Mobile Turbine Provides Portable Wind Power

Mobile Wind Turbine.jpg

It may look like some sort of Transformer, but this concept from Pope Design is actually a mobile wind generator. Unlike traditional wind turbines, which are stationary, the Mobile Wind Turbine can be moved around in order to be wherever the wind is the strongest.

Essentially, the concept is simply a turbine on the back of a large truck. It features a hydraulic system that is able to erect the turbine when the truck is in position. The creators say that the mobile turbine could potentially be used to help power temporary settlements, such as camps or military bases. A smaller version could also be used to power schools and small businesses, as a way to utilize wind power without the high costs associated with a permanent wind turbine installation.

Via Inhabitat.

Cloud Printing: Print Remotely With Smartphone, Dropbox

Digital Inspiration’s Amit Agarwal has a clever Dropbox-based solution for printing documents from a smartphone or tablet, whether your printer’s down the hall or thousands of miles away. The idea is so simple, you’ll be amazed you haven’t thought to try it yourself.

Dropbox is a popular utility that allows users to sync and share files on different computers. Native Dropbox applications are available for most smartphone platforms, giving you mobile access to all your files, and many mobile applications are now integrating Dropbox for remote syncing and storage. You can also add files to your Dropbox account via e-mail or the web.

In this solution, use any of those means to get the file you want printed into a shared Dropbox folder — call it “PrintQueue” — that you’ve set up for this purpose. Your print-capable computer uses a script to monitor “PrintQueue,” automatically print its documents and then move them to a different folder. (Agarwal calls this second folder “logs”; I’d call it “Completed Jobs”). If you’re a clever hacker, you could even add scripts to send a remote notification that the print job has been completed.

For Windows, Agarwal has a downloadable VBS script that will set this up for you; as he notes, there are different scripting solutions for Mac OS X or Linux too.

Once you’ve got this rigged, the immediate use case is to send a document wirelessly from a smartphone or tablet to a local printer. And it is kind of magical to stand there and watch the whole process unfold, as in the video above.

But think beyond that. Suddenly, your printer is capable of networking with any computer, anywhere — with any phone, anywhere — that you approve and authorize. This is potentially so much better than hooking up a computer to a wireless router or navigating the virtual bureaucracy of an office printer network. It’s way better than a fax machine.

This could be one future of social networking and file sharing: Instead of big, ad-cluttered feeds that push photos, status updates and Farmville notifications or anonymous networks that chop files into bits and reassemble them, imagine friends and acquaintances broadcasting to each other, wheels within wheels, each with different levels and fields of access. Designating someone a “friend” might not be worth very much in this cockeyed world, but automatic remote access to someone’s printer still means something.

Print Files from any Mobile Phone using Dropbox [Digital Inspiration] via Gizmodo


Motorolas S10-HD Bluetooth Headset Looks Sleek

Motorola S10-HD Bluetooth HeadsetIf you tend to travel with your phone or Bluetooth-enabled music player and spend much more time listening to music than you do placing or receiving calls, Motorola’s new S10-HD Bluetooth headset may be ideal for you.

The headset is lightweight, wraps around the back of your head, and has a pair of cushioned earbuds that fit into each ear. The S10-HD is designed to function more like a pair of headphones than a headset, but there is a microphone in the unit, and if you have it paired with your phone, incoming calls will automatically pause playback while you’re speaking and start playing the music again when the call is over.

The Bluetooth antenna, receiver, and controls are located in the back of the headset, which keeps the weight in the back and improves antenna performance outdoors. Even so, the S10-HD is still Bluetooth audio, which is notorious for suffering from compression issues. Headsets like the S10-HD are generally designed for people who have to have wireless audio or who want to take their music with them on the go without wires. It will be available late October at Best Buy retail stores and online retailers for $79.99 list. 

Microsoft’s Mobile Mouse Flash Drive Combo

This article was written on September 13, 2007 by CyberNet.

mobile memory mouse Microsoft just introduced a new mouse "with a mind of its own" -the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000. What’s unique about it is that the transceiver which you’d normally have to plug in via USB anyways to use the mouse includes 1GB of Flash Memory. It’s not going to be on the shelves until about October, and the price is set at $99. While it’s a great idea, especially for college students, the price seems a little high for only including 1GB of flash memory – especially when you take into consideration that you can buy a 4 GB Flash Drive for $35 and a 16 GB Flash Drive for $100.

Despite the fact that it may be a little pricey for the amount of memory you get, it’ll definitely be convenient for those who usually carry a mouse with them as well as a flash drive. Giga Om reviewed this mouse yesterday and said the mouse "doesn’t make much sense. I mean, who carries their mouse without a laptop?" I’m not sure the point of this mouse is for those who only want to carry a flash drive with them. When I was a college student, I always had my laptop, a mouse, and a flash drive with me. While a flash drive certainly doesn’t take up much room, using the Mobile Memory Mouse would just mean one less thing I had to carry, and one less USB port I’d have to use.

Other features that this mouse has besides the transceiver with 1GB of Flash memory include:

  • 2.4 GHz wireless technology
  • USB rechargeable with magnetic connectors
  • High definition laser technology
  • Battery life indicator

While the idea of a mobile mouse that includes storage is new, I think there will definitely be a group of consumers willing to snatch up the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 for $99 bucks. If by chance you’d like to pre-order this mouse, you can do so at Amazon.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


Study: we’re keeping our mobiles longer, despite sinking prices

Had your current cellphone for the better part of the this century? Turns out you aren’t the only one — according to new research gathered by J.D. Power and Associates, Americans are holding onto their mobiles for longer than ever these days. In fact, the study found that the length of time customers keep their traditional wireless cell phone has increased by 17 percent from 2009, with the average customer holding onto their phone for around 20.5 months. That’s the longest period since this study began tracking the data in 1999, when the average was 17.3 months. Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at the company, feels that the recent economic downturn has a lot to do with folks keeping their existing phones longer, while we’re guessing that it has to do with existing phones simply being “good enough.”

Furthermore, anyone who is even remotely tuned into the mobile world knows that widespread 4G is just around the bend, giving folks reason to hold off on renewing their contract until WiMAX / LTE comes to their carrier of choice. Curiously, phone prices are lower than ever before, which should mean that it’s even less expensive to upgrade now than in the past. Of course, none of that matters if your existing phone contract isn’t up (or you aren’t due for a discounted renewal), and the savings on the hardware is likely being devoured by the extra fees we’re paying for messaging and data. So, are you in the “run it till it dies” camp, or are you wondering who on Earth this survey (shown in full after the break) is referring to?

Continue reading Study: we’re keeping our mobiles longer, despite sinking prices

Study: we’re keeping our mobiles longer, despite sinking prices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PC World  |   | Email this | Comments

Has Sony Ericsson Botched its Android Strategy?

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Android phone owners are in for some bad news. The company has delayed the rollout of the upgrade to Android 2.1  version of the operating system for Xperia phones in the U.S.

Instead of updating existing devices–the Xperia X10, Xperia X10 mini and Xperia X10 mini pro–to Android 2.1 at the end of September, Xperia owners will get new features added at the end of October and onwards.

“We are, of course, not happy about the change of launch timing but we have had to spend some additional time on the software to really makes sure we roll-out with the right quality and user experience,” says Sony Ericsson on its product blog.

The move is yet another example of how Sony Ericsson’s Android plans have been plagued by delays.

Despite the beautiful hardware Sony Ericsson’s phones have never enjoyed the same level of popularity in the U.S. as the company’s rivals. Last year, Sony Ericsson turned to Android in the hope that it would more effectively compete in the smartphones market. But it has been slow to bring Android devices to market.

Sony Ericsson worked for months on creating a skin for Android called UXP. The UXP skin brought in features such as Timescape that collects social networking feeds and presents them in a card-like view. It added a recommendation engine for music and a widget to access photos and video.

Though it was attractive, the user interface significantly delayed Sony Ericsson’s launch of Android phones. In August, the Xperia X10 debuted on the AT&T network for $150 with a two-year contract. The Xperia X10 launched with version 1.6 of the Android OS, as did the X10 mini and X10 mini pro.

Clearly, that version of the OS is extremely outdated and Sony Ericsson is trying to fix it with its latest update.

With its upcoming rollout, the company plans to offer Xperia users features such as HD video recording with continuous auto-focus, five homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders and social phonebook that automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online.

Almost all of these features are already standard on most Android phones.

Sony Ericsson is struggling to catch up and along the way, Xperia users are finding themselves without the most current software and features. Even with the upcoming update, Xperia users won’t be on the latest Android platform. Current Xperia models are unlikely to see Android 2.2 Froyo for a very long time.

See Also:

Photo: Priya Ganapati/Wired.com

[via Unwired View]


The Journo Bluetooth Keyboard is as Portable as Your Phone

Journo Bluetooth KeyboardIf you’ve ever stared at your phone and thought, “this thing really needs a full keyboard,” you may need to buy a netbook. If you’ve ever stared at your iPad or Android tablet and thought “this thing needs a full keyboard,” you might be on to something. That’s why Cervantes Mobile made the Journo portable Bluetooth Keyboard, a fold-up model that includes a cradle for your mobile phone or tablet that will keep it upright and in either portrait or landscape mode while you use it.

The Journo is designed to be as portable as your mobile device, which means the keyboard folds down to be remarkably small when not in use. Aside from the portability and the included cradle, the most notable feature is that it claims to support just about any mobile device with Bluetooth, meaning iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and more. The Journo will be available for $99 list price early next year, but you can pre-order one now for $79. 

Microsoft’s New Mobile Strategy: Software for Every Platform

Alternate MS Office icons by talwayseb, via CrystalXP.net

Microsoft is a giant company working in many different fields, but in the consumer market, apart from XBox, it does one thing really well: software. After some high-profile, quickly-aborted misadventures in mobile, that’s what it’s going to focus on from now on.

Microsoft’s Tivanka Ellawala told the WSJ that the company’s done with smartphone hardware (beyond in-house prototypes, presumably): “We are in the software business and that is where our business will be focused,” he said. That means no follow-ups to the Kin social media smartphone, definitely; no resuscitation of the Courier e-reader/tablet project, probably; and a new focus on making apps for other platforms, quite possibly.

What kinds of platforms? I don’t know — how about the iPad?

On Wednesday, Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott confirmed the rumors on Twitter: “Shhh…. It’s true: Microsoft is working on iPad apps.” Makes perfect sense to me:

  • Microsoft was never fully behind smartphone/tablet hardware;
  • Its mobile OS is battling stiff competition on all sides;
  • They’ve always been a multi-platform company;
  • And, um, they’ve already got apps on the iPhone. (Bing. For now.)

So besides search, what are we talking about here? Microsoft Office? (Which, remember, includes a LOT of apps, not just Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.) Games? Messenger? Frontend clients for Windows Live? Specialized applications for enterprise clients? Virtual PC, to mix it up with VMWare’s anticipated virtualization apps? No one knows.

See Also:


Nokias Star Trek Communicator Phone Begs to be Real

When Nokia partnered with Paramount for the 2009 Star Trek movie, they got a little product placement in the movie and in Europe released a Star Trek themed version of the Nokia 5800 with a couple of special wallpapers, screen savers, and some alert sounds. What’s just come to light however is that Nokia actually built a prototype Star Trek communicator flip-phone that looks a lot like the communicators from the movie and the original Star Trek television series.

The communicator phone was based on Nokia’s N76 flip phone, and featured a brass screen on top with lights underneath to make it look like the old television props, a black body with a large screen on the inside and soft black buttons, and a Starfleet logo on the back. Best of all, it’s a fully functional phone, not just a prop for a movie set or a toy. Unfortunately for Star Trek fans, only 14 of these prototypes were ever made, but at least it shows that while it’s often been said Star Trek communicators inspired flip-model cell phones, it’s easily possible to make cell phones inspired by Star Trek communicators.

[via TrekMovie]

Nokia Is the McDonald’s of Phones [Video]

Didn’t you notice? It was just Nokia World! But with profits plummeting and executives fleeing—both at alarming rates—maybe it should have been a reckoning instead. More »