Technology News and Gadgets Updates: 03/15/11

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

High-tech hairnet can speed up Alzheimer's detection

A revolutionary 'hairnet' that tracks brain waves could speed up the detection of Alzheimer's.

Called the Cognition System, the high-tech hairnet is undergoing trials in the US. If these prove successful, the device could be tested in Britain as part of worldwide trials.

The hairnet is made up of tiny sensors, held together by adjustable straps, which are able to pick up patterns of electrical activity linked with onset of brain wasting disease, once they come in contact with the skull.

The technology could mean drugs that slow disease progression could be given to patients much sooner, keeping them in good health for longer, the Daily Mail reports.

Doctors often rely on a memory assessment, or relatives' descriptions of behavioural changes, such as anxiety, irritability or repetitive behaviour.

New software makes future electric cars closer to reality

Scientists are coming up with new software that would help speed up the process of development of future electric cars.

Lack of charging stations and limited battery life have so far prevented compact electric vehicles from going mainstream.

The lithium-ion batteries used by most automakers are simply too heavy, too expensive and go flat too quickly.

New materials should improve the performance, service life and safety of the energy storage device, yet the development of these kinds of materials is time-consuming and costly.

But now researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern are developing software to simulate lithium-ion batteries, which should in turn speed up this process and make it more efficient.

The new software is dubbed BEST , short for Battery and Electrochemistry Simulation Tool.

NeST Software recalls staff from Japan

Network Systems and Technologies(NeST) based at the Technopark here has decided to recall its staff in Japan, in the backdrop of the nuclear threats following the tsunami at Sendai. The company has confirmed the safety of all its 74 engineers in Japan.

"In view of the continuing aftermaths of tremor and nuclear threats, the management has decided to bring back its employees to India in phases. The people in the vicinity of affected areas have already been brought to Tokyo. Staff in the southern parts of the country, which are unaffected, will be considered for recall in the last phase", a company official said here.

He said the first set of employees from Japan was already on their way back to India and that the remaining staff would be brought back over the next couple of days. Company officials said it would co-ordinate with its customers to provide offshore support and minimize any business impact.

An official of the Group of Technology companies (GTech) based at the Technopark here said more than 100 staff of Kerala-based IT companies were based in Japan. One of the leading software companies based in Technopark is also a software provider for the logistics market in Japan including airlines and airports. Officials say company colleagues and family members are in touch with employees of Indian firms in Japan.
Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Trojan horses are still a big threat

The Trojan horse still lives. Never download an unsolicited email attachment, as it may be embedded with the deadly Trojan virus, which could wreak havoc on your computer.

Speaking to TOI at the RSA Conference in San Francisco recently, Uri Rivner, head of new technologies at RSA, the security division of EMC , said Trojan horse is a destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. It even puts online banking passwords at risk.

Rivner said Trojans are highly sophisticated, easy to use malware (malicious software) and don't cost much. Their distribution is also quite simple. The infection mechanism is very effective. It can get into your computer system if you go to a hijacked, but legitimate-looking website or if you are tricked into downloading a link or email attachment.

Once in the computer, it can give the malware creator complete remote control of your machine. The virus may sit dormant until you visit the website of a bank or a credit card company or other financial institution, whereupon it secretly records the passwords, account details and other confidential information . A Trojan can record every keyboard stroke of the user. The stolen details are then sent back to the Trojan operator, who uses them in online fraud scams like transferring money from banks.

Rivner says the two most dangerous Trojans are Zeus and SpyEye. Millions of computers across the world are infected by these Trojans. These two malwares are now merging. SpyEye is taking over Zeus operations, Rivner adds.

Microsoft to phase out unsuccessful Zune player

Microsoft Corp is not planning any more versions of its unpopular Zune digital media player , but is to continue offering music and video using the same software online, through its Xbox game console and on its Windows phones.

The decision not to further develop the handheld device effectively ends Microsoft's 4-1/2-year bid to unseat Apple Inc's iPod, which revolutionized the portable music market in 2001.

"We have nothing to announce about another Zune device," a Microsoft spokesman said in an emailed response to questions about the Zune. Bloomberg earlier reported that the company had decided to stop producing them.

He said Zune devices would still be supported in North America, and that Zune software would play a part in Microsoft's other offerings.

"Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms, and we remain committed to providing a great music and video experience with the Zune service."

Online social game star Zynga adds new lure

The startup behind hit online social games Farmville , Zynga Poker, and Mafia Wars on Tuesday ramped up the pay-off for its more than 250 million players.

Zynga used a South By Southwest Interactive (SXSW) festival in Texas as a stage to unveil a new rewards program for its titles, which have won legions of followers at Facebook and elsewhere on the Internet.

Players who sign up online at website rewardville.com can shift winnings such as virtual goods, status or money between different games and even use rewards to help out friends playing other Zynga games.

"With RewardVille, our aim is to delight players by rewarding them with new Zynga-level points, and exclusive limited edition virtual items," said Zynga vice president Roy Sehgal.

"We love that you love our games, so here's your chance to reap some rewards!"

Einstein's archives to be digitized

Over 80,000 documents of the Albert Einstein archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem would now be digitised.

The digitised information will be available to researchers and the public, Xinhua reported citing a statement from the university released on Einstein's birthday and also the Israel National Science Day, both March 14.

A $500,000 grant has been given by an unnamed benefactor from London.

"Our goal is to build a user-friendly, inclusive digital database," Hebrew University president Menahem Ben-Sasson said.

Einstein, who was one of the founders of the Hebrew University, left his entire archives to the institute in his will.

The set of documents had originally been stored at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton in New Jersey state in the US, where the Nobel Prize winner had carried on research for decades.

The documents were brought to Israel in 1982, where they were kept in the Jewish National Library at the university.

Einstein's papers are considered one of the most important set of physics resources.

Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Soon, disposable cameras as small as grain of salt!

A new microcamera has been developed to reduce the downsides of existing endoscopes.

Endoscopes to date have some negative aspect, since they are expensive and, because of their multiple usages, have to be put through time-consuming and exhaustive cleaning procedures every time they are used.

This problem might be solved by a new microcamera that the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin, Germany has developed together with Awaiba GmbH and with the support of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena, Germany.

“We can produce microcameras so inexpensively with our technology that doctors can dispose of endoscopes after using them only once,” said Martin Wilke, a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration.

This is made possible by a new type of manufacturing process.

The researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration have streamlined this process by developing a new way to access the electrical contacts. Now, the wiring process is faster and the entire camera system is smaller.

The trick lies in the fact that they do not reach the contacts of each individual image sensor via the side any more but rather, simultaneously, with all sensors via their reverse side while they are still connected as a wafer. That means that you no longer have to mount the individual lenses. Instead, you can connect them with the image sensor wafers as lens wafers.

Only then is the stack of wafers sawed apart into individual microcameras. Another upside is the fact that it supplies razor-sharp pictures even with very thin endoscopes.

The new microcamera is small enough for the tip of the endoscope. It has a resolution of 62,500 pixels and transmits the image information through the endoscope via an electrical cable.

Stephan Voltz, who is the CEO of Awaiba GmbH, said that, “at 1.0 times 1.0 times 1.0 millimeters, this camera is as small as coarsely ground grain of salt – the smallest camera that we are aware of.”

Voltz is happy about the wide range of possible applications: “Starting in 2012, using Fraunhofer’s expertise, we will be able to bring disposable endoscopes to market for only a few euros – we already have the prototype.”

Tech companies pitch in on earthquake response in Japan

Google, Twitter and other technology companies are finding ways to help following last week's earthquake in Japan.

Google Inc. has an online "person finder" for people seeking information about a missing person.

Microsoft Corp. is offering free technical support and temporary software licenses to companies affected by the earthquake. It has also pledged $250,000 in cash.

Twitter is trying to help organize the flood of information flowing through its system. It is suggesting people use certain tags for general earthquake information, requests for rescue and other related topics.

Amazon.com Inc. and Yahoo Inc. have links on their home pages encouraging people to donate to the relief efforts.

Google to launch social network 'Google Circles'

Google is likely to launch its own social network in May.

According to technology blog, 'The Next Web', the search engine giant will unveil Google Circles at its Google I/O conference in San Francisco, reports the Daily Mail.

It is believed the network will allow users to selectively share content with people who are members of different social circles in their lives.

Users will be able to filter what content is shown to which group.

However, Google yesterday denied reports that the network is to launch at the South by Southwest technology event, currently taking place in Austin, Texas.

The company also refused to confirm or deny any plans for a social network website.

Twitter, regulators finalise security settlement

Federal regulators finalized a settlement Monday with Twitter related to data security lapses in 2009 that gave hackers access to users' accounts.

The Federal Trade Commission said the settlement resolves charges that Twitter deceived its customers and put their privacy at risk by failing to keep their personal information safe as promised by the company's policies.

The settlement bars Twitter from misleading consumers about its security and privacy practices for 20 years. The startup, which lets people publish short messages called tweets, must also establish a comprehensive information security program that will be audited every other year for 10 years.

No monetary damages were assessed.

The FTC complaint said that hackers were able to gain administrative control of Twitter twice between January and May 2009, and that weak employee passwords and other poor security practices on the part of staffers were to blame. About 55 accounts were accessed by the hackers.

Twitter has said that it quickly closed the security holes after the breaches were discovered.

What’s happening inside Japan's N-reactors?

A third blast on Tuesday rocked the quake-stricken nuclear plant in Japan where authorities have been working desperately to avert a meltdown.

Japan's biggest recorded earthquake has knocked out back-up cooling at several stricken reactors at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima prefecture north of Tokyo, causing a build-up of heat and pressure.

What is happening now in the core of the nuclear reactors?

The core of a nuclear reactor consists of a series of zirconium metal pipes or rods containing pellets of uranium fuel bundled into what engineers call fuel assemblies.

Water is pumped between the pipes to keep them cool and create steam to drive an electricity-generating turbine.

Back-up cooling has struggled at various times over the past three days at reactor units 1, 2 and 3 at the Fukushima plant.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011