LED’s Time to Shine… Bright
By · CommentsA trio of companies has been making a string of announcements catapulting the LED market in advancements. Switch Lighting is using its own technology, called City of Light, to generate an internal self cooling system. This allows fewer bulbs to be used and have those employed bulbs to burn brighter. While other manufacturers have only been able to generate 60 watt equivalents, Switch has created 60, 75, and 100 watt versions that are incandescent quality light, dimmable, and can be used in any direction. The 100 watt bulb can also be reused, recycled, or reclaimed.
Samsung has announced the opening of its first U.S. location in Atlanta, Georgia. They state that microchip technology has finally facilitated longer bulb lifecycles, with environmentally conscience designs that use less energy, prompting them to unleash an array of products to meet customer’s needs.
Meanwhile Bulbtroll Rambus launched its Pentelic lighting range, allowing manufacturers to modify hanging pendants, streetlights, and spotlights to their specifications by using optical design, power delivery, and thermal management to give meticulous angle control in addition to offering more than 90 percent optical efficiency.
Beefed Up Portable Hard Drive
By · CommentsSeagate has said it is coming out with its GoFlex Satellite HD later this summer. Its Wi-Fi and battery pack combo version of the portable hard drive has been working out and has put on some serious computing muscle. It 500 GB lets you store 300 movies, stream 3 iPads simultaneously, and automatically sync media and documents from a PC or Mac. It uses a lithium-ion battery giving 5 hours of continuous video streaming and 25 hours of standby, all while employing a working range of 150 feet with no pictures freezes. They have coupled this with an app that lets you buffer a full length movie in 7 minutes reducing the drive usage and conserving the battery.
The auto and electronics industries are starting to realize the shortages that have been predicted for weeks now. While major shortages are predicted to be temporary, they are helping the U.S. as a whole. While domestic auto production has slipped for the first time in almost a year, overall industrial output was flat in April, meaning other areas are picking up some of the slack. U.S. companies are more credible to fulfill orders that would have otherwise gone to Japanese companies. This could possibly even lead to a permanent shift in the long run depending on cost and quality comparisons. A slightly weaker U.S. dollar has also helped domestic companies by making our exports cheaper, boosting sales overseas. Local demand has also been a contributing factor guiding the hand of U.S. companies to step up hiring, adding more industrial jobs in the last six months since 1997, which usually are a better quality type of job compared to other sectors like retail or food and beverage, with higher pay and better benefits. Having shortage issues? Click here and solve your problems.
Apple is Getting Sued Yet Again, For The Same Reason
By · CommentsWhen it comes to copyright lawsuits, Apple just cannot seem to stay out of the crosshairs. Linex Technologies, the licensing company, is now stepping up to the plate, aimed to take a shot at the tech giant and others like HP for what it claims are wireless communication patent violations. Linex is trying to have HP Pavilion and Envy laptops, Apple’s MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Airport Extreme, and Time Capsule products banned.
Secret Stockpiling
By · CommentsThere have been rumors that large companies have been secretly stockpiling components to hedge off shortages that are expected to hit hard soon. Acer, Motorola, Apple, and HTC, among others, have been alleged to be keeping quiet about their stockpiling to deter their suppliers from raising their prices. Foxconn is doing all it can to keep up with demand, especially from Apple, but admits it is having problems especially in light of labor shortages it is facing. Shortages and allocations are a reality that will become a growing problem. Save time, money, and missed deadlines by sourcing your parts here
Soon You Might NEED Your Smartphone to Shop
By · CommentsWith smartphone apps evolving to simplify the art of separating you from your money, like: scanning barcodes to price compare while shopping, receiving personalized updates and discounts, and give the ability to bag as you shop and eliminate the ringing-up process, you can now add another function to that progression. However, this one has the potential to be more beneficial than most. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags will give consumers a little more quality protection and peace of mind by allowing smartphones owners to scan the RFID tags to authenticate the product inside. There are two types of tags, active and passive. Active tags need to be connected to a power source to operate and the passive kind draw the power from the field unit, in this case your phone. Passive tags have undergone a security rebirth as of late. Instead of using the same electronic keys for the transmitter and receiver which has been standard, now each tag has a private key which remains secret and public key, securing the digital signal.
Silicon’s Time is Running Out
By · CommentsThe eventual replacement for silicon may be here. Although replacing the heart of a billion dollar industry seems unfathomable, the technology is being researched as you read this. Researchers at MIT have yet to fully understand or explain the abnormality of physics they have seemed to stumble upon. When they combine lanthanum aluminate and strontium titanate, two materials used normally for insulation, the materials turn semi-conductive and can operate at a much lower voltage than its silicon version, meaning heat will not be such a limiting factor and clock speeds will be increased. An addition to the appeal of this new material is that it is able to operate at room temperatures. Researchers have admitted that their findings are not able to be fully interpreted into the real world and that that it needs much more research to offer any competition to silicon, but the technology is there and will be researched until a fully functioning solution is in place.
Microsoft Advises Against Its Own Software
By · CommentsMicrosoft has gone on record saying that Windows XP is extremely more susceptible to infection than its other programs and should be avoided. In fact, according to its annual security intelligence report, a fully patched XP is five times more vulnerable than Windows 7. It seems that Windows 7 is your best bet if choosing Microsoft, the 64 bit version to be precise. Vista preformed better on the security report than XP but still pales in comparison to Windows 7. A positive from the situation is that Microsoft is getting better with its security and that the release of Windows 8 should have even more heightened security measures.
Upgraded Laptop Mouse
By · CommentsHP has updated the wireless mouse for laptops. The dongle (the apparatus that connects the wired version of the mouse to the laptop) has been eliminated for years now, adding two key features over wired mouse systems. First, there’s no dongle to loose or remember and second it frees up your USB port. However, until now these systems operated on a Bluetooth signal. HP has unveiled its Wi-Fi version, which operates off of the already embedded laptop technology. This doubles the battery life and increases the operating range to thirty feet. It will be released in June, at an introductory price of $50.
An Already ‘Iffy’ Playbook Faces Recalls
By · CommentsIf you bought a Playbook from Staples you may need a new one. Research In Motion announced that it is recalling about 1,000 of its Playbook tablets. RIM is in the middle of substituting the faulty tablets and claims that most of the effected quantity did not reach their intended customers. The playbook, which is smaller and lighter than Apple’s iPad, said the issue at hand is their inability to load initial set-up software. If you one of the unlucky ones to purchase a malfunctioning Playbook, contact RIM for further assistance.
