SanDisk goes micro-size with the Cruzer Blade USB Flash Drive

Flash memory specialist SanDisk has just unveiled its smallest USB Flash drive to date, the Cruzer Blade. About the size of a paper clip and weighing in at just 2.5 grams, the drives come in storage capacities starting from 2GB right up to a 4,000 MP3-capacity 16GB.
The SanDisk Cruzer Blade's sturdy little frame measures just 1.63 x 0.69 x 0.29 inches and weighs about the same as a penny. The company's Kent Perry explained that "at half the size of some other USB drives, our compact Cruzer Blade provides consumers with highly portable storage at a great value. The drive lets users transfer their digital data quickly between computers, and delivers a storage boost to devices such as netbooks that often need additional memory but are difficult to upgrade easily."

Although SanDisk's smallest USB flash drive, the Cruzer Blade is not of course the smallest available. Sony has been offering its 1.26 x 0.57 x 0.1 inch Sony MicroVault Tiny in 1GB to 8GB capacities for some time and Kingmax also has a range of teeny drives, the company's smallest being the 1.24 x 0.47 x 0.07 inch, 8GB or 16GB Super Stick Mini.

The Cruzer Blade is available now in the U.S. and Canada, with the 2GB version costing US$14.99, 4GB coming in at US$21.99, the 8GB drive priced at US$38.99 and the 16GB variety topping the price tree at US$77.99.

Related articles by Zemanta

• SanDisk Corporation Launches SanDisk Cruzer Blade (shoppingblog.com)
• SanDisk goes micro-size with the Cruzer Blade USB Flash Drive (gizmag.com)
• SanDisk launches its smallest-ever USB flash drive (macworld.com)
• SanDisk ships its smallest USB thumb drive, the diminutive Cruzer Blade (engadget.com)

   

HP's Gaming - Time to take note

This video was made around 2006 to show the possibilities for gaming using Mscape technology from HP. The concept was way ahead of its time, featured augmented reality and a generally cool idea.

Finally we have a mobile operating system we can be proud of. You know, I'm never one to say something I don't believe - I never really enjoyed using Windows Mobile, although Mobile 7 looks to be potentially awesome (you'd think after a decade or so it's about time?). I also like Android and Apple iOs...but webOS is still ahead in many ways, save that for another blog.

I'm glad we finally bought PALM and now the possibilities are truly great. If you have not tried webOS you truly owe it to yourself just to try it. It's so freaking awesome. The biggest complaint right now is people want to see more hardware choices - I think we all know that.

So game developers, this was HP's vision 3+ years ago. If you could think about using our hardware and future hardware -- think scalable resolution, multiple cameras, fast graphics, awesome screens, touch, accelerometers, GPS, Bluetooth, WIFI, always connected, etc.

Just put it all together and create something truly unique.  

NOTE: This post was originally written by Rahul Sood CTO of HP gaming business.

Related articles by Zemanta

• HP completes Palm deal, eyes WebOS hardware (news.cnet.com)
• HP/Palm Deal Final - Time to Get Busy (jkontherun.com)
• Palm And HP Now One Company (informationweek.com)

   

Terrafugia unveils next-gen flying car design

Terrafugia unveils next-gen flying car design

Terrafugia has released specifications and computer graphics of its next generation flying-car design. The company made use of the world's biggest aviation industry platform – AirVenture 2010 – to detail the future shape of its Transition Roadable Aircraft which sports automotive-style crash safety features, a touch-screen interface, improved wing design and a folding mechanism that can be activated from inside the vehicle... plus sleeker lines than the proof of concept vehicle we've seen previously.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of news last month that the proof-of-concept Transition has been cleared by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority.

The Transition promises safety on the road and in the air via an energy absorbing crush structure in the nose along with a rigid safety cage, airbags and a ballistic parachute system. The improved wing design includes an optimized airfoil and there's also a pusher propeller with an open empennage that makes efficient use of the 100 hp Rotax 912S mid-mounted engine in flight and is locked in place when driving.

To get around on the ground, the Transition uses rear-wheel drive with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and tuned independent suspension.

Deliveries of the Transition are slated to begin late next year and 80 have already been reserved by way of a $10,000 deposit. A final price has not yet been set, but a tag somewhere in the range of US$190,000 is anticipated.
Visit Terrafugia (which incidentally, means "escape from land" in Latin) for more details.
Terrafugia Transition in brief:

• Max, Vh: 100 kts (115 mph, 185 km/h)
• Cruise, Vc: 93 kts (105 mph, 172 km/h)
• Stall, Vs: 45 kts (51 mph, 83 km/h)
• Range: 425 nmi (490 m, 787 km)
• Takeoff: 1700’ (518 m), over 50’ obstacle

• Gross takeoff weight: 1430 lbs (650 kg)
• Empty Weight: 970 lbs (440 kg)
• Useful Load: 460 lbs (210 kg)

• Fuel Burn: 5 gph (at cruise)
• On Road: 35 mpg
• Useable Fuel: 23 gal (87L)

• Engine: 100 hp Rotax 912S
• Dimensions: On road - 80” (2 m) tall x 90” (2.3 m) wide x 19’ 6” (6 m) long, Flying - 78” (2 m) tall x 26’ 6” (8 m) wingspan x 19’ 9” (6 m) long

  

LTE vs. WIMAX: The Race to 4G

LTE vs. WIMAX: The Race to 4G 

2010 marks a pivotal year for the telecommunications industry. Not only is it the beginning of a new decade, but it’s also the beginning of a new era in terms of connecting to others. It’s a critical juncture of technology, it’s an evolution: the 4th generation. Competing companies such as Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T all have a role in producing this 4th generation. They have sunk massive amounts of commerce in the development of their own version of the technology but as of now, none of these companies are capable of producing the finalized product. Though each company has set their approximate nation-wide release year, which is 2013, as well as their estimation as to how many consumers will be connected to their 4G networks, roughly 100 million, none of the companies have commercially marketed their product to the public. There hasn’t been any newspaper articles or television commercials about the product, and trying to find information on their websites is pretty much a fool’s errand. It seems that the 4th generation of connectivity isn’t as ready as these companies portrait it to be.

Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are the companies leading the way for this new product. They exude confidence during technology fairs concluding that the 4G revolution is upon us. They’ve developed products to help connect to the network such as portable modems, usb drives, and sim cards. They’ve even entitled their networks; Sprint’s being WIMAX (World-wide Interoperability for Microwave Access) while Verizon and AT&T’s shall be called LTE (Long Term Evolution). However, perhaps their confidence is missed guided and their promise of debuting in 2013 is unrealistic.

WIMAX developed by the Sprint and Clear companies respectively, seems to be losing ground in the United States amidst their attempt to bring WIMAX success domestically. Though they’ve raised 3.2 billion dollars in investments to produce the network, Sprint and Clear may have underestimated how expensive it is to blanket the country in connectivity. Sprint, the lesser of the three major telecommunications distributors in the country, may not have enough currency to continue production if the 3.2 billion isn’t enough, and investors Google, Time Warner, and Intel may grow weary of waiting and pull their investments early. Also those dependent on their WIMAX’s success is far less than those who are dependent on LTE”s success due to the fact that Verizon and AT&T are far larger companies. If it were a track race, Sprint is trying to take a shortcut by cutting through the field while Verizon and AT&T have already lapped them. If Sprint’s WIMAX fails, it can be attributed to the fact that their company just isn’t ready or wealthy enough.

LTE developed by Verizon and AT&T is also having trouble breaking ground in the telecommunications industry. Though it has run several tests, and covers almost an equal amount of area that WIMAX does, it is far less mature. It is faster than 3G but is however slower than Clear’s WIMAX. Also the infrastructure of the technology is underdeveloped which can be fixed over time. The problem with LTE is the fact that the company is trying to rush the development of the 4th Generation network so that it isn’t overshadowed by WIMAX. LTE wants to be the fist to release their network in order to compete but at the same time it’s detrimental to the process of developing the technology.

The competition between companies seems to be unhealthy for their product. If they rush development to meet the deadline they set for themselves, it may lead to an unfinished, underdeveloped, product and lead to more problems than solutions. It is essential to that these companies slow the process down so that the network they establish is without problems and inconvenience in the future.



Related LTE posts:

Will HP bring the Palm Webos software to the 4G LTE ng connect program ecosystem?
to communicate with and integrate all the world  web devices  and applications ?

http://worldwidegadget.blogspot.com/2010/07/will-hp-bring-palm-webos-software-to-4g.html

LTE: The Next Mobile Generation Level. Everything is world wide connected. The future is here now.

http://worldwidegadget.blogspot.com/2010/07/lte-next-mobile-generation-level.html

  

Cloud Enabled Printing: The Future Of Remote Working

Cloud Enabled Printing: The Future Of Remote Working

John Taylor, managing director of M2 Digital, the managed print experts, comments on the future of printing using cloud enabled print services:

"When it comes to accessing important business data and applications from a mobile device, there's not much left that can't be accomplished with the push of the button. Notebook laptops and mobile phones have become smaller, faster and feature-packed with the capability to access emails via a mobile phone was the real breakthrough in remote working. Accessing emails and desktop appliances remotely has now become an important part of day-to-day business life allowing professionals to work from anywhere at anytime.

"Yet, being able to print away from the office has always been the missing link in remote working technology. Having to locate Wi-Fi, printing services, the network code, or ask to borrow someone's computer, are time consuming and inconvenient when on the move. Despite more flexible working becoming increasingly feasible thanks to developments in remote access applications and cloud computing, printing on the go is a huge gap in the mobile workflow.

"However, HP has developed a solution to make printing on the move a reality, by allowing web-enabled mobile phone users to print anytime, anywhere to a network printer. By downloading the new application, users will be able to print a document, presentation or photo with a few simple clicks.

How does it work?

[i]"Cloud technology has been around for a number of years with an ever increasing following of businesses looking to access the latest software resources at a negligible price. The very nature of the cloud is about device and location independence, and not having to invest in expensive and dedicated operating systems. Companies are already using Internet-based applications services delivered through the cloud for software as a service (SaaS), utility computing, commerce and other web services

It is through this cloud technology that business users will be able to benefit from remote printing simplifying the way people work and print, whether at one of their company locations or on the go.

"The technology will allow web enabled phone users to print presentations, emails, photos and documents, through a high secure, private intranet cloud application. The geo-locating feature finds the printer closest to where you are or where you are going making documents available on arrival.[/i]

"It will also find registered printers in commercial hotspots and the home. In any situation, there is no need to deal with Wi-Fi services and other inconveniences. The service is printer agnostic and driverless, requiring only simple Internet access via a smartphone. It will eliminate the need to track down security codes and log in, and frees the print process from drivers, cables and operating systems with no special software or hardware required.

"It is anticipated that cloud printing will drive productivity by allowing businesses to share printers and documents more efficiently, print ahead from remote locations and convert mobile content into hard copy for easy reading, markup and sharing.

"With an increasing need to work away from the office, mobile technology is being more commonly called upon and latest developments in cloud computing and smartphones is allowing a fully operational office, away from the office. This seemingly straightforward concept is a major step forward in real-time mobile printing"

Flash Abobe Games on the Palm Pre

It has been a long ride since adobe showed up this video games test on the Palm Pre. I was wondering when Flash will come to webos devices.  Related posts:

http://www.everythingpre.com/forum/palm-pre/flash-10-1-mobile-new-high-performance-features-will-support-landscape-view-26580.html

Webos Video Tutorials

Webos: Tips and tricks

One of the things customers love about webOS is how easy it is to use. Sometimes even easier than they realize:
“How do I set up speed dials for my favorite contacts?” Open the contact, pull down the menu and select “Set Speed Dial.” Tap the phone number you’d like to assign to a letter or number. Scroll through the resulting list and tap on an available entry (used letters and numbers will appear darker).

“I do a universal search and find Location Services, but why don’t I see it when I go into the launcher and scroll down?” The launcher actually has three “pages” -- not just the one you see when you tap the launcher icon in the Quick Launch bar. To get to the other pages, simply bring up the launcher and swipe your finger left to get to the next page. At the bottom right (and left, depending on which page you’re on), there’s a little “tick” mark that tells you how many pages in that direction you can swipe.
 
“How can I put other icons at the bottom of the screen where the Phone, Contacts, etc. are?” The four default icons on the Quick Launch bar (Phone, Contacts, Email, and Calendar) can be easily changed. Bring up the launcher and then press and hold the icon on the launch bar that you want to remove until you see a highlight around it, and then drag it onto the launcher page where you’d like it to be. Then, press and hold the icon you want to appear on the Quick Launch bar and drag it to the location where you’d like it to be.

“Wave bar… what’s that?” You can run the applications on your Quick Launch quickly and easily from any screen. Just swipe up from the gesture area into the screen, holding your finger on the screen until you see the wave bar. Then slide your finger one way or the other to highlight the application you want to launch.

“Is there an easier way to pull down menus than tapping directly on the button?” The menu (in any application!) can also be activated by swiping down over it. Simple!

   

Facebook:Selects Salesforce.com

Facebook® Selects Salesforce.com World's largest social networking service selects world's leading enterprise cloud for CRM SAN FRANCISCO, July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the enterprise cloud computing company, today announced that Facebook (http://www.Facebook.com/facebook) has selected Salesforce CRM (http://www.salesforce.com/crm/sales-force-automation) to manage its fast-growing sales operations. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050216/SFW105LOGO) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/SFW105LOGO) Facebook Looks to the Cloud to Increase Sales Process Efficiency Facebook evaluated the pros and cons of enhancing its own system or selecting a cloud computing CRM system and went with the Sales Cloud 2 for the inherent benefits of cloud computing, particularly its quick implementation time and the ability to scale along with the company's rapid growth. Facebook has deployed the system across its sales operation teams along with its developer relations to automate complex workflow and approval processes. The system integrates with half a dozen existing systems. Comments on the News: Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer, Facebook commented: "Facebook and salesforce.com share a common vision for helping people connect and share information more efficiently. Salesforce.com's cloud model was the perfect fit for us - with our current growth trajectory and future sales goals, we needed a product that will scale with our growing business." Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, salesforce.com commented: "Facebook joins the thousands of companies managing their enterprise sales teams in the cloud, enabling them to focus on their fast growing business rather than the hardware and software to support it." Additional Resources: More information on Sales Cloud 2 is available here: http://www.salesforce.com/crm/sales-force-automation/ Become a fan of salesforce.com at http://www.facebook.com/SALESFORCE Follow @salesforce on Twitter About salesforce.com Salesforce.com is the enterprise cloud computing company. Based on salesforce.com's real-time, multitenant architecture, the company's platform and CRM applications (http://www.salesforce.com/crm) have revolutionized the way companies collaborate and communicate with their customers, including: The Sales Cloud, for sales force automation and contact management The Service Cloud, for customer service and support solutions Chatter, for social collaboration The Force.com platform, for custom application development The AppExchange, the world's leading marketplace for enterprise cloud computing applications Salesforce.com offers the fastest path to customer success with cloud computing. As of April 30, 2010, salesforce.com manages customer information for approximately 77,300 customers including Allianz Commercial, Dell, Japan Post, Kaiser Permanente, KONE, and SunTrust Banks. Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase salesforce.com applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce.com has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visithttp://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

Slate Wars: 15 Tablets That Could Rival Apple's iPad

iPad Alternatives

So the iPad has arrived to what can only be described as excessive fanfare. But will tablets become the gadget of choice for consumers who want to kick back and browse the Web, check e-mail, read an e-book or magazine, play games, or watch a movie? It's debatable: Tablets have tanked in the past. And yet a number of industry analysts believe that the iPad will kick-start a new category of media tablets that could become huge by 2015.

iPad rivals will struggle to equal its slick user experience (familiar interface, iBooks, iTunes, and the App Store), but Apple alternatives do offer a broad range of choices related to shape, size, and screen--not to mention Webcams, USB slots, and HDMI ports. Many tablets pair Windows 7 with an Intel Atom processor, or combine nVidia's Tegra 2 chip with Android, Chrome OS, or Linux. Multitasking? Check. Accelerated high-def Flash video? You betcha.

Apple iPad with Wi-Fi 32GB

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t Tablet Netbook

Camangi WebStation

Archos 9 PCtablet $509.99 - $538.99 Check Prices

Lenovo IdeaPad U1

Dell Streak

ExoPC Slate

Archos 7 Internet Tablet

Notion Ink Adam

Axiotron Modbook Pro

ICD Ultra

Fusion Garage JooJoo

HP Slate

ASUS Eee PC T101MT

Viliv S10 Blade 

                                                                                                             

                                                                               

 

India unveils prototype of $35 tablet computer

India unveils prototype of $35 tablet computer

Francisco De Jesús July 25,2010
The target is the low income student user for developing countries with previous goverments agreement Sure a public worldwide version will have a different price.

The question is: Does it fulfill the educational target needs? What educational sector would benefit of it?
If it goes beyond that sector, how much it will cost then?


MUMBAI, India -- It looks like an iPad, only it's 1/14th the cost: India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touchscreen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011.

If the government can find a manufacturer, the Linux operating system-based computer would be the latest in a string of "world's cheapest" innovations to hit the market out of India, which is home to the 100,000 rupee ($2,127) compact Nano car, the 749 rupees ($16) water purifier and the $2,000 open-heart surgery.
The tablet can be used for functions like word processing, web browsing and video-conferencing. It has a solar power option too - important for India's energy-starved hinterlands - though that add-on costs extra.
"This is our answer to MIT's $100 computer," human resource development minister Kapil Sibal told the Economic Times when he unveiled the device Thursday.
In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte - co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab - unveiled a prototype of a $100 laptop for children in the developing world. India rejected that as too expensive and embarked on a multiyear effort to develop a cheaper option of its own.
Negroponte's laptop ended up costing about $200, but in May his nonprofit association, One Laptop Per Child, said it plans to launch a basic tablet computer for $99.
Sibal turned to students and professors at India's elite technical universities to develop the $35 tablet after receiving a "lukewarm" response from private sector players. He hopes to get the cost down to $10 eventually.
Mamta Varma, a ministry spokeswoman, said falling hardware costs and intelligent design make the price tag plausible. The tablet doesn't have a hard disk, but instead uses a memory card, much like a mobile phone. The tablet design cuts hardware costs, and the use of open-source software also adds to savings, she said.

Varma said several global manufacturers, including at least one from Taiwan, have shown interest in making the low-cost device, but no manufacturing or distribution deals have been finalized. She declined to name any of the companies.
India plans to subsidize the cost of the tablet for its students, bringing the purchase price down to around $20.
"Depending on the quality of material they are using, certainly it's plausible," said Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst at Forrester Research. "The question is, is it good enough for students?"
Profitability is also a question for the $35 machine.
Epps said government subsidies or dual marketing - where higher-priced sales in the developed world are used to subside low-cost sales in markets like India - could convince a manufacturer to come on board.
This and similar efforts - like the Kakai Kno and the Entourage Edge tablets - show that there is global demand for an affordable device to trim high textbook costs, she said.
If it works, Epps predicts the device could send a shiver of cost-consciousness through the industry.
"It puts pressure on all device manufacturers to keep costs down and innovate," she said.
The project is part of an ambitious education technology initiative by the Indian government, which also aims to bring broadband connectivity to India's 25,000 colleges and 504 universities and make study materials available online.
So far nearly 8,500 colleges have been connected and nearly 500 web and video-based courses have been uploaded on YouTube and other portals, the Ministry said.