the Raman effect, a phenomenon that occurs at high optical intensities and is behind a number of recent breakthroughs in silicon photonics, including the first optical amplifiers and lasers made in silicon......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source Stealth Radar System Sees Through Trees, Walls
Eric Walton
The radar could have applications in law enforcement, the military, and disaster rescue. Eric K. Walton, senior research scientist in Ohio State's ElectroScience Laboratory, said that with further development the technology could even be used for medical imaging. He explained why using random noise makes the radar system invisible. "Almost all radio receivers in the world are designed to eliminate random noise, so that they can clearly receive the signal they're looking for," Walton said. "Radio receivers could search for this radar signal and they wouldn't find it. It also won't interfere with TV, radio, or other communication signals". The radar scatters a very low-intensity signal across a wide range of frequencies, so a TV or radio tuned to any one frequency would interpret the radar signal as a very weak form of static. "It doesn't interfere because it has a bandwidth that is thousands of times broader than the signals it might otherwise interfere with," Walton said. Like traditional radar, the "noise" radar detects objects by bouncing a radio signal off them and detecting the rebound. The hardware isn't expensive, either; altogether, the components cost less than $100......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source Apple Store Checks Out With Windows
The handheld devices Apple uses in its store are powered by Windows. More information is available in a NPR Day to Day report on "maverick retailing" filed earlier this week......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source Intel's Tri-Gate Transistor
Intel's research and development involving new types of transistors has resulted in further development of a tri-gate (3-D) transistor for high-volume manufacturing. Since these transistors greatly improve performance and energy efficiency Intel expects tri-gate technology could become the basic building block for future microprocessors sometime beyond the 45nm process technology node. Planar (or flat) transistors were conceived in the late 1950s and have been the basic building block of chips since the dawn of the semiconductor industry. As semiconductor technology moves deeper into the realm of nanotechnology (dimensions smaller than 100nm), where some transistor features may consist of only a few layers of atoms, what was previously thought of as "flat" is now being designed in three dimensions for improved performance and power characteristics. Intel, leading the industry in producing high volumes of ever smaller chip geometries, has created a way to use these three-dimensional, or tri-gate, transistors in concert with other key semiconductor technologies to enable a new era of energy-efficient performance......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source When Robots Learn Social Skills
Most research into the Artificial Intelligence (AI) that underpins any form of intelligent machine-machine or machine-human interaction has centred on programming the machine with a set of predefined rules. Researchers have, in effect, attempted to build robots or devices with the communication skills of a human adult. That is a shortcut that ignores the evolution of language and the skills gained from social interaction, thereby limiting the ability of AI devices to react to stimuli to within a fixed set of parameters. But a team of researchers led by the Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology in Italy are taking a new approach to the problem, developing technology to allow machines to evolve their own language from their experiences of interacting with their environment and cooperating with other devices. "The result is machines that evolve and develop by themselves without human intervention," explains Stefano Nolfi, the coordinator the ECAgents project, which, with financing from the European Commission's Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) initiative, has brought together researchers from disciplines as diverse as robotics, linguistics and biology......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source Coca Cola Flavoured Notebook
This notebook will be first available only in China and will sport Coke's trademark red with the Olympic rings dead in the center. Under the hood you will see the same configurations as the Lenovo F20. This means that the machine will sport a 1.66GHz Intel M778 processor, an Intel 915GMS chipset with GMA900 display chip, 512MB DDR2 memory, WiFi, Bluetooth, 56K modem, and 100Mbps Ethernet port and 3 USB ports, 1 IEEE1394 port. This new avatar of the Lenovo F20 will have a 12.1 inch wide screen monitor and thanks to dual batteries 8 hrs of battery back up.Don't expect it to hit the markets very soon as the release would coincide with the 2008 Olympics. The notebook would cost around 13,499RMB ($1,687 US), so start saving up from now. God knows you have enough notice!........ Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source Dell Latitude D420 Laptop
The new Latitude D420 apart from being the lightest Latitude notebook till date is also compatible with legacy D-family docking options, power supplies and accessories. Dell has also thrown in a whole gamut of security features and broadband features. Users can also opt for the additional MediaBase which can be attached at the bottom with their choice of optical drive. Though it's an ultra portable notebook, that doesn't mean consumers will have difficulty adapting to the machine. The notebook includes a 12.1-inch wide-aspect display, full-sized keyboard and dual pointing capability. For connectivity one can opt for either Wi-Fi 802.11g or 802.11a/g and also go for the integrated mobile broadband connections from Cingular or Verizon Wireless (U.S. only). The Latitude D420 not only is 802.11n-ready but also has an unique switch called Wi-Fi Catcher which basically can search for a Wi-Fi connection without turning or booting up the system. The system includes the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security technology and for enhanced security one can also opt for the biometric fingerprint reader. You can opt for either Intel® Core- Solo processors Ultra Low Voltage or Dual Core Processors. While the former configuration is available now, for the Dual Coe Processor one has to wait till this summer. Some other features found on the notebook include here USB ports, an IEEE 1394 port and a Secure Digital (SD) card slot. Prices start from $1,379 and vary according to configurations......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source Reducing Eye Strain Of Computer Use
Children are not the only ones who suffer from painful vision problems. New information reveals that the majority of people who work at a computer experience some eye or vision problems and that the level of discomfort appears to increase with the amount of computer use. A national survey of doctors of optometry found that more than 14 percent of their patients present with eye or vision-related symptoms resulting from computer work. Furthermore, in a survey of more than 2,000 current and former contact lens wearers, time spent in front of a computer (41 percent) was the activity most frequently mentioned as causing discomfort while they were wearing their lenses. Staring at a computer monitor or the small screens on most devices can lead to a variety of ailments, including headaches, eyestrain, blurred vision, dry and irritated eyes, neck and/or backache, and sensitivity to light. Uncorrected or under-corrected vision problems can be major contributing factors to computer-related eye stress, affecting visual performance and comfort. The good news is that many potential eye and/or vision problems can be reduced or eliminated by appropriate adjustment and placement of computer monitors, lighting control, good preventive vision care habits, and regular professional eye care. We would like to provide you with some tips to reduce the painful vision-related symptoms resulting from computer work from Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, a leading expert, practicing optometrist and author of Visual Ergonomics in the Workplace. I have included these tips at the end of this email. Please feel free to use any/all of this information on your site......... Posted by: Ethan Permalink Source |
Older Blog Entries 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13