Advances in Computers thread

[ScienceRocks]

Intel Demos 14nm Broadwell: Up to 30% Lower Power than Haswell
by Anand Lal Shimpi on September 11, 2013 12:42 PM EST

Intel just demonstrated 14nm Broadwell ULT (Y-series) silicon, normalized for performance against 22nm Haswell ULT (Y-series) silicon running a multithreaded Cinebench test. Intel was monitoring SoC power during the benchmark and demonstrated a ~30% reduction in power, at the same performance level.

The other reveal? Broadwell ULT, albeit still a two-die, single chip MCM, is physically smaller than Haswell ULT. A physical size reduction is necessary to get Broadwell into fanless tablet designs that can have competitive battery capacities to ARM based designs.

AnandTech | Intel Demos 14nm Broadwell: Up to 30% Lower Power than Haswell

 

[ScienceRocks]

Google unveils major upgrade to search algorithm

Google has unveiled an upgrade to the way it interprets users' search requests.

The new algorithm, codenamed Hummingbird, is the first major upgrade for three years.

It has already been in use for about a month, and affects about 90% of Google searches.

At a presentation on Thursday, the search giant was short on specifics but said Hummingbird is especially useful for longer and more complex queries.

BBC News - Google unveils major upgrade to search algorithm

 

[ScienceRocks]

Breakthrough in photonics could allow for faster and faster electronics

(Phys.org) —A pair of breakthroughs in the field of silicon photonics by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Micron Technology Inc. could allow for the trajectory of exponential improvement in microprocessors that began nearly half a century ago—known as Moore's Law—to continue well into the future, allowing for increasingly faster electronics, from supercomputers to laptops to smartphones.

Read more at: Breakthrough in photonics could allow for faster and faster electronics

 

[ScienceRocks]

Disney creates tactile touchscreen feedback for virtual 3D objects

Whereas touchscreens are one of the easiest interfaces to manipulate, their biggest downfall is the lack of tactile/haptic feedback. While you don’t need resistance or vibration when scrolling up and down a mobile webpage, tactile feedback would make games, touch keyboards, and a host of other uses much more interesting. In fact, Disney Research’s new tactile feedback algorithm allows you to “feel” virtual 3D objects that are displayed on-screen.

Disney creates tactile touchscreen feedback for virtual 3D objects | ExtremeTech

 

[ScienceRocks]

LG is making ‘bendable and unbreakable’ OLED display, for useless curved smartphone

LG has confirmed that it has begun mass production of a flexible, 6-inch OLED display for smartphones. According to LG, these displays are both bendable and unbreakable (if LG would like to send us a prototype so that we can test the latter claim, that’d be lovely). LG’s flexible OLED display will apparently hit the market inside the “G Flex,” a 6-inch curved-screen smartphone that’s expected to be announced in November. Unfortunately, curved smartphones are virtually useless — and actually worse ergonomically than normal, flat smartphones.

LG is making ?bendable and unbreakable? OLED display, for useless curved smartphone | ExtremeTech

 

[ScienceRocks]

Major silicon photonics breakthrough could allow for continued exponential growth in microprocessors

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Micron Technology Inc. have developed a new technique in silicon photonics that could allow for exponential improvement in microprocessors to continue well into the future.

The technique allows microprocessors to use light instead of electrical wires to communicate with transistors on a single chip, a system that could also lead to energy-efficient computing.

Major silicon photonics breakthrough could allow for continued exponential growth in microprocessors | KurzweilAI

 

[ScienceRocks]

Samsung Announces Galaxy Round With 5.7-Inch Curved Display

Samsung has announced its first smartphone with a curved display, called the Galaxy Round.

The device has a slightly rounded 5.7-inch, 1080p Super AMOLED screen in a 7.9mm-thick case, with the weight being 154 grams.

Samsung claims the curved design of the phone offers a very comfortable grip, plus some unique features. One of these is the Roll Effect (check it out in the video above), which lets users check info such as data, time, missed calls and battery status when the home screen is off. Another is the Gravity Effect, which creates a visual interaction with the screen when the device is tilted.

Samsung Announces Galaxy Round With 5.7-Inch Curved Display

 

[ScienceRocks]

LG Chem turns to stepped, curve and cable batteries

(Phys.org) —Stories have been rolling in from technology news sites this week about vendors in a race to debut curved smartphones and flexible OLED panels for smartphones. Also making news on Tuesday is Seoul, South Korean-based chemical company LG Chem, which has curved batteries in production. The company, which is a major lithium-ion battery manufacturer, on Tuesday said it has curved batteries in mass production, and in fact has been producing curved batteries since July this year, at a plant in China. Curved batteries are being used to power G2 smartphones manufactured by the company's affiliate, LG Electronics.

Read more at: LG Chem turns to stepped, curve and cable batteries

 

[ScienceRocks]

Sound waves create touch feedback without actual touch

In the realm of Tony Stark, computer displays appear spontaneously in mid-air on command, without any physical display device being required. Stark uses his hands to interact with this high-tech interface, all the while touching nothing tangible. It’s no secret that we’re already on the brink of taking this sort of tech from the movies into real life, but how do we make it even better? Enter ultrahaptics, which uses sound waves to create the sensation of touch when no touch is actually present.

With an ultrahaptic device, ultrasound transducers create sound waves at a high frequency. These waves create isolated changes in air pressure that mimic the sensation of touch. No contact with a physical object is necessary. A research team at the University of Bristol recently demonstrated how the system works with a display that projects the sound waves. A user interacts with items on the display by using his hands several feet above it, but he feels as if he is actually touching the display as vibrations reach the fingertips. By changing that vibration, the team discovered that they can create different sensations, making the air the user is touching feel like it has texture, and even creating the sensation of raised areas and edges.

Sound waves create touch feedback without actual touch | DVICE

 

[ScienceRocks]

Interactive holographic interfaces will soon be everywhere


Interactive holographic interfaces will soon be everywhere | DVICE

Imagine a future world where you order your lunch by reaching out and touching a floating image of the food you want. It's a world where your car's dashboard isn't a physical thing any longer, but a series of floating, touch-sensitive meters and data screens. It may sound far-fetched, but this holographically powered future could be closer than you think.

A Japanese company going by the name of Asukanet is developing practical holograms. They've already got working prototypes which display anything from ATM screens to slot machine reels in mid air. This by itself isn't all that amazing, as projector-based holograms have been around for years now. But the holograms at Asukanet aren't just passive images — they're next-gen touchscreens.

Paper Generators bring a spark of new life to the printed page

http://www.gizmag.com/disney-paper-generators/29366/

Disney Research, Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University have released details of another one of their collaborative projects, this one involving thin, flexible generators that can be built into paper items such as the pages of a book. By simply rubbing or tapping one of these pages, users can illuminate LEDs, prompt applications on linked computers, or even activate e-ink displays – no batteries or outlets required.

 

[ScienceRocks]

App lets you retrieve ATM cash using just your phone

Terry Chao

Thursday, October 10, 2013 - 5:03pm

Waiting in line for an ATM is never an enjoyable experience, less so fumbling for your debit card in the process. That's why three banks in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Illinois have been testing a service that allows bank customers to use an app that would allow them to retrieve ATM cash in mere seconds, no plastic necessary.

The three banks, Wintrust (IL), BMO (Chicago), and City National (Los Angeles), are all making banking easier with the app called Cardless Cash Access (CCS), which generates a QR code to scan at the ATM to make sure you are actually at the machine when the cash is dispensed. The app is developed by bank technology firm FIS, who has seen a surge of interest in its cardless ATM innovations.

App lets you retrieve ATM cash using just your phone | DVICE




XFINITY Home: easy, integrated security and control
XFINITY Home: easy, integrated security and control | DVICE

There are all kinds of ways to automate everything in your home, from monitoring your doors and windows, to installing remotely accessible cameras, to taking control of your thermostat. It's possible to cobble together these pieces by yourself using an assortment of hardware and services, but it rapidly gets expensive, and you have to be willing to invest a lot of time and effort into getting everything to coherently talk to everything else.

XFINITY Home is a hardware and software service from Comcast that does all of this home automation and integration for you. Once installed, it can monitor and control a comprehensive array of sensors, including indoor and outdoor cameras, motion sensors, door and window sensors, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and more. Besides security, XFINITY home also lets you remotely control your thermostat, your lights, and any small appliance that's attached to an outlet. All of this stuff is accessible from anywhere with an Internet-connected app or web browser.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Ultrasound chip offers gesture control for mobiles

Ultrasound technology that enables mobiles and tablets to be controlled by gesture could go into production as early as next year.

Norwegian start-up Elliptic Labs is in talks with Asian handset manufacturers to get the chip embedded in devices.

The technology works via an ultrasound chip that uses sound waves to interpret hand movements.

The move towards gesture control has gathered pace and there are now many such products on the market.

Big gestures

What sets Elliptic's gesture-control system apart from others is its wide field of use, up to a metre away from the phone. It means it can identify mid-air gestures accurately.

Because it uses sound rather than sight, the sensor can recognise gestures from a 180-degree field. It also consumes less power and works in the dark.

By contrast Samsung's Galaxy S4 uses an infrared sensor that can only interpret hand movements within a very small zone.

BBC News - Ultrasound chip offers gesture control for mobiles

 

[ScienceRocks]

General Electric Expands Internet of Things to More Industrial Equipment

The Internet of Things — a network that connects devices, from sneakers to massive industrial oil- and gas-drilling equipment, and runs the information they provide through big data-analyzing software — has been over-promised and under-delivered. Yet tech companies are still lumbering toward such a network.

General Electric recently took a big step, more than doubling the vertically-specialized hardware/software packages it offers to connect machines and interpret their data. The company hopes to make its mark by significantly reducing the amount of “unplanned downtime” that industrial equipment undergoes, thereby bringing about economic benefits.

General Electric Expands Internet of Things to More Industrial Equipment | Singularity Hub

 

[ScienceRocks]

World’s fastest wireless network hits 100 gigabits per second, can scale to terabits

German researchers have combined photonics and electronics to create a world-record-breaking wireless network that can send and receive data at a heady 100 gigabits per second (Gbps). This beats the same team’s previous world record of 40Gbps. At 100Gbps, or a transfer rate of 12.5 gigabytes per second — ten times faster than Google Fiber — you could copy a complete Blu-ray disc in a couple of seconds

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World?s fastest wireless network hits 100 gigabits per second, can scale to terabits | ExtremeTech

 

[ScienceRocks]

castAR: the most versatile AR & VR system

castAR: bridging the physical world with the virtual worlds; 3D holographic like projections in AR, fully immersive environments in VR

What is castAR?
castAR is a projected augmented reality system that displays holographic-like 3D projections right in front of you. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope sparked our imaginations of what might be possible in the future by showing R2-D2 and Chewbacca playing a holographic 3D chess-style game. It has taken nearly 35 years since the film was released for this technological dream to come to reality, but with castAR, that reality can be yours.

castAR includes a very fast and highly precise tracking solution, allowing you to change your experience by holding your 3D world in place while you are free to move around in it.

castAR: the most versatile AR & VR system by Technical Illusions ? Kickstarter

 

[ScienceRocks]

Lono Sprinkler Controller

Now you can control your sprinklers with your smart phone. Easy peasy, limon squeezy.

We have the technology. We’ve sent a man to the moon. So why are we still running in and out of the garage to see if our sprinklers are working? Lono lets you control your sprinkler system anywhere, anytime with your smart phone. And the things that should be automated, finally are.

Control From Anywhere
Fixing a broken sprinkler head can put undue stress on our relationships – all that shouting and running back and forth from the garage. "Is it working? Which zone is on? Turn it off! Turn it off!"

Lono Sprinkler Controller by Lono ? Kickstarter

 

[ScienceRocks]

3D magnetic storage breakthrough enables 100TB+ hard drives

At long last, engineers at Florida International University have found a way of breaking the 2D limitation of magnetic hard drive storage. By moving to three dimensions, the researchers have massively increased areal density, with the possibility of 100-terabyte (and larger) hard drives now firmly on the horizon.

While we’ve covered a lot of magnetic storage breakthroughs, they have all been fundamentally 2D in their implementation, and thus are ultimately restricted by superparamagnetic limits (magnetic bits can only be so small, before neighboring bits/changes in temperature can randomly alter the magnetism). Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), for example, can allow for magnetic grains that are just a few nanometers across and areal densities in the terabits-per-square-inch domain — but even then, we’re still looking at a hard cap of around 60 terabytes per hard drive.

3D magnetic storage breakthrough enables 100TB+ hard drives | ExtremeTech

 

[ScienceRocks]

Zoomable holograms pave the way for versatile, portable projectors

Imagine giving a presentation to a roomful of important customers when suddenly the projector fails. You whip out your smartphone, beam your PowerPoint presentation onto the conference room screen, and are back in business within seconds. This career-saving application and others like it are the promise of a new generation of ultra-small projectors. Now researchers from Japan and Poland have taken an important step toward making such devices more versatile and easier to integrate into portable electronic devices.

The team has created a small holographic projection system with a lensless zoom function. When fully developed the system should be cheaper and smaller than other projection systems. The researchers report their findings in a paper published today in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express.

Zoom functions magnify an image to fit on an arbitrarily sized screen, but they typically require complicated lenses and mechanical components. "A zoom lens in general projectors occupies a large area in the systems," said Tomoyoshi Shimobaba, a professor in the graduate school of engineering at Chiba University in Japan. "If I remove the zoom lens, the system will be small and cost-saving."

Though the new holographic lensless zoom is not the first lensless zoom system to be developed, Shimobaba notes that other systems require extra components. His team's system requires only a laser and an LCD panel.

Read more at: Zoomable holograms pave the way for versatile, portable projectors

 

[ScienceRocks]

The new manufacturing tech that will bring high-resolution displays to every device

Ever since Apple rolled out the Retina display on the 3rd gen iPad, users have been clamoring for high resolution displays on larger devices. Fifteen months ago, when we last dove into this topic, it was clear that while ultra-high resolution displays were coming, it was going to be quite some time before they truly hit the mass market. Today, Applied Materials is launching a trio of new manufacturing systems that are designed to address the limitations keeping next-generation displays out of reach of consumers.

The biggest reason you can’t stroll down to Fry’s or NewEgg and by yourself a 30-inch, 7680×4320 monitor is that producing such a panel is incredibly expensive with current manufacturing techniques. Even Asus’ 4K display, released earlier this spring, is retailing for $3500. For decades, LCDs were built on a substrate of amorphous silicon (a-SI), a cheap, easily constructed substance that’s extremely scalable, fairly easy to work with, and incapable of scaling effectively to meet the pixel densities or power requirements of high resolution displays. Two standards have come forward to take its place — metal oxide technology, which we’ll primarily be discussing today, and LTPS (low temperature polysilicon).

The new manufacturing tech that will bring high-resolution displays to every device | ExtremeTech

 

[ScienceRocks]

Honeywell WiFi Smart Thermostat with voice control hands-on

Think of smart home thermostats and you probably think of Nest, but HVAC stalwart Honeywell wants to change all that with its WiFi Smart Thermostat with voice control. The touchscreen heating and air conditioning control unit not only allows you to fiddle with your settings with a fingertip, but call out instructions not only from up close but from across the room and, potentially, elsewhere in the house. We stopped by to pretend we were talking to the computer out of Star Trek; head on past the cut for some early impressions.


Honeywell has had touchscreen thermostats for some time now, making things like multi-day programming more straightforward than the traditional combination of switches, LCD-segment displays, and cryptic abbreviations that send you running to the user guide. It’s also been experimenting with cloud-control, allowing for remotely setting the temperature from a phone or tablet.

What the Smart Thermostat adds is the ability to adjust things hands-free. It’s not full control of every setting via spoken command – you’ll still have to get up close and hands-on to do things like change regular on/off times – but it gives easy access to the basics.

You trigger the system by saying “Hello thermostat” and, after that, have a choice of commands. They range from the basic – “make it warmer” for instance – to the specific – like “decrease the temperature by five degrees” – as well as more natural language instructions. Saying “Help” calls up a list of supported commands on-screen.

Honeywell WiFi Smart Thermostat with voice control hands-on - SlashGear



I'd like to see such voice command control

-Lights

-T.v

-Lock or unlock the door


This is what a real smart home looks like Or even turn on or off the stove.


Like t.v charge channel to " " or maybe turn down volume.