Tag: the-end

NASA pays $17.8M for inflatable ISS expansion, orbital ball pit unconfirmed

Were you one of those lucky kids whose parents got you an inflatable castle for your birthday party, thus making all the other kids in the neighborhood jealous? You’re about to get one-upped. NASA has just signed a $17.8 million contract with Bigelow Airspace to built an inflatable, expandable module to plug into the International Space Station . Bigelow already has prototype habitats orbiting the globe and last year announced a partnership with SpaceX to launch its BA 330 (pictured above) sometime in 2015. Details of the ISS expansion are set to be announced this upcoming Wednesday, giving you just a few more days to gloat about any childhood bouncy-bounce exploits. Filed under: Science , Alt Comments Source: Forbes

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NASA pays $17.8M for inflatable ISS expansion, orbital ball pit unconfirmed

First Ultra HD channel goes live in Europe

Eutelsat Communications launched the first dedicated demonstration Ultra HD channel in Europe on January 8th. Delivered via satellite with the resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 ( 4K ) at 50 frames per second — the European equivalent to 60p — the stream is encoded in MPEG-4 with help from video compression solution provider, ATEME, and transmitted at 40 Mbps. This is over twice the bandwidth used by most 1080i broadcasts, but not necessarily an indication of future Ultra HD broadcasts utilization, as they’re expected to use the more efficient HEVC codec — depending on color space and other factors, Ultra HD broadcasts might use less throughput than 1080i does now. With only three very expensive Ultra HD TVs on the market, there aren’t many who can take advantage of this. Hopefully if you are one of the lucky few, you’re in a position to take advantage of this native content on your latest prized possession. Continue reading First Ultra HD channel goes live in Europe Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments

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First Ultra HD channel goes live in Europe

Oracle patches Java exploits, toughens its default security levels

Oracle hasn’t had a great start to 2013. It’s barely into the new year, and Apple and Mozilla are already putting up roadblocks to some Java versions after discoveries of significant browser-based exploits. The company has been quick to respond, however, and already has a patched-up version ready to go. The Java update goes one step further to minimize repeat incidents, as well — it makes the “high” setting the default and asks permission before it lauches any applet that wasn’t officially signed. If you’ve been skittish about running a Java plugin ever since the latest exploits became public, hit the source to (potentially) calm your nerves. [Thanks, Trevor] Filed under: Internet , Software , Apple Comments Via: Reuters Source: Oracle

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Oracle patches Java exploits, toughens its default security levels

Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on

Wysips popped by our trailer at the show this year to celebrate the 90% transparency of its photovoltaic display overlay achievement with us — and therefore with you. Last time we had a chance to peek through Wysips’ solar cell the transparency was sitting at 70% which was way short of today’s level and manufacturer requirements if this thing is ever to see the light of day. The current setup will not generate enough power to negate the need for a charger, not even close but what it could do is power all your music playback, for example while your phone is exposed to the sun. Wysips’ goal for 2014 is to reach a power return of 10 mWc per cm² as of today the output is closer to 3, though seeing as most of the effort has been focused on reaching this production-ready transparency, they’ve hope this will be attainable. Sampling should begin in march this year with potential for a product in the marketplace in September this year. Honestly, the demo sets available were pretty worn out looking, though the overlay spoke for itself in that it was still visible at extreme angles but barely when viewing straight on. Part of our demo was plugging an LED into the array that had been retrofit into an iPhone and seeing the LED light come on when the solar cell is exposed and go out when covered. Here’s hoping we get a proper working demo in the coming months though for the here and now, consider us guardedly impressed. A few pics comparing overlay versus no overlay are in the gallery below. Gallery: Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on Filed under: Cellphones , Peripherals , Science Comments

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Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on

Skype 6.1 for Windows adds Outlook integration, (slightly) refreshed toolbar

Skype’s latest update has arrived on Windows (although not Windows 8) and, likely due to its status within Microsoft , it’s integrated Outlook features into version 6.1 alongside some cosmetic refreshes. You can now get access to your Skype contacts’ status, mood message and other contact details within Outlook contact cards, with the same profiles now appearing within the Skype program. You also call any phone number from within Outlook , with Skype already doing the legwork of connecting to any contact whose details are stored within your email client. Better still, if you’ve already got them added as a contact in Skype, you can send instant messages and make or video calls from the outset. These features will work on Outlook 2010, while it’s now easier to add new contacts to Skype when you don’t already have a someone in your contact list. You can pick up the new integrated app (with a gently tweaked toolbar) at the source. ( Update: We’ve also been informed that the Mac version has been bumped up to version 6.1, and you’ll now be able to call direct from Safari webpages.) Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Skype

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Skype 6.1 for Windows adds Outlook integration, (slightly) refreshed toolbar

Microsoft retiring Messenger on March 15th, wants you to use Skype instead

While we knew Microsoft Messenger was due to retire sometime in the first quarter of this year, we now have a confirmed date. According to The Next Web , Redmond has informed users via email that they have until March 15th to use the IM platform, after which they will need to hop on to Skype to chat with their Messenger pals. Your buddy list will automatically be migrated to the VoIP -focused offering. Desktop users of the outgoing service (globally except mainland China, where it will live on) should receive a banner notification to install Skype and, as it turns out, clicking on said banner will also uninstall Messenger. Road warriors are also taken care of, with Microsoft account support already baked into iOS , Android and Windows Phone 8 versions of the Skype app. Nostalgia notwithstanding, fans of the long-standing MSN descendent can at least take solace in the broader set of features Skype offers. Filed under: Internet , Microsoft Comments Via: The Next Web

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Microsoft retiring Messenger on March 15th, wants you to use Skype instead

Mpowerd’s Luci solar lantern hands-on

Luci is Mpowerd’s “little solar lantern with a big impact” and for the price and light produced — 1200 lumens — it does seem to fit the bill. But what really makes this lantern so fantastic, is that Luci is aimed to provide “solar justice” for those off the grid or perhaps suffering through some type of natural disaster and it is done on the cheap. Luci is a solar -powered LED lantern that will juice up in the sun in six hours and then produce six to 12 hours of light from that charge. The light runs in three different modes, low, high, or a distress mode where it flashes, costs only $15.99, is collapsible, lightweight and has a one-year lifespan. Well done Mpowerd, Luci seems a great tech and design innovation in that it solves a problem in a very elegant and simple way. Gallery: Mpowerd’s Luci solar lantern hands-on Filed under: Peripherals Comments

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Mpowerd’s Luci solar lantern hands-on

E Ink demos CST-01, the ‘world’s thinnest watch’ (hands-on video)

We just got a glimpse of the CST-01 E Ink watch, the result of a partnership between Central Standard Timing and E Ink itself. The product has been in the prototype phase for a year, but it just went live on Kickstarter, with a funding goal of $200,000 and pre-orders available for $129 each. The real standout feature here is the 0.8mm design, which is apparently thinner than a credit card. In any case, the stainless steel design is super svelte. The whole package consists of several flexible components that are laminated into a 0.5mm unit, which is then photochemically etched into a piece of flexible stainless steel. This is a digital watch, of course, but its form factor is more along the lines of a bangle than a Casio-style timepiece. An embedded Thinergy micro-energy cell charges the device in 10 minutes via an external dock. The external dock is also used for setting the time (military or 12-hour), as there are no controls on the watch itself. Battery life is rated for a month. When we tried it out here at CES , the watch felt extremely light, though the edges were a bit jagged. This, of course, is because it’s not yet a final product — you can expect a much smoother finish on the final product. You can check out the CST-01 prototype in our hands-on gallery below, along with the video embedded after the break. Gallery: E Ink Watch eyes-on Continue reading E Ink demos CST-01, the ‘world’s thinnest watch’ (hands-on video) Filed under: Wearables Comments Source: CST-01: The world’s thinnest watch (Kickstarter)

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E Ink demos CST-01, the ‘world’s thinnest watch’ (hands-on video)

Microsoft moves another 20 million Windows 8 licenses over holiday season, 100 million total app downloads

Ready for your quarterly dose of Windows 8 sales figures? After hearing that some 40 million licenses had been sold through last November , the company’s CFO and CMO for Windows Tammi Reller announced here at CES that Microsoft has sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses to date. According to her, that number includes “sell in to OEMs for new PCs,” but she didn’t clarify whether or not it includes blockbuster deals like the $617 million one it recently landed with the US Army, Air Force and DISA. Reller also noted that the numbers are “roughly in line with where we would have been with Windows 7.” Moving 20 million of anything over a single holiday season is pretty impressive, and we’ll be keeping an ear out for more details should they emerge. Update : Microsoft also announced that “since the opening of the Windows Store the number of apps has quadrupled and it passed the 100 million app download mark – just two months after general availability.” Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments Source: ZDNet , Windows Blog

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Microsoft moves another 20 million Windows 8 licenses over holiday season, 100 million total app downloads

Mushkin launches ‘next generation’ USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds

While Mushkin tipped its hand early regarding details of its “world’s first” 480GB mSATA SSD , it did keep one thing back for CES . It’s launching what it promises is a SandForce-packing, “next generation” USB 3.0 drive that will have read and write speeds of over 300 MB per second. The company is keeping the specifics about its performance, its pricing, availability and even its casing a secret for now, but we’ve gotten in touch and will update this when we learn more. Continue reading Mushkin launches ‘next generation’ USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds Filed under: Storage Comments

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Mushkin launches ‘next generation’ USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds