Google Sky

Thursday, August 23, 2007


Google Earth’s got something more !!!! It’s got the Sky in it too. The Latest Version of Google earth has a feature for you to look at the sky like never before.

You can look at a million different galaxies, constellations, stars, planets and lot more. Google has incorporated this new feature inside Google earth itself, so downloading the latest version of Google earth should give you on breath taking journey into the universe.

Google claims that it has not started this project to make money, but rather because some of it’s engineers were interested in this project. They have put together over a million different pictures to form the viewing experience that we wouldn’t forget in a hurry. The source of these images … Academia’s, Research Institutes & Space Agencies.

With about a hundred million stars and two hundred million galaxies, Sky in Google Earth lets you explore the heavens like never before.

So sit back, relax and let yourself glide through the Cosmos. Three cheers for Google. :-)

Have a look at this video, to experience more :-) Source Youtube








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Toshiba announces 32GB, 16GB SDHC & 8GB MicoSDHC cards

Wednesday, August 22, 2007




This Company Seriously Rocks !!!! They really seem to be revolutionizing the way data can be carried around. Yes you read the Title of the post right, Toshiba announces 32GB, 16GB High Density SDHC Cards. This is not all , they also announced a 8GB Micro SDHC card .

This is the world’s first 32GB memory card in this High Density. All the new cards meet the Class 4 specification in the SD Speed Class, enabling them to deliver the high level performance and functionality essential for advanced mobile phones and other personal digital products.

So when are they out in the market?????

The 16GB card would be making it’s rounds in worldwide from Oct 2007. The 32GB & the 8GB micro SD in Jan 2008.

The Key features of these cards are

SDHC Memory Card (High Speed Type)

>Realizes maximum write speed of 6 megabyte per sec (MB/s)3
>"Class 4" SD Speed Class, with a minimum sustained data write of 4MB/s
>Integrates highly secure CPRM4 copyright technology

microSDHC Memory Card

> Realizes large 8GB capacity in a microSDHC Card. It can store 139 hours5 of music at a bit rate of 128kbps6
> "Class 4" SD Speed Class, with a minimum sustained data write of 4MB/s
> Integrates highly secure CPRM copyright technology

Image & Product Sepecification Courtesy : Toshiba.com CLICK HERE To see the press release page.








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Small Electronic Devices To Run On Power From Body Heat

Monday, August 20, 2007



A group of really cool people have discovered a way to run small portable electronic devices with the help of Human Body heat. Amazing isn’t it ??? I was really astounded when I read about this.

Peter Spies , the Program head has said that this mechanism will not completely remove batteries from portable devices, but rather help in extending the charge of the batteries for a long long time without actually having to visit a electric plug point. Think of it … your smart phones on a recharge would probably last you a week !!!

So how does this mechanism work??

The difference in our body temperature to the outside room temperature is around 4 – 5 degrees typically. This when harnessed would be enough to generate up to 250milli Volts.

Now comes the problem, the typical batteries of portable devices have a voltage range between 1.8V to 3.6V. So how do these guys overcome the limitation of out body being able to produce so little power to what is actually needed?

Well Semiconductors these days has definitely come a long way. These guys have nicknamed their silicon, thermogenerator or something that sounds like that … what this does is that it keeps on accumulating the charge till it reaches a desired level & this is then sent across to charge the device.

So when is this expected in the market? No idea as of now yet … doesn’t really seem to have made it out of the lab yet. But this should be cool once we get to use it.

Anyways thumbs up for these folks, Great work & good going :-)








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Motorola RIZR Z8

Friday, August 03, 2007





The latest phone of Motorola is out. Announced in February 2007, the MOTO RIZR Z8’s got style I’ve gotta admit it, the Moto RIZR Z8 is one of a kind. The slider is unique; it opens at an angle that follows the contours of the face. I’ve never a seen a phone with a design like this. I give it 10 on 10 on the slider design.

So Motorola finally decide to get more phones running the Symbian OS. This is something that Nokia’s gotta be careful about. Most people love Nokia for the support of Symbian, so Motorola’s got them on this too. Motorola’s coming out most of its new phones running on LJ platform, i.e. the Linux – Java platform, this is also a break from the traditional Symbian OS on Smartphone’s. So I guess it should not be long before we some really cool applications for the LJ phones.

So what else is new with the Moto RIZR Z8??? The telegraph.co.uk describes that the Moto RIZR Z8 is the perfect phone for film fans on the go. Well I guess so!!! But I still prefer my PSP as the perfect portable entertainment system ;-)

Looking more at the specifications of the Phone,

The Network : It supports HSDPA / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900,

The Weight : 112 g , Hmmmm … Slightly on the heavier side.

The Display, impressive 240 * 320 and 2.2 inches ( In league with most coming out now)

The Ring Tones : Polyphonic & MP3 ( What about real & wma ??? ) I know of a Symbian application called WMAPlus which is great codec to have on your phone, so proud RIZR Z8 owners, get it ASAP.

Data support : GPRS, EDGE , 3G, USB & Bluetooth. No Wifi though.

Camera : 2 Mega Pixles.


So this is what Motorola’s got to offer in the Z8 along with the usual set of features that most phones offers. The way Motorola’s coming out new and exciting phones, it looks like Nokia is in for one big slide in the market share.








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Surface Computing And Microsoft Surface

Wednesday, August 01, 2007



Imagine the table you have coffee, the surface of which can actually display photos, play videos, sync between your mobile phone your wireless cameras without any kind of explicit connection. In total your table is being your computer ???

Seems like since fiction just a few years ago !!!! Well this is reality now & the first commercial Surface Computers should be available sometime in November 2007.

So let’s get to the basics of understanding the Concept of Surface Computing.

What is a Surface Computer ?
It is the form of computing where a specialized GUI is used, where the traditional GUI elements are replaced by objects of everyday use, for ex your fingers, your mobile, your glass etc.

So how do I interact with the Surface Computer?
Simple, we use our hands :-) No more mouse’s & keyboards and all the other everyday Input devices. Your hand does the trick and of course a lot other everyday objects.

So how does the Surface Computer work?
It lets you access multiple points on the screen unlike a traditional mouse where only on point can be accessed. It has a set of Infrared cameras that literally allows the computer to see objects placed on it. This is how it interacts with the object placed on it.

Who are the people involved in Surface Computing?
Apple and Microsoft are the two giants who seem to take a liking in promoting this Technology. Microsoft seems like the one who is all set to finish production soon.

So lets see what can we do with this Technology ?
Imagine a traditional Photograph that you have, it’s a piece of paper on which the a image is printed, and a Photo on your Computer is a image on the Screen. So what could I do to brew a combination of both the traditional & electronic approach ?



I have to have a table on which I can keep my photograph (traditional), and then also be able to resize the image at real time, edit attributes of the image too (Electronic). So get your imagination running…. Imagine a photo on the table, which is actually your screen, you can move around the photo to any part of the table by just pushing it around (Like it’s a paper) and then you can hold your finger on the edges on the photo and stretch it & it actually stretches, to the actual size of the table. Then you keep your wireless mobile phone on the table and then you decide to move the photo in to it. You just push the photo towards the place where the mobile is lying on the table & viola it just disappears into your phone. I can presume it’s a little hard to imagine it, So I’ve got a link which actually shows you how the Surface Computer works

The link is THIS, it’s a video, a superb one, you would definitely love it. (Courtesy Popular Mechanics )


From Microsoft’s point of view, Microsoft Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC tucked inside a black table base, topped with a 30-inch touch screen in a clear acrylic frame. Five cameras that can sense nearby objects are mounted beneath the screen. Users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingertips and objects such as paintbrushes across the screen, or by setting real-world items tagged with special barcode labels on top of it. (Courtesy Wikipedia)

This Microsoft surface is designed to respond to 52 touches at a time. It is initially expected to be used in Hotels, reservation counters etc. The pricing a whooping 3000$ to 5000$ ( I could buy a small car with money in India)

So when will it be available to us folks ?? Maybe in 3 to 5 years for it to find a reduction in cost and a widespread use. Till then keep the imaginations running :-)








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