Link: http://www.physorg.com/news202453100.html

LED's have come a long way - and with these new developments will most likely replace every form of lighting in the next few years.

Researchers from the Nichia Corporation in Tokushima, Japan, have set an ambitious goal: to develop a white LED that can replace every interior and exterior light bulb currently used in homes and offices. The properties of their latest white LED - a luminous flux of 1913 lumens and a luminous efficacy of 135 lumens per watt at 1 amp - enable it to emit more light than a typical 20-watt fluorescent bulb, as well as more light for a given amount of power. With these improvements, the researchers say that the new LED can replace traditional fluorescent bulbs for all general lighting applications, and also be used for automobile headlights and LCD backlighting.

Link: http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/08/lg_to_reveal_31-inch_oled_panel_doubling_size_of_current_record_holder.html

Seems like its taken quite a long time for OLED tech to get to the masses. This one's from LG and it's a beauty. Lets hope it makes it to the market.

Link: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/home-depot-cree-team-up-on-home-led-bulbs/

Cheaper LED lighting is working it's way into Home Depot.

The Cree/EcoSmart bulbs cost $49.95, last for 35,000 hours and emit about the same amount of light as a 65-watt incandescent downlight. It will screw into standard ceiling fixtures. Cree says the bulb over its lifetime -- which will be 32 years if you use it about three hours a day -- will save consumers $300. The bulbs are available on the Home Depot site now and will be in stores in the fall.

65 Watts - eh, but still a bit steep for the general consumer. Good news is that with time the prices will keep falling and maybe then we can all save big bucks on our electricity bills.

Link: http://www.physorg.com/news199891684.html

So Corning invented this super strong glass back in 1962 but never found a use for it - until now.

Gorilla showed early promise in the '60s, but failed to find a commercial use, so it's been biding its time in a hilltop research lab for almost a half-century. It picked up its first customer in 2008 and has quickly become a $170 million a year business as a protective layer over the screens of 40 million-plus cell phones and other mobile devices.

Now, the latest trend in TVs could catapult it to a billion-dollar business: Frameless flat-screens that could be mistaken for chic glass artwork on a living-room wall.

Link: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/13/blackberry_tablet_rumors/

Rim is really on fire lately with news and developments - and the news on their tablet is making headlines again.

Supporting video conferencing with 2 cameras and hardware accelerated flash

Kumar's research report noted that RIM is "trying to pull forward the launch of the 7-inch touchscreen tablet from early next year to year end" — which, of course, would enable it to cash in on the inevitable holiday gadget-buying frenzy. Betanews's sources didn't provide release-timing details.

The only negative here is that the thing has to be tethered to a blackberry phone - which I think is a big mistake. Other than that though, RIM to iPad - "Boom, headshot!"

Link: http://www.physorg.com/news197525576.html

Can you guess what it is? It's Cat5e ... that's right, you probably already have your new standard cables sitting around in quantity.

HDBaseT is a network-based standard called “5PlayTM” that enables a single cable to carry high definition video, audio, up to 100 watts of power, 100BaseT Ethernet, and control signals simultaneously. The cables, which are inexpensive Cat5e/6 type rather than expensive HDMI, can be up to 100 meters in length. The HDMI ports are replaced by standard RJ-45 connectors.

Link: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/c/a/News/Microsoft-InstaLoad/

Check this out...

Microsoft announced a hardware solution that will allow users of portable devices -- digital cameras, flashlights, remote controls, toys, you name it -- to insert their batteries in any direction. Compatible with AA and AAA cells, among others, the patented "InstaLoad" technology does not require special electronics or circuitry, the company claims.

How cool is that? Now if only they could apply that type of thinking to Windows

Link: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/06/29/leaked-apples-internal-iphone-4-antenna-troubleshooting-procedures/?utm_source=feedburner

Way to treat the customers on a real issue - does Apple realize that a thin plastic or spray on coating on the antenna would have fixed the issue?

Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.

Hmm, not true of my Blackberry Storm - I can grip the heck out of it and have no issues...

In other Apple news today - Jobs refuses to add Blu-Ray support to any Mac because he does not like it. (really I'm not joking)

Link: http://kingofgng.com/eng/2010/06/22/intel-says-farewell-to-pci-bus/

the new chipsets for motherboards based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture - that Intel will introduce in the last part of 2010 - won’t have support for the old PCI bus also known as “Conventional PCI”, implementing all the communications between peripherals and subsystems inside the chipset via the PCI Express bus. The parallel PCI standard is too old and too slow compared to the bandwidth offered by the various PCIe versions

Yep, makes me a little nostalgic, and you know you're a geek when a bus connection method brings back happy memories of cards that you owned ... sigh.

Link: http://www.nrel.gov/features/20100611_ac.html

This is pretty cool - and pardon the pun there.

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has invented a new air conditioning process with the potential of using 50 percent to 90 percent less energy than today's top-of-the-line units. It uses membranes, evaporative cooling and liquid desiccants in a way that has never been done before in the centuries-old science of removing heat from the air.

Within a few years we will start to see consumer devices sporting this advancement - and maybe all of us will sweat a little less - or at least stay cool without paying a small fortune.

Link: http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/18/commercials-in-supermarkets/

Haven't been marketed at enough lately? Things are about to change with video and audio screens all over the aisles.

As evidence that our future is shaping up to be some unholy hybrid of Blade Runner meets Mad Men (with a dash of Orwellian paranoia thrown in), here comes this: 3GTV.

As The New York Times reports, a company called Automated Media Services has developed TV screens that can be clipped to supermarket shelves. And what will be showing on those tiny screens? You guessed it: endless loops of the same commercials for cereal or soup or shampoo.

Link: http://www.techeye.net/mobile/the-backlash-against-the-ipad-begins?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+techeye+%28Tech+Eye%29

Told ya so - no one wants a phone tablet that isn't a phone, tho some were late to the reality.

"I spent over $800 on it and it has been sitting on my couch untouched for days. I don't have the luxury of spending that much money without thinking twice about it," he moaned.

He said he still thought the iPad was a great device, but the apps just aren't doing much for him. And he could not be bothered sticking in his wireless network password every 20-30 minutes.

Still - that same guy will be shelling out 800 again when the IPAD generation 2 comes out I bet.

Link: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/rumor-rim-to-offer-89-in-blackberry-tablet/14777

I dunno about this one. - It's way too specialized. The tablet itself has no capability to connect to the web, you need to tether it to your Blackberry. That's two devices to schlep around. What no one seems to be getting here is that a cell phone without the cell phone isn't all that appealing.

I dunno - guess we'll have to wait for the pre-release reviews.

RIM has an 8.9-inch “companion” tablet in the wings, which will not offer mobile broadband directly but instead rely on a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi “tether,” if I may, to operate.

The device will be multimedia focused — “think e-books, emailing, web browsing, photo viewing,” BGR writes — and appears to be the successor to a monochrome tablet that had been developed.

The launch of the tablet is planned for the holiday season, around December.

Link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20004535-94.html

This new standard is designed to connect devices like PCs, TVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles, handheld devices, etc. and allow them to stream HD video and audio.

Who knows - one day maybe wires will be optional on just about everything.

WiGig is not meant to replace existing Wi-Fi technology but rather complement it. Though WiGig will be faster than traditional Wi-Fi, its range will be shorter. WiGig's speed is expected to make the standard suitable for bandwidth-heavy tasks such as streaming video and audio, meaning consumers would be able to use it to connect an array of devices in the living room or home office.

'

Tho 60Ghz is a bit scary of a frequency - thats got o get some of the tinfoil hat wearers nervous.

Link: http://mashable.com/2010/05/05/new-roku-netflix-design/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

Roku users rejoice - things are about to get a whole lot cooler.

The forthcoming channel redesign, which should roll out to customers by June, will be compatible with all existing Roku players and be applied via an automatic software update. It will add the ability to search the entire Netflix instant streaming library from your TV and add items right into your Instant Queue from the device itself. In other words, you’ll no longer need to manage your queue from the Netflix website before sitting down to watch movies and TV shows, greatly streamlining the overall viewing experience.

Just look at that giant screen....

Link: http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/04/28/hp-buys-palm-for-12-billion

Hewlett-Packard just announced its intent to buy Palm for $1.2 Billion at $5.70 per share. The transaction has already been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors.

The move was made to give HP a better shot at winning some smartphone marketshare - an industry quickly growing.

This will be interesting - Palm almost had a pure win with the Pre - Maybe this will give them the boost needed to become a winner again ? Maybe it's too late....

It'll be fun to watch either way, I'm getting my popcorn.

Link: http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/sony-pulls-the-plug-on-floppy-disks-26-04-2010/

I've seen this just about everywhere and my first thought was "Someone still makes floppies?"

soon it’s time to say goodbye, as the company now said [JP] it will stop production in March next year. Sony rolled out the world’s first 3.5-inch floppy disc back in 1981. And believe it or not, even in 2008, the company could still sell 8.5 million units in Japan alone.

Time to stock up on a box or 5 if you have some older machines in your care that still require floppies.

Sigh, I remember when these came out thinking "wow these are so geeky and they hold so much!"

Link: http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1601925/flash-evangelist-android-version-track

The Inq paints a big oops our bad on that last info - so there is still hope that Android/Blackberry users can waste time with flash games and video before September.

Link: http://www.techtree.com/India/News/BlackBerry_OS_60_Images_Details_Surface/551-110691-580.html

I'm wondering now if Storm users and BB's with trackballs will actually get this update ? The pics (to me) seem to indicate it's possible.

A redesigned homescreen, multi-touch gesture support for touchscreen handsets, and system-wide kinetic scrolling are few of the many features unleashed in the major upgrade. RIM is expected to reveal BlackBerry OS 6.0 at the WES 2010 symposium starting April 27, while it will be released sometime in June or July.

Argh, but the good news is that when it does come out it will support touchscreen and individual phone features.

today Adobe said the Android Flash player 10.1 is not ready and will not be available until the second half of the year, putting a damper on the hopes of many Android and WebOS users.

Just to make Apple laugh even louder, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen added that a BlackBerry version will also be made available at the same time. That second half thing actually means September, we imagine.

Link: http://blogs.zdnet.com/cell-phones/?p=3569

If you're in the market for a new smartphone soon - make sure you read up on this one, it looks like the next thing in awesome.

Specifications for the HTC DROID Incredible include the following:

* Android 2.1 with HTC Sense experience
* 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
* Integrated 8GB flash drive (6.6 GB usable) with microSD expansion card slot
* 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash for crisp, detailed images
* 3.7 inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED capacitive touch display
* Optical joystick for smooth navigation
* Dedicated, touch-sensitive Home, Menu, Back and Search keys
* Proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass
* Integrated GPS
* Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
* 3.5 mm headset jack
* Friend Stream for unified Flickr, Facebook and Twitter updates
* Leap view for quick access to all seven home screen panels
* Dimensions: 4.63 x 2.30 x 0.47 inches and 4.59 ounces

Link: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/14/mobile-dtv-gains-national-mobile-content-service-broadcast-grou/

I don't know, this mobile TV push has been on for some time but I don't see any progress. This latest news shows a good deal of industry support - but will consumers buy into it?

Today, an even dozen broadcast groups have banded together in order to back the soon-to-launch Mobile DTV format (ATSC-M/H), with Belo, Cox, E.W. Scripps, Fox, Gannett, Hearst, ION, Media General, Meredith, NBC, Post-Newsweek and Raycom forming a joint venture to develop a "new national mobile content service." The service will utilize the broadcast spectrum already set aside in order to allow member companies to "provide content to mobile devices, including live and on-demand video, local and national news from print and electronic sources, as well as sports and entertainment programming."

By only rendering things in the scene and not trying to pre-render the entire world - this technique could change the way graphics work in PC's.

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36179255/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

Before you drop half a grand or more on one of these things you might want to read this article and just maybe you'll find you have better uses for that money.

But is it worth buying?

Given the cost, and a slew of drawbacks, the answer boils down to how much you're willing to pay for a toy.

We've been testing both a low-end and top-end iPad all weekend, also letting family members ages 9 to 59 try it out and offer their reactions, and our overall conclusion is that while the iPad is fun to play with, it's hard to figure out what role it fills that some other device doesn't do much better. Here are the most severe problems we see:

Link: http://www.physorg.com/news189703243.html

in about 10 years there will only be LED bulbs - and with this latest improvement - we won't mind at all.

Light bulbs that last 100 years and fill rooms with brilliant ambiance may become a reality sooner rather than later, thanks to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory discovery.

NREL scientists found a way to generate a tricky combination of green and red that may just prove to be the biggest boost for illumination since Edison's light bulb.

Link: http://code.google.com/p/quake2-gwt-port/

The GWT Quake II port brings the 3d gaming experience of Quake II to the browser.

In the port, we use WebGL, the Canvas API, HTML 5

Forget Firefox, Opera and IE - you're gonna need Chrome or the latest Safari...

Link: http://m.lifehacker.com/site?sid=lifehacker&pid=JuicerHub&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2F5506219%2Fwhy-you-should-never-pay-more-than-10-for-hdmi-cables%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Blifehacker%252Fful

I said it before - and others have said it - and here it is in wonderful graphic form to end the discussion.

Link: http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=6151

Sometimes the legal/patent system works correctly.

Score 1 for Linux

A jury in Utah has ruled that Novell owns the copyrights to Unix, not SCO.

“The jury has confirmed Novell’s ownership of the Unix copyrights, which SCO had asserted to own in its attack on Linux. An adverse decision would have had profound implications for the Linux community.

“We own the copyrights and we will continue to protect the open source community, including Linux.”

SCO trustee Edward Cahn immediately sent out a release saying the company would “fight on” against IBM, “based on contracts,” but it’s hard to see how far the company can go without resources.

Link: http://blogs.zdnet.com/computers/?p=1912

This is quite the accomplishment, imagine having a terrabyte to play around with on your laptop... What a luxury.

The MKxx59GSM series comprises 750GB and 1TB capacities in a three-platter, 12.5mm-high package that works well in situations where massive storage is more important than svelte form factors. More impressively, Toshiba has managed to cram 750GB into a two-platter, 9.5mm-high drive (the MK7559GSXP) that the company says offers the market’s highest areal density. It also uses 14 percent less energy than its 640GB predecessor.

Link: http://www.intomobile.com/2010/03/24/4g-in-america-lies-lies-and-more-damn-lies.html

Don't go spending an enormous amount of cash on a 4G phone anytime soon - you have been warned.

Listen up America, by the end of this year, and most definitely during 2011, you’re going to be bombarded with advertisements that stretch across all forms of media, tempting you to hop on board a 4G network. Let’s get this out of the way right now: 4G, as the word is currently being used, is nothing but a marketing term.

Link: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=6328

The Android platform is shaping up to be the next major mover in the smart phone arena. I've even heard rumors that Palm is considering dropping it's OS for Androids.

I've got to admit that I'm even considering one after my Blackberry contract is up.

I’ve being using Google’s Android OS a lot lately. I’ve been using Android as my primary phone OS for around a year while writing three Pocket Guides for Peachpit Press (Nexus One, Droid, G1) and I’ve concluded that the Nexus One is a better smartphone than the iPhone - hands down. Why? Because Android is a better mobile OS.

Link: http://www.physorg.com/news188057095.html

Just 5mm by 5mm even! -

CSIRO and Australian company Sapphicon Semiconductor Pty Ltd have signed an agreement to jointly develop a complete radio receiver on a chip measuring just 5 mm x 5 mm that could eventually be used in mobile phones and other communications technologies.

Not exactly sure what new bonus technological advances will come out of this, but still, sure is cool.

Link: http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2010/03/15/Joining-Google

And he seems to have his head firmly screwed on when it comes to thoughts about the Iphone.

The iPhone vision of the mobile Internet’s future omits controversy, sex, and freedom, but includes strict limits on who can know what and who can say what. It’s a sterile Disney-fied walled garden surrounded by sharp-toothed lawyers. The people who create the apps serve at the landlord’s pleasure and fear his anger.

I hate it.

I hate it even though the iPhone hardware and software are great, because freedom’s not just another word for anything, nor is it an optional ingredient.

The big thing about the Web isn’t the technology, it’s that it’s the first-ever platform without a vendor (credit for first pointing this out goes to Dave Winer). From that follows almost everything that matters, and it matters a lot now, to a huge number of people. It’s the only kind of platform I want to help build.

Apple apparently thinks you can have the benefits of the Internet while at the same time controlling what programs can be run and what parts of the stack can be accessed and what developers can say to each other.

I think they’re wrong and see this job as a chance to help prove it.

Amen!

Link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20000231-260.html

Somewhere in the middle of the control Nazi (Ipad) - with it's fully locked down os, no Flash, Darconian DRM and APP control - and HP's fully open Win 7 based model.

Dells model runs Android - so it's Linux based, but it's looking like a heavy tie in with Amazon - so I'm imagining there will be sizable DRM restrictions on the tablet.

The Mini 5 is referred to as "Streak" in this document and will apparently come with lots of Amazon tie-ins. That will reportedly include an Amazon Kindle app and access to Amazon's MP3 store and Video On Demand streaming service.

Another document shows the Streak available in an array of colors and customizable patterns, which has been part of Dell's personalization push in recent years.