Researchers layer an electronic junction into optical fiber
Feb 7, 2012 Hardware
Pennsylvania State University researchers have devised a technique for embedding an electronic junction directly into optical fiber, which potentially paves the way for more streamlined optical components.
API: Three Letters That Change Life, the Universe and Even Detroit
Feb 7, 2012 Hardware
There was a time when APIs were just a way of building applications for a desktop operating system like Microsoft Windows. But in the age of the internet, they have the power to plug applications into, well, almost anything. They’ve already transformed websites like Google and Facebook and Twitter into services that talk to a world of other applications, across PCs as well as mobile phones. But that’s small potatoes. They’re also reinventing old-world operations, including mobile carriers like AT&T and even auto makers like GM.
A5 Mystery Solved (Why Siri Won’t Run On iPhone 4)
Feb 7, 2012 Hardware
Hugh Pickens writes “Anna Leach reports that Siri support has been a contentious issue for owners of earlier iPhones, but a recent filing from Audience shows that Siri won’t run on the iPhone 4 because the phone’s chip can’t handle it. Linley Gwennap of the Linley Group cracked one of the secrets of the new iPhone’s A5 chip after working out that it packs some serious audio cleaning power not available on the iPhone 4’s A4 chip. Audience has developed technology that removes most or all of the background noise when someone places a cell-phone call from a restaurant, airport, or other noisy location. The iPhone 4S integrates Audience’s ‘EarSmart’ technology directly into the A5 processor, improving its technology to handle ‘far-field speech,’ which means holding the device at arm’s length rather than directly in front of the mouth. Apple has also licensed the Audience technology for a ‘new generation of processor IP,’ which may mean that the forthcoming A6 processor will appear in the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. ‘Why Apple has not simply purchased Audience is unclear. An acquisition would prevent Audience’s other major customer, Samsung, from using the technology to compete with Apple,’ says Gwennap. ‘The company may be hedging its bets, as it could switch to Qualcomm’s Fluence noise-reduction technology in the future.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
New Intel 520 Series SSD Taps SandForce Controller
Feb 7, 2012 Hardware
crookedvulture writes “Intel continues to partner with third-party controller makers for high-end SSDs. Its new 520 Series drives pair the latest SandForce controller with Intel’s own firmware and 25-nm NAND. HotHardware, Tech Report, and PC Perspective all have reviews of the drive, and the verdict is pretty consistent. While the Intel 520 Series offers slightly better performance than competing SandForce solutions, it also costs 30-40% more. That’s a steep margin even considering the Intel SSD’s five-year warranty.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Indian Engineers Modify Kinect To Help the Blind Walk With Confidence
Feb 7, 2012 Hardware
New submitter albinobee writes “The Kinect for Xbox 360 isn’t only about gaming; it can also be used to help compensate for impaired vision, as a team of Indian engineers is working to prove. A device called viSparsh, still in its nascent stage, is a motion sensing belt that can help alert the blind to obstacles that lie in their path.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Rdio’s Android Player Gets a Much-Needed Update
Feb 7, 2012 Hardware
The subscription-based streaming music service has just released a completely redesigned Android app that fixes all of the little annoyances.
Giant Thermostat Company Sues ‘Nest’ Creators
Feb 7, 2012 Hardware
Honeywell, a company long known for its commercial and residential thermostats, filed a patent infringement lawsuit on Monday against Nest Labs, the outfit that launched the highly publicized Nest thermostat last October.