Clip-It USB Drive from Verbatim

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Just when you thought that there was no way a Flash drive could be made even more useful, Verbatim turns one into a paperclip. Its new Store 'n' Go Clip-It USB Drive will be available in 2GB and 4GB storage capacities, providing a clever way to send digital multimedia files together with printed documents.

For many businesses, the move towards a paperless office is a slow and difficult one. No matter how many forms and documents are moved online or sent out in digital format, there's a very good chance that a large slice of the communication pie still involves the movement of pieces of paper from A to B, and quite possibly back again. Bridging the gap between the world of paper and a new digital era is the Clip-It USB Drive from Verbatim.

Article Source and Further Reading:
http://www.gizmag.com/verbatim-clipit-flash-drive-paperclip/16465/

the power of speech for charging Mobile phones

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In the search for alternative energy sources there's one form of energy you don't hear much about, which is ironic because I'm referring to sound energy. Sound energy is the energy produced by sound vibrations as they travel through a specific medium. Speakers use electricity to generate sound waves and now scientists from Korea have used zinc oxide, the main ingredient of calamine lotion, to do the reverse – convert sound waves into electricity. They hope ultimately the technology could be used to convert ambient noise to power a mobile phone or generate energy for the national grid from rush hour traffic.

Piezoelectrics are materials capable of turning mechanical energy into electricity, and can be substances as simple as cane sugar, bones, or quartz. Much research in this field has been focused on transforming the movement of a person running, or even the impact of a bullet, into a small electrical current, but although these advanced applications are not yet available in consumer products, scientists have been using piezoelectric materials in environmental sensors and speakers for years.

The Korean researchers were interested in reversing this process however. "Just as speakers transform electric signals into sound, the opposite process – of turning sound into a source of electrical power – is possible," said Young Jun Park and Sang-Woo Kim, authors of the article in journal Advanced Materials.

Piezoelectrics create an electrical charge under stress, and thus zinc oxide, the main ingredient of calamine lotion, was bent into a field of nanowires sandwiched between two electrodes. The researchers subjected the sandwich to sound waves of 100 decibels which produced an electrical current of about 50 millivolts.

On average, a mobile phone operates using a few volts, and as a normal conversation is conducted at about 60-70 decibels it's clear the technology falls some way short of being genuinely useful yet, but the researchers are optimistic that given time they can improve the electric yield. They hope future applications could include mobile phone charging from conversations, or sound-insulating walls near highways that boost the national grid using energy generated from rush hour traffic noise. However, with the increasing popularity of near silent electric vehicles there might be a decreasing window of opportunity for that particular application.

By Tannith Cattermole, Article Source:
http://www.gizmag.com/mobiles-powered-by-conversation/16417/

Wireless Recharging Technology

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We're all aware of how annoying a tangled mass of electrical wires can be. Fortunately, a research effort from Fujitsu is tackling the problem at its very source. During a conference held in the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers at Osaka Prefecture University, the Japanese electronics giant announced a major step in developing a wireless recharging technology that can work simultaneously with multiple portable devices.

Researchers have been struggling with wireless electricity for some time now, and have come up with a number of different possible solutions, most of which are only at a prototype stage because of technological hurdles that can't be circumvented. As far as wireless charging goes, the two most popular solutions are electromagnetic induction and magnetic resonance.

Electromagnetic induction works by creating a magnetic flux between a power-transmitting and a power-receiving coil. While this is a promising technology for some applications, and particularly for recharging electric cars, it also seems to lack some flexibility since it only works over short distances, and the power transmitter and power receiver need to be in alignment for the system to work properly.

By contrast, the magnetic resonance method appears much more versatile, as it can transport electricity from a single transmitter to multiple receiving devices over a range of several meters and regardless of the relative position of the two ends.

While better in theory, the development of magnetic resonance has been hindered by practical design issues: a number of factors — parasitic capacitance, external magnetic fields, even the batteries in the device to be charged can influence the magnetic fields and drastically decrease the charging efficiency. Furthermore, the smaller the devices, the more they are subject to external influences, making this technology particularly hard to incorporate into mobile phones.

All these issues can be sorted out by properly designing the charging system, but the process takes time. In fact, the development of wireless charging for portable electronics has so far been hindered mainly by problems associated with design and analysis of the systems themselves.

What the Fujitsu researchers developed is essentially a sophisticated simulator that takes into consideration the coil model and the magnetic resonance conditions. This tool can guide manufacturers' decisions in setting the parameters of the wireless chargers in such a way to maximize the charging efficiency for multiple transmitters and receivers even for devices, such as mobile phones, that used to be problematic because of their small size.

The tool, which reportedly reduces design time by a whopping factor of 150, was used to design a compact power receiver and to manufacture prototype mobile phones with built-in wireless charging. The mobile phones can get charged from anywhere within the transmitter's range, reaching 85 pecent efficiency.

Fujitsu said it will use this technology to develop wireless charging systems for mobile phones and other portable devices, which should hit the shelves in 2012. The company is also looking to apply the technology for power transmission between computer chips and to provide mobile charging systems for electric cars.

By Dario Borghino, Article Source:
http://www.gizmag.com/fujitsu-wireless-magnetic-resonance-recharging-technology/16365/

iPad rides shotgun thanks to car mount from Thanko

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Released this week, Thanko's Car Laptop Holder for iPad is a twist on the company's Car Laptop Holder from a few years back. We have to admit that the method of attachment is not the most elegant, but if you're a driver who needs an iPad in the cab then this might be for you. Just make sure you don't have the WiFi iPad, otherwise you'll probably be hanging out in the garage or parking next to Starbucks all the time.

Of course, drivers should always keep distractions to a minimum and one of the benefits of Thanko's solution is that it mounts on the passenger side (note that the pictures are from Japan, which has right-hand driving). The installation process looks a little tedious, as the kit is essentially an arm system that affixes to the rails underneath your passenger seat – though it's certainly a more favorable solution than some clumsy suction cup or windshield mounts on the market. The arm measures about half a meter (about two feet) and the angle can be adjusted in three places to create the best viewing position.

By Rich Martin, Article Source and Further Reading:
http://www.gizmag.com/ipad-rides-shotgun-thanks-to-car-mount-from-thanko/16323/

The Elonex 710EB eBook

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The Elonex 710EB eBook with full color screen first outed in April this year has now reached pre-order status with a UK availability date of July 31. The 7-inch e-Reader uses an LED backlit LCD display rather than e-Ink, benefits from wireless connectivity, will double up as a photo viewer or media player and has an 8 hour battery life.

When contacted, Elonex said that the final technical specifications are still in a state of flux prior to an end of the month UK availability slot but the 710EB eBook is known to sport a 7-inch LED backlit LCD touchscreen display at 800 x 480 resolution. The current configuration shows an M10 processor with integrated graphics processor, 802.11b/g wireless connectivity and micro-USB and HDMI wired connectivity.

The 7.67 x 4.72 x 0.66 inch 710EB eBook's easy to use touch controlled interface runs on the Android operating system with proprietary Elonex overlay. At the time of writing there's 128MB of system memory and a gigabyte of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD slot to accommodate around 60,000 color eBooks, digital magazines, newspapers, interactive books, comics, cooking books, travel guides and so on. The device supports a number of reader formats including ePub and PDF, benefits from adjustable font sizes for reading comfort and will auto-rotate when appropriate.

Article Source and Further Reading:
http://www.gizmag.com/elonex-710eb-color-touchscreen-ebook/15714/

Apple updates iPod lineup and adds social networking to iTunes

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Apple’s September 1 event saw the announcement of updates to the entire iPod line with the sole exception of the iPod Classic. The iPod touch gains the same high resolution Retina display and A4 chip found on the iPhone 4, along with FaceTime video calling, HD video recording, 3-axis gyro and iOS 4.1, all packed into a new slimmer, lighter form factor. There’s also a completely redesigned square-shaped iPod nano with a multi-touch interface and a redesigned iPod shuffle that sees the reintroduction of clickable “ring” buttons.
iPod touch

Apple’s iPhone without the phone includes most of the features introduced on the iPhone 4, including Apple’s A4 chip, 960 x 640 pixel Retina display, front-facing camera and mic for making FaceTime calls over Wi-Fi to fellow iPod touch or iPhone 4 users, HD video recording, 3-axis gyro and iOS 4.1. The only major difference hardware-wise – aside from the phone functionality – is a lower resolution still camera – 960 x 720 pixels to the iPhone 4’s 5-megapixels.

Recognizing the touch’s popularity as a games console Apple has introduced Game Center, which lets users challenge and play friends or be matched automatically with new opponents. Gamers can also showcase their scores and achievements and check out which games their friends are playing.

The new touch is smaller and lighter than previous models and the iPhone 4, measuring 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.28 inches (111 x 58.9 x 7.2mm) H x W x D, and weighing 3.56 ounces (101g). A single charge will provide up to 40 hours of music playback or seven hours of video playback. It will be available from next week in 8, 16 and 32GB capacities priced at US$229, $299 and $399, respectively.
iPod nano

The new iPod nano sees a new square design that is nearly half the size and weight of the previous generation. Featuring a polished aluminum and glass enclosure with built-in clip the nano is now only slightly larger than the iPod shuffle with the front surface dominated by a new multi-touch display replacing the previous models’ click wheel.


Article Source, and Further Reading: http://www.gizmag.com/apple-updates-ipod-lineup/16218/