Your tech feed [Gizmag]

Reevu rear-vision motorcycle helmet goes into production

We first covered the Reevu helmet, with its built-in rear view mirror for motorcyclists

, back in 2005. It's an excellent idea - a rider's vision and situational awareness are huge components of road safety. The more you know about what's happening around and behind you, the more options you've got in an emergency or a simple lane change situation. Well, it's been a long road to the market, but Reevu has finally announced that its RV MSX1 helmet has passed European standards testing, and is now available for distribution. It should be homologated for use worldwide in the near future, and if the final price is right, we're sure these guys are onto a real winner. Read More

Racetrack success for Williams Hybrid Power brings further F1 investment

Williams F1 has increased its existing 40% shareholding in Williams Hybrid Power (WHP) to 78% on the back of some very favorable results on the racetrack in conjunction with Porsche and ever growing confidence that the company's magnetically loaded composite flywheel (MLC) technology will find wide application in hybrid passenger vehicles, hybrid buses, electric trains, diesel-electric ships and wind power generation. Read More

TomTom reveals nextgen GO LIVE 1000 Sat Nav with real time services

TomTom today previewed a new generation of navigation devices designed to offer real-time services to drivers. The first example of the new generation is the GO LIVE 1000, which uses an ARM 11 500 Mhz processor and comes with several new features, including the ability to run downloadable third party apps, IQ Routes™ which applies historical travel time data to calculate the fastest route and HD Traffic™ which gives accurate real time traffic information for all major and secondary roads. The unit's software and service delivery platform have been optimised for rapid integration of third party applications and easy localisation to match the needs of specific markets or applications. The TomTom GO LIVE 1000 will be available mid year. Read More

Avatar sets two Blu-ray records: most illegal downloads, most bought discs

It smashed Box Office records worldwide to become the highest grossing film in history, now James Cameron's Avatar is setting new benchmarks in the Blu-ray market. Around 1.5 million Blu-ray discs were snapped-up on the first day of release in the U.S. - more than previous record holder The Dark Knight - and that's just the 2D version, without special features. The Blu-ray release also triggered an avalanche of illegal downloads, with the sci-fi epic now well on its way to becoming the most pirated Blu-ray film ever. Read More

Speaks4Me turns images into speech

A few years ago, while searching for a suitable product to help his severely autistic son Callum adequately express himself, speaks4me creator Steven Lodge came up with the idea for a computer-based interactive communication tool based on a successful and popular autistic learning system, but the technology to support the idea was not readily available. That's now changed. Read More

Leica V-Lux 20 superzoom compact with GPS tagging

German camera specialist Leica has announced its first compact superzoom in the form of the 12.1 megapixel V-Lux 20. The new addition to the Leica family not only benefits from 12x optical zoom and 720p HD video capabilities but also features built-in GPS tagging for recording the exact geographical location of each snap taken. Read More

On-track testing underway for Automotive X-Prize

The pick of the world's most fuel efficient vehicles are lining-up at the Michigan International Speedway this week for stage one of the $10 million Automotive X PRIZE

. Thirty-six entrants are are taking part in the initial "Shakedown Stage" (April 26-May 7), where they will undergo official safety checks before hitting the track for final testing and an opportunity to iron-out any last minute bugs. Read More

TrueTouch technology gets Hover Detection

Cypress Semiconductor has enhanced its TrueTouch

touchscreen solution so that hovering a finger over a capacitive display mimics mouseover functionality. The new technology could be used to magnify sections of a small touchscreen prior to activation by touch. Read More

1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmuller - world’s first production motorcycle sells for GBP86,200

The rare appearance of an 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller on the auction block on April 25 caused considerable excitement across the world in the preceding months. Gizmag covered the history and heritage of the machine

in great detail prior to the auction and we're not surprised that a far-from-pristine example of the world's first production motorcycle should fetch an above-estimate GBP86,200. Read More

Android apps pass 50,000 mark

Android Market is the online software store for Android devices – it's Google's answer to Apple's Appstore on iTunes and for much of its short life (born 22 October 2008), it has been but a pale imitation of the all-conquering iPhone's biggest strength. Just 12 months ago Android Market held less than 3000 apps compared to the AppStore's 35,000 but the marketplace is now beginning to roll, and developers are responding, and with 8,000 + apps added in each of the last two months, the Android Market now holds 50,000 apps and should pass 100,000 by the end of the year. Read More

LG's new outdoor 55 inch LCD panel can withstand 100 degrees Celsius

Korea's LG Display has developed an LCD panel that can display clear images even when its surface temperature exceeds 100° Celsius. Normally when the surface temperature of an LCD panel exceeds 75° Celsius, part of the display turns black, requiring a separate UV-blocking film, cooling system and protective glass and entailing additional costs and electricity consumption for safe operation. The panel will be cheaper than existing panels, much brighter and can be expected to accelerate the pace of growth of the overall public information display market. Read More

What do brains, worms and computer chips have in common?

An international team of scientists has discovered that the human brain, the nervous system of a worm and a computer chip are strikingly similar. The research may help to explain the relationship between the processing elements (or gray matter) and the wiring (the white matter) in the brains of a wide range of mammals. Moreover, it appears that in the case of the brain and a computer chip - evolution and technological innovation have developed the same solutions to optimal mapping patterns. Read More

iPhone app gets you off your lazy butt

Obesity rates are on the rise in most western countries where sitting at a computer all day (and sometimes into the night) is commonplace. Low activity levels, in many cases, combined with poor diets, have been blamed for almost two-thirds of Americans being overweight or obese. To help address the problem, health researchers have developed an iPhone app designed to monitor your physical activity and motivate you to do that little bit more. Read More

Technical Image Press Association names photography award winners for 2010

The TIPA Awards have been run and won for 2010, meaning potential purchasers can make informed purchasing decisions backed by the collective opinions of 28 international photographic magazine editors. The big winners in the DSLR categories were the Nikon D3s

(Professional) Canon EOS 7D

(Expert), Canon EOS 550D

(Advanced) and Pentax K-x

(Entry). The Fuji FinePix HS10

took out best Superzoom, while Compact category winners included the Casio Exilim EX-G1 (Rugged Compact), Canon PowerShot G11 (Expert Compact) and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V (Best Compact). Significantly, the Best Expert Camcorder was… Read More

Husqvarna's Bluetooth-controlled DXR 140 demolition robot

When it comes to red-blooded boys toys, Husqvarna's latest demolition robot takes the cake. Husqvarna is in the process of releasing a series of new remote-control demolition robots, beginning with the introduction of the 22 kW DXR310 weighing 1900 kg in late 2009, followed by the smaller 1620 kg DXR 250 in January. The 250 comes standard with 18.5 kilowatts, but there is also a 22 kW option. Now comes the diminutive 960 kg DXR 140 which can be optioned up to 15 kW, yet is only 77 cm wide, meaning it can pass through most doorways, fits in a lift or on a standard trailer or on the back of a utility… and the easy-to-use Bluetooth remote control makes it an absolute breeze to smash just about anything you can think of. Read More

CODA electric sedan heading for California

Electric transport is on the way, of that there is little doubt. While some of the big players in the automotive pond tentatively test the waters, smaller fish are looking to step in and clean up. One such company in the U.S. has announced plans to kick start the mass adoption of electric vehicles and get its sedan electric car into the eagerly waiting hands of Californian drivers by the end of this year. The CODA car benefits from a purpose-built automotive battery system, a range of between 90 and 120 miles between charges and a top speed of 80mph. Read More

Windows 7 activation snoop goes live, pirates beware

Microsoft just rolled out Its Windows 7 Activation Technologies Update, that little piece of software that checks whether your copy of Windows 7 is "genuine" or not. If you're running a pirated version of Windows 7, activated by what's commonly called a "Windows 7 loader," Microsoft's sneaky little update will probably detect it. Then, it will keep nagging you with an annoying badge until you pay up or uninstall.

Showing up uninvited in Windows Update, this 1.2MB file (named KB971033) is listed as optional, and its check box is not selected by default. Not that I am advocating piracy or anything, but if you don't like the idea of Microsoft distrusting you and constantly checking up on you with a little tattletale buried in your computer, just get it out of your sight by right-clicking on it and selecting "hide update". Then it'll be gone for good.

Nokia Dual SIM Phones To Hit Markets Soon [India-server.com]

Mobile major Nokia is planning to launch dual SIM phones soon. The manufacturer has hinted at coming up with dual SIM sets to counter the competition from other leaders including Samsung and LG.

It was long expected that Nokia would release such sets in near future. And the customers will rejoice with the news now. Though the dual SIM concept is not a new thing for the matured markets like Europe and the US, still the company has the strategy to stay at the top of the mobile space. This is something new to the Nokia users as they might be amazed by the unbranded Chinese sets, which even boast of having triple SIMs.

The Nokia dual SIM phones are expected to be released by the second half next year. Samsung has already a series of dual SIM phones including Samsung C5212, Samsung B5702, Samsung C3212, Samsung B5722 and Samsung C6112.

The news has been confirmed by a Russian official from Nokia. And it’s obvious the dual SIM sets will land at the customers within a few months. However, the company has not disclosed the details including the specs and pricing.

Risking my a** !! [Selfwritten]

Like nowadays, today also I was on my way to Noida on my Pulsar 150 early in the morning. Though there is not much traffic in these hot days, but even if it is, then too the flow of traffic is pretty smooth & thus no jams. These days my industrial training is going on, that I am doing at an institute in Noida. It's around 20 kms far from my home, & about half an hour is enough for me to reach there in a breeze. (Yeah with an average speed of 60kmph that's possible! :-D)

It was around 9 in the morning today, there is a sharp turn that comes on my way, the path itself is bad enough with pitholes, dumps etc. Even stray cattle roam freely at the Ghazipur highway, LOL... fucking amusement.. common on Indian roads. On the way even heavy vehicles like trucks & buses pass from the same road. The road could be hardly 30-40 feets wide & fuck its two way! Though these things are not a problem for me now, as I am used to it now, & I even enjoy riding on this road! ;-)

So we were at that sharp turn, okay let's continue. As soon as I took the sharp, blind left turn on that 30-40 feet wide two-way road, there were three buses back to back in front of me, going in the same direction. Middle one was a private bus & following it & before were the green DTC low floor buses. My speed was very less & much under control for these kind of turns. A particular thing that I heard someone saying regarding these green buses, that the buses are so silent that you are not able to notice when they have come close behind you (specially if you are on a two-wheeler, then this can shake your a**!),is totally agreed by me! This is due to the fact that the engine of these green, low-floor buses is at the rear side of the bus, so if these are close to your a** then you might not be able to judge by the sound alone, only the rear view mirror helps. One other particular issue faced by two-wheeler riders (not drivers hehe!) due to these green monsters is that as the engine of them is behind, so a lot of heat is emitted from the back side. The rider in front of a two-wheeler can easily get roasted in the heat! ;-D I was in that particular situation today, as after wisely taking the left turn I maneuvered my way overtaking the two buses quickly, but the front green monster was just in front of me.. & I was stuck.. getting roasted due to heat & anger! Also only after few meters taking that left turn is a nasty speed breaker (or speed f**ker if I call!) that is very well known to me (dude I am travelling that path for past 4 months!), but even then I don't know what made me act as such, or the roasting heat fried my mind, whatever, I foolishly tried to overtake the front bus. Although the road ahead was clear & I found it comfortable to twist the throttle & overtake the green monster in a split of time! But in that planning I forgot about that killer speed-breaker, forget remembering,I not even cared to notice the road ahead of me! As at any point in riding one must remain focused on two things- traffic ahead & the road. And on Indian paths 'road' needs to be taken care of! As I earlier mentioned my bike is pulsar 150, with a good pickup, 60kmph in roughly 5 secs, As I tried to zap my way ahead of the green monster( which I managed successfully) in a fraction of time, I accelerated blazingly from 20-30 kmph to 40-50kmph, really this all was done in just a few seconds, as I even needed to overtake that green monster! I zapped... overtaken successfully... speed shooted up... and suddenly...... boom... came that bastard, son of a b**ch, speed breaker! Now picture this in mind- You are riding at around 40-50kmph, In front you are seeing speed breaker that is just 2-3 feets away!, beside you is the green monster (the DTC bus ofcourse! :-D)... What would you do to save your a**???... Even I can't explain in words how I managed the situation, as this is the subconscious mind of yours that acts quickly & naturally in such situation owing to how much have you trained your self with riding & how quick is your reaction time. In simple words I maneuvered & managed to curb my speed much, to have some control, with both rear & front disk brake, without toppling. I managed to cut my speed to about half, but had a small skid in the rear wheel & the speed breaker came under at the same time that made the bike kind of wobble!..(like my shaking heart :-D) It was like those bull riding scenes in which the performer controls the mad bull, riding on it. I some how retained my balance, avoided collision with the beside green monster & few two wheelers scattered here & there. And ultimately was in control of my bull & made it calm. I literally touched my forehead & thanked the lord after I finally passed that place riding safe!

My advice- Folks remain focused on the traffic ahead & equally importantly the path while riding (or driving), & be safe!

Video Tutorial to Install Android on iPhone 2G- "iDroid" [TechLivez.com]

Just a few days ago we posted about the availability of iDroid

which lets you port the Android OS to the iPhone 2G, now a video tutorial has been made available which walks you through the full process, it consists of 68 step by step instructions and requires Virtual Box for running Ubuntu and OpeniBoot Software. This tutorial is for Mac users, however if you are on Windows, just download the Windows specific version of Virtual Box.

iDroid Video Tutorial [Android on iPhone]

iDroid Android hack can only be installed on iPhone 2G at the moment.

Download Android OS and Necessary Files for iDroid Hack

Step by Step Tutorial to Install Android on iPhone 2G

Via Androidalot

Your tech feed [Gizmag]

The coming of the Confederate X132 Hellcat

We have developed a fondness for delightfully eccentric companies here at Gizmag, and the Confederate Motor Company

is about as avant-garde as it's possible to be. The company is just about to release its fourth motorcycle, and indications suggest a landmark vibration-canceling technology is on the cards for its new big V-twin. No images have been released of the complete bike, but it is expected to be as visually challenging as its predecessors (pictured). The X132 Hellcat will use a new motor (also pictured) developed in collaboration with S&S Cycle

and you can see quite clearly that there's some considerable space been devoted to the "revolutionary" engine mounting system. Read More

Mazda i-stop engine-idling-stop system wins another major award

Mazda's innovative i-stop engine-idling-stop system

has won yet another award, this time at the lchimura Industrial Awards. While idling stop systems are now becoming commonplace due to the approximate 10% fuel savings they offer, conventional engine stop systems rely on a motor to restart the engine, whereas Mazda's i-stop restarts the engine through combustion: fuel is directly injected into a cylinder while the engine is stopped and ignited to generate downward piston force. Mazda's use of principles unique to the direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engine restarts the engine in just 0.35 seconds, about half the time of most other competing systems, while minimizing noise and vibration and drain on the batteries. Read More

Thanko's full-size USB keyboard folds to fit your pocket

Here's another USB gem from Japanese gadget giant Thanko

. Its full-size USB keyboard

is broken into four connected quarter segments, allowing it to be folded over into a pocket-size rectangular shape. With the growing popularity of portable notebooks and tablets with smaller, cramped keyboards, having a full-size keyboard like this to tote around in your pocket might be a nice complement. Read More

Samsung to release the Restore recycled cell phone

Even the most passionate of eco-warriors must find it hard to get by without a cell phone. Thankfully, with more eco-friendly models appearing on the market there are options for those who shop with a conscience. Building on the success of last year’s Reclaim model Samsung has managed to form its forthcoming Restore cell phone out of 84 percent recyclable materials. Launching in the summer this device will be available only from Sprint (priced from US$49.99). Read More

Bobble bottles offer instant filtered water, on the go

Bottled water might seem like a very innocuous, ecologically-friendly beverage, but it does have its dark side

– it has been estimated that 1.5 million barrels of oil are used annually for the production of one-use water bottles. About 38 million of those get tossed out each year. True, many of them go to recycling facilities, but those facilities aren’t exactly carbon footprint-free themselves. Then of course, there’s also the whole matter of wondering if you’re a sucker for paying to drink what is likely just filtered tap water. That’s where the bobble water bottle comes in. You just fill it from the faucet, and it filters the water as you drink. Read More

Carbon nanotube research could lead to bionic sense of touch

The human body is an amazingly complex bit of kit. Replicating it with bionic technology

presents challenges on many fronts, including the formidable task of mimicking our sense of touch

. This goal could now be a little closer thanks to a breakthrough in carbon nanotube processing by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Borrowing from conventional methods of making glass fiber, the researchers managed to cram 19,600 individual carbon nanotube-containing channels into fibers just four times thicker than a human hair, putting the artificial structure on a scale similar to the tiny neural bundles that make up our nerve pathways. Read More

TreeFrog copier paper spares the trees

It’s no secret that paper production and deforestation go hand-in-hand. Long before we ever knew of the evils of styrofoam cups, drift-net fishing, or any of a thousand other ecological no-no’s, we knew that using paper meant killing trees. Recycled paper is a step in the right direction, but it still involves the harvesting of trees early in the process. Now, however, TreeZero paper products is offering up TreeFrog copier paper - it’s made with absolutely no wood fiber, just sugar cane and bamboo. Read More

VW shows Milano Taxi Electric Vehicle Concept

The era of the electric vehicle is drawing nearer (albeit excruciatingly slowly) and with Volkswagen set to get its first EV into showrooms in 2013, its latest EV concept indicates how the world's third largest auto maker is reading the market. Dubbed the Milano Taxi, the concept is a long overdue shot at getting a purpose-built electric cab into major cities. The 115 PS vehicle can reach 74 mph, travel 186 miles between charges and be recharged to 80 percent of capacity in just over an hour. Read More

Micromax Mobile Advantage [Internet]

Four years after it was first recommended, mobile number portability still remains a paper concept. Yet for over nine months, Saurabh Raina, a 43-year-old employee with a switchgear manufacturer from Bhopal, is choosing the best monthly plans on offer across six different GSM operators while he can be reached on the same number he has had for over seven years.

The key lies inside his mobile phone — a full-keyboard (QWERTY) model called the “Q3” that supports two active GSM SIM cards at the same time. One of these he keeps constant as his “incoming number” to receive calls, while the other, he changes at will depending on which operator offers him the best tariffs.

This “dual-SIM” feature is today present in 20 to 30 percent of all mobile handsets sold in India, estimate experts. Yet market leader Nokia does not have a single dual-SIM handset in its vast repertoire of phone models for India. And the company that made Raina’s Q3 — Micromax Mobiles — offers this feature on 22 out of the 26 phone models it sells in India. The Q3 itself, though fancy looking, costs only Rs. 3,700.

Micromax is now India’s third-largest GSM mobile phone vendor with a market share of 6 percent after Nokia (62 percent) and Samsung (8 percent), according to research firm IDC. It sells anywhere from 700,000 to one million mobile phones every month. And by its own estimates it is now selling nearly Rs.1,500 crore worth of phones annually.

“We are not the poor cousins of Nokia,” says Vikas Jain, one of the four friends who together started and grew Micromax to its present position. “Instead we will force Nokia to launch newer products to compete with us.”

The guys at Micromax have two aces up their sleeve — a keen eye for what the customer needs, and the ability to swing their supply chain.

Though the company started making mobile phones only in 2008, it was founded in 1991 by Rajesh Agarwal as a distributor of computer hardware for brands like Dell, HP and Sony. In 1999 three of his friends — Sumeet Arora, Rahul Sharma and Vikas Jain — joined him as equal partners in the company.
Agarwal, the eldest of the four, keeps a handle on the company’s finances. The quieter Arora, a “class topper”, is the company’s chief technology officer. Jain manages Micromax’s alliances and partnerships with other companies. And the tall and fashionable Sharma is the risk taker with the big ideas.

It was Sharma who convinced the others, after nine years of selling computers, software courses and “fixed wireless” public phones (PCOs), to enter the crowded mobile phone market. The company’s first phone, the X1i, was born from the realisation that many Indian villages and towns didn’t get enough electricity to even recharge a phone daily.

Catering to a Need
By increasing the size of the battery to 1800 mAh, Micromax was able to tout a standby time of 30 days for the X1i. And at the rather affordable price of Rs. 2,150, the phone was a big success in rural India.

The unexpected success of Micromax’s first mobile phone taught the four friends two key lessons. One, “If you give people something that helps them in their day to day lives, they will buy it,” says Sharma. Two, even though there were over 50 companies selling mobile phones in India, with Nokia alone dominating over 60 percent of the market, there were features, niches and categories that could be carved out by a new entrant.

“We knew that competing on price along with Nokia, Samsung or LG would not get us anywhere. Instead we wanted to create, and own, categories,” says Agarwal.

The friends realised that intense competition among mobile operators for subscribers would inevitably lead to multiple connections per user. But carrying two phones around in your pockets wasn’t something most people fancied.The seemingly obvious solution — handsets that accept two SIM cards simultaneously — became Micromax’s second killer category.

Micromax neither had the brand awareness of a Nokia that would lead to customers asking for its phones from retailers, nor the clout to force massive volumes through distributors. Yet it also saw that commissions given by phone manufacturers to their channel partners were often very low, leading to a lot of dissatisfaction. This is what they decided to capitalise on. “Nokia usually gives a channel margin of 2 percent, of which 1 percent is usually given away as discounts. The remaining 1 percent cannot sustain any business,” says Agarwal. Nokia could not respond to Forbes India’s queries for this story within the stipulated deadline.

So Micromax decided to give a 5 percent commission to each of its distribution chain partners — the 34 “super-distributors”, the 450 distributors and the 55,000 retailers. But there was a catch — it would not offer any credit. Instead distributors are expected to complete an online bank transfer to Micromax before getting any of its phones to sell further on.

“As a result we are not plagued with dead inventory, periodic schemes or issues around “price protection”. The retailer only picks up what he sees demand for. And because their money is involved, partners tend to work harder,” says Jain.

But having a lean, cash-based supply chain means Micromax has to be much more accurate and faster in its forecasting as compared to its bigger competitors.

Naveen Wadhera, a director with the $16 billion private equity firm TA Associates, finds Micromax’s supply chain one of its real strengths. “Their time-to-market from the design to production stage is around three months as compared to the 18 months taken by larger guys,” he says. TA Associates recently acquired an undisclosed stake (though less than 20 percent) in Micromax for $45 million, valuing it upwards of $225 million.
Still there are more sceptics than believers in the company.

Disproving the Disbelievers
Its sceptics say Micromax’ rise has been fuelled to a large extent by the Indian government’s decision to bar illegally-imported Chinese phones that lacked an identifying IMEI number. As consumers rushed to replace their cheap Chinese phones, many opted for the relatively cheap Micromax ones.
Others say without a strong consumer brand or control over its own distribution, it has no competitive advantage in the long term.

One way Micromax is responding is by committing to invest Rs.100 crore on marketing over the next two years. It has also signed up Hindi movie star Akshay Kumar as its brand ambassador. There will be a new tagline — “Boring is out” with advertising designed by ad agency Lowe.

And to the charge that Micromax is a maker of cheap phones, Jain replies, “We are not even present in the sub-$30 phone market, as our cheapest phone is Rs.1,400.” That segment is dominated by Nokia with a market share of close to 80 percent.

But better responses can be found inside the buzzing Micromax office in Gurgaon. A 35-person research and development team churns out designs and prototype of new mobile phones — some radically different, some only slightly so.

There’s a sleek and shiny white square studded with Swarovski crystals which slides open to reveal a QWERTY keypad. Another sports a small clip on the bottom which is really a wireless Bluetooth earpiece which can be unplugged and used. A third bills itself as a remote control for your TV and DVD player, apart from its regular phone features.

But the most exciting of the prototypes is one called the “secret weapon”. Slated for a high profile launch during the upcoming IPL cricket tournament, it could define the next big category for the upstart company.

An excited Sharma holds the new phone in his hand, before suddenly swinging it at the laptop in front. On screen a tennis player serves the ball to his opponent. It acts like a wireless, motion-sensing controller for computer games like tennis or golf, like the Nintendo Wii.

“This phone can convert every PC and laptop from Hapur to Varanasi into a gaming device, especially for those who can’t afford to spend Rs. 20,000 on the Wii. And even if he is not into games, his kids will ask for his phone the moment he comes home in the evening,” says Sharma.

In A Phase Of Life's Flurry... [ Selfwritten ]

* Sometimes you want to say a lot, but words come short.
Sometimes speaking out just a line seems so long.
You don't know, what you're doing is dumb or smart.
And you hate to judge your self- right or wrong?

* You act like what seems so appropriate.
You kill your emotions by yourself.
As if between feelings & deeds, you negotiate.
Like slicing your heart to pieces, with a knife.

* I am living in a life's flurry.
Coldly taking decisions like a machine.
Every emotion seems to be smeary.
As if everything in life lost its sheen.

* Its like acting out what seems logical.
Leaving the mind & choosing the brain.
Killing the feelings & acting practical.
Like a warrior neglecting his pain.

* Unwilling inside, forced to act as such.
Whether I like or not, this has to be done.
I just hope there's something left as much.
Or you were like a stranger & I was a none.

- Akshat.




*** It's been a while that I have written any poem, but I guess a new piece of writing takes birth only when you are feeling so close to yourself, to your heart.
This poem that you have read above is straight from my heart, of what I am feeling right now, it took me few minutes or so in writing out, as I straightly published my feelings to words!

Dual SIM Patent Holder Somasundaram Ramkumar Demands Royalty Rs.35 /phone [ Internet ]

Dual SIM handset manufacturers have been asked to stop import of phones as the patent holder (Somasundaram Ramkumar of Madurai) is seeking royalty of Rs. 35/ for every phone shipped to India.

Somasundaram Ramkumar, holds patent (awarded last year) "in India for phones with a plurality of SIM cards allocated to different communication networks" – and since the application is valid for 5 years, companies like Nokia, Samsung, Meridian Mobile and Spice might have to cough up the royalty (source).

Around 100,000 dual-SIM phones are sold in the country every month – @ royalty of Rs. 35/ per phone, you can imagine the value this patent would deliver!

This is what Business Standard has to Say:

The dual-SIM handset manufacturers are in a spot after a Madurai resident, who holds patent for such phones, asked the Indian Customs authorities to stop shipment of these phones till he was paid a royalty for every handset brought into the country.

Industry experts expect the move to hit the sales of dual-SIM handsets, which are imported into the country by companies including Nokia, Samsung, Meridian Mobile and Spice. More importantly, this could also affect the plans to manufacture these handsets in the country. It is estimated that around 100,000 dual-SIM phones are sold in the country every month.

The Madurai resident, Somasundaram Ramkumar, holds patent "in India for phones with a plurality of SIM cards allocated to different communication networks". The patent was awarded to him last year.

Ramkumar has moved the Office of the Commissioner of Customs of Chennai Airport in this regard. The office has accepted his application and directed officials throughout the country to stop clearing shipments of dual-SIM phones, a source close to the development told Business Standard.

The application is valid for five years or till the time the patent is valid, whichever is earlier. Ramkumar is believed to have sought royalty (believed to be around Rs 35) for every dual-SIM phone shipped into the country.

Even though Ramkumar could not be immediately contacted for comments, manufacturers and distributors in the country confirmed the development.

European handset major Meridian Mobile CEO Rajiv Khanna said most of the companies had inventory for a couple of months. He hoped that the issue would be resolved by then. Meridian Mobile sells dual SIM handsets under the brand name 'Fly'.

The Indian Cellular Association (ICA), the body of handset vendors in India, has already formed a committee to look into the matter, and has initiated dialogue with the Customs department.

Dual-SIM handsets have two SIM slots and can work on both CDMA and GSM networks. They are popular among users due to the convenience of alternating between two numbers. These phones are particularly useful to international as some countries (like South Korea) do not have GSM networks, while others (certain places in the US) do not have CDMA networks.

Sciphone i9+++ – New Java Based Apple iPhone Clone From China [ TechHail.com ]

Sciphone i9+ + + is a new Chinese iPhone clone for the popular Apple iPhone. Sciphone i9+ + + is a quadband mobile and is Java-based. It doesn’t have the Apple iPhone OS. The mobile just replicates the UI of Apple iPhone as well as the design of the original Apple device. It just has a Java App that mimics the iPhone UI. The biggest drawback is that this Sciphone does not support English. Sciphone has an built-in accelerometer and also got dual-SIM support.

Sciphone has a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, 8GB of memory, FM radio capabilities and two Li-ion 1200mah batteries. Java is pre-installed on the phone and there are also some Java Games. This phone comes with some text-writing applications. It also contains media player and recorder, and offers out-of-the-box MMS support. Sciphone is available for $112.

Features of Sciphone i9+ + +(Apple iPhone Clone)

• Frequency: Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 GSM for worldwide use
• Dimension: weight:125g, size:110*60*10.5mm
• Display: High-Res TFT display, 260K colors, 240×320 pixel resolution, 3.2 inch touch screen, Exclusive user interface, themes and styles
• Digital zoom, image viewer, video player, video recorder, CMOS sensor, audio player, sound recorder, integrated SVGA camera 0.3 megapixels.
• Supports SMS and MMS
• Memory Card: 8GB
• Connectivity and Data Transfer: Bluetooth 2.0, USB Cable 2.0, GPRS class 10 and WAP 2.0
• Language: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Tieng Viet, Turkce and Chinese
• Battery, Talk and Standby Time Battery: Long Talk time: 180-220 mins, Long Standby time:180-200 hours
• Extra Features: Calendar, games, Wap, Calculator, Alarm, World Clock, E-book Reader, Unit Converter, Currency Converter and many more.
• Media: Polyphonic (MIDI) tones w/up to 64 voices, MP3 ring tones, Video recording and streaming, Digital music player and Melody composer.

Download Touch Pack for Windows 7 Tablets and PCs [ Techlivez.com ]

Microsoft Touch Pack which brings various gesture based fun games and surface applications to Windows 7 is now available for free download, you can use this Touch Pack on your Windows 7 machine if it is multi-touch capable, however if you have tablet or pc without multitouch, this won’t work.

Previously Microsoft Touch Pack was only available for OEM shipped Windows 7 computers but due to popular demand Microsoft made it available for free download for anyone having touch capable devices and Genuine Windows 7.

Download Touch Pack for Windows 7 Tablet/PC – Link

Chess News [chessgames.com]

April has been a busy month for chess. Here are just some of the latest happenings in the chess world:

• The latest FIDE rating list (03/2010) has been released. Magnus Carlsen retained the top position, ahead of Veselin Topalov. Topalov's Linares performance isn't included, but even if it had been, it still wouldn't have been enough to overtake Carlsen.
  
  
• Philadelphia Open
  - The replacement for the popular Foxwood Open, the Philadelphia Open attracts some of the biggest names in USA chess. It was won by Gata Kamsky
  , beating out prodigy Ray Robson, Alexander Stripunsky, Alexander Shabalov, and others.
  
  We are also proud to announce that GM Kamsky is now a member of Chessgames.com; fans of this world-class grandmaster can converse with him directly on his player page. He posts under the screen-name DarkNolan
  .
  
  
• 2010 Amber Rapid/Blindfold Tournament
  - The idea of Dutch billionaire and chess lover Joop von Oosterom, the Amber Tournament is one of the most unusual formats in modern chess. Two events take place concurrently: one in which the time controls are severely limited, and another in which the players are not allowed the luxury of seeing the board. Who would take place in such a crazy event? With a prize fund of €216,000, the biggest names in chess: Ivanchuk, Carlsen, Karjakin, Svidler, Aronian, Gashimov, Gelfand, Grischuk, Ponomariov, Dominguez, and Smeets!
  
  In the blindfold section, a blunder in the last round cost Carlsen his queen and his lead, leaving Grischuk as clear first place. In the rapid section, Ivanchuk and Carlsen shared top honors, a full 1.5 points ahead of the rest of the pack.
  
  
• Russian Team Championships
  - The 17th Russian Team Championships saw ShSM-64 of Moscow (Gelfand, Karjakin, Wang Hao, Caruana, et al) as clear winners with 16/18 possible match points.

Your Tech Feed [Gizmag]

Review: HTC Desire vs Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

It wasn't too long ago that choosing an Android phone came down to whether you wanted a physical keyboard (HTC G1/Dream

) or not (HTC Magic

). With increasing Android adoption from carriers and handset manufacturers, making the same decision in 2010 is a lot harder. We've put two of the latest Android phones, the HTC Desire and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, head to head in our latest versus review - read on for the details. Read More

World's smallest, lightest telemedicine microscope

Making use of novel lensless imaging technology, a UCLA engineer has invented the world’s smallest, lightest telemedicine microscope. The self-contained device could radically transform global health care – particularly in Third World countries – with its ability to image blood samples or other fluids. It can even be used to test water quality in the field following a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake. Read More

Green design gets a second skin

This beautiful architectural proposal from Italian firm StudioDosi is as green as it looks. Submitted in a competition to design a new headquarters for the Province of Parma in Italy's north, the public office space features a double glazed inner skin wrapped in an exoskeleton of "climbing vegetable stripes" which allows natural light to enter the building and boosts ventilation. Read More

Transmission speeds of 100Mbps over 1km on existing copper networks

In an ideal world we would all access the Internet over fiber optic cables that reach right up to the front door to deliver blisteringly fast transmission speeds. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world and many of us are forced to rely on aging copper network infrastructure. Now, Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs has demonstrated technology that boosts the transmission speeds over two copper pairs to 100Mbps over a distance of 1km. This could see such infrastructure given a new lease of life, satisfying consumer’s need for speed for some time to come. Read More

Fraunhofer developing electric vehicle test platform

With the internal combustion engine dictating vehicle design for over a century the move towards electric vehicles offers manufacturers the chance to completely rethink vehicle design. However, it also presents manufacturers with a whole new set of problems to be overcome. To facilitate the transition to electric cars, researchers at Franhofer-Gesellschaft are constructing an electrically operated demonstration vehicle, the “Frecc0,” which will serve as a scientific integration platform for automobile manufacturers and suppliers to test new electric vehicle components. Read More

Stunning first images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Although we do know some things about the Sun - it's big and hot for example - in many ways it remains a great mystery to scientists. In a bid to shed some more light on our closest star, NASA launched its most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the Sun in February this year. The goal of the the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is to help us understand where the Sun's energy comes from, explore its inner workings, and learn more about how energy is stored and released in the Sun's atmosphere. A nice side benefit will also be the capture of stunning images – the first of which have just been released. Read More

3R's A200 is a microscope in your pocket

At the Printable Electronics Exhibition in Tokyo, 3R Systems

was showing off their newest model of pocket microscope, the A200. Unlike the previous Vitiny

model, which shot at 300,000 pixels, the A200 has a 2 megapixel (2,000,000) CMOS sensor and kicks out images of about 1600 x 1200 pixels. Read More

Pedego brings a blast from the past to modern e-bikes

With gas prices climbing and environmental concerns mounting, electric bicycles are becoming more popular than ever. Cycling purists might see them as a bit of an abomination, but look at it this way: they’re really just less-expensive electric scooters, that give you the option of pedaling. Given that there are already a number of brands to choose from, what can a company do to separate their product from the pack? In the case of California-based Pedego, they make retro-funky beach cruisers in a rainbow of colors. Read More

US Navy developing autonomous underwater hull-cleaning robot

Barnacles might seem to be a traditional, almost quaint accoutrement of sea-going vessels, but they’re actually a serious problem. The buildup of marine organisms on a ship’s hull, known as biofouling, can reduce its speed by up to 10 percent. To compensate for the drag, the ship may have to use as much as 40 percent more fuel. Ships have to be lifted into drydock for the removal of barnacles, and sometimes toxic hull coatings are used to prevent them from colonizing. Hopefully, a new innovation may make both of those approaches unnecessary - it’s an autonomous hull-cleaning robot. Read More

Subaru develops advanced stereoscopic vision system for cars

Driving is a sight-response game and as the line between robots and cars begins to blur, cars will develop ever more advanced vision systems. Subaru began fitting a stereoscopic “EyeSight” system to some Japanese market cars nearly two years ago and has just announced a major upgrade. It's reportedly a major improvement, but it's worth thinking about the issues associated with becoming reliant upon systems which take over the responsibility for driving your car. Read More