Folks have long been using piezoelectric devices to harvest energy in everything from dance floors to parking lots, but a group of European researchers have now shown off some novel uses for the technology at the recent International Electron Devices Meeting that could see even more of the self-sufficient devices put to use. Their big breakthrough is that they've managed to shrink a piezoelectric device down to "micromachine" size, which was apparently possible in part as a result of using aluminum nitride instead of lead zirconate titanate as the piezoelectric material, thereby making the devices easier to manufacture. Their first such device is a wireless temperature sensor, which is not only extremely tiny, but is able to function autonomously by harvesting energy from vibrations and t
Apparently Orange has announced they are to be the first company to roll out High Definition Voice services to their customers this year, reports an article over on itproportal. The HD Voice service will deliver high voice quality on mobile phones which incorporate a dedicated HD Voice feature.Orange has stated they have been working closely [...]
Remember that Toshiba NB300 that showed up at the FCC a few weeks ago? Now a few retailers are showing listings for the netbook, giving us a better idea of the specs. Here’s the picture that’s shaping up:Display: 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixelsCPU: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450Chipset: Intel NM10 Express MobileGraphics: Intel GMA 3150OS: [...]Post from: LiliputingToshiba NB300 specs leaked
I’m not certain what it is, but there is a lot of cool robot stuff happening today. First the JO-ZERO, the Remo, and now the OmniTread. The OmniTread isn’t a humanoid robot, and it isn’t a kit that you can special order just yet. The OmniTread is the work of some developers [...]
What we have here is a device designed to pick up frequencies emitted by wireless spy cameras. It actually took me some time to figure that out, since nobody spelled it out for me. Worse than that, they’re calling it an “anti spy camera detector”, which would mean that it detects things that stop spy [...]
Despite all of the conspiracy theories that robots will someday take over the world, you can’t help but love this robot. He’s completely harmless, all he does is play your favorite music all day long. He may have a permanently goofy expression on his face, but at least he has his uses. Plus he’s made [...]
I find it intriguing when designers explain what influences one of their designs. Many things can serve as a source of inspiration, it just depends on the designer. For example, I am a christian and this was my inspiration for this particular design. I created this piece of jewelry as a hybrid of a luggage tag and christian's cross. The three cutouts reference The Holy Trinity, a prevalent theme in most religions. Some have said together they appear as an abstract form of an angel. I hope the explanation of the concept behind this design has been insightful. Wear it well!JPTag dimensions 1 in X 2 in Necklace Cord length 22 in
Happy New Year to you and yours from jkOnTheRun! May you have a safe and happy transition into the new year. We are honored and humbled that you spend time with us.
Softbank this week revealed plans to give its iPhone 1Seg TV tuner an official iPhone app. The upcoming TV Mobile app will let those with an iPhone 3G or 3GS watch over-the-air TV from the tuner without having to keep the peripheral near the Apple device as they do today. Rather than create a short-range connection over Wi-Fi, the app can be set to stream TV from the tuner over the Internet to a distant iPhone, using a local Wi-Fi router to give the 1Seg add-on its connection....
We’re still hearing rumors of a January 26th launch for the much-discussed Apple Tablet, and according to the latest from oft-insider Josh Gruber of Daring Fireball, all the signs are coming together for just such an unveil. Gruber highlights the fact that “everyone working on it has dropped off the map”, something which last happened in the run up to the original iPhone’s announcement back in early 2007; in fact, many of the people who have now gone into stealth mode are the same engineers and software teams responsible for the iPhone Mail, Calendar, and Safari apps.Gruber describes it as a “cone of silence”, and it’s one that – despite talk of Apple discussing ebook and other deals with publishers – even content partners might be ke
Another year has come and gone. I’ve actually heard some people say that this has been a slow year gadget wise, but I disagree and I am sure the rest of the Gear Diary team agrees. Here is what we think deserves the title Gadget of the Year for 2009. Note: I counted a mention [...]Related posts:How The Droid Made Me Appreciate My iPhone 3GSGearChat: The Demise of Print Media and a Possible Reason for the Amazon KindleThe Palm Pre costs $1,250 less than the iPhone or Droid over 2 years
