Next month, Nokia will release the new smart phone N900 that will run on Maemo 5 operating system. In 2008, Nokia acquired Symbian, the leading OS in the “smart mobile device” market, also known as Symbian OS. According to Nokia, Maemo 5 is completely different from Symbian, Windows Mobile, Iphone OS or Google Android since it is regarded as the technology that will computer capabilities to the mobile phone.
The OS is an open source and based on Debian Linux. However, software improvements is only a part of migrating computer capabilities to mobile phone.
Maemo 5 introduced a completely redesigned finger-touch UI, cellular phone feature, and live multitasking on the Maemo Dashboard. But what about processor performance? Battery usage?
It was said before that Nokia and Intel will have a cooperation which will allow Intel to enter the mobile phone market. But Nokia has chosen the ARM CortexTM-A8 processor for the N900 smart phone.
Watch the N900 promo video below. Read more…
JAJAH, VoIP (Voice Over IP) provider will allow its users to make free calls using Twitter. The service is started in beta now.
Note both the caller and the callee needs to be part of the @Call service. So how does it work?
From twitter, you tweet: “@call @username” using the twitter username of the person you wish to call.
If you are logged in to twitter from a PC, you phone will ring, once you answer, the call will be placed you will hear a message “Please hold, JAJAH is connecting your call…” and you wait for the person to pick in the other end. You can also try it from your mobile phone.
JAJAH will connect the call without reveal contact information to any party. For privacy reasons, calls can only be made to followers.
For more information, watch the video Read more…
Researchers at the Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University, Sweden have discovered a way to store energy using green algae. The new battery from Uppsala is very promising. It is easy to manufacture, cheap and charges in no time.
This is what you bascially get by mixing algae cellulose, conducting polymers and salt water. Read more…
Q: Could you recommend a site that would provide a good tutorial on the TLM method?
Background:
In an article I wrote at my RF Microwave Blog, I talked about the Transimission Line Matrix Method (TLM) as an alternative time domain solver of maxwell equations. I received an email from Mike S. asking the above question. Check out the answer Read more…
Hans Vestberg, Ericsson Chief Financial Officer and Appointed CEO, for the first time keynote speaker at Broadband World Forum 2009 which took place at CNIT LA défence, Paris, France from 7-9 September 2009.
Vestberg talks about many opportunities and challenges for the future of telecom from Ericsson’s perspective.
2009 Financial crisis affecting the entire society.
2012 Mobile broadband in massive installation phase growing into 3 billion mobile broadband subscribers
2020 After installation is finish, the Deployment Phase will start. He compares the mobile broadband to the iron manufacturing innovations which led into building railways to connect countries and then steamships to connect continents.
2050 Sustainability aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 – 80%.
Watch the video to listen to Hans Vestberg entire speech at BBWF 2009 Read more…
At Nokia World 2009 in Stuttgart, Germany, Nokia Research Center showed a new concept in user experience: Nokia Mixed Reality
The concept features three concepts:
- Gaze-tracking eyewear which allows the user to select and browser with the eyes
- 3D Audio
- Haptic wrist device to feel and fetch media through gesture and touch
This concept allows to you to experience immersion and effortless navigation in an Augmented Reality environment. New types of interactions involving near-to-eye displays, gaze direction tracking, 3D audio, 3D video, gesture and touch. Through these new types of social linkages people will be connected in innovative ways between the physical and digital worlds, as described on Nokia Research Center Website
Take a look at this video to get an idea about Nokia’s vision of future technology. Read more…
The Swedish music service Spotify is streaming music for more than 4 million users in 8 countries, just after one year of the hyped service launching. Few weeks ago, Spotify took the next step with the Apple Iphone App and Google Android App.
However, streaming music from a server to a PC is not rocket science. You just need a fast and user friendly interface. The main challenge remains to convince the record labels that you have a good business model and sign DMCA contracts for millions of songs. This is what Spotify succeeded with, and showed that there is an alternative for illegal file sharing.
Everyone expects now a similar service for streaming movies and TV programs over the internet, but the case is not as easy as in the music world. The main issue is bandwidth. Video requires much more bandwidth than music which means that in the traditional streaming technology – streaming from a server to a computer or usual file sharing. When the number of users increases, capacity issues and hence costs will increase tremendously. If we take Youtube for example, many sources have said that the costs are much higher than the revenues. And yet they are only streaming short and low quality videos (HD is an option not available for all videos). Read more…
The European Microwave Week (EuMW) is the largest show dedicated for RF & Microwave in Europe consisting of 4 conferences and more than 140 exhibitors:
The conferences encompass a wide range of subject areas including:
- Microwave and Opto-Electronic Devices and Circuits
- Packaging and Interconnects
- Antennas, Propagation and EMI
- Radar, Sensors and Wireless Technologies
- Measurement and Instrumentation
- Telecommunication, Transportation and Medical Systems
Read more…
After a successful trial in using a rat brain to control a robot, the scientists at the University of Reading in Great Britain will take their project to the next step and try for the first time to connect a robot to a human brain.
The first experiment used 300 000 nerve cells from the rat brain to control a small robot on wheels. The project initially aimed at getting a deeper knowledge of how the human brain works in order to get a better understanding of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson by studying the brain signals.
The experiment with human brain cells is the first of its kind and could bring bioengineering and biomechanics in particular into a new era.
Optimists are already speculating the birth of AI: Artificial Intelligence. Read more…
Cyberdine Corporation and Professor Sankai of Tsukuba University introduced HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) last year. A robot suit that can improve physical capability. While it is a good solution to handicaps, disabled or aged people to move around, HAL can assist workers in the industry to carry more, and rely on it in certain position like bending knees for a long period.
Technology behind HAL
The movement of a person is established as a consequence of nerve signals being sent from the brain to the muscles via motoneuron, moving the musculoskeletal system. At the same instance, very weak bio signals can be detected on the surface of the skin. HAL catches these signals through a sensor attached to the skin of the wearer. Based on the signals obtained, the power unit is controlled to move the joint unitedly with the wearer’s muscle movement, enabling to support the wearer’s daily activities.
The video below shows HAL in action Read more…