News
Korean consumers snapping up new generation laptops
May 28, 2013 10:18 am | by GFK | CommentsNormal traditional laptops may not be attractive enough to appeal to the more tech savvy consumers these days. The latest and more sophisticated laptop models such as the ultra-thin and hybrid types which come packed with advanced features in slimmer frames are becoming increasingly popular with Korean consumers...
Reinventing invention
May 28, 2013 8:41 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsAn expandable table. A collapsible CNC router. Motorized wheels whose diameter can enlarge and contract depending on the terrain. These are a few of the examples of "transformable design" now on display from the course, "Mechanical Invention Through Computation" led by visiting designer, engineer and inventor Chuck Hoberman. The seminar, co-taught with MIT profes...
Army explores futuristic uniform for SOCOM
May 28, 2013 12:00 am | by U.S. Army | CommentsArmy researchers are responding to a request from the U.S. Special Operations Command for technologies to help develop a revolutionary Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit....
Engineering course ‘demystifies’ entrepreneurship
May 28, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsUndergraduates at MIT have been known to spend countless hours conceiving and creating marketable innovations in labs and classrooms. Sometimes, however, they may struggle with turning their ideas into commercial reality. “One reason is that these students tend to focus all their time on inventing, as opposed to exploring the journey that awaits a startup founder,” says Ken Zolot, a seasoned entrepreneur and a senior lecturer in the ...
Danger levels high for America's Cup sailors
May 27, 2013 12:19 pm | by PAUL ELIAS - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsThe margin for error is exceedingly small for a sailor sitting three stories above the San Francisco Bay on the side of a high-tech catamaran as it leans toward the water literally flying along the surface like a giant stingray at 40 mph. It doesn't take much for these top-heavy craft to topple —...
A feud in tech, passed down
May 26, 2013 4:16 pm | by By QUENTIN HARDYAssociated Press | Commentsc.2013 New York Times News Service SAN FRANCISCO — If the Hatfields and McCoys lived in Silicon Valley, they’d be fighting with piles of cash and lines of software code instead of knives and shotguns. And the fight would be over who wins the most customers in the computer industry’s growing...
Vintage Apple computer auctioned off for $668,000
May 25, 2013 11:31 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsAn auctioneer says one of Apple's first computers — a functioning 1976 model — has been sold for a record 516,000 euros ($668,000). German auction house Breker said Saturday an Asian client, who asked not to be named, bought the so-called Apple 1, which the tech company's founders Steve Jobs and...
Allscripts names 2 new directors to board
May 24, 2013 12:16 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAllscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. said Friday it added Anita Pramoda and Michael Klayko as directors, expanding its board to eight members. Allscripts said their terms began on Tuesday. Pramoda is the former chief financial officer of Epic Systems Corp., a competitor to Allscripts. Allscripts...
Balance is key to making quantum-dot solar cells work
May 24, 2013 11:19 am | by MIT | CommentsThere has been great interest in recent years in using tiny particles called quantum dots to produce low-cost, easily manufactured, stable photovoltaic cells. But, so far, the creation of such cells has been limited by the fact that in practice, quantum dots are not as good at conducting an electric charge as they are in theory.
The long road to the 2000-watt society: How sustainable is Switzerland?
May 24, 2013 10:02 am | by EMPA | CommentsThe vision of a society in which each inhabitant of the earth manages to consume only 2000 watts has already been around for 15 years. During this time, there has been a steady increase in environmental awareness in the West. Technology has become more efficient and there appears to be very little standing in the way of a sustainable lifestyle.
NASA head views progress on asteroid lasso mission
May 24, 2013 9:56 am | by ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer | CommentsSurrounded by engineers, NASA chief Charles Bolden inspected a prototype spacecraft engine that could power an audacious mission to lasso an asteroid and tow it closer to Earth for astronauts to explore. Bolden checked on the progress Thursday a month after the Obama administration unveiled its 2014 budget...
Taiwan cuts growth forecast on muted export demand
May 24, 2013 9:46 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsTaiwan has lowered its economic growth forecast for 2013 to a muted 2.4 percent as global demand for the island's electronics exports remained subdued. In February, the government predicted 3.6 percent growth this year. The economy grew 1.3 percent in 2012.
Sanyo may sell stake in Chinese joint venture
May 24, 2013 9:37 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsSanyo Electric a group company of Panasonic, is considering selling a stake of about 30 percent in its joint venture in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday. U.S. home appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. is one of the companies interested in buying the stake...
Solving a semiconductor riddle
May 24, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsLight-emitting diodes (LEDs) continue to transform technology, whether it’s through the high-resolution glow of flat-screen televisions or light bulbs that last for years. The high efficiency and versatility of LEDs make them increasingly popular, but their full potential remains limited, in part because of remaining mysteries about the exact light-emission mechanism in the semiconducting materials.One significant controversy surround...
Mobile Tower System delivers life-saving upgrades
May 24, 2013 12:00 am | by U.S. Army | CommentsThe Army is replacing the 1960's era air traffic control system with the Mobile Tower System, which provides an effective and reliable solution that can be deployed anywhere in the world, in any weather condition and will support both military and civilian air operations....
