Advances in Computers thread

[ScienceRocks]

Amazon cleared to put its delivery drones to the test
By Nick Lavars
March 19, 2015

It's been more than a year in the making but it seems that the regulatory wheels are beginning to turn on Amazon's bold plan for drone delivery. The FAA has today granted the online retailer permission to start testing its unmanned aircraft as part of its Prime Air initiative. It does come with its share of caveats, however, so don't expect a box set to be plonked down on your doorstep anytime soon.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Progress towards error correction in quantum computers
Next Big Future Progress towards error correction in quantum computers

The Google and UCSB researchers showed they could program groups of qubits—devices that represent information using fragile quantum physics—to detect certain kinds of error, and to prevent those errors from ruining a calculation. The new advance comes from researchers led by John Martinis, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who last year joined Google to set up a quantum computing research lab.

Much quantum computing research focuses on trying to get systems of qubits to detect and fix errors. Martinis’s group has demonstrated a piece of one of the most promising schemes for doing this, an approach known as surface codes. The researchers programmed a chip with nine qubits so that they monitored one another for errors called “bit flips,” where environmental noise causes a 1 to flip to a 0 or vice versa. The qubits could not correct bit flips, but they could take action to ensure that they did not contaminate later steps of an operation

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists invent new way to control light, critical for next gen of super fast computing
15 hours ago

Honeycomb like lattice, which bends light. Credit: UCF

A device resembling a plastic honeycomb yet infinitely smaller than a bee's stinger can steer light beams around tighter curves than ever before possible, while keeping the integrity and intensity of the beam intact.

Read more at: Scientists invent new way to control light critical for next gen of super fast computing

 

[ScienceRocks]

Group creates light-emitting electrochemical cell for use in textiles

A large team of researchers in China has developed a type of light emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) that can be woven into fabric material. As the team notes in their paper published in the journal Nature Photonics, their cells can be used to create wearable electronics. Henk Bolink and Enrique Ortí with the University of Valencia in Spain, offer a News & Views piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue.

Ever since the development of OLEDs, researchers have been hot on the idea of using them to create wearable electronics, such as clothes that light up like an LED screen. But OLEDs proved too difficult to weave into fiber, which led researchers to LECs, which are essentially OLEDs with salt added to overcome some of the limitations of OLEDs. In this new effort the researchers in China have found a way to create LECs that are both strong enough and flexible enough to allow for weaving into textile fabrics.

Read more at: Group creates light-emitting electrochemical cell for use in textiles

 

[ScienceRocks]

DuoPad adds touchscreen-like functionality to existing PCs
By Dave LeClair
March 24, 2015
4 Pictures

With Windows 8, and continuing into Windows 10, Microsoft has created an OS with a bit more of a touchscreen focus. As a solution, many computer makers are selling laptops and all-in-ones with touchscreens, but what about users who already have a computer? The DuoPad trackpad aims to bring a touchscreen-like feel to PCs in a way that is surprisingly cool.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Leap Motion teams up with OSVR for motion-controlled virtual reality
By Will Shanklin
March 25, 2015
2 Pictures

Virtual reality is in an odd place right now. Countless companies are competing to one-up each other, adding features and upgrades to supposedly make their headsets stand out … but most of them are unreleased products. It's essentially unreleased beta hardware duking it out to score public perception points (and, by association, woo developers). Leap Motion and Razer's OSVR took the latest step in that game today.

 

[HenryBHough]

Intel has come up with a chip so powerful and so tiny that it can be built into an entire computer the size of one of these:

Small enough that liberals can easily abandon their tower cases, even laptops and simply insert their computer where it will work best - right up close to their brain!

 

[ScienceRocks]

OSVR dev kit to carry optional faceplate with Leap Motion tech
1 hour ago by Nancy Owano

"3D Output Meets 3D Input," said Leap Motion, the software and hardware company focused on 3D motion-sensing technology, in its Wednesday announcement. Leap Motion and OSVR (Open Source Virtual Reality) announced that the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit will have an optional faceplate with Leap Motion's hardware and software embedded. OSVR, founded by Razer, is described as an "ecosystem" to set an open standard for Virtual Reality input devices, games and output. The kit is scheduled to begin shipping in June but developers can pre-order the HDK and the OSVR faceplate with Leap Motion through the OSVR web store in May.

Read more at: OSVR dev kit to carry optional faceplate with Leap Motion tech

 

[ScienceRocks]

Olio aims for a more luxurious (and more expensive) brand of smartwatch, with the Model One
By Will Shanklin
March 26, 2015
8 Pictures

It looks like Pebble wasn't the only company to come up with a past/future based smartwatch UI. San Francisco-based startup Olio has its own take on a time-based wearable, with its sharp-looking new Olio Model One.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Facebook's Laser Drones Could Bring Internet To 5 Billion People
CBS Local - ‎4 hours ago‎

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Facebook showed off plans to provide internet to billions of people around the world using a solar-powered laser drone.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Intel and Micron announce 3D NAND production, open gates to 10TB SSDs
By Matt Smith — March 26, 2015

Capacity has always been an issue for solid state drives: Each chip is expensive, and there’s limited space on a drive to contain them. Recently, Samsung has tackled the problem with V-NAND, or vertical NAND, which stacks memory for greater storage capacities. Intel and Micron are getting into that game as well, and the solution they’ve come up with, called 3D NAND, is even denser.

Read more: Intel and Micron announce 3D NAND for 10TB solid state drives Digital Trends
Follow us: @digitaltrends on Twitter | digitaltrendsftw on Facebook

 

[ScienceRocks]

Google Working on Project to Let You Receive and Pay Bills Directly Inside Gmail

Google Pony Express May Let You Receive Pay Bills Directly in Gmail Re code

Google’s mission to organize the world’s information is now targeting your physical mailbox.

The company is currently working on a project that will allow Gmail users to more easily receive bills in their email inbox instead of their mailbox. Called Pony Express, the service also is designed to let people pay their bills within Gmail, rather than having to go to a telecom or utility company’s website to complete a payment.

Those details are outlined in a lengthy document viewed by Re/code. The new service is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter, according to the document. It’s not clear whether Pony Express is a code name or one that’ll be used if it comes to market. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Google Working on Project to Let You Receive and Pay Bills Directly Inside Gmail

Google Pony Express May Let You Receive Pay Bills Directly in Gmail Re code

Google’s mission to organize the world’s information is now targeting your physical mailbox.

The company is currently working on a project that will allow Gmail users to more easily receive bills in their email inbox instead of their mailbox. Called Pony Express, the service also is designed to let people pay their bills within Gmail, rather than having to go to a telecom or utility company’s website to complete a payment.

Those details are outlined in a lengthy document viewed by Re/code. The new service is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter, according to the document. It’s not clear whether Pony Express is a code name or one that’ll be used if it comes to market. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Google Working on Project to Let You Receive and Pay Bills Directly Inside Gmail

Google Pony Express May Let You Receive Pay Bills Directly in Gmail Re code

Google’s mission to organize the world’s information is now targeting your physical mailbox.

The company is currently working on a project that will allow Gmail users to more easily receive bills in their email inbox instead of their mailbox. Called Pony Express, the service also is designed to let people pay their bills within Gmail, rather than having to go to a telecom or utility company’s website to complete a payment.

Those details are outlined in a lengthy document viewed by Re/code. The new service is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter, according to the document. It’s not clear whether Pony Express is a code name or one that’ll be used if it comes to market. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Google unveils 'stick' computer with Asus
1 hour ago

Google and Taiwan's Asus are launching a "computer on a stick" which can plug into a display to turn it into a PC.

Google said in a blog post that the Asus Chromebit would be arriving mid-year with a low price tag.

"Smaller than a candy bar, the Chromebit is a full computer that will be available for less than $100," Google said.

"By simply plugging this device into any display, you can turn it into a computer. It's the perfect upgrade for an existing desktop and will be really useful for schools and businesses."

The statement offered no other details on the device, but Google also announced its lowest-cost Chromebook laptop computers at $149 in partnership with Chinese electronic groups Haier and Hisense.

With a display of 11.6 inches, the Haier computer is being sold through Amazon and the Hisense PC through Walmart.

Read more at: Google unveils stick computer with Asus

 

[ScienceRocks]

Intel quietly launches 14nm Braswell, Bay Trail’s successor
Intel quietly launches 14nm Braswell Bay Trail s successor ExtremeTech

Intel has quietly launched its first 14nm Braswell cores this week. These new 14nm chips are the successor to Intel’s 22nm Bay Trail-D (meaning the Celeron / Pentium flavor of Bay Trail) and will target ultra-mobile systems and low-end desktop PCs. Just as Broadwell is a die-shrink of Haswell, Braswell is Bay Trail’s die shrink — which means the 14nm “Airmont” CPU core inside the SoC isn’t expected to offer dramatically new features or other capabilities compared with its predecessor. Increased efficiency, lower TDPs, and better thermals are the order of the day. Intel’s Cherry Trail, which will debut later this year, will offer the same silicon in a tablet power envelope.

According to CPU-World, the new chips will ship in 2-4 core configurations. The big change to Braswell is the inclusion of Generation 8 graphics support. Its Bay Trail predecessor’s GPU technology was derived from Ivy Bridge at a time when Haswell was already shipping. This means that Braswell skipped the Haswell graphics generation altogether — Intel has effectively standardized its graphics capabilities between its Atom and Core product families.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists create quick-charging hybrid supercapacitors
19 minutes ago by Shaun Mason

The new hybrid supercapacitor developed at UCLA stores large amounts of energy, recharges quickly and can last for more than 10,000 recharge cycles. Credit: UCLA California NanoSystems Institute

The dramatic rise of smartphones, tablets, laptops and other personal and portable electronics has brought battery technology to the forefront of electronics research. Even as devices have improved by leaps and bounds, the slow pace of battery development has held back technological progress.

Now, researchers at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute have successfully combined two nanomaterials to create a new energy storage medium that combines the best qualities of batteries and supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors are electrochemical components that can charge in seconds rather than hours and can be used for 1 million recharge cycles. Unlike batteries, however, they do not store enough power to run our computers and smartphones.

Read more at: Scientists create quick-charging hybrid supercapacitors

 

[ScienceRocks]

Microsoft's Project Spartan web browser
By Brian Burgess
April 1, 2015
7 Pictures

Microsoft promised a new streamlined web browser in Windows 10 that will effectively replace Internet Explorer. It's codenamed Project Spartan, and the first version is now available in the latest build of the Windows 10 technical preview. Here's a look at what to expect.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Samsung Galaxy S6: Early impressions
By Will Shanklin
Samsung Galaxy S6 Early impressions


Image Gallery (11 images)

The Galaxy S6 is Samsung's most aggressive step forward yet in the mobile space. Though we aren't ready to publish our full review, we have some early thoughts on our experience of using the GS6.

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We've seen some outstanding smartphones in the last six months or so – to the degree that a solid all-around phone like the HTC One M9 felt like a disappointment. We're still forming our impressions of the Galaxy S6, but we can assure you that "disappointing" isn't going to be on the list.


The Galaxy S6's build is both an exciting step forward and a little concerning. It's beautiful: made of glass on the back and aluminum on the sides. To compare it to the Galaxy S5's build (with its dimpled plastic back and plastic sides) would be a joke. On a design level, it's in a completely different echelon from every other mobile product Samsung has made.

But its aluminum edges, particularly the top and bottom (above), look a lot like those of the iPhone 6. Its front and back, mind you, look nothing like Apple's flagship. It's more the rounded edges, along with the placement and styling of the charging port, headphone port and speakers that look very iPhone 6-esque.


The Galaxy S6 is pleasantly light in hand, especially for a premium phone. The screen size isn't enormous – this falls well short of being a phablet – but the 5.1-in screen is still 18 percent bigger than that of its rival/muse, the iPhone 6.

The screen quality is nothing short of outstanding. We've seen several Quad HD displays in the last year, and they all look awesome. But none of them were crunched into a display this size. Its 577 pixels per inch density is off-the-charts. Prepare your eyes for what's probably the best mobile display they've ever seen.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Comcast speeds past Google Fiber with symmetrical 2Gbps service

Comcast may be evil incarnate in some ways, but it’s also rolling out some seriously fast hardware. Today the company announced that 2Gbps fiber service will be available to 1.5 million Atlanta customers beginning this month. Called Gigabit Pro, Comcast claims it’s the fastest available in the country for home users, and will deliver 2Gbps both down and up.

That puts it ahead of Google’s own 1Gbps symmetrical fiber service — or AT&T’s in Kansas City, if you let them spy on you for the privilege of paying them for their own product. Google plans to roll out its own service to 34 new cities in 2015, although we’re still waiting for someone to launch gigabit fiber in big ones like San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, and Boston.

“Gigabit Pro is a professional-grade residential fiber-to-the-home solution that leverages our fiber network to deliver 2 Gbps upload and download speeds. We’ve spent a decade building a national fiber backbone across 145,000 route miles of fiber” in advance of the launch, the company wrote. It adds that the new service will require professional installation, and that the company plans to reach 18 million homes by the end of the year.

Comcast speeds past Google Fiber with symmetrical 2Gbps service ExtremeTech