Computing
World's First Handheld Sound Camera Ready for Market
May 13, 2013 11:05 am | by Professor Seok-Hyung Bae, The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | News | CommentsMost car drivers have had the experience of hearing a buzzing, squeaky, or rattling sound while driving but not being able to figure out where the noise is coming from. The problem could be simple, requiring a quick fix, or could be serious enough to bring a car to a mechanic
HotSpot Episode 12: 3D Microbatteries
May 13, 2013 10:47 am | by Eric Sorensen, Coordinator of Multimedia Development | Videos | CommentsThis week on WDD’s HotSpot, Casetop from Livi Design is a netbook-like combo that uses a smartphone for its computing power; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has created new microbatteries, sought to achieve a more favorable balance between energy and density; and SM Instrument Company and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have created a sound camera, the SeeSV-S205.
Graphene Joins the Race to Redefine the Ampere
May 13, 2013 10:31 am | by David Lewis, National Physical Laboratory | News | CommentsA new joint innovation by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Cambridge could pave the way for redefining the ampere in terms of fundamental constants of physics. The world's first graphene single-electron pump (SEP), described in a paper in Nature Nanotechnology, provides the speed of electron flow needed to create a new standard for electrical current based on electron charge.
New Technique to Improve Quality Control of Lithium-Ion Batteries
May 13, 2013 10:13 am | by Emil Venere, Purdue University | News | CommentsThe electrodes, called anodes and cathodes, are the building blocks of powerful battery arrays like those used in electric and hybrid vehicles. They are copper on one side and coated with a black compound to store lithium on the other. Lithium ions travel from the anode to the cathode while the battery is being charged and in the reverse direction when discharging energy.
Bloodless Bank Heist Impressed Cybercrime Experts
May 13, 2013 9:42 am | by COLLEEN LONG, MARTHA MENDOZA, Associated Press | News | CommentsA bloodless bank heist that netted more than $45 million has left even cybercrime experts impressed by the technical sophistication, if not the virtue, of the con artists who pulled off a remarkable internationally organized attack. "It was pretty ingenious," Pace University computer science professor Darren Hayes said Friday.
Icahn, Southeastern Challenge Dell Takeover Plan
May 13, 2013 9:33 am | by TOM MURPHY, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsOne of the biggest critics of Michael Dell's plan to take the company he founded private has launched a fresh challenge to that $24.4 billion bid and says the slumping PC maker needs new leadership. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has teamed with Dell's largest independent shareholder, Southeastern Asset Management, to pitch a deal that would let Dell shareholders keep their stake in the company and give...
Engineering Newswire 37: Boeing Makes Hypersonic History
May 10, 2013 11:08 am | by Eric Sorensen, Coordinator of Multimedia Development | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by Pivot Point, the leading designer and manufacturer of non-threaded fastener solutions, we're improving Artificial Intelligence with sensors, flying robotic bees, making hypersonic history, and getting ready to launch GOES-R.
Panasonic Reports Big Loss but Forecasts Profit
May 10, 2013 10:47 am | by MALCOLM FOSTER, Associated Press | News | CommentsJapanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic Corp. on Friday reported a near-record net loss of 754 billion yen ($7.5 billion) for the fiscal year through March due to restructuring costs and slumping sales, but predicted a return to the black this year as it prunes unprofitable businesses.
Icahn, Southeastern Challenge Dell Takeover Plan
May 10, 2013 10:41 am | by TOM MURPHY, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSoutheastern Asset Management and Icahn said in a letter sent Thursday to the Dell Inc. board that they want to let shareholders keep their stock and give them either $12 per share in cash or additional shares in a deal that keeps the company publicly traded.
Flawed Diamonds Promise Sensory Perfection
May 10, 2013 10:31 am | by Paul Preuss, Berkeley Lab | News | CommentsFrom brain to heart to stomach, the bodies of humans and animals generate weak magnetic fields that a supersensitive detector could use to pinpoint illnesses, trace drugs – and maybe even read minds. Sensors no bigger than a thumbnail could map gas deposits underground, analyze chemicals, and pinpoint explosives that hide from other probes.
AVX’s Thin Film Capacitors Receive Logistics Agency Approval
May 10, 2013 9:55 am | by WDD Staff | Product Releases | CommentsAVX Corporation has announced that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has issued Drawings for high-reliability versions of its Accu-P thin film capacitor series, which exhibits both extremely low capacitance values (0.05 pF) and ultra-tight capacitance tolerances (±0.01 pF).
Scientists Develop Device for Portable, Ultra-Precise Clocks and Quantum Sensors
May 9, 2013 10:25 am | by Universities of Strathclyde | News | CommentsIn a joint project between the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow, Imperial College London and the National Physical Laboratory, researchers have developed a portable way to produce ultracold atoms for quantum technology and quantum information processing.
U.S. Appeals Panel Speaks Well of Google Book Plans
May 9, 2013 9:54 am | by LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press | News | CommentsThree judges on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan were considering an appeal by Mountain View, Calif.-based Google of a judge's decision last year to grant class status to authors represented in an 8-year-old lawsuit by lawyers for the Authors Guild.
Huawei Founder Gives First Ever Media Interview
May 9, 2013 9:51 am | by NICK PERRY, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe telecommunications equipment company has suffered business setbacks in the U.S. and Australia due to fears it could be a security risk. Last October, a U.S. congressional panel recommended telephone companies avoid doing business with it. Huawei issued a pledge not to cooperate with spying, and argues the U.S. is engaging in trade protectionism.
Sony Back in Black, Healthier Sales
May 9, 2013 9:44 am | by YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsIt reported Thursday annual earnings of 43 billion yen ($434 million), a reversal from a loss of 457 billion yen ($5.7 billion) the previous year — the worst in the company's nearly seven-decade history. Tokyo-based Sony expects the recovery to continue, and projected a 50 billion yen ($505 million) profit for the fiscal year through March 2014, up 16 percent.
Microsoft Extends Search Guarantee in Yahoo Deal
May 8, 2013 11:13 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsYahoo rose 90 cents, or 3.6 percent, to close Tuesday at $26.07. It's the first time the stock has closed above $26 in nearly five years, continuing an upturn that began after Yahoo hired former Google executive Marissa Mayer as its CEO nearly 10 months ago. The shares have surged by 67 percent since Mayer's arrival.
Magnetic Vortex Antennas for Wireless Data Transmission
May 8, 2013 11:08 am | by Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf | News | CommentsThree-dimensional magnetic vortices were discovered by scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) together with colleagues from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) within the scope of an international cooperation.
New Satellite Appears to Be Working Flawlessly
May 8, 2013 10:53 am | by DIRK LAMMERS,Associated Press | News | CommentsA new satellite hovering nearly 450 miles above the Earth appears to working flawlessly as it embarks on a 10-year mission to document the planet's surface, scientists and engineers at the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation and Science Center said Monday.
Cyberattacks a Growing Irritant in U.S.-China Ties
May 8, 2013 10:50 am | by CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press | News | CommentsSigns are growing that the sustained surge in cyberattacks emanating from China is imperiling its relations with the U.S., lending urgency to fledgling efforts by both governments to engage on the issue. The Pentagon this week said China appeared to be cyberspying against the U.S. government, the first time it has made such an assertion in its annual report on Chinese military power.
UF Launches HiPerGator, a Powerful Supercomputer
May 8, 2013 10:47 am | by Chris Moran, University of Florida | News | CommentsThe University of Florida has unveiled the state’s most powerful supercomputer, a machine that will help researchers find life-saving drugs, make decades-long weather forecasts and improve armor for troops. The HiPerGator supercomputer and recent tenfold increase in the size of the university’s data pipeline make UF one of the nation’s leading public universities in research computing.
Carnegie Mellon Robot Uses Arms, Location & More To Discover Objects
May 7, 2013 9:38 am | by Carnegie Mellon University | News | CommentsA robot can struggle to discover objects in its surroundings when it relies on computer vision alone. But by taking advantage of all of the information available to it — an object's location, size, shape and even whether it can be lifted — a robot can continually discover and refine its understanding of objects, say researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.
New Battery Design for Solar and Wind Energy Power the Grid
May 7, 2013 9:34 am | by Andy Freeberg, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory | News | CommentsResearchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have designed a low-cost, long-life battery that could enable solar and wind energy to become major suppliers to the electrical grid."For solar and wind power to be used in a significant way, we need a battery made of economical materials that are easy to scale and still efficient," said Yi Cui...
EU: Motorola May Have Violated Antitrust Rules
May 7, 2013 9:06 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsThe European Commission said Monday that Motorola Mobility may have abused its dominant market position by denying Apple the right to use technology essential for mobile phones. It is a violation of European Union antitrust rules for a patent holder to deny use to technologically essential...
BMC Software Agrees To Be Sold for $6.6B
May 7, 2013 9:04 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsBMC Software Inc. has agreed to be sold to a private investor group for about $6.6 billion in cash. The Houston-based maker of system management software for businesses said Monday that the deal is for $46.25 per share. That's less than 2 percent above Friday's closing stock price of $45.42.
Microsoft Touching up Windows 8 to Address Gripes
May 7, 2013 9:02 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsMicrosoft is retooling the latest version of its Windows operating system to address complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales. The tune up announced Tuesday won't be released to consumers and businesses until later this year.
