Microscale 3-D Printing

Despite the excitement that 3-D printing has generated, its capabilities remain rather limited. It can be used to make complex shapes, but most commonly only out of plastics. Even manufacturers using an advanced version of the technology known as additive manufacturing typically have expanded the material palette only to a few types of metal alloys. But what if 3-D printers could use a wide assortment of different materials, from living cells to semiconductors, mixing and matching the “inks” with precision?

Jennifer Lewis, a materials scientist at Harvard University, is developing the chemistry and machines to make that possible. She prints intricately shaped objects from “the ground up,” precisely adding materials that are useful for their mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, or optical traits. This means 3-D printing technology could make objects that sense and respond to their environment. “Integrating form and function,” she says, “is the next big thing that needs to happen in 3-D printing.”

                                                                                                   

 Left: For the demonstration, the group formulated four polymer inks, each dyed a different color. 

Right: The different inks are placed in standard print heads. 

Bottom: By sequentially and precisely depositing the inks in a process guided by the group’s software, the printer quickly produces the colorful lattice.

A group at Princeton University has printed a bionic ear, combining biological tissue and electronics (see “Cyborg Parts”), while a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge has printed retinal cells to form complex eye tissue. But even among these impressive efforts to extend the possibilities of 3-D printing, Lewis’s lab stands out for the range of materials and types of objects it can print.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha With Octa-Core SoC to Launch on August 13

The rumour mill has been spewing out several conflicting launch dates for the anticipated metal-clad Samsung Galaxy Alpha (aka Galaxy S5 Prime and Galaxy F). First a report claimed the August 13 launch, then on Wednesday it was rumoured for August 4, and now yet another report claims the launch of the rumoured Galaxy Alpha will be on August 13 itself.

On Thursday a German website named Allaboutsamsung had published a report scrapping the August 4 release date from Sammobile, and claimed the rumoured metal-clad Samsung Galaxy Alpha smartphone will launch on August 13. The website also published purported specifications of the handset, along with an image of the alleged Samsung Galaxy Alpha's back without the panel (showing the SIM card slot and model number, as well as visible metal seams), as well as purported Galaxy Alpha AnTuTu benchmark screenshots.

The purported image and benchmark screenshots of the Galaxy Alpha shows the devices' model number to be SM-G850F. It appears that the smartphone will come with support for only a single SIM (Nano-SIM), and will not support storage expandability via microSD card. Notably, the website claims it is unsure about if the smartphone seen in the image is the final design that will appear on shelves, and that it is waiting for Samsung to launch the device on August 13.The purported Galaxy Alpha AnTuTu benchmark screenshots reveals a 720x1280 pixel display resolution with a pixel density of 320ppi for the rumoured 4.8-inch screen. The other leaked specifications of the anticipated Galaxy Alpha include an octa-core Exynos 5433 SoC with a Mali-T628 GPU; 2GB of RAM; 32GB of inbuilt storage; a 12-megapixel rear camera; a 2.1-megapixel front camera, and Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Earlier this week, the alleged metal-clad Samsung Galaxy Alpha was purportedly spotted in a user agent (UA) profile on Samsung's support site, as well as on Samsung's developer console, once again pointing to a 720p display resolution.

7 Google Products in 2013

Google celebrated its 15th anniversary this year !!!

1.Google Glass

In 2013, for the first time, the mantle of innovation was passed from Apple to Google. This was largely possible because of Google Glass, the first optically-driven wearable computer aimed at general consumers.

Glass isn't set to hit the mass market until 2014, but the company began disseminating units to an unspecified number of "explorers" early this year. That led to a wave of publicity, then a backlash and now, as the year comes to a close, continued uncertainty about the viability of the category.

Google Glass's primary issue is a chicken-and-egg problem: Since so few people own a pair, they are not yet socially acceptable. A major part of the Glass experience is receiving weird looks from others. Google could work out some of those kinks; a partnership with fashionable eyewear brand Warby Parker, for example, would likely yield some less geeky designs. Even if Glass is a colossal flop, though, the product has succeeded it making Apple look comparatively timid with its lineup of mildly tweaked phones (think: the iPhone 5C and 5S) and tablets and rumored iWatch.

2.Android Takes 81% of the Market

Though many consumers continue to equate the smartphone with the iPhone,four-fifths of all smartphones actually sport Android. That means that the smartphone market is shaping up to look a lot like the PC segment, with Google playing the role of Microsoft. Butwhile Windows is a cash cow for Microsoft, Google doesn't actually make any money from Android.Instead, Android is designed to sell advertising. With such a large chunk of the market, Google has brilliantly transitioned from the desktop era to the mobile age.

Of course, that's not how Apple sees it. In a September interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook cited stats showing that despite Android's market-share dominance, 55% of mobile traffic comes from iOS devices. Cook also indirectly dubbed many of Android-based devices as "junk." Again, this is a moot point when your intention is to sell ads.

3.Google Buys Waze for $1.1 Billion

The world earned new respect for Google Maps in 2012 after Apple's disastrous introduction of Maps. But the mapping category keeps evolving. Waze, an Israeli company, was ahead of the curve with incorporating real-time information, like traffic, into maps. Many realized Waze was one of very few companies to offer such data along with its own credible mapping infrastructure, which set off a bidding war that reportedly included Apple and Facebook. In the end, Google and, as a result, maintained its reputation as the Internet's premiere cartographer.

4.Moto X Launches

In August, Google announced the Moto X, the first smartphone designed together by Google and its Motorola unit. (This was also the first major release to follow the company's $12 billion purchase of Motorola.) Though the Moto X received positive reviews, it lacked any strong differentiator. Even its Touchless Control, which brings your phone to life by uttering "OK Google now," appeared in a new line of Verizon Droid smartphones the week before the Moto X was unveiled.

In other words, this wasn't seen as a breakthrough — a tough challenge with so many other Android manufacturers. Moto, which was seen as a hedge against patent trolls, has not yet seamlessly integrated into the company and appears to be just one of many partners, albeit one that Google owns.

5.The Introduction of Chromecast

In August, Google announced the Moto X, the first smartphone designed together by Google and its Motorola unit. (This was also the first major release to follow the company's $12 billion purchase of Motorola.) Though the Moto X received positive reviews, it lacked any strong differentiator. Even its Touchless Control, which brings your phone to life by uttering "OK Google now," appeared in a new line of Verizon Droid smartphones the week before the Moto X was unveiled.

In other words, this wasn't seen as a breakthrough — a tough challenge with so many other Android manufacturers. Moto, which was seen as a hedge against patent trolls, has not yet seamlessly integrated into the company and appears to be just one of many partners, albeit one that Google owns.

6.Google Stock Hits $1,000

In October, Google stock entered the four-figure range, joining an elite club including Priceline, Seaboard and Berkshire Hathaway. Such psychological barriers are often meaningless — a looming stock split will send it back to three digit territory soon — but it underscored the company's stellar financial performance this year.

7.Google Play Passes 50 Billion App Downloads

This summer, just as Apple announced 50 billion downloads on the App Store, Google was also crowing about the same number of downloads. Google Play launched as Android Market just a few months after the App Store in 2008. However, for much of the ensuing period, Google Play was seen as an also-ran next to the App Store. This is partially because developers generally release iOS versions of their apps ahead of their Android iterations — in fact, often months ahead.

That may be changing. With more than 80% of the global market, justifying an iOS-first strategy is increasingly difficult. If Android does get the edge in new development, it will be harder for consumers to defend their devotion to iOS as well.

Ubuntu Saucy Salamander is Here

The latest version of Ubuntu was released on October 17, 2013. This is version 3.10 and is also called as Saucy Salamander, which includes some major enhancements when compared to previous version. What’s fascinating about the launch is the inclusion of a stable version of Ubuntu Touch, an operating system developed by Ubuntu, which can be installed on any smartphone or tablet.

According to Community Manager for Ubuntu, Jono Bacon, the desktop version has many new options. Despite this, the stable version of Ubuntu Touch, which is created ​​primarily for manufacturers and developers, brings only basic applications like a browser, clock, climate indicator and a calculator, all created by members of Ubuntu community.

What’s new in Ubuntu 13.10?

Saucy Salamander brings some new options that are worth trying. Smart Scopes is one among these options, that delivers search results for any term in the Dash Search. This feature is also present in the previous version of Ubuntu, although only Amazon delivered results. Now, results are extended for many other services such as Reddit, Wikipedia, eBay, Foursquare or Grooveshark.

There are some changes in user-interface too, although these are minor and nothing unusual. Ubuntu 13.10 brings eighteen new wallpapers and updated versions of Files, Rhythmbox, and LibreOffice.

Ubuntu Touch OS for tablets and smartphones

You can install the Ubuntu Touch into a Galaxy Nexus or LG Nexus 4 following these directions, but be cautious of a few things: You must be very careful during the installation process, or your smartphone can be damaged. It does not have all the features that are provided in a retail phone and eventually this process will erase all data on the device which cannot be recovered by restoring Android.

Touch Ubuntu is stable but not fully complete ye, but with some patience, you can wait to try it a little later. The other devices that support Touch Ubuntu are Samsung Nexus 10 and ASUS Nexus 7. Currently, this OS is restricted to only these devices.

Although Ubuntu Touch is an inexperienced version, the interface allows you to completely handle gestures such as drag from the left, open an application launcher that allows changes anchored between the two applications (multi-tasking ), drag from the right shows a circle with applications that are open, or drag down from the top will show indicators and settings.

STEAM OS

According to Valve's site, "SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen. It will be available soon as a free stand-alone operating system for living room machines."

SteamOS will tie in with Steam, and "you don’t have to give up your favorite games, your online friends, and all the Steam features you love just to play on the big screen. SteamOS, running on any living room machine, will provide access to the best games and user-generated content available."

Valve says Steam OS has "achieved significant performance increases in graphics processing, and we’re now targeting audio performance and reductions in input latency at the operating system level. Game developers are already taking advantage of these gains as they target SteamOS for their new releases."

"Steam is not a one-way content broadcast channel, it’s a collaborative many-to-many entertainment platform, in which each participant is a multiplier of the experience for everyone else," Valve writes. "With SteamOS, “openness” means that the hardware industry can iterate in the living room at a much faster pace than they’ve been able to. Content creators can connect directly to their customers. Users can alter or replace any part of the software or hardware they want. Gamers are empowered to join in the creation of the games they love. SteamOS will continue to evolve, but will remain an environment designed to foster these kinds of innovation."

Graphene Computer Chip Runs on Light ,Not Electricity

Computing is getting a little greener, thanks to a material called graphene.

New studies suggest that integrating the "strongest material in the world" into computer chips would allow them to run off of light. Currently, most chips require electricity.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University and IBM’s T. J. Watson Research Center led the studies, which were published in Nature Photonics. The chip uses incoming light to knock electrons out, converting them into electrical energy.

According to MIT, the new chips could cut back on power consumption and heat production. As another bonus, the chips could be faster and cheaper to make.

This isn't the first we've heard about graphene. In February, the European Union gave Nokia a $1.35 billion grant to develop the material, which is reportedly only one atom thick and 300 times stronger than steel.

In 2010, two graphene researchers won the Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating how the transparent and flexible material could be used to make touchscreens, light panels and solar cells.

ADROID 4.4 KITKAT

PREPARE FOR A SWEET NEW TREAT

Android is the operating system that powers over 1 billion smartphones and tablets. Since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named after a dessert: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean. As everybody finds it difficult to stay away from chocolate we decided to name the next version of Android after one of our favorite chocolate treats, Kitkat.

To make this release even sweeter, Kit Kat is giving you the chance to win a Nexus 7 or Google Play credit. Just look for specially branded Kit Kat candy bars featuring the Android robot in a store near you.

Google says that "it's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody." That's certainly a bit vague, but the statement does line up with earlier rumors that suggested Google plans to use its next Android release in smartwatches, gaming consoles, low-cost smartphones, and even laptops.

BLINK: A Rendering Engine For The Chromium Project

Blink is a web browser engine developed by Google and Opera Software ASA as part of the Chromium project, first announced in April 2013. It is a fork of the WebCore component of  WebKit and is used in Chrome , Opera  and other Chromium based browsers.

WebKit is a lightweight yet powerful rendering engine that emerged out of KHTML in 2001. Its flexibility, performance and thoughtful design made it the obvious choice for Chromium's rendering engine back when we started. Thanks to the hard work by all in the community, WebKit has thrived and kept pace with the web platform’s growing capabilities since then.

However, Chromium uses a different multi-process architecture than other WebKit-based browsers, and supporting multiple architectures over the years has led to increasing complexity for both the WebKit and Chromium projects. This has slowed down the collective pace of innovation - so today, we are introducing Blink, a new open source rendering engine based on WebKit.

This was not an easy decision.The introduction of a new rendering engine can have significant implications for the web. Having multiple rendering engines—similar to having multiple browsers—will spur innovation and over time improve the health of the entire open web ecosystem.

In the short term, Blink will bring little change for web developers. The bulk of the initial work will focus on internal architectural improvements and a simplification of the codebase. For example, we anticipate that we’ll be able to remove 7 build systems and delete more than 7,000 files—comprising more than 4.5 million lines—right off the bat. Over the long term a healthier codebase leads to more stability and fewer bugs.

UBUNTU EDGE VS IOS VS ANDROID

	Ubuntu Edge	Apple iPhone 5	Samsung Galaxy S4
Mobile OS	Dual-boots Android and Ubuntu mobile	iOS	Android
Desktop OS	Ubuntu Desktop	No	No
RAM	4GB	1GB	2GB
Internal storage	128GB	64GB	16GB
Screen	720 x 1,280, 4.5 inches	640 x 1,136, 4 inches	1,080 x 1,920, 5 inches
Protection	Sapphire Glass	Corning Gorilla Glass	Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Connectivity	Dual-LTE, GSM	LTE, GSM	LTE, GSM
Speakers	Stereo	Mono	Mono
Battery	Silicon-anode Li-ion	Li-ion	Li-ion
Price	$695	$849*	$750**

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

• Dual boot Ubuntu mobile OS and Android
• Fully integrated Ubuntu desktop PC when docked
• Fastest multi-core CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage
• Micro-SIM
• 4.5in 1,280 x 720 HD sapphire crystal display
• 8mp low-light rear camera, 2mp front camera
• Dual-LTE, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4, NFC
• GPS, accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, compass, barometer
• Stereo speakers with HD audio, dual-mic recording, Active Noise Cancellation
• 11-pin connector providing simultaneous MHL and USB OTG
• 3.5mm jack
• Silicon-anode Li-Ion battery
• 64 x 9 x 124mm

PROJECT LOON-Balloon Powered Internet

What is Project Loon ?

Project Loon is a study and development project being developed by Google with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas.

Technology

The balloons will drift through the stratosphere—which is about twice as high as commercial planes fly—to deliver 3G service to off-the-grid areas. They are carried around the Earth by winds and they can be steered by rising or descending to an altitude with winds moving in the desired direction. People connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from balloon to balloon, then to the global Internet back on Earth.

Google launched 30 balloons so far around Canterbury, New Zealand, as part of an effort to build a global ring of balloon-borne Internet relay points in the stratosphere. Depending on the success of the project, Google had decided to carry Project Loon to different nations and looks like India might be one of the lucky ones.

A decade ago, the European Union founded the CAPANINA project to deliver broadband from high-altitude platforms in the stratosphere. Back in 2005, it successfully produced broadband wireless access at distances of up to 37 miles (60 kilometers) from a free-floating balloon in the stratosphere over northern Sweden.

Tim Tozer, an expert on wireless, satellite, and HAP communications at the University of York in Great Britain, was part of that effort. He spoke with National Geographic about the current state of the science—and the promising future beyond Google's balloons.

                                                

HOW LOON WORKS

Project Loon balloons travel around 20 km above the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are generally steady and slow-moving at between 5 and 20 mph, and each layer of wind varies in direction and magnitude. Project Loon uses software algorithms to determine where its balloons need to go, then moves each one into a layer of wind blowing in the right direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can be arranged to form one large communications network.Project Loon is able to take advantage of the steady stratospheric winds, and remain well above weather events, wildlife and airplanes.    
                                                   

 

HOW IS LOON DESIGNED

The balloon envelope is the name for the inflatable part of the balloon. The balloons are made of polyethylene plastic. They are approximately 15 meters in diameter and the entire apparatus is about 12 meters tall. Each balloon is powered via solar panels. They are specially constructed for use in superpressure balloons, which are longer-lasting than weather balloons because they can withstand higher pressure from the air inside when the balloons reach float altitude. A parachute attached to the top of the envelope allows for a controlled descent and landing whenever a balloon is ready to be taken out of service.

The balloons will float along the winds in the stratosphere, approximately 20km above the surface. At such a distance, they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Each balloon is equipped with transceivers to communicate with nearby balloons and with a regional ground station and the specialized antenna Google developed to receive the signal. The balloons provide the equivalent of 3G service using the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz ISM bands in an area that’s roughly 40 kilometers in diameter. They also communicate with each other to maintain the positioning necessary to form a functioning network.The company adds that the balloons are designed to stay aloft for “100+ days.”

While the project is still in pilot phase and the chances of it coming to India are still isolated, it would definitely be favourable to most Indians. India being a developing nation still needs to reach out to rural areas and educate them about the internet. With Project Loon, rural areas will not just get internet but can even learn more about surfing.

                                                   

MOZILLA TO DEVELOP OS BASED ON ANDROID

Mozilla, who are popular for their successful internet browser, are entering the mobile race, developing a new web-centric OS that will directly compete with Google, Apple and Microsoft.

           If  Mozilla rings any bells it's because they're the tech boffins who put together Internet Explorer, the browser that Windows defaults to. Mozilla took the leviathan computing company on with its Firefox browser, and today it stands as the second most popular browser worldwide.Now the company who was underdog to Microsoft looks to be playing the same role, but this time against internet tycoon Google.

             Mozilla Announced on the discussion forum that they have begun coding for phones and tablets. The Mobile operating system will draw on Android code, with Mozilla writing as much fresh code as possible. The hybrid-like operating system will be named Boot To Gecko. It is an unusual name for an OS, until you remember Gecko is the rendering engine employed by the Firefox browser that interprets web page coding and displays it in a screen-friendly format, a homage to its origins.

              Even though Android coding will form the operating system's foundations, Mozilla hope to add a much more open wrapper around it than Google currently do, making it more versatile as an operating system.Its shared foundations will also make Boot To Gecko compatible with the same phones as Android, competing as a direct alternative to Google.Often, when you select a link from an application native to the Android or iOS market, the operating system will have to open a new webpage in the browser. Boot To Gecko aims to limit this by making applications much more web-centric.If the venture proves successful, Mozilla will be waging war against industry giants, with Google, Apple and Microsoft dominating many facets of the technological world. 

                

                Mozilla have acknowledged the project is in infancy and have chosen to make the development public in hope it will attract talented enthusiast coders who will contribute to the Boot To Gecko's cause.According to their project team, all of the code development will be completed and shared with the public as soon as it is written.

Researcher Andreas Gal, who announced the development, admits the company has set a high target, but wants to do it "the way we think open source should be done.Gal says his ultimate goal is to break "the strong hold of proprietary technologies over the mobile device world," implicitly referring to the practices of Apple, Windows Phone and Google.

MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING-The World On A Cloud

                      The cloud has been nothing short of a revolution in the computing world.if you thought that cloud computing was the next big thing, it’s time to wake up!

Cloud computing has evolved at such an alarming pace that it has gone mobile! It’s time to usher in a new kind of cloud computing- the Mobile Cloud Computing.

What is Mobile Cloud Computing?

Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) is a blend of mobile computing and cloud computing. It can be thought of as a further development of mobile computing and an extension of cloud computing.

MCC provides cloud based services to users through Internet and mobile devices. In MCC, the mobile device based computing, data storage and information processing has been taken up by the ‘cloud’ and this happens entirely outside the mobile device.

Why Mobile Cloud Computing?

Mobile devices have a wide range of constraints – from weight, size, ergonomics, battery life to heat dissipation from the mobile processors, etc. These constraints take a toll on the mobile hardware resources such as processing speed, memory size and storage capacity. Most of the applications in today’s mobile devices are resource-intensive and in most cases, exceeds the capabilities of the device’s performance.  In such a scenario, mobile computing can effectively harness the power of cloud computing providing virtually limitless processing power and storage capabilities with access to up-to-date databases.

Developers see this as an opportunity to make cloud computing a platform for mobile application development. By bringing up the computing and data processing phases into the ‘cloud’, the capability requirement of mobile devices can be reduced drastically. More and more mobile devices (including low-cost and non-smartphone devices) will be able to access the cloud, thus providing greater quality services to a larger span of mobile subscribers.

Working

Working on the backdrop of the cloud, MCC enables users to send service requests to the cloud through a web browser. The cloud has components that allocates the needed resources for the request and establishes the connection. Once this is done, monitoring and processing functionalities will kick in, ensuring quality of service until the connection is completed.

Advantages of MCC

The advantages provided by cloud computing apply to MCC as well. Developers and application managers need to have only a single instance of the application running on the cloud. This greatly eliminates the problems associated with different versions of the same program and makes the work of the developer far easier.

All users use the same version of the application and new updates can be made to the application without the user having to download the update.

The biggest plus is that application developers can run the same app in different platforms such as iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows.  As the mobile cloud provides computing and the storage, the need to develop and maintain multiple apps is eliminated.

Another area where MCC has been a real boon is in the social media market. MCC offers better integration with cloud based contents in social media and other sharing platforms. Apps having multiple user features can really help users to access data simultaneously.

The Future

With the advent of new technologies like HTML5 , CSS3, and cloudlets, there is no doubt that the cloud is going to play a very huge role in future application developments. Platform specific app development is going to be a thing of the past.

Mobile applications can greatly leverage on the cloud and provide a more reliable, scalable, and easy to use interface for the user.  Enterprises are sure to ride on this new wave as workflows become more mobile and fresh revenue streams start opening up.