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Friday 8 February 2013

Pedestal Stand for iPad brings technology to toilet trips

Using the bathroom can be a dull activity. To relieve the boredom some people read a book, others complete a crossword, and others just twiddle their thumbs. In this gadget-obsessed age, smartphones and tablets have entered the bathroom boredom-relief equation, and it seems there's an emerging market for accessories to assist those who like to mix technology with toilet breaks.
The Pedestal Stand for iPad means your tablet will always have a comfortable home in the b...


The Pedestal Stand for iPad from CTA Digital is designed to aid your use of the Apple tablet while you do whatever you need to do in the bathroom. It's made of chrome, has a heavy base (7.5 inches / 19 cm in diameter) to keep it from toppling over, and features a 10-inch (25 cm) bendable gooseneck stand that holds your iPad securely in position.
You can adjust the neck to "any viewing angle, orientation or position you may need," and the stand reaches up to 32 inches (81 cm) in height. The total weight of the Pedestal Stand for iPad is 7.25 lbs (3.3 kg) before the tablet is added to the mix. This is the adult equivalent of the iPotty (from the same company) featured previously on Gizmag. Just without the need for toilet training.
The toilet roll holder is optional (as are anti-bacterial wipes), and CTA Digital is also working on a variation which replaces it with a cup holder (as seen in some of the images in the gallery). The Pedestal Stand for iPad retails for US$44.99. It's compatible with the iPad 2 and iPad (3rd and 4th Generations).


Monday 4 February 2013

ThreeUK pledges to add LTE to its unlimited data plans at no extra cost


The old beer-selling adage that good things come to those who wait also applies to those who've yet to sign away a kidney for one of EE's LTE plansThreeUK is announcing that it's going to bundle LTE into its existing unlimited mobile data packages without any additional charges. The network is planning to launch its own 4G product later in the year, using spectrum it snagged when T-Mobile and Orange were forced to sell off a chunk in order to see their marriage go through. As such, existing ThreeUK customers who own an LTE-ready device can expect to see their mobile internet shoot through the roof as soon as the capacity is switched on.Image


Three to offer latest technology as standard with no price premium.
Three UK today made a public commitment to offer Ultrafast services as a standard feature on all its smartphone price plans. LTE, otherwise known as 4G, will be added to Three's Ultrafast network later this year. Unlike some other UK mobile operators, it will be available across all existing and new price plans without customers needing to pay a premium fee to 'upgrade'.
Three's Ultrafast network, currently supported by DC-HSDPA technology, already covers 55% of the UK population with an initial focus on 50 towns and cities. It will reach 80% population coverage by the end of March and in the second half of this year it will incorporate 1800Mhz spectrum already acquired by Three to add even more coverage and capacity.
Any customer with an Ultrafast ready device can already enjoy great speeds on Three's Ultrafast network without paying a premium or needing to swap SIM cards or price plans. LTE will be available as standard with all customers' price plans when the roll-out begins later this year.
"Our customers choose Three because they love the internet and know they can get great speeds and great value on our award-winning network," said Three UK chief executive Dave Dyson.
"As we add the next wave of technology to our Ultrafast network, we've listened to our customers and thought long and hard about the right way to do it. We don't want to limit Ultrafast services to a select few based on a premium price and we've decided our customers will get this service as standard. With Three, it's simple, great value and Ultrafast. What you might expect from the network that was built for the internet."
Customers with Ultrafast ready devices, including the Apple iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920, Sony Xperia Z, Apple iPad mini and Apple iPad with Retina display, can already enjoy Three's Ultrafast network and will also be able to use the 1800Mhz spectrum when it is added later this year. Device choice is growing rapidly with new Ultrafast ready LTE versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II being launched on Three within the next month, and the BlackBerry Z10 launching mid-February.

Google Glass bone conduction technology referenced in FCC filing


As if Google Glass wasn’t already cool enough, today we’re finding out that it feature bone conduction technology. The glasses recently made an appearance at the FCC, and the filing for the project mentions “integral vibrating element that provides audio to the user via contact with the user’s head.” Of course, Google recently filed a patent for glasses that feature the tech, so it seems that bone conduction will definitely be a part of Project Glass.
google-project-glass-Diane-von-Furstenberg-01-540x426
Some of you will already know what bone conduction is, since it isn’t exactly a new technology. Essentially, the glasses will send vibrations through bones near the ear. This means that users can hear audio with the glasses on, without the need for headphones. The added benefit here is that users will be able to hear the audio Google Glass is putting out while still hearing whats going on in their surroundings – something that’s a lot more difficult or even impossible when you’re wearing headphones.
Having bone conduction tech along for the ride should do something to allay the concerns of those who think Google Glass could potentially be unsafe. After all, having a little screen in front of your eye could prove to be quite the distraction. At least with bone conduction technology, users would still be able to hear what’s happening around them.
Bone conduction technology isn’t new, but it isn’t very popular either, so perhaps we’ll see it popping up more in other devices after being included in Google Glass. Google recently held developer hackathon events for Google Glass, but don’t expect to hear any news from them. Hopefully we’ll be finding out more about Google Glass soon, so stay tuned.

Natural Living:5 Myths about nature vs technology



Technology has made us healthier in a lot of ways. It’s beaten back old threats from smallpox to stillbirth to scarlet fever. But many think the march of progress has gone too far, and we need to get back to nature. 
Author Nathanael Johnson says most of us are in the middle – suspicious of technology run amok, but unwilling to trade the condo for a mud hut. He investigates whether the natural approach is really better for us in his book,“All Natural.” 
Nathanael also laid out five common myths about nature versus technology. Get the gist below, or click below and listen to the full conversation:
1) Identical nutrition labels mean identical nutrition.
The Food and Drug Administration requires foodmakers to post the content of essential nutrients, calories and so on so we can compare how healthy one food is next to another. But Johnson says scientists now understand that the way a food delivers nutrients – how they’re structured inside a food – make a huge difference in how we process them (think Wonder Bread versus rustic bread). That means the numbers on those labels tell just part of the story, and maybe not a very important part at that.
2) Pale pork is healthy pork.
The “other white meat” probably shouldn’t be white. Johnson says white pig flesh is actually a symptom of a delicious-sounding condition called “pale, soft, exudative flesh,” or PSE. This is usually a result of the piggy being highly stressed prior to slaughter. Better off finding pork that is a deep red color, though not too brownish or purple.
3) Take an antibiotic, just to be on the safe side.
Many of us have been lectured that we shouldn’t overuse antibiotics because, on the whole, it gives rise to drug-resistant “superbugs.” But for any given individual with any given sinus infection, it’s tempting to think, “Might as well err on the side of caution … and who’s it really going to hurt?” Well, maybe you, says Johnson. Besides the bad germs, antibiotics wipe out billions of good bacteria in our bodies, many of them in our gut. That leaves us wide open to opportunistic germs that might not otherwise gain a toehold, such as the highly unpleasant and potentially deadly C. difficile, now at epidemic levels.
4) Vaccines may not cause autism, but dang it there’s something fishy there
The jury is in on the supposed vaccine-autism link: there isn’t one. But a host of other misgivings about vaccines persist. Johnson says some of these derive from the idea that vaccines are the height of medical hubris, that they are an unnatural intervention with unknown consequences. Even he thought that to some extent until he did his research. He came to believe that vaccines actually restore a natural balance we lost once we moved into cities and stopped getting so dirty all the time.
5) Getting screened for cancer couldn’t hurt, and might save your life
In any single case, that may be true. But on the whole, Johnson says screenings for prostate, breast of cervical cancer carry their own risk. They generate lots of false positives, which trigger more interventions – each of which has the potential to harm. It’s not just about saving money, Johnson says: On the whole, public health experts believe the population would be healthier if fewer of us got screened.

Friday 1 February 2013

iPad 5:New Screen Technology To Make iPad 5 Thinner & Lighter


Apple could use a touchscreen technology called “G/F2 (DITO) thin-film” in its next generation 9.7-inch iPad 5  according to the questionable DigiTimes.

Apple

Apple currently use the G/F2 (DITO) thin-film technology in its 7.9-inch iPad mini, and could decide to use the thin touch technology in its next full-sized iPad. The technology would help Apple cut down on the weight and thickness of the fifth generation iPad, which already carries the iPad 5 nickname.

iPad 5

Other recent rumors said Apple is looking to make the iPad 5 thinner and lighter than the fourth generation tablet, and this rumor meshes well with those. Previous rumors said Apple plans to use the same basic design as the iPad mini in the next generation iPad. That includes a thinner bezel on the sides of the device and a flatter back that comes in both black and silver.

iPad 5 vs iPad mini
If Apple does use the DITO technology for the screen, it would get the thin-film materials from Nitto in Japan, and touchscreen modules from Nissha Printing, which is also in Japan. TPK in Taiwan would handle the lamination of the parts, and the display planels would come from LG Display and Sharp.
With all five firms Apple could produce as many as five million displays each month in mass production.
For users, the new technology will mostly just result in a thinner and lighter iPad. There’s no word on any other improvements this technology provides. At 1.44 pounds the current iPad isn’t that heavy, but the size and weight do make it somewhat difficult to hold in one hand. A reduction in weight could theoretically make it easier to hold without two hands.
The iPad 5 will likely come out sometime this fall, though some rumors point to March. If Apple does go through with the redesign, it will be the first major redesign to the iPad since the iPad 2 which introduced the current designe

Friday 25 January 2013

Technology set to boost NZ ranking


New Zealand's "exceptionally strong" performance in technology is set to propel it up the globalisation rankings, a new report from Ernst & Young says.
The international accountancy firm has released its 2012 globalisation survey, measuring the world's 60 largest economies according to their openness to trade, capital flows, exchange of technology and ideas, labour movements, and cultural integration.
New Zealand is ranked 21st, ahead of Australia at 24th and the United States at 25th. Hong Kong is ranked first, and the United Kingdom comes in at No 10. The lowest-ranked country is Iran.
New Zealand's position remains the same as the previous year despite achieving a slightly higher score this time around.
But New Zealand is already outperforming in the technology category, with its broadband penetration key to an improved ranking in the index, the report said. "We expect New Zealand to climb up into 12th position by 2016, helped by an exceptionally strong performance in technology, where it will top the ranking on broadband penetration."
The percentage of the population with access to broadband has improved from 25.7 per cent to 30 per cent, it said.
New Zealand Ernst & Young technology specialist Paul Mahan said he agreed with the report's findings "to a point".
While the Government was pushing the rollout of broadband across the country, links out of the country had not progressed. "We've got one link, basically."
This posed challenges in terms of potential failures and the competitive pricing of data, he said.
However, IDC research analyst Glen Saunders said this had been the case for some time, and the Southern Cross Cable had served New Zealand's needs so far. With New Zealanders using more and more data and much of it coming from abroad, it was getting to the point where a second connection would become cost-effective.
New Zealand's broadband penetration was up to about 64 per cent of households - a measure IDC preferred because average numbers of people in households varied from country to country.
"We can say our broadband penetration, for our country's size and real GDP, we're doing quite well."
The E&Y globalisation report also said investment opportunities in New Zealand should improve in coming years with the Government's plan to partly privatise some state-owned enterprises. Household debt would act as a drag on consumer spending, it said.

iPhone 6 Fingerprint Technology


Apple stock is currently in free fall (albeit from record-setting highs) amid speculation that the company is losing a little bit of its innovative edge. 
An iPhone 6 with fingerprint technology could change that.

iPhone Fingerprint


According to AppleInsider, the rumored innovation for this year or early next could come in the form of a sensor beneath the iPhone's home button.
The iPhone 6 fingerprint sensor would be "an intuitive design that could be difficult for competing Android and Windows Phone devices to copy."
The (unconfirmed) fingerprint technology would come from one of Apple's recent acquisitions, AuthenTec. The report about the development continues:
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities says it would "allow iPhone users to replace usernames and passwords, allowing users to authenticate in a more efficient manner."
The fingerprint scanner "could integrate with applications such as Passbook to enhance their functionality" as well, giving Apple another key edge.
Kuo's track record has been pretty solid, as he predicted Apple's entire Fall product line last year, but for now this rumor is exactly that - a rumor.
A pretty cool one, but just a rumor just the same.