Wednesday, September 25, 2013

9 Examples Of Real Mind-Blowing Technology That You Haven't Heard Of Yet

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/incredible-technology-2013-9

Microsoft Star Trek

We're certainly not in Star Trek's neighborhood when it comes to technological capability, but the car is packed and ready to go.

While it's easy to lose yourself in daydreams of teleportation and interplanetary travel, already we can do amazing things, like turn the ocean into a big glass of drinking water.

A cancer-killing computer chip can run wild in a patient's bloodstream and wreak havoc on cancer cells.

NASA's even putting legitimate effort towards building a Star Trek-like warp drive system. So maybe we're closer to a science fiction universe than initially suspected.

Nanofiber salt filters could be used to harvest ocean water for drinking.

Living near the ocean may one day mean your drinking water is so plentiful that it's free or cheap.

Nanofiber is a fibrous material that's incredibly thin (less than 100 nanometers). It functions very effectively as a salt filter since individual grains of salt are too big to pass through the holes in the nanofiber.

Unfortunately they're cost prohibitive to deploy right now.



A cancer-killing computer chip could live in a patient's bloodstream.

It's called a "microfluidic" chip, covered in long strands of DNA. The DNA absorbs the malicious cancer cells, and if they need to be studied later, the cancer cells can be retrieved from the chip later.



Graphene supercapacitors could lead to the electric car of your dreams.

Imagine an electric car that could drive a couple hundred miles, then fully recharge its battery in one minute.

Graphene supercapacitors are what will make this possible. A supercapacitor can hold as much power as a battery, but they charge far more quickly. Graphene has a high energy density though, which is a fancy way of saying it can hold more electrons (and therefore electric charge) than a standard battery.

As graphene is no longer cost-prohibitive to manufacture at scale, graphene supercapacitors could easily end up in our phones, laptops, and basically anything that runs on a battery.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






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drag2share: 24 'Geniuses' Just Won $625,000 To Spend However They Want

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/2-pwLslSxNM/macarthur-fellowship-2013-winners-2013-9

Karen RussellThe names of 24 MacArthur Fellows were revealed at midnight on Wednesday, bestowing recipients with a gift of $625,000, paid over five years, to be spent anyway they choose. 

The so-called "genius awards" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation have been handed out to around two dozen creative and talented Americans from all different fields every year since 1981. 

The no-strings-attached money is intended to give recipients the freedom to pursue new ideas or move forward with their current work.  

No one can apply for the awards. The fellows are chosen by an anonymous panel of experts, who inform the winners through a telephone call just a couple days before the official announcement. 

This year, the fellows range in age from 32 to 60. There are several artists including a concert pianist, a playwright, and a choreographer of classical ballet. The other fellows include an organic chemist, a medieval historian, a behavioral economist, and an immigration lawyer. 

You can see the full list of fellows at the MacArthur website

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Use Google Analytics to Track Outgoing Gmail Messages

Source: http://lifehacker.com/use-google-analytics-to-track-outgoing-gmail-messages-1376730096

We've shown you before how to track your outgoing emails, but that can be costly and you might not need to track everything. With Google Analytics you can track emails on a per-message basis completely for free.

In the video above, engineer Amit Agarwal shows how to use this Google Drive spreadsheet script to set an Event tracker on an individual email. The process requires you to have a Google Analytics account (which is free, but requires a bit of set up), but once you're done it's relatively easy to add the tracker to an email, which can be handy for that one really important message you need to know has been seen.

How to Track Gmail Messages with Google Analytics | Digital Inspiration

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Apple updates iMac with Haswell chips, available today starting at $1,299

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/24/apple-updates-imac/

While you would be excused for thinking the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were Apple's latest offerings, you'd be wrong. Today, Cupertino has announced that the iMac range has been updated to include new silicon (Haswell) new GPUs and improved WiFi. The entry-level 21.5-inch iMac houses a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with iris Pro graphics, while the top spec version (both sizes) comes with 3.4GHz and NVIDIA GeForce 700 series graphics, plus the option to upgrade to core i7 at 3.5 GHz. That WiFi refresh brings "next gen" 802.11ac, and there's also support for PCIe-based flash storage meaning up to 3TB of Fusion drive, or 1TB SSD. The new models are available today, starting at $1,299 for the 21.5-inch, and $1,499 for the bigger display.

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Archos GamePad 2 outed with quad-core CPU, higher-res display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/24/archos-gamepad-2-leaked/

Archos GamePad 2 outed with quadcore CPU, higherres display

Even in the age of the NVIDIA Shield, dedicated Android gaming handsets are still a bit of a rarity, which is all more of a reason to take a gander at the leaked GamePad 2 from Archos. The device first reared its head at the FCC, and thanks to an online retailer -- which has since scrubbed all references to the product -- we're now treated to a press shot and a smattering of technical specs for the successor to the original GamePad. This time around, it's purported to sport a slightly more dense 1,280 x 800, 7-inch IPS display, along with a 1.6GHz quad-core CPU and 2GB of RAM. In addition to the previously available 8GB model, a new 16GB version is said to be in the works, and in both cases, the GamePad 2 will retain a microSD expansion slot. There's no word yet on pricing or availability, but you can bet that we'll hear more from Archos soon enough.

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Via: SlashGear, Liliputing

Source: HKTDC (inactive)

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Monday, September 23, 2013

drag2share: Here's A Peek At Facebook's New Way To Pay For Stuff With Your Smartphone (FB)

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/1NvrtAgvMhM/a-peek-at-facebooks-autofill-2013-9

On Monday night, a small number of mobile Facebook users will gain access to a new feature, a way to easily pay for stuff with their phones.

Update: Facebook tells us that this is not a feature of the Facebook mobile app, but an option that developers can build into their own apps.

As we previously reported, the feature is called "Autofill with Facebook" and Facebook is slowly rolling it out to the public. Two mobile apps are participating in the test, men's clothing store JackThreads and photo book site, Mosaic.

Right now only users who have their credit card information stored in their Facebook profiles will be able to see the new feature. 

This is not a competitor to PayPal. The feature works with PayPal, as well as as Braintree and Stripe.

This is a way to automatically fill in credit card information with a drop-down menu. It is to mobile shopping what autofill/autocorrect is to texting.

Facebook sent us a couple of photos of the new feature. Take a look:
 
JackThreads Facebook Autofill

Mosaic Facebook Autofill

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Coolpad intros 5.9-inch Magview 4 phone with CoolHub and cWatch accessories

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/23/coolpad-magview-4/

Coolpad intros 59inch Grand 4 smartphone with Tegra 4, NFC hub and watch accessories

Oppo isn't the only company launching a 5.9-inch smartphone today. Coolpad has just unveiled the Magview 4, which mates a similarly large display with a 1.8GHz Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 13-megapixel f/2.0 rear camera and an aluminum chassis. The Android 4.2 handset doesn't offer as many built-in tricks as its Oppo counterpart, but it's arriving alongside a trio of clever accessories. The pocketable CoolHub combines a battery with a Bluetooth speaker, a microSD card reader and NFC tag support; the CoolHub 2 extends this with environmental sensors and a pedometer. Coolpad is also launching the cWatch C1, a waterproof smartwatch with alerts for calendars, calls and messages. While the company hasn't yet priced its add-ons, it will ship the Magview 4 to mainland China in October for ¥3,980 ($650).

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Via: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Source: Coolpad

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iPhone 5S And 5C First Weekend Sales Are Less Impressive Than They Seem

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-5s-and-5c-launch-results-reappraised-2013-9

Mobile Insights is a daily newsletter from BI Intelligence delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence subscribers. Sign up for a free trial of BI Intelligence today.


FirstWeekendiPhone

Once China Is Factored In, iPhone 5S and 5C Weekend Results Are Less Impressive (BI Intelligence)
Apple sold a combined 9 million units of the new iPhone 5S and 5C over the weekend. That seems far greater than the 5 million sold during last year's iPhone 5 launch, but looks can be deceiving. First, Apple launched not one but two devices. Also, unlike the new 5S and 5C, the iPhone 5 was not available in mainland China in its first weekend. Accounting for these factors, and our estimate for the sales mix between 5S and 5C, high-end iPhone sales would actually be dead-even with last year. Full analysis, data, and charts available to BI Intelligence subscribers. Click here to sign up for a 2-week trial. Read >

BlackBerry Lays Off 4,500 Employees After $950M Quarterly Loss (MarketWatch)
Struggling Canadian handset maker BlackBerry had its stock market shares halted Friday. This came on the heels of an announcement in which the company claimed a $950 million loss for the most recent quarter. The company's performance this past quarter will lead to a 40% reduction in its global workforce, about 4,500 people. Read >

BlackBerry Co-Founder Seeks Bid To Be Taken Private (New York Times)
BlackBerry's co-founder, Mike Lazaridis has begun aggressively reaching out to several private equity firms about a possible bid for the handset maker. Lazaridis and BlackBerry's other co-founder stepped down as executives last year in an attempt to hand over the company to a new executive team and spur growth. One year later, with no growth, BlackBerry continues to cede its already limited market share in the global smartphone market. A full-fledged buy out would likely lead to significant consolidation within the smartphone industry. Read > 

BBM For Android Leaks, And BlackBerry Pulls BBM From iOS App Store (BlackBerry)
A leaked version of BlackBerry's popular messaging service, BBM, is forcing the company to put a hold on the global rollout of BBM for Android. Amid all the Android market confusion, BlackBerry also decided to pull the already released iOS version of BBM from the app store. BlackBerry reported that the unofficial Android app pulled in more than 1.1 million active users in just 8 hours. Read >

Microsoft Is Ready To Tackle Phablets (ZDnet)
At Microsoft's recent Financial Analyst Meeting, Executive Vice President Terry Myerson clued in on the company's future, claiming that phablets will be a critical part. He also mentioned that the convergence of Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT technologies may be imminent. Read & gt; 

Photos Are Becoming The Next Cheap, Abundant Data, So We Need More Photo-Sharing Apps (David Lee)
David Lee, an angel investor in Silicon Valley, claims that photos are quickly becoming the newest well of cheap, abundant data. More cheap photo data will be necessary and beneficial in the long run for companies and services like Google Glass, Google Earth, connected cars, and others. Because of this, he feels the photo-sharing app landscape is wide open and ripe for many newcomers. Read >

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Android Turns 5 Years Old Today

Source: http://gizmodo.com/android-turns-5-years-old-today-1372692260

Android Turns 5 Years Old Today

Today in 2008, Google executives stood on stage and announced the much-rumored T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream). It was the first commercial product to run a new, Linux-based operating system called Android. It turned out pretty OK.

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T-Mobile Moto X gets updated with significant camera enhancements

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/23/moto-x-update-camera/

TMobile Moto X gets updated with significant camera enhancements

In our review of the Moto X, we determined that while its ClearPixel camera was decent, its performance was hit or miss. Fortunately, Motorola has taken a lot of feedback and has cranked out a software update with improvements to the camera's performance, specifically in the areas of exposure, color accuracy and focus speed. The refresh, which is so far getting pushed out to T-Mobile phones -- we expect it to roll out to other carriers as soon as each one is done testing the new firmware, though nothing is currently confirmed -- appears to make a rather substantial difference in several scenarios, such as reducing noise in low-light and eliminating haze in outdoor shots. Anandtech's Brian Klug had the opportunity to take the updated shooter for a test run and declared it to be "nothing short of the biggest [improvement] I've ever seen come across in an OTA update."

In addition to the camera improvements, Motorola also threw in a few other enhancements as well. Users who have downloaded the update should expect increased Touchless Control accuracy, a fix for the choppy audio issue some have experienced in voice calls and an improvement to Moto Assist as well.

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Source: Anandtech

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This Hanging Bed Is the Ultimate Tiny Apartment Hack

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-bed-in-this-awesome-apartment-hangs-from-a-giant-sk-1370885942

This Hanging Bed Is the Ultimate Tiny Apartment Hack

Creative ways to hide your sleeping space are as old at the first murphy bed, but this might be a first: The owners of this London apartment have found a way to maximize their living space without resorting to a bed that folds into a closet.

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Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch for Sprint: ships October 4th with 'unlimited data for life'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/23/galaxy-note-3-galaxy-gear-smartwatch-sprint-ship-date/

Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch for Sprint ships October 4th with 'unlimited data for life'

As has become the norm, Sprint's primary differentiator is its "unlimited data for life" policy affixed to new flagships. Granted, the carrier isn't promising that the amount it charges for said data will remain the same for life, but at least you'll have the option to pony up for it. Following the footsteps of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, Sprint has announced that its version of the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear watch will arrive on shelves October 4th. The former will cost $349.99 on a two-year contract (a full $50 more than most of its rivals), while the latter will go for $299.99 outright. Outside of being compatible with Sprint's LTE airwaves and including a bit of carrier-branded bloatware, the handset itself will be the same one that we've previewed extensively.

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Source: Sprint

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Oppo N1 puts a 13MP camera on a hinge, keeps selfie addicts happy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/23/oppo-n1-swivel-camera-phone/

Oppo N1 is China's answer to TKTK, packs TKTK and CyanogenMod

Oppo's been prepping its photography-centric N1 for quite some time, but at last, the teasing stops today as the company unveils its first N-Lens series device in Beijing. We're looking at a 1.7GHz quad-core APQ8064 phone with a 5.9-inch 1080p display, a backside touch panel (for scrolling and taking photos) and a generous 3,610mAh battery, but the focus is obviously on the camera. Not only do you get a 13-megapixel imager with an f/2.0, 6-element lens plus dual LED, but it's also rotatable over 206 degrees! While THL's W11 beat the N1 to being the first phone with both a front and back 13-megapixel cameras, it's not as versatile as the latter's implementation, and it's ultimately all about the image quality.

In case you're wondering, Oppo said the N1's swivel camera has passed a 100,000-time rotation test, which works out to be seven years of usage if you rotate it 40 times a day. This is quite reassuring, given that you can also activate the camera -- which takes just 0.6 seconds -- with a rotation of over 120 degrees. Oppo also boasted that its camera's been tested in over 100 scenarios, which is apparently the highest in the industry. Other features include long exposure of up to 8 seconds, an updated version of Oppo's beautification algorithm, and support for video beautification in China's popular IM app, QQ. %Gallery-slideshow89972%

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Source: Oppo (Chinese)

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Catch our Surface 2 liveblog tomorrow at 10:30 AM ET!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/22/catch-our-surface-2-liveblog-tomorrow/

Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to meet the follow-up to Microsoft's Windows 8 tablet? There's most definitely new Surface (and likely Surface Pro) hardware in store at tomorrow's NYC event, so you'll want to tune in as Ballmer and co. unveil the goods. Keep your browsers locked here from 10:30 AM ET and on -- we'll be updating you live from the NYC launch!

September 23, 2013 10:30:00 AM EDT

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LG Vu 3 official: 5.2-inch 4:3 display, Snapdragon 800, 13MP camera, LTE-A

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/23/lg-vu-3/

LG Vu 3 official 52inch 43 display, Snapdragon 800, 13MP camera, LTEA

Considering LG's G2 was leaked many times before it became official, we're a little surprised that the company managed to keep the Vu 3 under wraps before today (more or less, anyway). The Korean firm's latest Android smartphone drops the Optimus tag of its predecessor, but keeps the Vu series' signature 4:3 aspect ratio for its 5.2-inch IPS display (1,280 x 960 resolution). Specs include a Snapdragon 800 processor, 13-megapixel camera and LTE-A radio. Aside from the stylus, translucent QuickView cases and a couple of LG software titles we recognize (like guest mode and KnockON), there's not much else to glean from the Korean press release. If your linguistic skills (or Google Translate translation skills) are better than ours, however, the source awaits you.

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Via: FoneArena

Source: LG

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