Month: January 2013

Sofant SmartAntenna could double battery life, ease network congestion

Battery life on your mobile can be a constant source of anxiety if, like us, you’re pretty much “always on.” Scottish-based firm Sofant thinks it might have the answer, or at the very least, a soothing tonic with its SmartAntenna technology. It’s claimed that the tiny antenna you see above consume 90 percent less energy, and can potentially double battery life of devices. It’s not just the dwindling power that gets a boost, with Sofant claiming it can also ease network congestion and dropped connections by reducing the number of devices with weak signals. SmartAntenna complements the firm’s existing technologies, but can also be used individually. It’s something that manufacturers will be able to license, so it’s hard to predict what uptake will be like. But if the claims above hold true, it seems too good to pass up. Continue reading Sofant SmartAntenna could double battery life, ease network congestion Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile Comments

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Sofant SmartAntenna could double battery life, ease network congestion

German Laser Destroys Targets More Than 1Km Away

kkleiner writes “A German company has brought us one step closer to the kinds of shootouts only seen in Sci-Fi films. Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall Defense recently tested a 50kW, high-energy laser at their proving ground facility in Switzerland. First, the system sliced through a 15mm- (~0.6 inches) thick steel girder from a kilometer away. Then, from a distance of two kilometers, it shot down a handful of drones as they nose-dived toward the surface at 50 meters per second.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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German Laser Destroys Targets More Than 1Km Away

Satellite Internet: 15Mbps, no matter where you live in the US

billrdio America is a land of haves and have-nots when it comes to broadband Internet. While many of us enjoy downloads speeds of 50 or even 100 Mbps, 119 million Americans lack broadband access (defined as 4Mbps down and 1Mbps up). Out of those 119 million, 19 million live in areas where there is no option to buy a wired broadband connection, according to government data. Wouldn’t it be great if we could provide broadband speed to nearly every American, without costly construction projects to bring cables to the home? Apparently, we already can . At least that’s what providers of satellite broadband Internet services said today in a panel at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Latest-generation satellites operated by HughesNet and ViaSat offer 10 to 15 Mbps down and 1 to 3 Mbps up to nearly any home in the US, representatives of those companies said. They believe the industry simply suffers from an awareness problem. Previous-generation satellite products offered only a fraction of that speed, and even people who realize satellite is available to them may not know that the latest products are as fast as they are. Read 20 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Satellite Internet: 15Mbps, no matter where you live in the US

Study Estimates 100 Billion Planets In the Milky Way Galaxy

The Bad Astronomer writes “A new study finds that there may be 100 billion alien planets in the Milky Way alone, with 17 billion of them the size of Earth. Announcements like this have been made before, but this new research is more robust than previous studies, using data from the Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft over a longer period and analyzing it in a more statistically solid way. They also found that smaller planets are not as picky about their host stars, with terrestrial planets forming around stars like the Sun or as small as tiny, cool red dwarfs with equal ease.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Study Estimates 100 Billion Planets In the Milky Way Galaxy

ASUS announces ROG Ares II video card, dual Radeon HD 7970 GPUs, 1050MHz clock speed

The original ROG ARES graphics card was a head spinner, and the just announced sequel seems to follow suit. ASUS’ ARES II features two AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs, and has a slimline two-slot design. The manufacturer claims it’s the fastest graphics card available, outperforming the GeForce GTX 690 reference card by some 13 percent. There’s 6GB of video memory, 1,100MHz boost clock, 1,050MHz base clock and 2 x 384-bit memory interface. If this sounds like something you just gotta have, then you’d better keep them eyes peeled, as upon release (no exact details on this just yet) it’ll be a limited edition. Also limited are the details on price. Spin up the source for more info. Filed under: Gaming , Peripherals , ASUS Comments Source: Anandtech

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ASUS announces ROG Ares II video card, dual Radeon HD 7970 GPUs, 1050MHz clock speed

Endliss iPhone Case Adds an LED Disco Floor For Impossible To Miss Notifications

We’re all so use to having our smartphones close at hand that we can occasionally tune out and miss a call or notification that’s right in front of our faces. So what’s the solution? Obviously an iPhone 5 case with a blinding 8×16 LED grid on the back that mirrors and emphasizes on-screen notifications. More »

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Endliss iPhone Case Adds an LED Disco Floor For Impossible To Miss Notifications

Philips showcases its 2013 Fiedelio audio lineup at CES, we go eyes-on

Phillips isn’t showing off anything too groundbreaking at CES in the in the audio department, but it looks to be a solid offering all-around nonetheless. Whether you’re eyeing the likes of a new soundbar for your home theater system or portable wireless speaker, the company should have you covered with latest Fidelio offerings — and of course that’s not all. We’ve got a quick breakdown of all the goods being shown off after the break, along with an eyes-on galleries so you can get up-close look for yourself. As always, you’ll find the full press releases below it all for more info. Continue reading Philips showcases its 2013 Fiedelio audio lineup at CES, we go eyes-on Filed under: Home Entertainment , Portable Audio/Video , HD Comments

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Philips showcases its 2013 Fiedelio audio lineup at CES, we go eyes-on

Kingston’s DataTraveler HyperX Predator: a 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive

A 1TB flash drive? Frankly, we’re incredulous, but that’s what Kingston is claiming it’ll begin selling later in Q1. The DataTraveler HyperX predator 3.0 promises read/write speeds of up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s respectively and will sell you a 512GB version right now. At the same time, it’s launching 32GB and 64GB versions in the same line that offer read/write speeds of 150MB/s and 70MB/s. If you’re interested in snagging one of the top two units, be advised that the price of the 512GB edition is a staggering $1,750.00 — so you’d better get working on impressing that MLB scout next time they’re passing by. Continue reading Kingston’s DataTraveler HyperX Predator: a 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive Comments

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Kingston’s DataTraveler HyperX Predator: a 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive