One of the most anticipated developments in the computer industry this year is the Tablet. The tablet that we usually know is the flat surface input device where we draw images using a stylus, similar to what we do when we draw images with a pencil on a paper. The tablet PC more commonly known now is a slate-shaped portable computer with a touchscreen display that can be operated on by using a stylus or the fingertip. An external keyboard is an option and is usually connected either through USB or Bluetooth. Early applications were in specialized fields like factories, health care and restaurants. The Tablet was in recent years embraced by leading PC manufacturers such as Acer, Asus, Fujitsu, HP and Lenovo to name a few, which made it possible for the product to find its way in consumer hands. Probably the most anticipated development that brought much excitement to consumers these days is the news that Apple will be coming out with its own version of the tablet that is rumored to be called the iSlate. What worries other vendors is it is expected to somehow take a slice of the market not only from competing tablet products but also from related products like the e-book reader and netbooks.
Following the success of the Apple Iphone, Apple’s new invention is The Apple Tablet. It has a 10 inch screen, and when I saw it looked just like a giant iPhone, with a black back. The tablet is as a secondary screen/touchpad for iMacs and MacBooks.
Its coming out late January, so get your credit cards out, its right around the corner. It will cost between $700-$1000 according to rumors on the Internet.
Twitter has recently purchased Mixer Labs, a company that develops location-based applications. The micro-blogging service has purchased the company for an undisclosed sum, to make location broadcasting as an important part of its service. The service is enhanced when current location is added to tweets, resulting to new and valuable services such as finding friends and local businesses; or finding location of breaking news and many more. Twitter does not want to be left behind in offering location-based services as other providers are doing it like Google Maps and Facebook. Mixer Labs has a portfolio that includes a number geo-location products that they will be bringing along to Twitter. These include Reverse Geodecoder (use in finding a city or location with latitudes and longitudes), Media Layers (runs other media services like Twitter, into a geo-specific context) and Places Finder (used for more complex, local geo-queries). The Mixer Labs purchase can also be said as one that took consideration of its talents. Both of its founders are ex-Googlers who had major contributions in the development of Google apps like Google Mobile, Google Toolbar and Google Gears.
At present, there are a number of ways you could connect your PC or digital video source to display devices. The most popular are through DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. An alternative solution is to be introduced to the market by DisplayLink, a semiconductor and software company, starting next year. The new protocol, also called DisplayLink, will allow digital video to run in USB 3.0 standard devices, which has over ten times the speed of USB 2.0. This improvement in bandwidth will make possible the transmission of high definition (HD) video over USB. It is expected that a prototype device will be on display at CES 2010 next month, showing video transfers at around 4.8Gbps speeds. When put into commercial deployment, DiplayLink will allow laptops and netbooks to be connected via USB directly to HD display devices. DisplayLink is being supported by a number of PC manufacturers like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba and a few others. On LCD display makers, it is only Samsung that has so far come out with models that includes DisplayLink ports.
Flash memory technology may be entering a new phase with the introduction of the organic flash memory device. Existing flash memory devices store data in silicon transistors. Information is written in memory and is retained even when the memory device is powered down. Flash memory is ideal for portable and mobile devices such as USB drives, MP3 players and digital cameras. A flexible version, offered by the new organic flash memory device, may soon be available in applications where ordinary flash memory would not permit. Sample applications are in large-area devices for entertainment and industrial fields. The new technology was developed by scientists working at University of Tokyo’s Department of Engineering and Information Systems. They came out with a stretchable OLED prototype that utilizes the same type of floating-gate transistors usually found in silicon-based flash memories. The flexible memory device memory can be bent down to its minimum curvature radius of 6mm without causing mechanical damage and electrical degradation. If this technology finally finds its way to commercial deployment, we could be seeing soon in the market flexible computing devices that were never before thought possible.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has just announced the release of Bluetooth version 4.0. This came fast because version 3.0 was released only last April of this year. While the aim of Bluetooth 3.0 is to offer faster transfer speeds with the introduction of WiFi transfer (at the expense of high energy consumption), version 4.0 is targeting applications that utilize less energy and require smaller form factors. This new development will make way for new markets in various fields like home entertainment, fitness, sports, security, and healthcare. Sample devices that that can take advantage of Bluetooth 4.0 are wristwatches, remote controls, calculators, biophysical monitors and many more. The new version specifies several power modes – idle, lower peak, average, and 4.0 devices can be powered by standard coin-cell batteries. The specifications also support data packet transfers at speeds up to 1Mbps and provides full AES-128 encryption. The new standard offers two variants – dual-mode that integrates the low energy feature of Bluetooth 4.0 to existing devices, and single-mode that utilizes a lightweight link layer to implement very low-power idle mode to new devices.
Google is gearing up its Chrome OS for the netbook market. Although it is seen by the industry as a potential competitor to Microsoft’s Windows OS, sources are saying that Google is no hurry to collide heads on with Microsoft on all PC platforms. Chrome OS is expected to be released on the second half of 2010 and associated hardware is now being developed by leading manufacturers such as Acer, Qualcomm, Asus, Lenovo, Freescale, TI and Intel. Google is targeting the Chrome OS for the new generation of computer users who spend more of their time online accessing social media and multimedia services such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and many more. It will also look at the developing shift to cloud computing from the traditional set-up where applications reside in the user PC. Since these applications may require mobility and portability, Google is recommending the Chrome OS for devices with solid-state drives. There are also reports that Google is working with one hardware manufacturer on a Google-branded netbook that will run on the Chrome OS.
We’ve been witnessing many applications being introduced to the iPhone in recent weeks. One of the breakthroughs is the live streaming app from Ustream, a lifecasting and video streaming provider. This is a major turnaround from the previous position of Apple not to allow live video streaming from the iPhone. Now, with the Ustream app installed in your iPhone, you can stream pre-recorded video or live video from your iPhone’s camera through 3G or Wi-Fi networks. You can also share your recorded video on the Ustream site, Twitter, Facebook and yes, YouTube! Your GPS location and URL can also be imposed on the video so your friends will know how to locate you. This app will work with the 3GS and even the 3G iPhone, which does not have a built-in video record capability. Supported video resolutions are 320 x 240 pixels, and can be decreased to 176 x 144 if you have limited memory and bandwidth. And you get all these amazing features from Ustream for free!
The final specification for Blu-ray 3D was recently announced by the Blu-ray Disc Association. This means that soon, we will be able to watch 3D movies and content stored in Blu-ray media and displayed in 3D standard-compatible devices. The new format will use the Multiview Video Coding or MVC codec, a variant of H.264, in encoding sterecopic 1080p data to Blu-ray discs. The extra data, however, will require only 50% additional storage space and the recorded content will be backward compatible to 2D players. The standard may specify new HDTV set-ups but should also work with existing HD displays and will also still require 3D glasses. As soon as the final specification is released, expect manufacturers of HD displays and Blu-ray (including PlayStation 3) devices to start to come out with 3D format compliant products. Include to this list content and software providers who naturally will come out with applications such as the popular Final Cut and Adobe Premiere editing tools.
WiGig or Wireless Gigabit is a new wireless communications technology that will operate in the unlicensed 60 GHz band at multi-gigabit speeds. It is being promoted by the WiGig Alliance composed of appliance, semicon and software companies such as Samsung, Panasonic, LG Electronics, Microsoft and Intel. WiGig allows wireless data transfer rates up to 7GBps, which is a lot faster than the fastest wireless LAN available at present. But transmission range at 60GHz is limited to short distances so this is just right for wireless communication between devices in a typical room at gigabit speeds. A sample application is in delivering HD video from a multimedia player to a HDTV display. Unfortunately, WiGig products will not be available in the immediate future. The specifications for the standard have just been completed and will be made available to the Alliance members in the first quarter of 2010. Expect them however, to come out with WiGig prototypes and be ready for the launch of WiGig version 1.0.
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Uncategorized | cesar | 
January 3, 2010 9:25 am | 
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