Apple tries for a patent on removable laptop touchscreens with wireless charging

Apple tries for a patent on detachable displays with wireless charging, and other unlikely feats

We’re all in favor of advancing the state of the art, but there are times when we suspect that research is more about “what if” explorations than anything else. Exhibit A: Apple’s new patent application for a wireless display. The concept would let a touchscreen detach from its laptop base through a 60GHz ultrawideband format (such as WiGig) and keep its battery powered up through at least some form of wireless charging located in the laptop’s hinge. It sounds viable when others have experimented with wireless displays before, but we’d note that both technical realities and corporate philosophies might stand in its way. Along with the usual challenges of battery life and wireless range, Apple has so far argued that touchscreen laptops are unwieldy and isn’t exactly in a rush to supplement booming iPad sales — even if granted, the patent may just be a matter of covering the bases rather than any kind of roadmap for a two-piece MacBook Pro. Still, we won’t completely rule it out when many also thought Apple wouldn’t make a phone.

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Source: USPTO

Seed-sized A*STAR antenna could open the door to 20Gbps wireless

Seedsized ASTAR antenna could open the door to 20Gbps wireless

Antennas have often capped the potential speed of a wireless link — the 450Mbps in modern 802.11n WiFi routers is directly linked to the use of a MIMO antenna array to catch signals more effectively, for example. That ceiling is about to get much higher, if A*STAR has anything to say about it. The use of a polymer filling for the gaps instead of air lets the Singapore agency create a 3D, cavity-backed silicon antenna that measures just 0.06 by 0.04 inches, roughly the size of a seed on your hamburger bun, even as it increases the breakneck pace. The new antenna generates a signal 30 times stronger than on-chip rivals at an ultrawideband-grade 135GHz, and musters a theoretical peak speed of 20Gbps — enough that 802.11ac WiFi’s 1.3Gbps drags its heels by comparison. Before we get ahead of ourselves on expecting instant file transfers at short distances, there’s the small matter of getting a chip that can use all that bandwidth. Even the 7Gbps of WiGig wouldn’t saturate the antenna, after all. Still, knowing that A*STAR sees “immense commercial potential” in its tiny device hints that wireless data might eventually blow past faster wired standards like Thunderbolt.

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Seed-sized A*STAR antenna could open the door to 20Gbps wireless originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu, NICT create indoor navigation for the blind using ultrawideband, Android phones, kind hearts

Fujitsu, NICT create indoor navigation for the blind using ultrawideband, Android smartphones, kind hearts

There’s no shortage of navigation outdoors, and even a little bit of help indoors, but there’s been precious little aid for the blind indoors — leaving them little choice but to move cautiously or get outside help. Fujitsu and Japan’s NICT have crafted a system that gives the sightless a greater level of autonomy inside through ultrawideband-based impulse radio. A grid of UWB radios positioned around a room gauge the distances between each other and transmit the data to a PC, which then talks to the traveler’s Android phone. The device then gives spoken directions based on a 12-o’clock system and far subtler distances than GPS can manage: the positioning is accurate to within a foot. While the indoors navigation is only just getting a demo this week, it’s already being refined to detect objects in the room as well as to help even the fully sighted. If Fujitsu and NICT have their way, buildings ranging from hospitals to malls will have their own turn-by-turn navigation. For some, the freedom of movement could be a life-changer.

Fujitsu, NICT create indoor navigation for the blind using ultrawideband, Android phones, kind hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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