STRaND-1 – world's first smartphone-based satellite set to launch

The University of Surrey’s Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) are set to launch the world’s first smartphone-based satellite. Built around a Google Nexus One smartphone running on the Android operating system, the STRaND-1 (Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator) satellite will also be the U.K.’s first CubeSat to go into space.

Weighing only 4.3 kilograms (9.5 lb) and standing 30 centimeters (11.8 in) tall, its one of a special class of satellites known as nanosatellites (nanosats), which are satellites with a wet mass between 1 and 10 kg (2.2 and 22 lb). Relying on a off-the-shelf consumer gear helped the team complete building and testing of the STRaND-1 in just three months. The logic is that smartphones already contain much of what a satellite needs, such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors. According to SSTL, the only things it lacks are solar panels and propulsion.

PowerUp 3.0 lets you control a paper airplane with your smartphone

About a year and a half ago, we took a look at something called thePowerUp. It’s a capacitor joined to a propeller by a carbon fiber shaft, that can be used to power a user-supplied paper airplane. At the time, we suggested that it would be good if the user could actually steer the PowerUp-powered plane by remote control. With the soon-to-be-released PowerUp 3.0, it turns out, that’s just what they’ll be able to do.

As with Tailor Toys’ original PowerUp, the 3.0 is attached laterally to any folded paper airplane, made from regular A4 or 8.5 x 11-inch copier paper. However, whereas planes equipped with the original simply flew in a straight line, planes sporting the latest version can be controlled via the company’s flight control app – a Bluetooth 4.0-equipped smartphone is required.

Golden-i wearable hands-free computer interface

Computers are an alloyed blessing for many professions. They’re a great way for the likes of aircraft workers or emergency responders to quickly get the information they need, but they also require you to have your hands free to operate them ... often at exactly the moment you don't have a hand to spare.

Back in 2009, the Kopin Corporation’s Golden-i headset promised a hands-free, natural-speech-recognition interface for wireless remote control over a range of devices including mobile phones, PCs, company networks and wireless systems, but it was also little more than a concept. Four years on, the company is marketing the wearable, hands free computer interfacing devices for heavy and light industries, professionals and first responders. The Golden-i headsets allow the user to send and receive audiovisual information from multiple platforms by means of both voice and motion control.

BlueStacks delivers 750,000 Android apps to Microsoft's Surface Pro

Microsoft’s Surface Pro runs millions of desktop Windows apps. Few of those apps, though, were designed for touch. Though Microsoft is pitching the device to professionals, sometimes even the pros like to get theirTemple Run on. Enter Android emulator BlueStacks, which brings over 750,000 mobile apps to the Surface Pro.

BlueStacks’ app player has been available for Mac OS X and Windows for over a year. However, this is the first version that's optimized specifically forWindows 8 and the Surface Pro. It offers a Metro-like full-screen mode for apps, and a Charms menu that activates with an edge-swipe. Android apps will (almost) run like native Windows 8 apps.

Breakthrough laser cooling system could save space and energy

A research team at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has successfully used a laser to cool down a semiconductor material known as Cadmium Sulfide. The results of the recently published study could lead to the development of self-cooling computer chips and smaller, more energy efficient air conditioners and refrigerators that don't produce greenhouse gases.

Laser device designed for Mars unmasks counterfeit honey

When someone mentions counterfeiting, it brings up images of money, watches or DVDs. It certainly doesn't make honey spring to mind, yet honey smuggling and counterfeiting is an international problem involving hundreds of millions of dollars. In an effort to combat this, the European Space Agency (ESA) is funding a demonstration project to adopt lasers designed to study the Martian atmosphere, to detect fake honey.

3D print your own robot with Hello Robo's MAKI

Hot on the heels of InMoov, the 3D-printable android, comes a similar but much less intimidating project for DIYers by Hello Robo. MAKI is a cute communication robot that can be assembled from 3D-printed parts and some off-the-shelf electronic components for less than US$500, making it an affordable platform for hobbyists and university labs. Hello Robo has opted to launch MAKI via crowdfunding site Kickstarter, where a $30 pledge will net you the 3D blueprints.

Hong Kong Chinese Opera Centre To Be Designed By Bing Thom

A Vancouver-based architect has been tapped to design a massive new opera house in Hong Kong.

Bing Thom has been selected to design the $347-million Chinese Opera (Xiqu) Centre, said a news release by the West Kowloon Cultural District on Monday.

New tests developed for the addictive potential of computer games

Have you ever felt that one computer game is more "addictive" than another? Leaving definitions aside for the moment, it's fair to say that an addictive computer game is likely to be a more successful product than a game that is merely fun to play. Gaming developers apply numerous techniques and tests in an attempt to evaluate which games will hit the right buttons. Now researchers at Academia Sinica and the National Taiwan University (ASNTU) have developed a direct test for the addictiveness of a computer game based on physiological responses of a group of new players.

Online gaming is a massive enterprise involving millions of players and billions of dollars. Indeed, computer gaming is a major influence in driving personal computer processing speed increases, and advances in internet access.

NVIDIA GeForce Titan Packs 512-Bit Memory Interface, Has The Same Clocks As The GTX 690

NVIDIA’s GeForce Titan has been the subject of talk and speculation over the last couple of weeks, the flagship GPU is supposed to be extremely powerful as evident by it’s leaked performance. With that said, the GeForce Titan is making it’s presence known every weeks, not officially but you get the deal. The latest bit sheds more light on the GeForce Titan.

How to jailbreak any iOS 6 device, including iPhone 5

If you've been waiting to jailbreak your iPhone 5, or any device running iOS 6 and higher, today is your lucky day. A new tool called evasi0n was released just this morning.

Epiphany onE Puck charges your phone with the power of a drink

It seems as if every other day we see a new method for charging a cell phone. With a strong possibility of power outages coming to Northeastern portion of the United States due to winter storm Nemo, other methods of keeping cell phones alive could certainly come in handy. The Epiphany onE Puck uses the power of your drink to keep your mobile device alive and kicking for a little while longer.

iXY™ microphone and RØDE Rec app for iPhone and iPad

RØDE is proud to announce the iXY, a stereo microphone for iPhone and iPad with 30-pin connector that allows high quality recording at sampling rates up to 24-bit/96kHz, the only microphone on the market to do so.

Plastic used to replace and regrow bone

Over the past several years, a number of research institutes have been exploring the use of implants made from material with a scaffolding-like structure, as a means of regrowing bone at severe injury sites. Both MIT andTufts University, for instance, have been working on collagen-based materials. Now, England’s University of Southampton has announced the development of a new type of bone-growing substance, made from plastic.

Electromagnetic Harvester claims to charge batteries with ambient energy

We're surrounded by electromagnetic fields almost everywhere these days. Just because they're almost imperceptible doesn't mean they can't be used as a source of energy though. One student in Germany recently built the Electromagnetic Harvester, a small box that allegedly charges an AA battery using just the electromagnetic fields given off by the likes of power lines, vehicles and electronic gadgets.

Microsoft Surface Pro vs. MacBook Air

Here’s a quick comparison of Microsoft Surface with Windows Pro and Apple MacBook Air. Both the devices have almost identical internals with a major difference of Surface being a Touch device with detachable keyboards.

Spec	Microsoft Surface	Apple MacBook Air
Image
Size	10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53in	11.8 x 7.56 x 0.68in
Weight	Less than 2lbs	1.08 kg (2.38 pounds)
Display	1920×1080	1366 x 768
Touch Screen Support	10-point multi-touch	No
Pen Input	Supported and Included	Not supported
CPU	3rd Gen Intel Core i5 Processor	3rd Gen Intel Core i5 Processor
Memory	4GB RAM	4GB RAM
Storage	64GB, 128GB	64GB, 128GB
Wireless	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 4.0 technology	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 4.0 technology
Battery	42 W-h	35 W-h
Cameras	Two 720p HD cameras, front-facing and rear-facing	720p Front camera
Ports	Full-size USB 3.0 microSDXC card slot  Mini DisplayPort	2 Full-size USB 3.0 Thunderbolt Port Mini DisplayPort
Sensors	Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Digital Compass	Ambient light sensor
Keyboard	Detachable Touch Cover/Type Cover	Full-size backlit keyboard
Operating System	Windows 8 Pro	Mac OS X Mountain Lion
Pricing	From $1020 with Touch Cover/Type Cover	From $999

source : Microsoft-news

Curiosity collects first bedrock drill sample

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity collected its first drilling sample on Saturday. The 4x4-sized robot used the drill in its hand to collect samples from the interior of a flat, veiny sedimentary bedrock that was formed by ancient Martian water.

Wikipad gaming tablet

We first saw the Wikipad tablet, which features a detachable game controller and runs on Android OS, way back at CES 2012. After that though, its release date passed, and we didn't hear anything new about the gaming-centered device. But that doesn't mean the Wikipad disappeared – the developers have been busy over the past year redesigning the tablet with almost completely different features, including a 7-inch screen, extra storage space, and Android 4.1 support.

The new Wikipad still retains the ergonomic, attachable game controls, but now features a slew of upgrades. Most noticeably, the screen has been changed to a 7-inch, 16:10 IPS display with a 1280x800 resolution, and the whole device is smaller overall. Without the controller, the tablet weighs only 0.71 lbs (320 grams) and has a thickness of 0.42 inches (10.6 mm), putting it almost on par with the Nexus 7 in terms of size.

Inside the case, the Wikipad now comes with 16 GB of flash storage, which can be increased up to 32 GB through a Micro SD slot. It also features a new NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with a quad-core CPU and 5th battery saver core, plus a 12-core GPU – perfect for playing even the more graphics-heavy games. All of this will be running on the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS with 1GB DDR3 of internal memory.