Researchers from Rice University and other institutions have unveiled an "inexact" computer chip that is built to allow for errors. The design forsakes 100 percent accuracy in an effort to save power; in its current form, the chips are claimed to be up to 15 times more efficient than current technology.
American gamers spend five times more on iOS games compared to those on Android, according to game-focused research firm Newzoo. The claim is said to be based on a comparison of revenue and download data from the top 200 grossing games, along with survey results from a group of 17,000 gamers.
Researchers at Brown University have uncovered a new method of producing a polychromatic laser. A new material has been produced that, in conjunction with a monochromatic laser, is capable of producing laser light simultaneously in the red, blue, and green (RGB) wavelengths. This new material points the way towards multi-wavelength, single-material lasers for commercial utility.
MIT researchers have worked out a way to make glass without all the drawbacks in the medium. The 34 page research paper explains a method for making self-cleaning, hydrophobic and extremely clear glass.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have reportedly developed a new form of graphene technology that is claimed to be suitable for electronics cooling systems. The copper-graphene composite materials are said to bring a 25 percent improvement in thermal conductivity compared to pure copper.
A team of Swedish and Italian physicists has developed an experimental technique that has the potential to dramatically increase both speed and bandwidth using the electromagnetic wireless spectrum. According the BBC, the method exploits a property of physics that can be observed in space known as the ‘orbital angular momentum’ of airwaves. Already in discussions to commercialize the technology, the researchers have used the phenomenon to impart the waves with a ‘twist’ to fit multiple data streams where previously there was only room for one.
Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie unveiled several new technologies that blue the line between physical and digital reality at the fifth annual TechForum gathering at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters. The innovations included the latest iteration of the holographic projection systems for the desktop, an augmented reality mirror, and a low-cost lamplike device that turns any surface into a shared VR environment. The devices could find application in areas as diverse as education, gaming and business.
Microsoft Research has released a new user interface for sharing content across devices and displays using Kinect technology. Project 'Code Space' has currently been implemented for developers who are working in small teams and who want to move content from a presentation onto their device simply by using a hybrid of touch and air gesture interactions.
Korean researchers have developed flexible transistors using graphene to accomplish the feat. The researchers had experimented with a range of conventional materials including molecules, polymers and metals but found them to be ineffective for this purpose. Graphene has an advantage in that it can be integrated using the traditional printing processes at room temperatures without vacuum or high-temperature steps.
Mendeley, a collaborative social network for researchers combined with a cloud-based document management and storage application, has hit several milestones lately: over 1 million individual users, over 100 million research papers in its database, and the release of Mendeley Desktop 1.0 for all three major platforms. The app works as a PDF document management tool and offers levels of public and private collaborative sharing.
DevonTechnologies has released the last public beta of their Internet research assistant software DevonAgent 3.0 which adds new plug-ins and features for increased functionality, along with a maintenance release for all editions of DevonThink and DevonNote. The latter two programs now sport important bug fixes and an improved DevonThink To Go conduit for packaged file formats such as iWork documents.
Canadian researchers have debuted the PaperPhone (PDF), a prototype smartphone made from electronic paper. The fully functional smartphone can make and receive phone calls, send texts, play music and even display e-books. However, the device moves beyond accepting now familiar touch inputs, to trigger different functions according to the way it is handled. Bending it, folding it and flexing it at its corners or sides can control the phone’s actions.
A survey of laptop owners done by Wakefield Research on behalf of accessory maker Logitech has revealed that although they enjoy the mobility they get from the devices, the compromises made are a sore spot -- and that sore spot is often located in their laps.
IBM has announced that its scientists have created a system that allows computer chips to communicate using light instead of electrical signals. The device, known as a nanophotonic avalanche photodetector, is claimed to be be ultra-fast while minimizing power consumption.
The iPhone is being used as a "real-life" therapy tool for stuttering. The Hollins Communications Research Institute says it has developed special software for the device that monitors and evaluates speech patterns to help patients overcome the speech impediment which affects an estimated 66 million people worldwide. The software provides training and feedback for patients in their everyday lives, outside of a speech clinic.
Research firm IDC reports that worldwide PC shipments grew at 15 percent in the second quarter of 2008. The quarter also saw Apple roughly tie Acer in the US market, assuming fourth place and missing third place by only a few thousand units. Demand in the United States suffered from the ongoing economic pressure, with rowth in the low single-digits. Dell continued its recovery with another quarter of double-digit growth, while HP saw year on year growth rise from the first quarter. Portable adoption continues to be a key driver, even though consumer share is generally at its lowest during the second quarter.
Apple has a window of opportunity to make a significant impact on the mobile TV market with it's imminent launch of the 3G iPhone around the world, according to the latest report from Analysys Mason. Market research shows that many iPhone owners have accessed TV and video content, with greater frequency than subscribers using other types of mobile handsets. If a new iPhone based on AT&T faster "3G" network is announced during next week's Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) it could mean big things for the mobile TV market.
A private New York-based research and consulting firm, Reputation Institute, recently compiled a list of the 600 largest companies with the best reputations, with Apple taking the 63rd spot, ahead of Microsoft at 137th place. Forbes reports that the electronics manufacturer went up 1.71 points from 73.71 a year ago, to 75.42 in the 2008 "Pulse" score, more than 11 points ahead of the global average. Clinching the top three spots were Japanese care manufacturer Toyota, search giant Google, and Swedish home furnishing company IKEA.
Third Street Software has released Sente 5.5 with enhanced PDF management. Sente is an academic reference manager that helps users find, organize, review and cite the academic literature. Version 5.5 offers the ability to create references directly from the PDF files they already have, as well as new PDFs that they receive from colleagues. It also adds the ability to create complete references by entering only an ISBN, DOI or other common identifier using Google Scholar, the Library of Congress and PubMed to create complete references when importing a new PDF.
American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu has reversed a prior downgrade on share's of Apple Inc, changing his rating on the stock to from Neutral to Buy. Wu's downgrade came right before Apple's blowout March quarter, in which the company announced record revenues on surging Mac sales. Barrons quotes Wu: "We overestimated the potential negative reaction on the quarter and in hindsight should have moderated our near-term posture rather than downgrading. While AAPL shares will likely remain volatile and may offer a better entry point, we need to align our rating with our longer term view on fundamentals." Wu has set a $210 price target on Apple's stock. Barrons also notes that RBC Capital's Mike Abramsky has raised his target price on Apple to $220 from $200, predicting that Apple will sell 14 million iPhones this year.
Shares of Apple Computer Inc. are up $6.51 to $161 near the end of trading on friday, representing a gain of 4.21 percent. The uptick could be due, at least in part, to strong market share gains posted by the company in recent surveys from various research firms. Apple saw the biggest gain among the top 5 vendors in the U.S. market according to Gartner, enjoying strong retail sales coupled with "decent growth" in the professional market. According to IDC, Apple is expected to come in at fourth place and ship 950,000 Macs to Americans during the first quarter of 2008, earning itself an increase from 5.7 percent in the prior quarter to 6 percent. The increase is a 25.1 percent jump over sales in early 2007 and also represents more than a full percentage point increase in marketshare from year to year.
Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research has published an article addressing the suitability of Apple products -- the Mac and iPhone in particular -- for business purposes. Noting that Most IT departments are not deploying Macintosh systems in large numbers and those that are are deploying are usually in niche spaces such as graphic arts, Gartenberg says that the Mac OS has changed significantly in the last few years and says that Apple's systems now offer a reasonable alternative for Windows systems used in businesses.
Wolfram Research has announced the release of Mathematica Player Pro, the new delivery system for Mathematica applications and interactive documents. Player Pro gives access to any Mathematica-6-based notebook files to users who do not have the full version of the software, allowing performance of adaptive visualization, controlling interface elements, connecting to real-time data, and more. Developers can build applications in Mathematica and then use Player Pro to deploy them to anyone.
Although the U.S. economic slowdown has led to a pullback in PC spending by both consumers and corporations, planned purchases of Apple computers remain relatively strong, even in the slower buying environment according to a new study by ChangeWave research. Apple is the leader among consumers who plan to buy a laptop (31 percent) over the next 90 day. Similarly, Apple planned desktop computer purchases (28 percent; down 1 point) are close to record levels. The study also finds that Apple continues to set the standard for customer satisfaction among corporate respondents who use the Leopard operating system – with 53 percent saying they are Very Satisfied with the software. In comparison, Windows XP Pro has a 40 percent Very Satisfied rating and Microsoft Vista Business achieved just 8 percent.
Apple ownership is up among students at the University of Virginia, with 25-percent of freshmen owning a Mac, up from 20-percent in the year prior, according to a computer ownership study performed last fall. These figures show a steep acceptance curve, as ownership was around 4-percent only five years ago, according to The Chronicle. The research indicates that, out of all students polled, 99-percent said they own a laptop, and 0.1-percent admit to not owning a computer at all.
Analysis of the first month of March quarter iPod NPD data points to iPod sales of between 9.5-10.3 million, according to research firm Piper Jaffray, which would signal a 6 percent year-over-year decline. "While it is way too early to make a definitive call on March quarter iPod units, we have analyzed the first month of NPD data (Jan.) for the quarter and found that it suggests iPod units of 9.5m-10.3m," said Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster. Wall Street consensus on iPod sales for Apple's March quarter currently stand at 10.8 million units, representing a 2 percent year-over-year increase.
Apple's iPhone is the top pick among consumers who said they plan to purchase a new cellular phone in the next six months, according to ChangeWave Research. Of 4,182 consumers surveyed, 17 percent said Apple's iPhone remains their top choice. Research in Motion's BlackBerry came in a close second with 15 percent of respondents expressing interest, while Motorola declined to 11 percent as part of a continuing slide after Apple unveiled the iPhone in June of 2007.
Apple is due to report its December quarter results after the market closes on January 22nd, and research firm Piper Jaffray expects an upside to Wall Street expectations based primarily on Mac sales. Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster says Mac sales could reach 2.3 million -- beating out average estimates of 2.2 million -- with iPod sales of 24-26 million over Wall Street predictions of 24.7 million. Munster also says Apple may well report 2.2 million iPhone sales, just shy of average investor expectations of 2.26 million.
Onset has unveiled the HOBO Remote Monitoring System, its research-grade weather station that provides growers, researchers and others with instant access to measured data anywhere, anytime via the internet. According to the company, the new system is priced at a fraction of the cost of competitive solutions. The system combines research-grade weather station hardware with built-in GSM cellular communications and HOBOlink, its new Web-enabled software platform. HOBOlink allows users to access current and historical data on their Macs, set alarm notifications and relay activations, and manage and control HOBO Remote Monitoring systems without having to go into the field.
Apple may have sold as many as 24-25 million iPods during the first two months of its December quarter, according to one research analyst. "While it is too early to make a definitive call on December quarter iPod results, we have analyzed the first two months of NPD data (October and November) for the quarter and found that it suggests iPod units of 24m-25m," said Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster, whose current iPod unit estimate for December of 2007 is 23.5 million, above Wall Street consensus of around 23 million.
CLC bio today released CLC Bioinformatics Database, a new data storage application designed to increase the productivity of large and small reserach organizations. For organizations already having an existing relational database in use for sharing DNA, RNA, and protein sequence data, the CLC Bioinformatics Database interface is customizable to store and retrieve data directly from that database. CLC Bioinformatics is made up of a relational database -- one of Oracle, PostgreSQL, or MySQL -- as well as Commercial workbench client for interacting with the database and a Web-based administrative interface (pricing and system requirements were unavailable).
