power cut
Scientists at research organizations in the European Union (EU) and leading technology companies like IBM are joining forces, to dramatically improve energy efficiencies in mobile phones, notebooks, televisions and other consumer electronic devices.
PC Mag reports that the ‘Project Steeper’ initiative aims to reduce operating voltage to less than 0.5 volt, by reducing the power consumption of the basic building blocks of integrated circuits.
It aims at a ten-fold increase in energy efficiency when devices are active, and close to zero consumption in passive mode.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that electronic devices account for 15 percent of household electricity consumption, and that this may double by 2022 and triple by 2030. The IEA also claims that in the EU, devices using standby power accounts for about 10 percent of electricity used in homes, and is expected to rise to 49 terawatt hours per year by 2020.
“Power dissipation has become one of the major challenges for today’s electronics, particularly as the number of devices used by businesses and consumers multiplies globally,” said Dr. Heike Riel, head of the nanoscale electronics group at IBM Research—Zurich, in a statement.
“By applying our collective research in TFETs with semiconducting nanowires we aim to significantly reduce the power consumption of the basic building blocks of integrated circuits affecting the smallest consumer electronics to massive, supercomputers.”
smart check-in
Go on, walk right past the front desk, straight to your room.
USA Today reports that Holiday Inn has piloted MobileKey, a unique check-in program (watch demo), where guests can directly go to their rooms, and unlock them with their mobilephones.
Your phone battery ran out? No worries, the locks can be opened with a traditional keycard as well.
On the day of your arrival, you’ll receive a text message that contains both your room number and a secured link that will be used to unlock the door. You won’t need to stop at the front desk to retrieve a plastic keycard.
IHG has been wanting to test the “MobileKey” program because of the enormous growth in the use of mobile technology, and because many customers – mainly business travelers – like the ease of bypassing the front desk.
fighting fakes, touching lives
A simple way to detect fake medicines is beginning to take roots in Nigeria – texting.
AP reports on the mPedigree system developed by Ghanaian entrepreneur Bright Simons – which allows consumers to text a unique code, printed on the pack, to a hotline, and confirm whether the drug is genuine or not.
With counterfeit medicines being a rampant part of the system, this free-of-charge initiative, also aims to curb the fear of taking drugs due to doubts over their authenticity.
The initiative so far limited to authenticate malarial drugs, is poised to be broadened to include all drugs, and expanded to other parts of Africa.
Health officials say the innovative system could help Africa curb the tide of fake drugs and potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives. Experts think about 700,000 people die from malaria or tuberculosis every year after taking counterfeit drugs, with some containing little more than sawdust, baby powder and water.
In addition, fake medicines speed up drug resistance. If a drug contains some but not enough of the active ingredient, it won’t kill the disease’s virus or bacteria, but gives it a chance to mutate into a deadlier form instead.
cell out
The wait for your favorite smartphone could keep getting longer and longer, as demand shoots through the roof.
CNET reports the waiting period for an iPhone 4 is around three weeks, while that of the HTC Incredible is around a month.
With the launch of Motorola’s Droid X just around the corner, it promises to be a blockbuster summer for smartphone manufacturers.
A rare, bright spot of news in the midst of uncertainties surrounding the recovery.
“Smartphones are what people want,” said Roger Entner, a senior vice president at Nielsen. “And they want the best and the hottest devices. That’s creating a lot more demand in the market.”
First-quarter sales of smartphones worldwide jumped 48.7 percent compared to a year earlier, according to market research firm Gartner. Highly subsidized price tags are attracting customers as well as a growing portfolio of new devices.
doctor on call
Your friendly neighbourhood doctor is well, never more than just a call (or click) away. The NYT reports on the emergence of telemedicine.
Nothing can ever replace the human touch. However, combined with advances in mobile technology and if made affordable, telemedicine could change lives across the world, and make accessible healthcare a universal reality.
It’s about time.
A fifth of Americans live in places where primary care physicians are scarce, according to government statistics. That need is converging with advances that include lower costs for video-conferencing equipment, more high-speed communications links by satellite, and greater ability to work securely and dependably over the Internet.
Telemedicine has its skeptics. State regulators at the Texas Medical Board have raised concerns that doctors might miss an opportunity to pick up subtle medical indicators when they cannot touch a patient. And while it does not oppose telemedicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians says patients should keep in contact with a primary physician who can keep tabs on their health needs, whether in the virtual or the real world.
drive, uninterrupted
The fight against texting and talking while driving seems to have got a little technology boost. The NYT reports on four mobile phone applications that lock up the phone while driving - iZup, tXtBlocker, CellSafety and ZoomSafer.
Using the phone’s GPS, the applications can detect if you are stationary, or in motion. And in case of an emergency, no worries, the applications are programmed to let you dial 911 and a few pre-approved phone numbers.
And oh, if you are a passenger, there are workarounds, albeit a little frustrating. For example, with tXtBlocker, you need to solve a little puzzle to unlock the phone.
With accidents caused by the use of mobile phones on a steep rise, maybe it’s time such applications are made a part of the dashboard. As a legal measure.
We know this, we get this, but we keep doing it. About half of all teenagers admit to texting while driving, for example, no matter how many statistics and horror stories we pass along to them.
If you’re a concerned parent or employer, therefore, you may want to consider fighting technology with technology.
boost your phone signal
No network coverage? Dropped calls? Here’s your lifeline.
The Telegraph reports on the launch of Vodafone Sure Signal – a mobile phone signal booster for Vodafone customers. All one needs is a broadband connection and a 3G phone.
Talk, uninterrupted.
The Sure Signal box is a femtocell, a technology pioneered by a British company, Picochip. They are simple black boxes, the size of a paperback book, which plug into the back of a customer’s broadband hub via an Ethernet cable.
Femtocells not only should improve mobile phone coverage, but they also allow smart phone customers such as iPhone users to download far more data to their devices.
an “affordable” iPhone?
High street, meet value street.
With a 12-month contract and a £20 per month tariff offer for the iPhone 3G 8GB handset, The Times reports that Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket has aggressively moved to undercut its rivals O2 and Orange, the only other companies selling the phone in the UK.
But it comes with a high upfront tag of £222.
Will customers bite?
“We needed to learn a new type of selling where we stand face-to-face and talk people through the different options they have got,” he says. And we had to do it in such a way that fits within the context of a weekly grocery shop.”
After successful trials, Tesco, he says, is ready for action and consumers do not have to take his word for it. Its telecoms unit has just received a huge endorsement — a deal with Apple, the consumer electronics group, to sell the iPhone.
The supermarket beat some of the best-known names in the telecoms world, including Vodafone, in the race to sell the sought-after gadget. From today, shoppers will be able to pop one into their trolleys alongside their groceries.
mobiphobia
They wouldn’t be caught dead with a mobile phone – meet some of the people who have so far withstood the call of the mobile phone, literally. The NYT reports they border on the insignificant, but form an interesting percentage.
The march of the phone meanwhile continues, undeterred.
Though many cellphone owners express growing displeasure about cellphones’ intrusions into their lives, according to Pew, a tiny and most likely shrinking number actually manage to resist them completely.
“Ambivalent networkers bristle at all their gadget-facilitated connectivity, but don’t give it up,” Mr. Horrigan said. “The cell refuseniks are making a statement that they control their availability.”
a sunny future for phones
With an erratic supply of power to contend with, mobile phone users in emerging markets are turning their phones skywards – CNN reports that Safaricom has launched Kenya’s first solar charged phone.
Despite the limited availability of power, Kenya has one of the most vibrant cell phone markets in Africa, analysts say. An estimated 17 million Kenyans use mobile phones.
Some charge phones on bicycle-run generators, Joseph said. Or like, Gathungu, they pay businesses in major cities to charge their phones, sometimes waiting an entire day.
“There’s an enormous need for a device like this,” Joseph said of the solar phone, which can charge during talk time, as long as there are rays. “They will continue to charge on natural light, even on cloudy days,” he added.
