Office printers 'are health risk'

An office laser printer can cause damage to the lungs in the same was as cigarettes, Australian scientists say.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Social networks 'lure music fans'

A survey finds that social networks are changing the way we listen to and consumer digital music.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robot fins to propel submarines

The distinctive swimming technique of the bluegill sunfish is used to develop agile submarines.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robots battle for military prize

The finalists of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) "grand challenge" to find new military technology are announced

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robots.Video: Building a Robot

No, this isn't a tutorial on creating a robot. It's a new music video
from a group called the Robotmakers and here's
what they have to say about their creation, ""Building a Robot" is
the result of a
long evolutionary process that resulted in successive generations of
forms, some of which we call music. Natural selection and repeated
lethal mutations winnowed the results. We are left with the Robot
Maker's opus, which cannot be used as proof of intelligent design."
A whole pile of interesting electronic gear was used to produce the
music, including one of Rog-a-matic's own modular synthesizers. Oh, and
did I mention there are some robots in the video?

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Game worlds become virtual labs

Social scientists are starting to use game worlds as laboratories to study human interaction.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

EU moves to cut roaming charges

Mobile phone companies are to cut the cost of customers making and receiving calls between EU countries by up to 70%.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Cautious welcome for BBC iPlayer

The first people to use the iPlayer service post broadly positive comments about the video service.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Web child fight videos criticised

Police chiefs urge websites to remove violent video footage of children fighting, following a BBC probe.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Vintage Transformers Collection Draws 6 Digits

An
Ebay auction for a giant collection of Transformers stands at $100K.
Included in this incredible batch of mint, still-in-box, robots are
approximately 275 Transformers and Transformer licensed products
collected by the late Anthony Lindgren as he recovered from a
motorcycle accident back in the Mid-80s. 101 Autobots, 81 Decepticons,
the highly sought-after Transformers Toothbrush, and my personal
favorite, Transformers Shrinky Dinks! The bidding battle will end on
Aug 1 at 12:33 PDT, unless someone clicks the $1M Buy-It-Now button.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Nasa astronauts 'drunk on duty'

US astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk at least twice, according to a report commissioned by Nasa.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

'Space arrow' to map Earth's tug

The Goce gravity satellite will be one of Europe's most challenging space missions to date.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Controlling High Current Devices with a Microcontroller

The Microcontroller Hobby blog has
posted a handy new tutorial by Eric Wolf explaining how to control high
current devices from a microcontroller. Eric
explains how to use what he describes as "the cockroach of
transistors", the NPN BPJ 2N3904 to drive up to a 170ma load. Robot
builders may question the idea that a 170ma load should be described as
"high current" but reader comments at the end of the article point out
that a MOSFET could be used to controller devices in the 30A-50A range.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

EU outlines Intel 'market abuse'

EU competition regulators say chipmaker Intel abused its dominant market position in Europe.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Space computer 'sabotage' probed

Nasa looks into the apparent sabotage of a computer due to be flown to the International Space Station.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Game worlds show their human side

Social scientists are starting to use game worlds as laboratories to study human interaction.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

BBC online video service launches

The BBC's flagship online TV service, called iPlayer, launches amid some concerns.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Machinima Review: Stolen Life

We seem to have a history here at robots.net of reviewing unusual
robot-related art forms. Last time it was robot poetry and today it's a
machine-made movie about machines. Stolen Life is an example of
machinima.
It's an animated movie but it isn't animated in any
traditional way. It was rendered on a computer but not in the way you'd
expect. Rather than rendering the scenes one frame at a time at the
highest resolution possible in the way Hollywood does, machinima goes
the opposite direction, rendering in real time at low resolution. The
rendering is done not by specialized animation software
but by repurposing a videogame rendering engine. The upside is that
it's fast and inexpensive compared to Hollywood's method. The downside
is that it looks like, well, a video game. It doesn't look real like the
CG you see in typical theatrical movies. It looks more like the earliest
attempts at computer rendered animation such as Tron. Aside from the
unusual animation, Stolen Life has an interesting story,
a great score, and voices provided by real actors. Read on for a more
detailed review and an interview with the producer.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Facebook court hearing is delayed

A hearing in the case against the founder of the networking website Facebook is postponed.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Mac and iPhone sales boost Apple

Apple reports much better than expected three-month results, helped by sales of Macs and iPhones.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Price tag for Mars rover sought

European industry is asked to cost the construction of a robotic rover to send to the Red Planet in 2013.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Malaysia cracks down on bloggers

Malaysia threatens to use anti-terrorism laws against bloggers who insult Islam or the king.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

MySpace purges sex offenders

Social networking website MySpace blocks over 29,000 sex offenders, a four-fold increase on May.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony up despite Playstation woes

Sony quarterly profits more than double on demand for its cameras despite problems with its games console.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Crackdown wins innovation prize

Xbox 360 title Crackdown is among winners at an award ceremony for games developers.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Huge Chinese piracy ring tackled

Pirated software worth $500m has been seized in raids against a Chinese software gang.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

iWalk on a Robotic Ankle

MedGadget gurus are reporting an active ankle/foot Orthosis from MIT and Brown University.
The novel robotic prosthesis provides not only a mechanical structure
but also a powered joint to aid in the walking process and eliminate the
unnatural gait of the typical amputee. The ankle utilizes multiple
springs to capture and release energy along with a small electric motor
for an extra boost. The robotic ankle is scheduled to be available
mid-2008 from iWalk, Inc.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Digital TV booking for GPs

Patients around the country will be able to book a GP appointment through their TV set.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Competition hits Lara Croft firm

The computer games maker behind the popular Lara Croft adventure says sales will be hurt by pricing pressure.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

PlayStation 3 sales boost in US

Sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) console in the US rose by 21% in June, according to analyst figures.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

iPlayer faces petition pressure

An online petition calls on the BBC to halt the launch of its iPlayer to a Windows-only audience.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Phone mast allergy 'in the mind'

Mobile phone masts are not responsible for the symptoms of ill health some blame them for, a major study says.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Facebook site faces fraud claim

Networking website Facebook is to face legal action on Wednesday in a suit brought by a rival site's founders.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Request made for Mars rover price

European industry is asked to cost the construction of a robotic rover to send to the Red Planet in 2013.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

MySpace bars 29,000 sex offenders

Social networking website MySpace blocks over 29,000 sex offenders, a four-fold increase on May.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Hacking the EverMore GM-R900 GPS Module

Dean Hall needed an
inexpensive GPS module that could interface with a
microcontroller for use on his outdoor robot project, named Argonaut. He started by
comparing the two least expensive USB GPS modules, the Holux
GR-213 and the EverMore
GM-R900, both of which use the SiRFstarIII chip.
Indoor reception, outdoor reception, and other details were compared
before selecting the GM-R900. Dean then offers photos
and technical
details of the GM-R900, revealing that the board itself
has a serial connection which goes through a serial to USB adapter in
contained in the cable. The serial interface uses standard NMEA protocol
and should be easy to connect to virtually any microcontroller. Dean has
also
written some Python code to communicate with the GM-R900.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

How will the Elderly Get Around? With a Robot!

A Canadian
Globe and Mail article details the motivations of Stanford
University roboticist, Sebastian
Thrun. His elderly father caused a car accident while driving,
resulting in the loss of his father's driver's license and a gradual
decline in his health. This got Thrun thinking about how robots could
help and eventually led to his work on autonomous robot cars. He
predicts we'll see a gradual transition from the totally manual cars of
today to cars that assist with parking, accident avoidence and,
eventually, can handle the entire task of driving if we want. The article
also talks about other robots that could help the elderly get around
such as robot wheel chairs that are smart enough to avoid obstacles and
navigate their occupant safely to the desired destination.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Apple iPhone issue highlights security debate

Regular columnist Bill Thompson says what counts as private has to change if we're to get the most out the network.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Mars dust storms threaten rovers

Dust storms raging on Mars pose the worst threat yet to Nasa's robot rovers, the US space agency says.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Google mulls auction bid

Google considers a bid in the forthcoming wireless spectrum auction in the US, if certain conditions change.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Web networkers 'at risk of fraud'

People who use internet networking sites are being warned that they could be at risk of identity theft.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Digital TV booking scheme for GPs

Patients around the country will be able to book a GP appointment through their TV set.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Search sites tackle privacy fears

Top search engines from Microsoft, Yahoo and Ask say they will store less data about users and delete it sooner.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

'$100 laptop' production begins

A low-cost laptop, designed for children in developing countries, finally goes into mass production.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Random Robot News Roundup

Nelson Bridwell sent us
links to interesting video from last month's Robots and
Vision 2007 conference including the Velodyne
HDL-64E Lidar system that may be used by several DARPA Urban
Challenge teams, the Motoman
2-armed robot, and the Barrett
Technology WAM Arm. Charlie Kondek of MS&L wrote, "We're working
on a new campaign ... that I thought might be of interest to your
readers because it features a
robot." Seed Magazine published an article
on roboethics recently that includes a little uncredited input from
yours truly. Elsewhere, researchers have finally perfected an unbeatable
checkers algorithm but Chess and Go are still beyond the grasp of
machines. Another reader pointed out an Engadget story with photos of a
full-size
Gundam robot replica at a Japanese amusement park. Know any other
robot news, gossip, or amazing facts we should report? Send 'em our way
please.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Technium: the 7th kingdom of life?

The Edge has published an speculative essay
by Kevin Kelly of Wired
magazine. In it, he explains his use of the word technium to describe
the whole system of technology as it exists in our world. Technium, he
says, "has its own inherent agenda and urges, as does any large
complex system, indeed, as does life itself." He explains his idea
further by saying that technium is the child of humanity but that with
each new technology like AI, robotics, and genetic engineering, it
challenges our notions of what it means to be human. And the bit about
the 7th kingdom? "There are roughly six kingdoms of life according to
Lynn Margulis and others. As an extropic system that originated from
animals, one of the six kingdoms, we can think of the technium as a
7th." An essay full of interesting, if unusual, ideas.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Guitar Heronoid Rocks

Guitar Heronoid is a
robot built to play the Guitar Hero video
game on a PS2.
The brains, developed by Rafael Mizrahi, analyses video from the PS2
and detects the fretting.
Data is then sent via TCP to the robot where Tal Chalozin used solenoids
to activate aluminum fingers attached to a life-sized mannequin.
The guitar and PS2 were left unhacked.
Video.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

The Google Master Plan

I’ve come across this interesting movie clip called The Google Master Plan in Youtube quite some time ago. It’s a movie directed and produced by Ozan Halici & Jürgen Mayer for their Bachelors’s Thesis at the University of Applied Sciences Ulm, Germany.
The movie basically talks about how Google can use their free services like Google [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

UK Shopping Search Engine

Online shopping has gain its popularity all around the world nowadays with the advance of the Internet. Just like the amount of websites we can find on the Internet, there are too many online deals for us to choose from. Hence we do need a search engine which helps us to aggregate all merchant offers, [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Differences Amongst Windows Vista Versions

I’m sure many of us are thinking of upgrading our computer operating system to the latest Windows Vista. Apart from wondering will the current computer hardware be compatible to Windows Vista, probably we are facing the dilemma of choosing which version of Windows Vista.
Basically, there are 5 versions of Windows Vista to choose from, they [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

iBegin Source - Place To Get Local Business Data

Yellow pages is often the source for us to search for local stores and services, be it online yellow pages or printed yellow pages. I particularly like online yellow pages very much, as usually I am just a few clicks away from what I want to find in my local area.
However, in many cases accurate [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Computers crack board game

A computer program is created that will never lose a game of draughts, scientists say.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Google mulls spectrum auction bid

Google considers a bid in the forthcoming wireless spectrum auction in the US, if certain conditions change.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

New products boosting Microsoft

Demand for the Vista Windows system and other products helps Microsoft to profits of $3.03bn, up 11% on last year.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Facebook buys start-up Parakey

Social networking site Facebook has bought internet start-up Parakey.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Google profits miss expectations

Google's quarterly profits jump 28% to $925m but the figure is not as good as analysts had hoped for.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Computers crack famous board game

A computer program is created that will never lose a game of draughts, scientists say.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robot to carry out heart surgery

A robotic arm able to carry out an intricate life-saving heart operation is being pioneered by UK surgeons.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Net criminals shun virus attacks

Hi-tech criminals are turning away from viruses to mount the most serious attacks, warn security experts.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Life Beyond Brain Death

A Newsweek
article covers the changing definitions of death. It used to be that
when you reached "clinical death", that was it. Then it became possible
to restart the heart. Doctors moved on to declaring "brain death", when
cerebral function stopped. But it seems that even after the brain stops
working, all the information is still there and, provided
cellular death can be stopped or reversed in time, it's possible to boot
the brain back up. Normally, unrecoverable brain damage occurs within
five minutes but by lowering the body temperature,
doctors can significantly extend that time. More interestingly,
apoptosis and necrosis take time to destroy the information in the
brain, during which it may be possible to reverse the process or
cryogenically preserve the information
making up the mind and transfer it to a new receptacle; perhaps a
cloned brain or a robot. This leads to a new term: "information-theoretic
death" is the point at which the
physical structure of the brain succumbs to entropy and the mind can no
longer be reconstituted. This moral uncertitude as to when death occurs
is interesting in light of recent
suggestions that organ donation should be mandatory or done on an
"opt-out" scheme. Another
article suggests individuals be allowed to accept the legal
definition of death or define their own meaning. To
learn more about the endovascular temperature modulation techniques
described, see the Medical News
Today article on the subject.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

US Navy Buys 50 Robotis Bioloids from KumoTek

Matt Fisher of KumoTek writes,
"We just won a bid to provide 50 Bioloid Kits to the US Naval
Academy". The Bioloids will be used at the US Naval Academy for
classroom instruction in robotics. The Robotis
Bioloid is a robot kits consisting of RC type servos and joints that
can be assembled into a variety of robots such as bipeds, quadrupeds,
snakes, hexapods, robot arms and about any other type of jointed robot.
KumoTek also sells to the general public through their Roboporium website. For more
details on KumoTek's Navy contract, read on for the full text of their
press release.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

JK Rowling rails against spoilers

US publisher sues a distributor and online store for shipping copies of the final book too early.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Fast food brands hit kids online

Despite rules banning the advertising of unhealthy food online, some brands bend the rules, research suggests.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Gecko glue exploits mussel power

The remarkable adhesive abilities of geckos and mussels have been combined to create "geckel" glue.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Ebay profits up amid listing drop

Revenue from online auctions sends Ebay's profits surging, despite a shrinking number of items up for sale.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

i-LIMB Bionic Hand

Touted as a next-generation prosthetic device, the

i-LIMB Hand from Touch Bionics is a fully articulating bionic hand
that is commercially available right now.
Built with high-strength plastics, the hand is lightweight, strong, and
aesthetically pleasing.
Control signals are detected by two electrodes implanted under the skin,
then transmitted to a battery-powered processor which in turn
controls actuators and monitors gripping force.
Programmed grip patterns improve movements required in modern-day life
such as operating computer keyboards, ATM machines, and telephone dial
pads. Patients are also appreciating the life-like appearance of the
i-LIMB hand while at rest and in motion.
A patient
gallery and videos
are available.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Yahoo seeks 'plan' as profits dip

The boss of Yahoo says he is working on a "strategic plan" for the firm after reporting a sixth quarterly profit fall.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Milestone for unique bionic hand

A highly-functional bionic hand, controlled by the patient's mind and muscles, goes on the market

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Firms snub 'mobile for elderly'

A back-to-basics mobile phone aimed at older people will be sold online, as stores and networks reject it.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Xbox chief defects to games firm

Peter Moore, the head of Microsoft's gaming business, leaves to join game maker Electronic Arts.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

EU backs standard for mobile TV

The EU's decision to back a single standard for TV on mobiles could see the UK fall behind, warn analysts.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Battle to keep the internet open

Regular columnist Bill Thompson says more can be done to encourage young filmmakers from all walks of life.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Truphone wins court injunction

Fledgling mobile firm Truphone wins an injunction in a row with T-Mobile over calls made via wi-fi networks.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

No 10 website in e-petition row

More than 255,000 sign a Downing Street website petition against plans to build Britain's biggest mosque.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Galileo challenges sat-nav firms

Novel ideas that exploit the pin-point accuracy of Europe's soon-to-launch Galileo system are being sought.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Google cookies will 'auto delete'

Google says its cookies will auto-delete after two years in an effort to "improve privacy" for users.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Artificial Muscles from Carbon Nanotubes

Artificial muscles made with
electroactive polymers simply don't hold up to the rigors of constant
shape-changing, but a new class of carbon nanotubes
may remedy this says Victor Pushparaj at the
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Initial tests with a two-millimeter block containing
millions of vertically-aligned nanotubes
endured 500,000 cycles while maintaining its shape, and
electrical and mechanical properties.
The goal is to build the next generation of actuators for
robot arms and prosthetic limbs that will last longer and offer
smoother, more life-like motion.
See the story at
NewScientist

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Pop Culture Robots From RUR to Transformers

Inspired by the recent Transformers movie, a CBC.ca article
offers a list of robots that have appeared in pop culture over the
years. The author lists many of the most well known movie and TV robots,
throwing in a few vaguely related mentions of robots in music as well.
Gort, Bender, Mr. Data, Marvin, Robby, Astro Boy, they're all here. Or
are they? What robots would you add to the list?

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Purdue Project Combines Cheerleaders and Robots

Acorrding to a NorwichBulletin
article, Christi Jacobs, a Purdue graduate student, is trying to get
more girls interested in technology. And not just any girls. Christi is
the former captain of the Prudue cheerleading squad, so she's after
other cheerleaders. She's created a summer
camp for high school cheerleaders where they'll work with small humanoid
robots. Each robot is issued a cheerleading outfit and programmed by the
girls to do a routine. The girls and the robot will perform the routine
together.
Beyond
robots, cheerleaders will learn about the physics of music, construction
management, computer graphics motion capture technology, and even
avaiation technology. More details can be found in a Purdue
University press release. While it's targeted primarily at girls,
the program is open to anyone in 8th through 12th grade, so if you like
robots and cheerleaders, this may be the perfect summer activity for you.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Young filmmakers having a blast

Regular columnist Bill Thompson says more can be done to encourage young filmmakers from all walks of life.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Global broadband prices revealed

Broadband speed and price varies greatly across some of the world's most developed nations, says a report.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

'Jules Verne' set for sea voyage

Europe's biggest, most complex spacecraft is packed up for despatch to the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

China firm sues Google over name

The Chinese firm Beijing Guge sues Google over its Chinese name, saying it is too close to its own.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Tiscali buys Pipex broadband unit

Internet firm Pipex sells its broadband and phone business to Italian
rival Tiscali for £210m.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

BBC to hear iPlayer concerns

Calls to make the BBC's iPlayer work on all types of computer are to get a fresh look by the BBC Trust.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

'Jules Vernes' set for sea voyage

Europe's biggest, most complex spacecraft is packed up for despatch to the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

The fight against net crime

Using high tech know-how and old fashioned police work, net detectives are cleaning up the web.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Intel and $100 laptop join forces

Intel and the One Laptop per Child foundation bury their differences and agree to work together on the project.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robots Teach Social Skills to Humans

According a Wired
article, humanoid robots are being used in British schools to teach
social skills to autistic children. It's a perfect match because robots
don't grow impatient with the children and autistic children frequently
don't react well to human teachers. The humanoid robots offer much
easier to understand interactions to the child, providing a stepping
stone to dealing with the more complex interaction needed with other
humans. The teacherbots are known as KASPAR robots (Kinesics and
Synchronisation in Personal Assistant Robotics) and cost about $4.3
million each. They consist of a silicon-rubber mask over an aluminum
frame with 8 DOF in the head and neck, 6 DOF in the arms and hands. It
also has 2 DOF eyes with integrated video cameras.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Inexpensive ARM9 PC/104 Looks Ideal for Robots

A LinuxDevices
article mentioned a new PC/104 form factor ARM9 microcontroller made
by EMAC that might be useful for
robot hobbyists. The board, called the iPac-9302
is based on the Cirrus
EP9302 SOC, which uses a 200MHz ARM920T CPU with
a MaverickCrunch floating point math engine. The board supports up to
64MB of SDRAM, 32MB of flash, 256KB EEPROM, and a PLD which can be
reprogrammed to support quadrature decoding, stepper control, or other
custom tasks. It supports a lot of I/O including AC97 audio, 10/100
ethernet, 1 RS-232, 1 RS-232/422/485, 2 USB 2.0 port, 16 processor I/O
lines, 16 PLD digital inputs (5v), 8 digital outputs (25ma), 8
high-drive digital outputs (500ma), 9 synchronous serial I/O lines
(SPI/I2S), 3 PWM I/O lines, 5 channels of 12 bit A/D, and 2 channels of
8 bit D/A. You can also get an optional JTAG adapter and screw terminal
board for all that I/O. And, yes, it runs Linux. The best part
is that the pricing starts at $150 in single unit quantities. For more
details see the iPac
9302 manual (PDF format).

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Get The Best Deal Online - Dealighted

If you are a frequent online buyer who purchases computer stuffs and digital devices via the Internet, you don’t want to miss out this website called Dealighted!
Its name doesn’t explain much of its operation. Dealighted is a free tool to help online buyers to find the best bargain for the products they are looking for! [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Plan for UK computer museum

Plans are taking shape to set up a museum dedicated to Britain's role in the origins of modern computers.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Royalty fee 'to damage net radio'

Hundreds of US net radio stations face potential closure from Monday when a new royalty fee begins.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Public websites 'too complex'

Many government websites are still too complicated and difficult to use, says a report by the National Audit Office.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony BMG sues anti-piracy firm

Sony BMG is suing the company that designed its controversial CD anti-piracy software.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Fast walking robot debuts

Roboticists are using the lessons of 1930s human physiology to build the world's fastest walking robot.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Legal row over wireless calling

Fledgling mobile firm Truphone faces network giant T-Mobile in court over calls made via wi-fi networks.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

No price cut for Euro PS3 console

Sony decides not to cut the price of PlayStation 3 in Europe and instead offers a bundle pack with games.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

BBC to hear open source concerns

Calls to make the BBC's iPlayer work on all types of computer are to get a fresh look by the BBC Trust.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Xbox revamp to hit Europe

Microsoft announces an updated version of its Xbox 360 for Europe, designed to display high definition video.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Online advertising 'growing fast'

The annual value of European online advertising will more than double by 2012, a report suggests.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony refines PSP console design

Sony unveils a re-designed PlayStation Portable which is slimmer and lighter than the original.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robot unravels mystery of walking

Roboticists are using the lessons of 1930s human physiology to build the world's fastest walking robot.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Hortibot to Zap Weeds

Work at Aarhus University in Denmark hopes to produce a bolt-on accessory

package for mowing robots to provide both simple weeding tools and
possibly
even lasers for zapping undesirable plant growth. The system can also be
used to dispense chemicals in a very focused way in order to reduce
environmental impact. Hortibot is not completely autonomous but still
claims an
improvement in work efficiency. The project
list includes squeezing Hortibot's Linux-based controller into the
size of a credit card, and allowing a mobile phone to retrieve system
status - iMow anyone?

Source: http://www.netchain.com

EUROBOT Goes Swimming on the way to ISS

Hannes Drexl writes "I haven't found a
link to the article
w/video on the ESA website from July 6 about their three-legged
EUROBOT on your great news site yet". The ESA
EUROBOT is being developed to support the International Space
Station and has just completed underwater trials. It will be capable of
autonomous locomotion across the exterior of the ISS modules using
three appendages which serve as both arms and legs. The robot also has
a teleoperations mode that will allow astronauts to handle ISS repairs
remotely through the robot when needed. More photos of recent underwater
weightlessness simulation tests and of earlier autonomous
and teleoperation tests are also available on the ESA site.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Google buys e-mail security firm

Google steps up its challenge to Microsoft's Office system with the $625m purchase of e-mail security firm Postini.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

MySpace 'passes 10m UK users'

Social network MySpace says more than 10 million UK users look at its website each month.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Websites lobbied over net suicide

Internet providers are asked to help with the growing problem of teenage suicides in Northern Ireland.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Spielberg's game vision emerges

Two video games developed with director Steven Spielberg are set to be shown off at the E3 conference.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Firms breaching data protection

A "horrifying" number of organisations have breached data protection rules in the past year, a report says.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Xbox revamp hits Europe in summer

Microsoft announces an updated version of its Xbox 360 for Europe, designed to display high definition video.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

UK computer history gets new home

Plans are taking shape to set up a museum dedicated to Britain's role in the origins of modern computers.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

RoboCup Researchers Create Aibo Replacement

The Sony Aibo is very popular among robotics researchers and University
RoboCup teams. When Sony discontinued the Aibo, researchers were left
scrambling to find a replacement. Jan Wedekind wrote to let
us know the successor to the Aibo is here and sent us a pile of related
links. The new robot dog was developed by Oscar von
Stryk and others at TU Darmstadt, where an official
news release was posted recently. The Hajime Research Institute in
Japan helped with the mechanics. Gotha Design created the robot's
exterior shell. The robot is powered by a LiPo battery, weighs 2.5kg,
and has 15 joints. It includes a 500MHz Linux-based AMD Geode LX800
with LAN,
WLAN, USB, VGA, memory card interface, an LCD panel and four push
buttons. The dog also includes a 640x480
camera capable of 90 FPS. No word on pricing and availability yet.
What's the new robot dog called? For now
they're referring to it only as der neue Roboter - the new
robot.
For even more details and links on the new robot, see Jan's
blog entry.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

100 Million iPod Sold

iPod’s fans have made history as Apple announced yesterday that there have been 100 million iPods sold to date, since its launch in November 2001! 100 million sold in five and a half years is incredible and there is no doubt iPod is still the pioneer in music player industry.



Aside from making history, one of [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Google buys email security firm

Google steps up its challenge to Microsoft's Office system with the $625m purchase of email security firm Postini.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Sony cuts Playstation price in US

Japanese electronics giant Sony cuts the price of its Playstation 3 in the US in an effort to boost sales.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Last.fm strikes Sony music deal

Social music site Last.fm signs a deal with the Sony BMG record label to offer its catalogue of music.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Game world gets ready for E3 show

The E3 Expo gets under way this week - one of the biggest events in the gaming calendar.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Robots need More Autonomy and More Storage

According to a ComputerWeekly.com
article, MIT robot expert Rodney Brooks suggests
two things are needed for wider adoption of robots in home and business.
The first is to move closer to truly autonomous robots. He notes that
most robots still need human intervention or teleoperation. Today's
robots are closer than ever to being autonomous but we're not there yet.
He also suggests that the data storage capacity of computers needs to
increase a bit more to make robots practical. He expects a typical robot
to have 40,000 GB of internal storage by 2015, allowing the
storage of such things as a highly detailed map of the entire Earth.
Brooks made these
comments in a lecture at the BCS/Royal Signals Institution recently. Video of the
entire lecture (Flash format) is available online.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Elephant Trunk Inspired Robotic Limb

Gentle on people and gentle on the pocket book.
Taking cues from the 40,000 muscles and unique agility of
an Elephant's trunk,
Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation in
Stuttgart has developed the

ISELLA prosthetic arm.
Two motors per joint help prevent undesired motion and an interesting
drive system uses a high-strength cord wrapped around a double helix
drive shaft. It's claimed that the drive system is more
energy-efficient than
a typical geared setup, has a high strength-to-weight ratio, and is more
cost-effective to manufacture.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Boeing prepares for 787 premiere

Boeing prepares to unveil its long-awaited 787 Dreamliner, for which it has so far received 642 orders.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Boeing unveils Dreamliner plane

Boeing launches its new 787 jet, billed as the most environmentally-friendly plane ever built.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Pointing Device For Your TV

Ever think of using a “mouse-like” device as pointing device for your TV instead of the dull TV remote control? You know, like having a cursor moving in your TV just like what we have for PC?
Hillcrest Labs actually has this revolutionary pointing device for TV called HōMETM Interactive Media System.




Quoted:
Hillcrest Labs’ HōMETM Interactive Media [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Web Based Remote Computer Technical Support Service

Remote computer support can be provided either via Windows Remote Assistance or software that specially designed which we have to install on our PC. As a result, there is always a hassle to install a separate software onto the PC in order to provide or receive remote assistance.
To save the one who provides or receives [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Movable Type 4 Targets Business Blogging Market

Today marks the release of Movable Type 4 (MT4) beta version! By the way, MT is an alternative to the popular Wordpress blogging platform. It is developed by Six Apart.



MT4 is believed to target business bloggers and further expand its market share. Currently Six Apart is already having some enterprise customers such as Intel Corp., [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Make Cheap Long Distance Calls Using Comfi.com

Cost of making local and international call using phone/calling cards is quite cheap nowadays. I like to use phone cards to make international call especially when I’m traveling instead of making expensive roaming calls. There is one thing I don’t like about ordinary phone cards is that we need to remember the PIN number on [...]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Strange Robotic Cats

TechBlog has put together and
amusing collection of photos and video
featuring recent
robot cats and cat-like robotic products. They mention the Philips
iCat audio and video player, an unnamed Japanese robot cat that may
be either the somewhat creepy-looking Sega Near Me Cat or the
cat-of-the-living-dead-creepy NeCoRo Cat, the Dynamizer's
Robot Cat, and Pussy
Cat, a cross between a mobile PC, a robot, and an air freshener, all
in the shape of a cat.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Guinness Certifies i-SOBOT as World's Smallest

It's common for robot manufacturers to claim a "world's first" for one
of their robots. It's rare to seem them offer proof. So it's not
surprising when there's an exception that Lem Fugitt of the Robots-Dreams.com blog writes,
I thought you might find this interesting and newsworthy. He has
posted
some details about a joint Taakar/Tomy and Sanyo press event in
Osaka, Japan in which Guinness is revealed to have certified the i-SOBOT
as "the smallest humanoid robot in production". Lem included some photos
and video of the tiny robot in action. The i-SOBOT is expected to retail
for about $350 in the US and Japan later this year.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

O2 'to get iPhone contract in UK'

Mobile phone operator O2 is reported to have won the battle to sell Apple's iPhone in the UK.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Microsoft facing $1bn Xbox bill

Microsoft says that it is facing a $1bn bill to cover the cost of warranties after failings with its Xbox 360.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Online auction for security bugs

Security researchers can now get cash rewards for the loopholes they discover in popular programs.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Gadgets 'threaten energy savings'

The growing popularity of hi-tech devices threaten to undermine efforts to save energy, a report says.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Warning of data time bomb

The growing problem of accessing old file formats is a "ticking time bomb", the National Archives head says.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Blackberry to go on sale in China

Research in Motion wins approval to sell its Blackberry handheld e-mail device in China.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

O2 'to get iPhone contract in UK'

Mobile phone operator O2 is reported to have won the battle to sell Apple's iPhone in the UK.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Video gaming world cup hits Paris

Thousands of gamers are in Paris over the next four days for the Electronic Sports World Cup grand final.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Good vibes power tiny generator

A tiny generator that harnesses vibrations to produce power has been created by British scientists.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Making Robots Navigate Like Humans

A stuff.co.nz
story tipped us off to some interesting research being done by Albert
Yeap at the Centre
for Artificial Intelligence Research at Auckland University of
Technology. Yeap has created a robot, named Albot, that navigates much
like people and other biological creatures. It uses symbolic
reasoning rather than precise distances and coordinates. For example, as
we walk around, we might notice an obstacle such as a wall but, "We
don't care if the wall is 1 metre, 1.2 metres or 0.9 metres away from
us. It's somewhere out there roughly at that distance." So Albot is
able to navigate successfully using the same type of error-ridden data
that animals use. To learn more about how Albot navigates, see the
research paper, Using
a Mobile Robot for Cognitive Mapping (PDF format).

Source: http://www.netchain.com

iPhone creates stir on US launch

Apple sells 525,000 iPhones since its launch on Friday, according to press reports, but its shares fall.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

SAP admits Oracle downloads

SAP admits one of its units made "inappropriate downloads" of documents belonging to rival Oracle.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Europe mulls launch systems

Industrial groups in Europe are about to look in detail at ideas for a new launch system to put humans in space.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

UK presses private Galileo role

The UK says the private sector should still share the risk and the cost of developing Europe's satellite-navigation system, Galileo.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Zelda game 'greatest ever'

Zelda: Ocarina of Time tops a poll of gamers and experts to find the top 100 video games of all time.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Universal 'to revise iTunes deal'

Universal wants monthly deals to sell its music through Apple's iTunes rather than an annual one, a report says.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Wii outselling PS3 'six to one'

Nintendo's Wii console is outselling Sony's PlayStation 3 in Japan by six to one, says research.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Russian download site shut down

The controversial music download site allofmp3.com closes down but appears to reopen under a new name.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Random Robot News Roundup

The Shadow Robot Company
has issued a press
release (PDF format) about their new project to
develop robotics technology for rehabilitation of patients suffering
from chronic pain. Randy Dumse of New Micros, Inc. sent us links to
several stories including an Electronic
Design story on Robot Cars and a PhysOrg story on the
MIT entry in the upcoming DARPA Urban Challenge.
Randy also noticed a PhysOrg article about the debut of Nano
Soccer at the 2007 Robocup. Meanwhile, Roland Piquepaille reported
on two more robot stories in his blog: a 1mm medical robot and
a story on cyborg
insects (also see our previous story on the cyborg
bugs). And The Swirling Brain has been swirling with stories too,
including a Fox news story
on a Taser-equipped Packbot, and a tiny robot at a Japanese
toy show. Know any other robot news, gossip, or amazing facts we
should report? Send 'em our way please.

Source: http://www.netchain.com

Net growth drives privacy update

Industrialised nations update privacy laws made obsolete by the increasing volume of data on the net.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Beating congestion with mobiles

BBC Click travels to Italy to find out how research into real-time maps may solve Rome's traffic problems.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

iPhone creates stir on US launch

Apple sells 525,000 iPhones since its launch on Friday, according to press reports, but its shares fall.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

New e-waste recycling laws begin

A law making UK producers of electronic goods responsible for the recycling of their goods finally comes into force.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Europe mulls human launch system

Industrial groups in Europe are about to look in detail at ideas for a new launch system to put humans in space.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Zelda game named 'greatest ever'

Zelda: Ocarina of Time tops a poll of gamers and experts to find the top 100 games of all time.

Source: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk

Gelernter says AI is Lost in the Woods

David
Gelernter has made a name for himself by being as pessimistic about
AI as researchers like Kurzweil are optimistic (the two debated each other last
year). He describes himself as an "anticognitivist" (presumably he's
only opposed to cognition in machine, not humans, however, so a label
like anti-machine-cognitivist might be more accurate). Gelernter's
latest rant against AI says AI researchers are missing the "most
important fact", something he calls a "cognitive continuum", something
that "connects the seemingly unconnected puzzle pieces of thinking".
Without this cognitive continuum, "AI is lost in the woods" according to
Gelernter. He goes on to bring up the usual anti-AI arguments like the
Searle's Chinese Room. Interestingly, considering yesterday's post on
definitions, he talks about consciousness, intelligence, and emotion
without offering any definitions.

Source: http://www.netchain.com