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Showing posts with label smartphones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smartphones. Show all posts

Monday, September 25, 2017

These Two Tech Tools Can Improve Employee Productivity in Just Thirty Days


In business, every organization is looking for creating strategies regarding consistent productivity and establishing a committed workforce. Today's business environment is unpredictable and no company can perform at optimum levels unless every employee is committed to improving the organization’s productivity level. Here are a few tools to help your organization.


It would not be an exaggeration if I state that the attainment of target output in any organization depends largely on the employees’ productivity levels.

In an era of cut-throat competition in the business world, every organization is looking for creating strategies regarding consistent productivity and establishing a committed workforce. The contemporary business environment is unpredictable and no organization can perform at optimum levels unless every employee is committed to improving the organization’s productivity level.

Employees are the human capital of a business and their performance can make or break an organization. But still many business owners are unable to monitor the day-to-day productivity performance of their employees. As a result, a business can never estimate or even detect the performance indicators that were detrimental to organizational productivity.

This, in turn, damages the ability of an organization to attain its objectives. But thanks to the technology that has provided the key for monitoring employees’ productivity and performance through different programs.

Today, I will be discussing two product specific tools for monitoring employee productivity; one uses a computer, and the other, a smartphone.

XNSPY


XNSPY

Some business tactics never worked even if you pull out all the stops until the smartphone industry introduced itself in the business. Smartphone communication has made businesses more efficient — thanks to the Android monitoring applications that have been on the market for a few years now.

smartphone industry

Tech Tools

Tech Tools

The XNSPY is one such app that can help you boost your business productivity by monitoring your employees in different ways, like:

Track employee’s location: This is the core feature that can help many medium and small enterprises. You can track your employees’ locations through this Android monitoring application. No matter what business are you in, this feature is helpful for both outfield and office related jobs.

It can provide you the accurate real-time location of your employees. Thus you can know if they have completed their task in time. In addition, it provides you the location history of your on-field employees.

XNSPY

Monitor calls: 

Cell phones are huge distractions during work. Some organizations have even banned the use of smartphones during the working hours. XNSPY enables an employer to monitor all calls on the employees’ phones. You will be informed about the time, location and duration of the call. You are also provided with the call recordings of all the calls on the phone.

Monitor calls

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Geo-Fencing: 

Those who are involved in a supply chain business or transport communication will be familiar with this. Through this XNSPY Android application, you can monitor your drivers and check if they are following the right route. You can set limits to the areas where the driver can perform his duties, so if he leaves the assigned area you will be instantly notified. The same can be used for the on-field employees or sales management teams that are out in the market for daily business targets.

IM and Text monitoring: Social media usage or instant messenger chats during the job are a big hit to the time and productivity of an organization. This is another powerful feature that provides you access to the instant messengers. Sometimes employees use Skype chats, Facebook messenger or WhatsApp to gossip around. This causes loss of time and work.

This feature will give you the access to the chats of all these instant messengers. XNSPY covers major IMs and gives access to the shared multimedia. This would allow you to control the proliferation of important business data and catch any black sheep in the organization.

The InFlow:

The InFlow is the other productivity enhancing tool on the market. But unlike XNSPY, that monitors Android phones, the InFlow can be used only on computers or laptops. This program is social networking analysis software program that measures communication within an organization. It is designed specifically to run and manage your inventory-based business.

A few things that InFlow can do for your business’s productivity include:

InFlow maps: 

This tool is designed to map the relationship between the people within a company. When those linkages are established they are presented in the form of a web-like diagram.

This is the central feature of this computer program. And it serves one fundamental purpose: to understand the movement of information through the system to identify the less productive employees. It serves the same purpose as XNSPY’s monitoring but with its own mechanism.

Managing Inventory: Another principal feature of this program is the inventory management. The software is specifically designed to organize your products. The products are enlisted with prices and categories in the software database. You can also use images of the products for identification.

Geo-Fencing

The software is designed to handle multiple products simultaneously on a PC or laptop. It has the feature to work with barcode scanners. The products can also be listed in multiple units like case, dozen and each. In addition, it gives the inventory movement history as well.

Ease of customization: The software is customizable and provides the employers freedom to rename field labels and messages to whatever fits their need. They can add extra fields to the already built inventory records.

You can also import and export data from the other software to the InFlow. For example, if you have important data in your excel sheet or even your online cloud drive, you can transport the data to these locations to the program.

Final Words: 

These two programs are not the only ones but the internet is flooded with a new tech tool for business every day. You are the one to decide which is best for your business. Yet these are the two I found right for your business.


By  33rd SquareEmbed





Wednesday, May 3, 2017

4 Ways Engineering Technology Has Been Revolutionized in the Last 10 Years


Engineering

The technology of engineering has rapidly changed in the past decade. From fast computers to portable technology, doing work in the field is more convenient than ever.


Consider these ways in which engineering technology has undergone a revolution over the past ten years.

Handheld Technology

Handheld technological devices such as infrared cameras that can go into tight spaces are changing the ways that civil engineers and building inspectors are able to do their jobs. These devices can detect moisture, which helps to find leaking pipes. They can also be used to make buildings more energy-efficient. Other types of handheld technology that are used in engineering applications include airflow sensors and temperature sensors.

Starting a Civil Engineering Program

This type of a degree program prepares you for a career as a civil engineer. If you want to stay on top of the research and developments in engineering, consider starting one of many various civil engineering programs available from a myriad of schools. You will learn about different building techniques, materials and the interactions between natural forces and man-made structures. A degree program could help you to further your career.

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Instant Messaging

The ability to send instantaneous messages is also revolutionizing engineering. When an engineer detects a dangerous situation, text messages can be sent out to a work crew, a building manager and other vested parties in order to get people out of the area. These messaging systems are also key to communicating with people at construction sites where the noise, overhead cranes and other equipment cause issues with walkie-talkies and other radio transmissions that impede conversations.

Smartphones

Even while engineers are widely regarded as having plenty of book smarts, there are times when an engineer will need a quick answer to a question. Smartphones make it simple to find the density of a material, calculate the bearing load of a joist or any number of other issues. Smartphones can also be used to take a digital photo of a problem and send it to a colleague. The colleague can rapidly send a reply, allowing for the fast identification and resolution of problems.

Engineers will need to continue staying on top of technological developments in their industry. As technology continues to develop at a rapid pace, both education and hands-on experience will be important to applying the new devices and information to engineering work. Each new innovation and device will have the potential to drastically change how engineers do their work and what it means to be a professional engineer.


By  Rachelle WilberEmbed





Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Artificial Intelligence Will Change the Way You Interact With Your Smartphone


Artificial Intelligence

Some people still think of artificial intelligence as a sleek robotic assistant that's far in the future, but AI is no longer something to anticipate down the road. It's already here, and it's available in one form or another on nearly all smartphones. If you've ever gotten directions from Siri or asked Google Now to check the time in Tokyo, you've already started leaning on artificial intelligence for your everyday needs.


AI is poised to dramatically change the way we interact with the world around us. This technology can transform the way you communicate with your cell phone, turning it into a smart personal assistant that you'll look at in a whole new way.

Prioritizing Communications

Email and text messaging may ease communications, but they also subject you to an onslaught of messages, many of which are from unimportant or unwanted sources. Technology can already filter out most of your email spam. As artificial intelligence learns more about your social circle and communication habits, it can streamline your communications even further. Your phone can prioritize the text messages you care about and suggest quick auto responses for those that are less important.

Your smartphone essentially becomes an intelligent social manager that will help you stay on top of your most important relationships and business communications. Say goodbye to the smiling secretary. AI can take over the role nicely.

Anticipating Your Agenda

Artificial intelligence already looks for helpful ways to assist with your schedule. Just tell the popular AI Cortana about an upcoming meeting, and she'll put it on your schedule. Ask for a reminder in a set amount of time, and she'll prompt you at the appointed hour. Cortana is also equipped to map out your route to destinations on your calendar, check the traffic, and remind you when to leave so you'll arrive on time.

With a personal assistant like Cortana for Android, managing your to-do lists becomes almost mindless. To get the most out of this type of AI, it's important to utilize a reliable smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S7 on T-Mobile's network. With expandable memory up to 256GB, you can power Cortana and other AI apps simultaneously. T-Mobile's 4G LTE Network will help you steer clear of dropped connections that could do serious damage to your timely reputation if you're relying on your smartphone for reminders and updates.

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Keeping You Comfortable

Properly enabled, AI effortlessly steps in as a friendly voice looking out for your best interests. It can prompt you to grab a jacket before you head out for the day, or warn you of rain during your date later in the evening. Combine smartphone apps with smart home devices like Wi-Fi enabled thermostats, and you can use your phone to keep your home cozy. Just ask your device to adjust the furnace so your house is warm when you arrive home from work early.

Your smartphone can control a seemingly endless range of paired devices, from multi-hued light bulbs to smart kitchen appliances. As AI advances, it may begin to anticipate that you don't have dinner plans and scan your fridge for meal suggestions, or prompt your oven to run a self-cleaning cycle periodically while you're away at work. The potential is endless.

Streamlining Your Errands

If you dread your weekly errands, your AI-enabled smartphone may soon become your best friend. Amazon Go has developed a grocery store that's free of cashiers and checkouts. Its Just Walk Out technology detects what you've taken and automatically charges your Amazon account. All you need is a compatible smartphone with the Amazon Go app and an active Amazon account. With your phone in hand, you could soon be free of long lines and checkout hassles, simply grabbing what you're after and heading home.

Artificial intelligence is perfectly poised to gently take over your most mundane tasks and lend a helping hand as you tackle more complex jobs. Whether you need assistance ordering groceries or finishing a research project, you'll find AI available to help, making your smartphone one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.



Top  Image via Flickr by Janitors


By  33rd SquareEmbed





Monday, February 6, 2017

4 Transformational Ways Technology Has Revolutionized Our Social Interactions


Technology

Technology has irrevocably changed the way we live, play, do business and socialize. Changes in how we socialize are interesting in particular, as there is a marked difference in how people interact with each other even in the last decade.


It's pretty undeniable that technology has irrevocably changed the way we live, play, do business and socialize. Changes in how we socialize are interesting in particular, as there is a marked difference in how people interact with each other even in the last ten years. Let's explore some of the transformational ways technology has revolutionized our social interactions.

1. Social Media

Perhaps the most obvious and significant way technology has impacted our social lives, social media is now intrinsically tied to how we communicate with others. Whether it's creating an event on Facebook to invite others to a party, sharing photos of what we are doing on Instagram or posting cool craft ideas on Pinterest, these are all new ways of interacting with our friends, family and customers. We now learn about how friends, near and far, are doing via their feeds and can message them via instant messaging whether they're on the computer or looking at their smartphone. We can get input from others instantaneously, no matter how far away they are, which is nothing short of revolutionary.

2. Real-Time Video Communication

At one point, technology like Skype was something from science fiction, not reality. Now, people can have video conversations with each other in real time from across the planet. This has been not only revolutionary on a personal level, but also on a business level, where coordination with different locations and teams has been made considerably easier and more convenient. It even allows people to work remotely or for themselves when it was unprecedented previously.

Related articles

3. Smartphones

Being the combination of a telephone and a computer, small enough to put in your pocket, and between texting, apps and social media, smartphones have changed the way we interact with people both in-person and remotely. They allow users to look something up that comes up in a conversation, share information or take photos and videos of gatherings far more easily, making us more interconnected than ever before. They also allow us to communicate with people who couldn't be at a gathering, as well as keep others informed when they are not present but something important is going on, via different methods such as texting, social media and instant messaging.

4. Video Games

Even video games, long considered a very solitary form of entertainment, have become a medium of social interaction in recent years. Thanks to present and stable Internet connections, players now can play with friends or complete strangers whenever they choose. Nearly all games offer a multiplayer option, if they are not online-based to begin with. People even broadcast themselves playing video games on sites like VideoGameBroadcasts.com. Many people make friends, form lasting relationships and even meet their spouses thanks to the online gaming community.

The subject of how technology has affected our social interactions is quite fascinating, and the trend will only continue. We'll all just have to try and keep up.



By  Emma SturgisEmbed

Emma is a freelance writer currently living in Boston. When not writing, she enjoys baking and indoor rock climbing. Find her on Google +.



Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Modern Technology: How Has It Changed The World Since The Year 2000?


Futurology

Since the year 2000, the world has undergone a technological revolution that has touched nearly every aspect of our lives. The changes over the past 17 years have been numerous and profound, but they can be distilled into several key trends.


The world has undergone nothing short of a technological revolution since the turn of the century. These changes have impacted every facet of our lives, but they can be distilled into several key trends.

The Rise of Truly Personal Computing

“Personal computing” was a popular buzzword in the year 2000, but we didn’t yet realize how personal computers would become. Now, nearly everyone carries a smartphone that is vastly more powerful than any consumer computer the year 2000, and as the Brookings Institute notes, we use these personal devices constantly, every single day.

Rather computing being a something we do only occasionally, and only while sitting at a desk, we now engage with our computers all the time. They have become deeply embedded in the rhythms of our daily lives.

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Socializing Moves Online

In part because we are so attached to our devices, now much of our socializing is done online. Whether on Facebook, via text message, or on one of the countless dating apps now available, the internet now has become the primary place we socialize with others, according to a writer at the London School of Economics.

We now talk more online than we do in person. This has literally redefined the meaning of age-old terms like “friendship” and “community.” It has become easier than ever before to connect (or reconnect) with anyone on Earth. But at the same time, the intimacy of our relationships has perhaps diminished, leading some to decrease their time spent online.

No Limits to Digital Innovation

In 2000, it was easy to think of many digital products that were impossible to make, given the current technology. Now, tech has advanced so far that it’s increasingly difficult to envision things that cannot be created. Thanks to advances in hardware and the high-speed connectivity readily available through Ottawa network management companies, the pace of innovation is increasing around the world. As well, the number of people working in technology is rising rapidly across the globe. More people are dedicating themselves to working in tech, which further accelerates the rate of change.

In 2000, nobody expected the next 15 years would change the world. Today, everybody expects that the next 15 years will change everything (again). Together, these trends have reshaped the world since 2000, and made the last two decades a fascinating time to be alive.



By  Kara MastersonEmbed



Wednesday, October 8, 2014

New App Recognizes Gestures With Your Mobile Devices' Camera

 Interfaces
Researchers have developed a new app enabling users to operate their smartphone with gestures. This development expands the range of potential interactions with such devices.




It does seem slightly odd at first: you hold the phone in one hand, and move the other in the air above its built-in camera making gestures that resemble sign language.

Sometimes you move your index finger to the left, sometimes to the right. You can spread out your fingers, or imitate a pair of pliers or the firing of a pistol. These gestures are not, however, intended for communicating with deaf people; they are for controlling your smartphone.

"While touch input works well for many scenarios, we demonstrate numerous interaction tasks such as mode switches, application and task management, menu selection and certain types of navigation, where such input can be either complemented or better served by in-air gestures."


By mimicking the firing of a pistol, for example, a user can switch to another browser tab, change the map’s view from satellite to standard, or shoot down enemy planes in a game. Spreading out your fingers magnifies a section of a map or scrolls the page of a book forwards.

All this gesturing wizardry is made possible by a new type of algorithm developed by Jie Song, a Master’s student in the working group headed by by Otmar Hilliges, Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich. The researchers presented the app to an audience of industry professionals at the UIST Symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The program uses the smartphone’s built-in camera to register its environment. It does not evaluate depth or color. The information it does register – the shape of the gesture, the parts of the hand – is reduced to a simple outline that is classified according to stored gestures. The program then executes the command associated with the gesture it observes. The program also recognizes the hand’s distance from the camera and warns the user when the hand is either too close or too far away.  It works like making the smartphone a Kinect Sensor.

In-air Gestures Around Unmodified Mobile Devices

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“Many movement-recognition programs need plenty of processor and memory power”, explains Hilliges, adding that their new algorithm uses a far smaller portion of computer memory and is thus ideal for smartphones. He believes the application is the first of its kind that can run on a smartphone. The app’s minimal processing footprint means it could also run on smart watches or in augmented-reality glasses.

"Our goal is not to replace the touchscreen as primary input device, but rather to augment and enrich the existing interaction vocabulary using gestures," claim the researchers. "While touch input works well for many scenarios, we demonstrate numerous interaction tasks such as mode switches, application and task management, menu selection and certain types of navigation, where such input can be either complemented or better served by in-air gestures."

The program currently recognizes six different gestures and executes their corresponding commands. Although the researchers have tested 16 outlines, this is not the app’s theoretical limit. What matters is that gestures generate unambiguous outlines. Gestures that resemble others are not suitable for this application. “To expand its functionality, we’re going to add further classification schemes to the program,” says the researcher.

He is convinced that this new way of operating smartphones greatly increases the range of interactivity. The researcher’s objective is to keep the gestures as simple as possible, so that users can operate their smartphone effortlessly.

But will smartphone users want to adapt to this new style of interaction? Hilliges is confident they will. Gesture control will not replace touchscreen control, but supplement it. “People got used to operating computer games with their movements.” Touchscreens, Hilliges reminds us, also required a very long adjustment period before making a big impact in consumers’ lives. He is therefore certain that this application – or at least parts of it – will find its way onto the market.




SOURCE  ETH Zurich

By 33rd SquareEmbed

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

3D Holograms Coming to Your Smartphone Sooner Than You Think

 Holograms
Ostendo Technologies Inc. has spent the past nine years quietly working on miniature projectors designed to emit crisp videos and glasses-free 3D images for smartphones and giant screens.




Imagine stepping into an empty room and then suddenly seeing life-size, 3D images of people and furniture. Or looking down at a smartwatch and seeing virtual objects float and bounce above the wrist, like the holographic Princess Leia beamed by R2-D2 in the movie Star Wars.

Ostendo Technologies Inc. has spent the past nine years quietly working on miniature projectors designed to emit crisp videos and glasses-free 3D images for smartphones and giant screens.

Other companies have shown they can project floating images that appear to be holograms, but many involve large machines employing a system of mirrors to direct light with limited viewing angles. For instance, the lifelike hologram of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, which graced the Coachella music festival stage in 2012, was a combination of computer graphics and video projection that relied on visual effects first designed in the 19th century.

Ostendo Quantum Photonic Imager
Ostendo's hologram-producing chip
Image Source - Sam Hodgson /The Wall Street Journal
Ostendo's projectors, in contrast, are tiny, powered by a computer chip that can control the color, brightness and angle of each beam of light across one million pixels.

One chipset, small enough to fit into a smartphone, is capable of projecting video on a surface with a 48-inch diagonal. A patchwork of chips, laid together, can form far larger and more complex images. The first iteration of the chip, which is scheduled to begin shipping next year, will only project 2D videos, but the next version, expected to follow soon after will feature holographic capability, according to Ostendo's chief executive and founder, Hussein S. El-Ghoroury.

"Display is the last frontier," said Dr. El-Ghoroury, who in 1998 sold CommQuest Technologies, a mobile chipset company, to IBM for about $250 million in cash and stock. "Over the years, processing power has improved and networks have more bandwidth, but what is missing is comparable advancement in display."

"Imagine if everything coming back to you was in 3D—all of your shopping, all of your gaming, every way you retrieve data," he said.

The race to disrupt the screen is intensifying as both upstarts and technology giants try to find new ways to bring content to life.

"Imagine if everything coming back to you was in 3D—all of your shopping, all of your gaming, every way you retrieve data."


Development in virtual reality is at a high now with Microsoft and AMD  are both working on their own VR rooms, building a complex system of projectors and computers. Hewlett-Packard  recently spun out a company called Leia, that like Ostendo, is trying to bring 3D imaging to smartphones. Meanwhile, Facebook recently acquired Oculus VR Inc., maker of the Oculus Rift headset that pulls users into 360-degree virtual environments.

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Ostendo is little-known but has raised $90 million from venture-capital firms and Peter Thiel, and has secured some $38 million in government research and development contracts. A large bulk of that has come from DARPA, the government's futurist agency that worked on the predecessor to the Internet and self-driving cars.

The long effort has yielded the Ostendo Quantum Photonic Imager, an appropriately sci-fi-sounding name, which fuses an image processor with a wafer containing micro light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, alongside software that helps the unit properly render images.

During a recent test reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Ostendo showed a working prototype: a set of six chips laid together that beamed a 3-D image of green dice spinning in the air. The image and motion appeared consistent, irrespective of the position of the viewer.

Ostendo, which says it has several opportunities with major handset manufacturers, expects the first 2D projector unit to be in the hands of consumers before the summer of 2015. With a lens attached, it will be less than 0.5 cubic centimeters, roughly the size of the camera in the iPhone. It also expects to begin manufacturing the second version of the chip, with 3D capability, in the second half of 2015. The cost to the consumer should be about $30 a chip, Ostendo estimates.

Ultimately, the larger vision is to have Ostendo's chips everywhere electronic displays are needed, whether it is a glasses-free 3D television screen, a smartwatch, or tables that can project hologram-like images.


SOURCE  Wall Street Journal

By 33rd SquareEmbed

Sunday, March 2, 2014

 
Batteries
Researchers are harnessing the power of sugar to fuel electronics. They project their technique could power a number of devices in the not-to-distant future.




Researchers are charged up about biobatteries, devices able to harness common biological processes to generate electricity. Most biobatteries are unable to generate large amounts of power, but researchers recently developed a prototype version that has the potential to be lighter and more powerful than the batteries typically found in today's portable electronic devices, including smartphones.

In the body, sugar is converted into energy via metabolism, which decomposes it into carbon dioxide and water while releasing electrons. Biobatteries produce energy though the same conversion process by capturing the electrons that are generated in the decomposition of sugar with the same tools that the body uses. Because biobatteries use materials that are biologically based, they are renewable and non-toxic, making them an attractive alternative to traditional batteries that need metals and chemicals to operate.

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Percival Zhang and Zhiguang Zhu, researchers at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, designed a new biobattery with a greater output per weight than the typical lithium-ion batteries used in most electronics. They described the research online last month in the journal Nature Communications.

The new biobattery fully converts sugar to energy, which means more power output than previous biobatteries, and a greater battery charge than common lithium-ion batteries.

“By using the lithium-ion battery, for example, your phone can only last for one day, but in the future it will use sugar as the fuel...then the phone could last 10 days,” said Zhu.

The new biobattery gets its efficiency by using a novel system of enzymes, which are proteins that help the reaction to take place. The system uses two active enzymes that liberate two pairs of electrons from the sugar, while 10 other enzymes help to reset the reaction inside the biobattery. Once the reaction is reset, the active enzymes release another quartet of electrons. After six cycles, the biobattery extracts all of the energy bound in the sugar molecule, along with carbon dioxide and water.

Previous biobatteries could only extract one-sixth the energy of the new biobattery, because they didn't use the non-active enzymes for recycling. By extracting more electrons per weight of sugar, the effective “energy density” of the sugar has increased.

One of the major advantages of this biobattery is that, while the cycle can fully convert sugar to energy, it uses fewer enzymes than the body, making it more robust.

Shelley Minteer, a biobattery expert from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City who was not involved with the work, likes that the team was able to develop an enzyme cycle, also known as an enzyme pathway, which uses fewer enzymes than the body.

“It’s really important to get all the electrons out, but not just to get all of the electrons out,” said Minteer. She added that it’s important to extract all of the electrons using the fewest enzymes.

With their new recycling enzyme system, Zhang and his team have done just that. “I think it's a great [enzyme] pathway,” noted Minteer.

While the new enzyme system marks a major step forward for biobatteries, the technology still has some hurdles to surmount before it is market-ready.

“So far there are two more challenges in front of us,” Zhu explained.

He said that, in the current, non-optimized form of the battery, the power output is still too low for many devices and the lifetime of the cell is still too short, as it cannot yet be recharged.

However, as Minteer noted, these challenges are more “on the engineering side of things.” Zhu and Zhang agree and expect to solve these problems at Zhang’s start-up company, Cell-Free Bioinnovations.


SOURCE  Inside Science Top Image via mattwalker69 via flickr | http://bit.ly/1dK8srs

By Emily LewisSubscribe to 33rd Square

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Volkswagen Offers Increased In-Car Connectivity With Car-Net Telematics

 Automotive
In his latest article for 33rd Square, automotive expert Jordan Perch introduces Volkswagen's new integration of the car with the smartphone - the Car-Net system.




Volkswagen have decided to step up their game when it comes to in-car connectivity in effort to be able to keep up with the competition, since almost all major car makers provide excellent connectivity features in their vehicles, and it's something that is becoming increasingly important to consumers. Not a lot of Volkswagen models provide good in-car connectivity, and the German car maker hopes to change that with the Car-Net Telematics system, which they introduced recently. It will be offered in certain 2014 models, including the Volkswagen CC Executive, Beetle Convertible, Passat SE, and Beetle Coupe.

This is a system that includes various safety features, in addition to the connectivity features. Basically, it allows you to seamlessly connect your car to your smartphone or computer, so you can access and use all information on your electronic device through your car's dashboard. The functions this system provides are divided into four major categories, including Safe and Secure, Family Guardian, Remote Access, and Diagnostics and Maintenance.

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With the Safe and Secure function, you can receive support and assistance whenever you need it. Its features include: Automatic Crash Notification, Manual Emergency Call, Roadside Assistance, and Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance. The Family Guardian feature includes Speed Alert and Boundary Alert, which help you keep track of family members or friends while they are driving your car. This way, you'll get notifications if they exceed the speed you have preset, which is pretty helpful when you let your kid drive your car, and don't want them to drive faster than the preset speed.

Furthermore, there is the Remote Vehicle Access feature, with remote door unlock, remote honk and flash, as well as remote status check. With it, you can also talk to an operator, so that you can search for a location and send it to your car's navigation system. Lastly, Diagnostics and Maintenance performs diagnostics checks and can schedule services and dealer visits, and provides a detailed vehicle health report.

To put it briefly, the Car-Net Telematics system allows you to send alerts to emergency services in case your safety is jeopardized while you are on the road, it makes sure your kid is safe while driving your car by sending you alerts if they exceed preset speeds or cross a preset line, and helps you remotely check whether your car's doors are locked, and whether you have left your trunk open or your lights on.

Vehicles that are equipped with this system come with an “i-Button” that is located on their overhead console, which you should press whenever you want to use the system. It's pretty simple and straight forward, and doesn't distract you while you are driving. It is supported by a mobile app, which you will need to download so that you can use certain features. It can be said that the Car-Net Telematics looks a bit like the GM's OnStar system, but it does have some useful features that can't be found on OnStar, and Volkswagen believes that it will help the company make their vehicles more appealing to the younger population, which considers in-car connectivity to be extremely important.


By Jordan PerchSubscribe to 33rd Square


Author Bio - Jordan Perch is an automotive fanatic and “safe driving” specialist. He is a writer for DMV.com, which is a collaborative community designed to help ease the stress and annoyance of “dealing with the DMV”

Monday, October 28, 2013

Six Great Scientific Apps for the Science Geek in You

 
Apps
Eowyn Applegate shares six apps for the amateur and budding scientist alike, including The Night Sky and Leafsnap among others.




Remember when you were a kid and amazed by everything around you? A spiral rock, the stars above, the elephants at the zoo all inspired you? Thanks to app developers covering every branch of natural science, you can let your inner child soar as you explore and learn with some of these incredible apps.



1. Leafsnap (free)

Have you ever wondered about the beauty around you? Leafsnap will help you recognize, learn, and appreciate nature. Pick up a fallen leaf, snap a picture, and Leafsnap will identify it for you. Next time you go on a nature walk, you can leave the guidebook at home!



2. TouchSurgery (free)

Not for the squeamish, this app is a surgical simulator that allows you to learn surgeries through interactive training. Created by surgeons, it was designed so trainees could get some safe practice and build confidence. Even if you aren't planning to be a surgeon yourself, you'll be amazed by what you learn about human anatomy.


3. The Night Sky ($0.99)

THE stargazing app, The Night Sky 2 allows you to see what stars are in front of you by simply holding up your phone or tablet. Find out if those clouds will part, and check out the sunrise time on a certain day to make sure you don't miss a comet viewing.

Smart Microscope


4. Smart Microscope ($3.99)

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Ever wanted to know what a bed bug looked like up close? With Smart Microscope, you can download over 70 slides of insects, plants, medical specimens of humans, and more. You can zoom in and out of the slide and read what the experts have to say about what you're seeing.

For the serious micro-gazer, check out http://www.microscope.com/ and grab their microscope camera for your iPad. Share the single view of the microscope with everyone around you. 




5. The Incomplete Map for the Cosmic Genome ($8.99)

This is an invaluable app for anyone who wants to learn and keep up-to-date on what the great scientific minds of today are doing. Watch and listen to interviews and videos that cover all the sciences, and keep coming back for new ideas, theories, and discussions.



6. The Elements: A Visual Exploration ($13.99)

Tired of seeing the periodic table and looking away before you learn anything? You will want this app and a lot more time, because it is addictive. Diving deeper than just the table, you can see (with brilliant imagery) all the details and information of an element.

So, find what you love, let out your inner child, and be amazed by the world around you all over again. As an adult, you'll be able to appreciate it more than ever.


By Eowyn ApplegatesSubscribe to 33rd Square

Thursday, July 11, 2013

5 Futuristic Features Coming to Smartphones

 Smartphones
Smartphone developers are constantly upgrading mobile devices with new features, bigger screens and better performance. Here Daniel Young looks at five technologies that could be coming to your smartphone in the future.




N
o tech devices currently on the market capture our attention more than smartphones, and for good reason. Developers are constantly upgrading these mobile devices with new features, bigger screens and better performance. As high-performance parts get cheaper and smaller, consumers can expect even more advancements in their pocket companions. The rumor mill is buzzing with features coming in the next generation of smartphones. From secret agent fingerprint scanners to hands-free eye-tracking technology, futuristic technology will dominate tech headlines as more smartphones emerge.

Fingerprint Scanners 

As users store more sensitive information on their smartphones, security becomes a greater concern. Expect Apple to address this concern when it releases the next-generation iPhone this fall. Mashable.com reports that iPhone 5S could include a fingerprint scanner. This technology would be a huge boost to iPhone's current security wall, a four-digit password.

If Apple opens up this technology for app developers, we could finally see the mobile wallet come to fruition. Users could store credit card data on their phones and verify their fingerprints become making transactions. Apple has always been a leading innovator, whether it's rethinking cell phones all together or adding micro sim card readers. The Cupertino-based tech giant has imagination and the cash to bring the future to the market.

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Projected Keyboards 

Small touch screens are fine for typing text messages or short emails, but these fickle keyboards aren't ideal for typing longer records. Concept artists have imagined a creative way to equip smartphones with traditional computer keyboards.

Developers would install a projected keyboard on the edge the smartphone. Open the keyboard app and users could type directly on the projected image. Intomobile.com stresses that we may be years away from seeing this technology, but smartphone users may not be thumb typing for the rest of their lives.

Projected Keyboard


Eye-Tracking Technology 

Convenience is a pillar of technology. Quicker and easier is always better. So while a simple swipe of your finger to move the screen might seem easy, a screen that tracks your eyes is superior. Samsung already rolled out eye-tracking technology in its new Galaxy S4 (see video below).


Videos automatically pause when users look away from the screen and resume when they look back. More advanced eye-tracking technology will be able to automatically scroll a page as users read.

Pliable Material 

Modern phones offer the world at your finger tips, until you drop them, that is. Most high-performance smartphones can't bare the brunt of hitting the pavement. Countless smartphone users sport cracked screens and chipped frames, and other pad their phones with bulky cases. What if smartphones didn't shatter when you dropped them? Human Media Labs introduced technology for a flexible smart phone. This thin, laminated paper doesn't have the can project a screen and respond to touch commands. Pliable smartphones have a long way to go, but the foundation is set.

Re-imagined Devices 

Who are we kidding? In the future, we'll laugh at these little slabs of plastic and aluminum. Google Glass has opened the door to a whole new world of electronic accessories. It hasn't yet hit the market, but Google Glass offers common smartphone functions in a new package. Expect more tech companies to break away from the standard smartphone design.



By Daniel YoungSubscribe to 33rd Square

Author Bio - Daniel Young is a gaming expert from Nashville.