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New chip making technology has been released by IBM, which has been designed to enable clients to manage their power usage more efficiently in smart grids and smart buildings.
Researchers have developed a new chip making process in which they incorporate wireless radio communications technology and sensors on a single chip.

The new technology could be used by manufacturers to develop products which are energy efficient for smart grids, and smart buildings, enabling clients to manage the power being utilised.
The company advised:

“Such advancements are critical to the rollout of smart systems where the ubiquity of cheap, single-chip sensors depends on affordable manufacturing technology.”

The government last week announced a new £17 million initiative to tackle the issue of trying to make homes in Britain ‘greener’. A series social housing units across the country will be fitted with a variety of energy saving technologies and data of their results made available to various groups.

Both the good and bad points will be made available to researchers, architects, builders and the like in order to evaluate whether or not to continue these projects into new builds and other social housing projects.

“If you’ve got 10,000 properties to upgrade in 20 years, what do you do? If you can look at 100 attempts in the database, you can choose,” said Miller. “We’re creating a library of solutions that people can use and adapt for their needs.”

Chinese authorities have announced stricter controls on internet use in the country, requiring anyone who wants to create a website to meet new regulator requirements and produce identification.

Personal website registrations had been banned since December after Chinese state media had complained there was not enough regulation in place. These new regulations have been set up in an apparent attempt to reduce the number of pornographic websites being set up, though activists believe it is just another set of censorship controls produced by the government.

Despite the levels of censorship in the country, reports suggest that internet activity in China is still vibrant and staying at least one step ahead of government controls.

A new initiative lead by computing giant Intel has pledged to provide financial funding to the tune of $3.5 billion to over 10,000 new graduates looking to work in the technology market.

Among the companies involved in the initiative are Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Dell, Yahoo! and more.

A statement by Intel CEO Paul Otellini read:

“We simply must have a clear, consistent strategy to promote innovation, investment and start-up companies.

There are things business can do, and ought to do, independent of what government achieves…Today’s announcements are both an investment in the country’s innovators and a signal to the global marketplace about America’s commitment to innovation and future competitiveness.”

British mobile technology companies have been described as being at the forefront of the world mobile technology industry by a leading government figure.

Trade minister lord Davies has said of the UK mobile industry:

“The growth in mobile has been extraordinary, and it is great to know that this is a British success story.

“This is a nation of innovators and we must strive to remain at the forefront of the industry.”

Mobile technology developed by UK companies is being used in all kinds of industries for all manner of reasons across the country and internationally, and growth continues to increase.

With the winter olympics well under way over in Vancouver, it is easy to see just how much the development of new technology can make all the difference between the competing nations searching for that gold medal.

From developing new streamlined helmets and clothing, to studying video footage of previous runs and that of competitors, each step forward in technology gets the team one step closer to beating their opponent.

There has even been controversy in some cases – with many accusing fingers being pointed at the design of British skeleton winner Amy Williams’ unusual looking helmet. Of course, it could just be sour grapes from the losing competitors!

Is there nothing that the iPhone cannot control? There have been cars, televisions and now a helicopter thingy. This is the coolest gadget ever. It looks like a flying cycle helmet with a  rotors at the ends of a cross frame. In the front there is a small camera that sends pictures via a wifi link to your iPhone allowing you to see exactly where you are flying. Unlike a normal helicopter this is inherently stable but has a gyroscopic balance and sensor to monitor its altitude.

So far the details are pretty sketchy but website shows video of the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) which has four rotors at the ends of a cross.

If you are any sort of tech head, then you could not have failed to see the latest product from Apple. The rumors were circulating months before the launch. In fact it was one of the most hyped product launches ever. The secrecy held until the day  before the presentation.

Personally, I was very excited at the up coming event and the prospect of desiring the latest Apple gadget to go with my Macbook and iPhone but I have to say that I my heart sank when I saw the iPad.

As soon as I saw it I thought it was ugly. The fake devices that had been created in anticipation of what it would look like all looked much better than the real iPad.

The bezel is too wide. Not only does it not fit in your pocket but it is made larger by the huge bezel. Presumably this is to stop you pressing the screen while holding it but even so.

The aspect ratio is 4:3 not widescreen 16:9. This might be more appropriate for ebooks but for watching films or video content it sucks donkeys.

It is more like a large iPhone or iPod touch than it is closer to a netbook or laptop and like the iPhone it is tied into running apps which are controlled via the iTunes store which is a step of control freakery too far.

This will put Apple in control of what you can run on your iPad essentially they will say what is allowed to run on the device and that means no Flash or anything else that does not fit into their business model.

It does not multitasking which seems ridiculous.

No camera in the front or back.

A touch keyboard is a very poor substitute for a real keyboard when typing or doing some real work and it will eat into the screen while you are typing hiding information you may want to see. This happens sometime on the iPhone.

My iphone is great and so is my Macbook but I don’t think I will be buying the iPad. It seems like it is the worst of both worlds. I don’t think that I am in the minority on this one either. iFail might be more appropriate than iPad.

Apple is set to unveil a new product at a news conference in San Francisco at 18:00 GMT. The tech media have been speculating about the event for months but secrecy has been tight. Despite this, most speculation centres around the new device being a tablet computer; a middle ground if you will. Larger than an iphone but smaller than a mac book.

There is a lot of excitment because Apple often have a new take on such devices. Many people see problems with tablets because they are comprimise between to different devices that most people already own. Another factor to take into account is the price. Apple products are cool, high fashion products and have a price tag to match. However, with the Apple brand being so well known its cool image could soon be  becoming conformist with hype that doesn’t match the reality.

One of the things hampering wearable electronics is the problem of powering them. Batteries are heavy. However  the technology of carbon nanotubes has been demonstrated by researchers at Stanford University to create a battery  made from fabrics. The method impregnates the material with carbon nanotubes. It is then pressed to even out the coating. The electronic properties do not change when the cloth is stretched or folded and is low cost.

Research is continuing to store more energy. The team even believe that by combining the technique with other electronic materials they will be able to create wearable solar cells.