Jul 21 2012
A nice inforgraphic on mobile phone usage by Inneractive (click image to see larger version):
How do people really use their phones? (Copyright Inneractive)
The infographic states that battery consumption is correlated with transmission levels. I can believe that. However, I would have thought that the data requirements of running apps would have a greater influence on transmission levels than geographical network conditions :o
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Jul 18 2012
There is an interesting story (and demonstrative video) of a new approach to robotic walking in ‘Most realistic’ robot legs developed.
Now I am off to find a baby and a treadmill…
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Jul 16 2012
At the end of last month Google announced a new version of Android (called Jelly Bean) and a new tablet (called Nexus 7).
There were the most useful links that I found for Jelly Bean information:
There were the most useful links that I found for Nexus 7:
I am really just posting these for my own future reference :o
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Jul 15 2012
The BBC asks if the US one cent coin should be abandoned in The US penny: Should it be scrapped?.
It also provides the following nice infographic:
US One Cent Coin Infographic (Copyright BBC)
It is an interesting question, and I do not have a strong opinion on it either way.
However, I would not like the Euro cent to be discontinued!
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Jul 12 2012
I read that HP was recently granted a patent for transparent glass screen technology. It sounds interesting, and it could enable a new wave of devices. For more details see HP’s see-through screen proposals secure US patent.
If you are wondering how glass may develop in the future, then take a look at this excellent video by Corning:
Here is the same family, using more glass, during the same day:
Here is another one that includes some explanations throughout it:
Enjoy, and be inspired ;)
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Jul 10 2012
The clever people in General Electric have built a robot that climbs and inspects wind turbines! The full details are in Go Go Gadget: Robotic Crawler Rides Up 300-Foot Poles to Inspect Wind Turbine Blades, and I will include a photo here rather than trying to explain it!
Wind Turbine Climbing Robot (Copyright General Electric)
It looks really cool, and I am very impressed with its suction capabilities!
There are many other interesting stories reported in GE Reports.
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Jul 08 2012
I do not think so, but there have been some very interesting development this weekend!
Firstly, Facebook and Yahoo have come to a mutual agreement to share and cross license their patents! See Facebook and Yahoo settle patent and form ad alliance for more details.
Secondly, the UN has decided to intervene by hosting a summit for some of the companies currently involved in the patent wars. I do not know how successful this will be, but I think that it cannot hurt to try to improve the current situation! See Patent war talks to be hosted by UN agency to protect innovation for more details on this story.
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Jul 07 2012
It has been a busy week for Apple regarding its patents in court!
Firstly,it had a win in the US where it has (temporarily) blocked sales of some Samsung devices! I think that Google will quickly implement a work-around, so I do not expect consumers to notice the ban in practice! For more details on this story see Apple enforces Galaxy Nexus smartphone ban in the US.
Meanwhile, on the same day, a court in the UK ruled in favour of HTC by finding that some of Apple’s patents were in fact invalid! See HTC defeats Apple in swipe-to-unlock patent dispute for more details. I love the word “obvious” – it is so powerful ;)
It will be interesting to see what happens next, given that the two rulings are somewhat contradictory!
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Jul 05 2012
Imagine a world where a single company buys radio spectrum licenses, and then rolls-out infrastructure, to create a radio access network (RAN). Imagine that this company then sells this service to mobile phone network operators, who can use it with no capital costs! I call this concept RAN-as-a-Service (RaaS)!
It seems that this idea is becoming more of a reality! Vodafone and Telefónica/O2 are sharing radio resources in the UK according to Vodafone and O2 deal could save around £100m per year, and Vodafone and Three are following suit in Ireland according to Vodafone and 3 in Irish network sharing deal.
Remember – you read about RaaS here first!
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Jul 04 2012
Great news today – the EU parliament has blocked Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)! For further details see Anti-piracy treaty voted down.
This must be embarrassing for the Irish Government (amongst others)!
It is also a great example of how giving more power to a democratically elected EU parliament is good! This is thanks to the Lisbon Treaty!
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