The notion of a self-driving car has been steadily foregrounded since Google's autonomous vehicles were noted by the New York Times in 2010. Wired's Tom Vanderbilt takes an extensive look at the technology as a logical extension of the features we already enjoy — and the potential it has to change the notions of driving and car ownership. Multiple manufacturers including BMW, Audi, and Toyota are all working on their own versions of computer-controlled driving systems, with Alan Taub, vice president of research and development for General Motors, predicting the technology will be a standard feature by 2020. While it seems futuristic on the surface, we already live in a world where computer-assisted blind spot warnings, cruise control,...
Now that the push into HD displays, quad-core processors and 4G LTE radios is in full swing a lot of manufacturers are looking into ways of making their device’s battery life last more than a couple of hours. We told you about how Samsung was going to look at tweaking radios for better battery life, Motorola is releasing phones with giant 3300mAh batteries and so on. Well others are looking into more efficient smartphones in a completely different direction.
Arman Ahnood, a researcher for the London Centre for Nanotechnology has a prototype that uses solar cells to collect wasted energy from OLED displays. Relying on an array of solar panels that both surround and sit beneath the display, the system averages 11 percent energy capture efficiency that peaks at 18 percent efficiency. Before you scoff at that realise that there is still room for improvement.
According to Ahnood, only 36 percent of light generated is projected outward. Right now, this system is able to generate five milliwatts of additional power on a 3.7 inch screen but it shows considerable promise for the future. So while we may have a while before this becomes a mainstay in our phones it’s nice to see that the battery life issue is finally being addressed. Hit the source to read in detail about this upcoming technology.
Not long ago we published a story about Raspberry Pi, a $35 Linux-based single board computer that is still in development. Now, a Model B version of the device is being demoed and it shows off the small computer’s AirPlay streaming capabilities. The video shows one of Raspberry Pi’s developers using an iPad to stream a video clip to the Raspberry Pi Model B device using AirPlay without a hitch. The developers behind the tiny and affordable computer have said they hope the gadget will eventually be used in schools, although it’s still unclear when the company will begin shipping devices to consumers. A video of Model B working seamlessly with AirPlay follows after the break.
Acer chairman JT Wang on Thursday reaffirmed the company’s dedication to the new “ultrabook” market, further distancing his company from the low-margin netbooks that have dominated its PC lineup in the past. Following the success of Acer’s first-generation ultrabook — the Aspire S3 reportedly shipped between 250,000 and 300,000 units during its first quarter of availability — Acer plans to launch new ultrabook models in both the second and third quarters this year. According to DigiTimes, Wang estimates that Windows and Intel-powered ultrabooks will account for between 25% and 35% of the company’s PC sales in 2012. Wang expects notebook shipment volume to slide between 10% and 15% sequentially in the first quarter, however he expects full-year shipments to grow 10% compared to 2011. While sales in the U.S. and Europe are likely to remain relatively slow according to Acer, the company projects strong sales in Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand and other Southeast Asia markets.
Dave Cutler, who has been called the “father of Windows NT” has joined Microsoft’s Xbox team. “Dave is one of our brightest minds and is currently working on projects that will help advance our goals in the consumer space as we continue to grow the Xbox from a game-centric console to a complete home entertainment device,” a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNET‘s Mary Jo Foley, who confirmed the move recently. Reportedly, Cutler will be tasked with taking Xbox “beyond a gaming platform” which could mean Cutler will work on creating the rumored Xbox 720 set-top box experience. In July, we exclusively reported that Microsoft will unveil the Xbox 720 during the E3 trade show later this year.
