Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Upcoming Innovations That People Eagerly Waiting For....

Everyday, there are more and more innovations...I would like to post a few innovations that many tech freaks and myself are actually waiting for...As far as i am concerned, the Kenyan technology market is changing rapidly. Newer phones, newer laptops and name its even as far as providing newer and faster ways of internet connectivity. These are some of the innovations eagerly awaited in the Kenya:



4G TECHNOLOGY

Yes, we are just a step away from 4G. We have changed from EDGE and GPRS, to getting connected to fibre-optic and 3G technology. Safaricom as one of the first users of fibre-optic and 3G technology connected their customers recently. The first time i used it was connected at 3.6Mbits/s which had an approximate download speed of 50 kbps...but during off peak hours the speed was incredibly fast...downloading at 200kbps was no joke...I mean seriously...An mp3 file just took 10 seconds to download...It has faster streaming which you can actually view the videos without waiting to load..Now, what we want is even faster speeds..Things such as movies to be downloaded in seconds. 4G is here to provide that. Economists may say this as unlimited wants, but this is human nature. 4G has the following features:

1)4G will be a fully IP-based integrated system.

2)This will be capable of providing 100 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s speeds both indoors and outdoors.

3)It can provide premium quality and high security.

4)4G offer all types of services at an affordable cost.

Just imagine downloading at 1-3mbps...Now that's something im eagerly waitin for...ISP's in Kenya will definetly upgrade due to the recent mobile and internet competition war in the Kenyan market...



MIDORI

Since 1985 Windows has ruled the OS market. For users nowadays, there are more and more problems since newer viruses and ways of hacking are coming out. Midori is a cloud based Operating System that is on its developing mode...It is developed by Microsoft but i guess there will be advanced features. It seems like it will be a new windows look...I tried to upload some screen shots. Here they are:






THE IPAD


This is something im waiting for the most. From the creators of ipod and iphone, now comes the ipad. An innovation yet to be released in Kenya by Apple Inc. Its price is $500 which is approximately 35,000ksh. It has everything that a computer has. It has a webbrowser, u can check mail, no keyboard required, everything touchscreen, you can flip the vew i.e horizontal and vertical view, photos, youtube etc. Name the and its there. Imagine playing a racing game without controls and using the screen as the steering wheel. It has the following features: a 9.7 inch LED, its just 1.5 pounds and its just 0.5 inches thin...Its just like holding a 97 pages A4 exercise book. Imagine all that just in one. It has 10 hours of battery life, an attachable key board which can make it look like a Pc or similarly an attachable cover which makes it seem like a laptop. It can go as far as connecting wireless n 3G. I have got some snaps up for u guys to check it out. You can check out the apple website for more info I Seriously have to get my hands on this:







The ipad unveiled






NOKIA N900

This is a phone u must get your hands on...It actually uses a linux based platform called Maemo 5 Linux and is the first Nokia device based upon the TI OMAP3 microprocessor with the ARM Cortex-A8 core. Unlike the Internet Tablets preceding it, the Nokia N900 is the first Maemo device to include phone functionality (quad-band GSM and 3G UMTS). It functions as a 5 mega pixel camera, a portable media player, and a mobile Internet device with email and full web browsing. It was launched at Nokia World on September 2, 2009 and was released on November 11, 2009 in the United States and 9 European countries.

It goes for around 599 pounds. It is a touch screen and at the same time you can use the keypad...it slides horizontally upwards unlike most phones which slides vertically. It has 2gb of internal storage and a memory card slot. Can almost play any format of music and supports flash applications. It even has wireless conectivity, where by you can access hotspots just by sittin in a cafe. It is easy to synchronise with PCs and laptops. I beleive it also has common day applications such as word and powerpoint. Got some snaps, you guys can check it out. Alternatively, you can also check the nokia website for more info





Using the N900





ALIENWARE

This is a laptop meant for all the gaming freaks out there. It is a laptop which you must have. The newest model called Alienware m-17x has the ultimate features anyone needs for gaming. It has the most advanced graphics card, most of them having one terabyte of storage and having a RAM of upto 8GB. It has a 1920 by 1200 resolution which gives a crystal clear view. Its design is perfect with some freakish design together with their logo, which is an aliens face. Has 2.3ghz processor speed, the pics are below or you could check out the site . This is every gamers ultimate dream:








I got some other information which you guys may be interested in from other sites:



NEXI - Robot with facial expressions

A latest invention by MIT Media Lab is a new robot that is able to show various facial expressions such as 'slanting its eyebrows in anger', or 'raise them in surprise', and show a wide assortment of facial expressions while communicating with people.

This latest achievement in the field of Robotics is named NEXI as it is framed as the next generation robots which is aimed for a range of applications for personal robots and human-robot teamwork.



Features: Except a wide range of facial expressions, Nexi has many other features. It has self-balancing wheels like the Segway transporter, to ultimately ride on. Currently it uses an additional set of supportive wheels to operate as a statically stable platform in its early stage of development. It has hands which can be used to manipulate objects, eyes (video cameras), ears (an array of microphones), and a 3-D infrared camera and laser rangefinder which support real-time tracking of objects, people and voices as well as indoor navigation.



Draganflyer X6

Draganflyer X6 is an advanced helicopter that can be operated remotely without any pilot. It is designed mainly to carry wireless video cameras and still cameras. The Draganflyer X6 helicopter can be operated very easily with its hand held controller.

The Draganflyer X6 helicopter is based on a unique 6-rotor design that has been under development since early 2006. It uses 11 sensors and thousands of lines of code to self-stabilize during flight which makes it easier to fly than any other helicopter in its class. The on-board software of Draganflyer X6 is developed after extensive testing and development. Draganflyer X6 helicopter is a revolution in the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

It can be used very efficiently for various applications and it is ideal for spying on the enemy in a safe and reliable manner.



XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System (i.e. The Smart Bullet)

The XM25, currently under development for the U.S. military by Alliant Tech systems, allows soldiers to measure the distance to a target using a laser range finder, dials in exactly where the bullet should explode (over or past walls, the corner of buildings) at precise distances. At a cost of $30/round, the bullets are equipped with microchips capable of registering distance according to the number of times they’ve rotated.






ROBOKEEPER



He’s been in development for a while – ever since the Soccer World Championship in 2006 when Prof Dr Michael ten Hompel, leader of the Fraunhofer-Institut für Materialfluss und Logistik (IML) in Dortmund, and his team got the idea to build the world’s best goalie.

They say the RoboKeeper can outperform every goal-keeper in the Champions League (as long as the teams play on his turf). But he has an unfair advantage. Two cameras recognize the complete ballistic curve of the ball and transmit its position to an image processing computer every 1/50 second. Combining the images from each camera produces a 3D position of the ball. Data is then sent to the motor control driving a high-tech and extremely robust aircraft gearbox which moves the RoboKeeper to the exact point of impact in under half a second. This high-performance technology enables the 'keeper' to deflect just about any ball and keep his record intact.

What’s more, he’s fearless and doesn’t care if the ball hits him in the face (or other sensitive areas) which makes him even harder to beat.

Robokeeper can be hired out for events or training camps but don’t expect to get anything past him.

There are some cool iterations of Robokeeper currently under development including a Wii controller version which lets you direct the 'keeper.
Check out the video of the world's best keeper:






SNACKBOT SERVER SERVES UP SOME HUMAN BOT INTERACTION




Snackbot rolls around on wheels and is intended for both fully- and semi-autonomous operation. Initially orders for snacks will be made through a website or IM service, but other ordering options are expected to evolve as the field trials of Snackbot progress.

Snackbot’s head features a Bumblebee 2 stereo vision camera acting for eyes and a 3 x 12 LED display for the mouth that is programmed with a series of animations that show verbal and emotional feedback in the form of lip shapes, colors and movement. Although the robot doesn’t have functional ears, the team added ears to the head design to let customers know that Snackbot could hear them.

Aside from providing that 3 o’clock sugar fix, Snackbot is designed to assist research into robust autonomous operation in office environments. It will enable the team to study multi-sensor fusion algorithms for perception, reasoning about dynamic spaces, communicating with people through verbal and non-verbal mechanisms, and planning with incomplete information.

The research includes enabling the robot to navigate through congested areas in a socially acceptable fashion, detect individual people, recognize when someone it knows approaches and autonomously learn to recognize new objects. It will also support behavioral science research on such topics as personalization and people’s relationships with interactive objects.

As the interaction and service design of the robot are flexible, future experiments will be conducted by changing the form and behavior of the robot. Possible examples include experiments on how the robot might use music and nonverbal behavior instead of words to communicate with customers at their offices, and experiments on personalized services.



VUZIX WRAP 920 3-D GLASSES PROMISE BIG SCREEN EXPERIENCE



Can’t afford a big screen TV or projector but still want to experience that cinema feeling when watching a movie? The Vuzix Wrap 920 video eyewear is a sunglass-style display that delivers a virtual 67-inch screen as seen from 10ft away, displays 2D and 3D video and is claimed to be the most advanced wearable display available. It also features removable noise-isolating earbuds, an adjustable nose bridge and weighs less than 3oz.

The Vuzix Wrap 920 connects to all NTSC or PAL audio/video devices with video-out capabilities and composite video connections. The eyewear comes with a composite A/V adapter for iPod/iPhone for simple plug ‘n’ play connection to your portable media player. There are optional Wrap Adapter connections for HDMI-equipped devices and even desktop PC and laptops for watching movies.

We can think of a few scenarios where these glasses would be quite handy – like in bed when your partner is trying to sleep but you want to watch a movie, or when you can’t focus on the tiny airplane screen with matching poor quality sound.

Vuzix says that with support for standard 2D movies as well as virtually all common 3D video formats, you’ll be able to watch all the latest movie releases, as they were meant to be seen.

The Vuzix Wrap 920 glasses deliver the equivalent image of a 67-inch screen as viewed from 10ft via twin high-resolution 640 x 480 LCD displays, 60Hz progressive scan update rate with ultra-low video distortion and 24-bit true color (16 million colors).

The unit is compatible with iPods, iPhones, portable DVD players, cell phones with video out, all composite video devices, digital cameras and camcorders, PCs and laptops with a VGA port. It also works with video sources equipped with HDMI connectors, such as set-top boxes, video game consoles and Blu-ray players.

The glasses onscreen display can be adjusted for brightness, contrast, hue and color saturation and they also feature removable noise-isolating earbuds, an adjustable nose bridge and are wearable over prescription glasses.

Two AA alkaline batteries will power the device for up to six hours according to Vuzix.

Accessories include a Wrap Lightshield: that blocks distracting outside light, and changeable lens that allow you to pop out the standard dark grey lens for alternates to match your mood or style.

The Vuzix range is also set to expand with the Wrap 920AR augmented reality glasses we tried at this year's CES. This platform incorporates a Stereo Camera that mounts to the front of Wrap eyewear and captures real-life images that can be combined with mixed reality software to overlay computer-generated graphics.

There's also the Wrap 6DoF Tracker/Compass that, when connected to a supporting device, transforms your Wrap eyewear into a virtual reality system that senses 6° of head movement and compass direction.

The Vuzix Wrap 920 glasses cost US$349.95


Updated on 2/03/2010

APPLE INTRODUCES REVOLUTIONARY LAPTOP WITH NO KEYBOARD

Now this is something that actually caught my eye...Imagine just having no keyboard apart from a sliding circular touch pad...the same design as the ipod...and using it everyday...u can actually compose an email just by using the sliding pad and a single button...this is something that could revolutionize technology in the near future or rather will....




Updated on 2/03/2010

These are interesting facts that actually made me wonder...Is technology revlutionizing this fast that we dont even seem to realize????





Finally to end my blog i got a couple of videos that you may be interested in watching about the latest gadgets:



Gadgets of 2009 and 2010




Future Technology



Now this is even more serious stufff...If u know what m talkin about...




Thanks for getting time to read this blog...You can leave your opinions and comments below. Thank you all and have a nice day. Time to get hands on the latest gadgets and gizmozzzz....:-)