The Blackberry Bold 9790 - We Explore Some Of The Best Free Applications Available For This Device

Blackberry are expanding their range of mobile devices with the introduction of several new handsets including the excellent Blackberry Bold 9790. One of the attractions of this new model is the large number of applications that are currently available from the Blackberry App World. Previously we took a look at the best free applications for the Bold 9900 so now we explore some great options for the Bold 9790.

The modern mobile phone is the perfect tool for enjoying a range of multi media material and the new Blackberry Bold 9790 is no exception. One application that gives users some superb audio playback features is the excellent BBM Music. This free software allows users to download up to 50 tracks per month which can be added to playlists or enjoyed when the user is offline. The following month the user has the opportunity to swap up to 25 of these tracks for new material. This facility gives users the chance to discover new music by allowing them to constantly update their library. 50 songs may not sound like a huge number but if you have any friends using the service you gain access to their collection. A BBM Music user with 6 friends using the service can potentially enjoy a collection of 300 tracks.

If you prefer to use your handset for photography rather than music then the Photo Studio application allows the simple editing of photographs captured on the device. This software enables users to adjust areas such as brightness, hue and saturation on their snaps. A number of filters are also present to help give photographs a different look. An example of this is the Sepia setting which helps achieve a very vintage look. Once the appearance of the image has been altered users have the option of sharing their media directly with social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Photo Studio really does enhance photographs and should prove a useful tool for anybody who likes to use their 9790 for photography purposes.

The Blackberry Bold 9790 includes the excellent Blackberry Messenger service which enables users to send messages to other Blackberry users for a minimal cost. If you are looking for a similar service to send messages to users on different platforms such as iOS and Android then Whatsapp is the application for you. When you use the software for the first time you simply enter your phone number and the application automatically searches your contacts list to finds other friends who are using this service. Whatsapp uses data rather than allocated text allowances so the service is incredibly cheap and if you are connected to a WiFi networks messages are free. It is not only text messages that can be sent and received with this software, users can attach photographs and video files to their messages.

The Blackberry Bold 9790 is a superb new device from RIM and a great selection of applications are available to help you make the very most of the handset. For people who like to make use of the phones multi media features then downloads such as BBM Music and Photo Studio are superb. If you like to keep in contact with family and friends by messaging the Whatsapp can really help you reduce the number of text messages you need as part of your monthly contract.

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More powerful supercomputers? New device could bring optical information processing

Researchers have created a new type of optical device small enough to fit millions on a computer chip that could lead to faster, more powerful information processing and supercomputers.

The "passive optical diode" is made from two tiny silicon rings measuring 10 microns in diameter, or about one-tenth the width of a human hair. Unlike other optical diodes, it does not require external assistance to transmit signals and can be readily integrated into computer chips.

The diode is capable of "nonreciprocal transmission," meaning it transmits signals in only one direction, making it capable of information processing, said Minghao Qi (pronounced Chee), an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University.

"This one-way transmission is the most fundamental part of a logic circuit, so our diodes open the door to optical information processing," said Qi, working with a team also led by Andrew Weiner, Purdue's Scifres Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The diodes are described in a paper to be published online Dec. 22 in the journal Science. The paper was written by graduate students Li Fan, Jian Wang, Leo Varghese, Hao Shen and Ben Niu, research associate Yi Xuan, and Weiner and Qi.

Although fiberoptic cables are instrumental in transmitting large quantities of data across oceans and continents, information processing is slowed and the data are susceptible to cyberattack when optical signals must be translated into electronic signals for use in computers, and vice versa.

"This translation requires expensive equipment," Wang said. "What you'd rather be able to do is plug the fiber directly into computers with no translation needed, and then you get a lot of bandwidth and security."

Electronic diodes constitute critical junctions in transistors and help enable integrated circuits to switch on and off and to process information. The new optical diodes are compatible with industry manufacturing processes for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors, or CMOS, used to produce computer chips, Fan said.

"These diodes are very compact, and they have other attributes that make them attractive as a potential component for future photonic information processing chips," she said.

The new optical diodes could make for faster and more secure information processing by eliminating the need for this translation. The devices, which are nearly ready for commercialization, also could lead to faster, more powerful supercomputers by using them to connect numerous processors together.

"The major factor limiting supercomputers today is the speed and bandwidth of communication between the individual superchips in the system," Varghese said. "Our optical diode may be a component in optical interconnect systems that could eliminate such a bottleneck."

Infrared light from a laser at telecommunication wavelength goes through an optical fiber and is guided by a microstructure called a waveguide. It then passes sequentially through two silicon rings and undergoes "nonlinear interaction" while inside the tiny rings. Depending on which ring the light enters first, it will either pass in the forward direction or be dissipated in the backward direction, making for one-way transmission. The rings can be tuned by heating them using a "microheater," which changes the wavelengths at which they transmit, making it possible to handle a broad frequency range.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Purdue University. The original article was written by Emil Venere.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Li Fan, Jian Wang, Leo T. Varghese, Hao Shen, Ben Niu, Yi Xuan, Andrew M. Weiner, and Minghao Qi. An All-Silicon Passive Optical Diode. Science, December 22, 2011 DOI: 10.1126/science.1214383

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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An Overview Of The New HTC Explorer Device

Recently we have seen a range of new handsets released from HTC that cater for all areas of the market. We have seen the Sensation XL with its huge screen which is perfect for multi media users and also the HTC Rhyme which is an attractive phone aimed at the female audience. Now its the turn of the HTC Explorer, a handset pitched at people who have never owned a smartphone before.

The HTC Explorer is the new entry model in the HTC line up and will sit beneath the popular Wildfire S device in the brands range. The model aims to simplify the whole smartphone experience whilst still offering good performance and functionality. The design of the phone is pleasing and is very compact thanks to it offering a small 3.2 inch display. Rather than using the metallic back panel that is found on many of the premium models this handset offers a rubber finish which feels very comfortable when in use. Initially the handset will be available in a Black or a Blue finish but the back cover is interchangeable meaning colours can be easily swapped so expect more variations to be released. The handset is roughly the width and height of a credit card which is very appealing yet the reduced screen size may have its drawbacks when it comes to tasks such as web browsing where a little bit of extra size may have been handy.

One would not expect the HTC Explorer to match the likes of the Sensation XL and the Evo 3D for technical specification and it does not but it still offers enough to ensure that operation is both fast and satisfying. A 600Mhz processor is more than adequate to ensure the phone performs at a swift pace and when running a single task you can expect performance to be at a similar level to models such as the Wildfire S. If you do start to use the phones multi tasking features however this is where you may notice the handset slowing down a little, however somebody looking to purchase a phone on its multi tasking merits is unlikely to be looking at this model in the first place. A 3 million pixel camera is fitted so you can capture those random moments and picture quality is quite satisfactory in daylight although does suffer when darker scenes are photographed. Connectivity wise the model offers WiFi facilities together with 3G so you can be sure of a great web connection whether you are at home or on the move.

The HTC Explorer is the perfect first step into the world of Android and should strike a chord with certain areas of the market. With the festive period approaching this competitively priced model could prove a real success for HTC.

The HTC Explorer and the HTC Evo 3D are available now.

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Device 'sees' beneath the skin to spot circulation problems

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2011) — A ground-breaking device which "sees" beneath the skin to spot circulation problems has passed an important milestone on its journey to commercialisation.

Padd® -- a quick and painless diagnostic device which measures peripheral blood circulation -- has achieved its CE mark and ISO certification 13485:2003, an internationally recognised quality management standard.

The CE Mark shows that the product conforms with the essential requirements of European Union directives and is approved for sale in Europe.

The International Organisation for Standardisation certification confirms that the makers of Padd® are authorised to design and manufacture medical devices.

The accreditations mark a significant milestone for Dialog Devices -- the creators of Padd®. CEO Jody Brown said: "I am delighted that the company has successfully reached this key milestone with tremendous support from the Department of Health and the National Health Service in the UK where the early diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease will benefit patients and reduce the cost of managing cardiovascular disease and long-term conditions."

Dialog Devices, based at Loughborough University's Innovation Centre, was founded on research carried out at the University. It now employs an eight-strong team comprising business, marketing and technical expertise.

The Padd® technology can be used to diagnose peripheral arterial disease (PAD) -- an early symptom of heart disease and stroke, affecting 90 million people worldwide.

Current screening for PAD is time-consuming and requires skilled operators. Padd® offers rapid, simple and robust assessment of blood circulation in the lower limbs and feet.

An infra-red probe, no more powerful than a TV remote control, is held to the foot for a couple of minutes to assess how well the blood supply adapts to forces of gravity caused by postural changes such as getting out of bed and standing up. The test is easy and safe to perform and ideal for busy vascular clinics and GP surgeries. Earlier diagnosis of PAD has the potential to save lives.

Earlier this year, Dialog Devices was a winner in an NHS competition to find new ways to combat long-term conditions. The Smart Solutions for Healthcare competition was delivered by TRUSTECH, the North West NHS Innovation Hub, an NHS organisation that aims to improve healthcare through the development of innovative products and services.

Dr Bryan Griffiths of TRUSTECH said: "Padd® provides an easy way to diagnose peripheral arterial disease within the community, without the need to refer patients to hospital. By allowing earlier diagnosis, it can also help to improve outcomes for patients and ultimately save on long-term treatment costs. Innovations like Padd have a major role to play in helping the NHS meet the challenges ahead."

The company's quality management system was audited and assessed by TUV SUD Product Service GmbH, one of the world's leading certification bodies.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Loughborough.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Shake, rattle and … power up? New device generates energy from small vibrations

ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2011) — Today's wireless-sensor networks can do everything from supervising factory machinery to tracking environmental pollution to measuring the movement of buildings and bridges. Working together, distributed sensors can monitor activity along an oil pipeline or throughout a forest, keeping track of multiple variables at a time.

While uses for wireless sensors are seemingly endless, there is one limiting factor to the technology -- power. Even though improvements have brought their energy consumption down, wireless sensors' batteries still need changing periodically. Especially for networks in remote locales, replacing batteries in thousands of sensors is a staggering task.

To get around the power constraint, researchers are harnessing electricity from low-power sources in the environment, such as vibrations from swaying bridges, humming machinery and rumbling foot traffic. Such natural energy sources could do away with the need for batteries, powering wireless sensors indefinitely.

Now researchers at MIT have designed a device the size of a U.S. quarter that harvests energy from low-frequency vibrations, such as those that might be felt along a pipeline or bridge. The tiny energy harvester -- known technically as a microelectromechanical system, or MEMS -- picks up a wider range of vibrations than current designs, and is able to generate 100 times the power of devices of similar size. The team published its results in the Aug. 23 online edition of Applied Physics Letters.

"There are wireless sensors widely available, but there is no supportive power package," says Sang-Gook Kim, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and co-author of the paper. "I think our vibrational-energy harvesters are a solution for that."

Putting the squeeze on

To harvest electricity from environmental vibrations, researchers have typically looked to piezoelectric materials such as quartz and other crystals. Such materials naturally accumulate electric charge in response to mechanical stress (piezo, in Greek, means to squeeze or press). In the past few years, researchers have exploited piezoelectric material, or PZT, at the microscale, engineering MEMS devices that generate small amounts of power.

Various groups have gravitated toward a common energy-harvesting design: a small microchip with layers of PZT glued to the top of a tiny cantilever beam. As the chip is exposed to vibrations, the beam moves up and down like a wobbly diving board, bending and stressing the PZT layers. The stressed material builds up an electric charge, which can be picked up by arrays of tiny electrodes.

However, the cantilever-based approach comes with a significant limitation. The beam itself has a resonant frequency -- a specific frequency at which it wobbles the most. Outside of this frequency, the beam's wobbling response drops off, along with the amount of power that can be generated.

"In the lab, you can move and shake the devices at the frequencies you want, and it works," says co-author Arman Hajati, who conducted the work as a PhD student at MIT. "But in reality, the source of vibration is not constant, and you get very little power if the frequency is not what you were expecting."

To address the problem, some researchers have taken a "power in numbers" approach, simply increasing the number of cantilever beams and PZT layers occupying a chip. However, Kim and Hajati say this tactic can be wasteful, and expensive.

"In order to deploy millions of sensors, if the energy harvesting device is $10, it may be too costly," says Kim, who is a member of MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories. "But if it is a single-layer MEMS device, then we can fabricate [the device for] less than $1."

Bridging the power divide

Kim and Hajati came up with a design that increases the device's frequency range, or bandwidth, while maximizing the power density, or energy generated per square centimeter of the chip. Instead of taking a cantilever-based approach, the team went a slightly different route, engineering a microchip with a small bridge-like structure that's anchored to the chip at both ends. The researchers deposited a single layer of PZT to the bridge, placing a small weight in the middle of it.

The team then put the device through a series of vibration tests, and found it was able to respond not just at one specific frequency, but also at a wide range of other low frequencies. The researchers calculated that the device was able to generate 45 microwatts of power with just a single layer of PZT -- an improvement of two orders of magnitude compared to current designs.

"If the ambient vibration is always at a single frequency and does not vary, [current designs] work fine," says Daniel Inman, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan. "But as soon as the frequency varies or shifts a little, the power decreases drastically. This design allows the bandwidth to be larger, meaning the problem is, in principle, solved." Inman adds that going forward, the MIT group will have to aim lower in the frequencies they pick up, since few vibrations in nature occur at the relatively high frequency ranges captured by the device.

Hajati says the team plans to do just that, optimizing the design to respond to lower frequencies and generate more power.

"Our target is at least 100 microwatts, and that's what all the electronics guys are asking us to get to," says Hajati, now a MEMS development engineer at FujiFilm Dimatix in Santa Clara, Calif. "For monitoring a pipeline, if you generate 100 microwatts, you can power a network of smart sensors that can talk forever with each other, using this system."

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Jennifer Chu.

Journal Reference:

Arman Hajati, Sang-Gook Kim. Ultra-wide bandwidth piezoelectric energy harvesting. Applied Physics Letters, 2011; 99 (8): 083105 DOI: 10.1063/1.3629551

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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What is a Portable Device?

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Charge Your Cell Phone or Other Mobile Device at Select Bus Shelters

VitaminWater's ad charges mobile devices in bus shelters

In a pretty cool and innovative ad campaign, VitaminWater has installed a battery-powered USB port in bus shelters along New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston bus routes. This means while you're waiting for the bus on your morning commute, you can give your smartphone, MP3 player and other devices a quick boost (like, VitaminWater would like to suggest, its energy drink would for your body).

What a clever and great idea from Agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, something that would be useful for local governments to perhaps implement as part of public transit. Mobile power connections boost travelers' customer satisfaction, and no doubt commuters could use some increased satisfaction as well.

[via Engadget]

source from about.com