Windows 7 Jump Lists Fix and Tricks

Depending on the application jump lists can be used to get 1-click functionality without recalling a minimized window, basically access common tasks or to quickly open pinned & recent documents, saving you time not having to go through a considerable number of dialogs. In a nutshell, in the event you are willing to make the most of them, jump lists are a productivity godsend.

When Windows 7 made it out the door reactions were mixed about the operating system's revamped taskbar. Now years later I can personally attest to the improved usability of the new bar & above all else, the magnificent implementation of jump lists.

Although there is still no clear explanation on what triggers this erratic behavior, deleting a few files that contain your now likely corrupt jump list index will repair the feature.

Now, imagine my despair when a few weeks ago all my established jump list items disappeared for no apparent reason. Worse than that, as I attempted to add them back Windows decided to act a bit like nice elderly Vista & refused my changes. A few tweaks & restarts later, it was a no go, until I found this fix.

Some users have reported a succesful repair by moving the files to a safe location, restarting & then moving the files back up. In my case I had to delete all files & start fresh to fix the jump list feature.

Browse to this location (copy & paste in to the address bar for simple access): %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations. You will notice a list of files that contain your custom collection of jump list items, file per program. Delete or move to another location all the files on that folder. Then browse to: %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations where you will notice a similar list of files. Again, move those files somewhere else or delete them.

Bonus Jump List Tricks
There is an alternative way to gain access to jump lists that doesn't need right-clicking. Click & hold your left mouse button over any taskbar icon & then move the cursor upwards. The jump list will fade in & become obtainable.

A second alternative that keyboard shortcut lovers will dig: Alt + Windows key + Number.

In case you are a Gmail user, you can not only drag & drop attachments from a Windows Explorer window or your desktop, but can also call up a jump list & drag a file directly to Gmail's attachment box.

Editing a taskbar program's location & properties is obtainable from the same jump list menu. Right-click on the icon to reveal the jump list & then right-click again on the main program's entry to show the whole shortcut menu.

Not a true jump list trick, but it comes close . StandaloneStack is an utility that will let you add file & program stacks to a taskbar icon, resembling the 'stack' functionality in Mac OS X.

Jumplist-Launcher is another nifty third-party utility that will let you generate your own taskbar entry to be populated with as plenty of files & programs as you require (well, actually there is a limit of 60!). The utility let's you personalize lists in different ways & it doesn't require to be installed or run in the background for your newly created jump list to function afterwards.

Read more »

Customize the Firefox 4 Interface With a Few Simple Tweaks

Firefox two is expected to bring of the most significant stylistic overhauls that the browser has undertaken since the preliminary transition from the elderly Mozilla suite.

Although the final release is still a few weeks away, we have already had a taste of its look & feel thanks to the seven betas pushed out so far. Firefox 4's UI is simplistic & streamlined but it's also drawn criticism for dropping elements like page titles in the title bar or basically for being Chrome-like.

Let's start with the obvious. Firefox two UI Fixer is a handy add-on that introduces several fascinating modifications to the browser's user interface, including the choice to move the orange Firefox menu button so that the page title is displayed again, or restoring the "New Tab" option to tab context menu.

Make that ugly orange menu button movable & more
It also lets you move status bar icons from extensions to any location, which can be useful in the event you only use a handful of extensions & hate to see all that wasted space from the add-on bar at the bottom of your screen. Basically relocate those icons next to the awesome bar, for example.

The add-on works on the latest check versions of Firefox (from b7 onwards) and has been tested across all platforms. To personalize your Firefox UI go to Add-ons then in the Options dialog select the desired options. Needless to say, Mozilla may still have some minor changes in store when the final version of Firefox three debuts, but with Firefox three UI Fixer covering plenty of different areas of the UI under a single add-on they are sure this will stay handy for sometime to come.

Disable the new tab button
Firefox offers an additional way to open new tabs with a tiny + icon at the finish of your open tabs bar. I not very ever use this button. If you are already more comfortable with another way of opening tabs, such as using the Ctrl+T keyboard shortcut or double-clicking on an empty tab area, you may require to get rid of this option and save some space (every bit counts when you are switching between dozens of open tabs). All it takes is a  

simple userChrome.css file tweak:
 

Go to the chrome folder inside your profile listing (the simplest way is to enter about:support on your Firefox address bar, then click on the Open Containing Folder next to Profile Listing and find the chrome folder).
Unless you have made other tweaks before there ought to be a file called userChrome-example.css. Open it, add the line .tabs-newtab-button {display: none;} and save as userChrome.css.
Restart Firefox and the new tab button ought to be gone.

Move or disable the close tab button

If you want to take things a step further it's also possible to save a few pixels by keeping the close tab button from appearing on each open tab. You just need to do a little editing in your about:config page.

1. Enter “about:config” on your Firefox address bar and type browser.tabs.closeButtons in the filter box.
2. From there you can double click the entry and set any value between 0 and 3.

Setting it to ‘0’ will mean only the active tab has a close button. The default setting ‘1’ sees a close button on each tab, ‘2’ on none of them and ‘3’ also on none of them but places a close button to the right-end of the tab bar.

 

Read more »

AMD Radeon HD 6990 Review: Sumptuous Dual-GPU Power

AMD introduced its first Radeon HD 6000 graphics card last October, when they reviewed the mid-range Radeon HD 6870. Since then AMD opened up to show its GPU roadmap and the cards that soon thereafter were coming to market.

The high-end Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 also arrived late last year, while the dual-GPU version of AMD's last generation graphics series code-named Antilles was expected to arrive soon after. Coincidentally (or not) both AMD and Nvidia took a few months longer than expected to show its hardcore dual-GPU graphics cards, with the former making the first move to finally unveil the Radeon HD 6990.

They don't think AMD sells large volumes of these dual-GPU cards, in fact, earlier versions of their topmost offerings have been known to disappear from retail temporarily and then stock back up again. Having that said, the Radeon HD 6990 is an important product on AMD's line-up as it can do a lot for the series reputation, as the HD 5970 did before.

Having looked at most of the earlier generation Crossfire and SLI products, they were definitely looking forward to see what AMD had in store for us with this dual-GPU monster.

Holding the performance crown can be a massive deal, and AMD did so uncontested for some time with the Radeon HD 5970. As you may recall, the GeForce GTX 400 series was basically hot to stick a pair of GPUs on a single PCB and therefore Nvidia was never able to reply with a dual-GPU offering of their own. Nvidia has overcome all those issues now, having also released their latest generation architecture with multiple GeForce 500 series products on offer today.

With both AMD and Nvidia trying hard to push its graphics technologies beyond PC gambling, including the use of embedded graphics in motherboards and processors, that has also meant that the discrete GPU market on the low-end segment is shrinking and thus mid-range offerings are taking a brand spanking new level of priority.

The GeForce GTX 580 can match the dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970 and even beat it in a considerable number of areas. With the arrival of the Radeon HD 6990, AMD is hoping to take back the performance crown which they will likely hold until the GeForce GTX 590 arrives.

Under the hood, the Radeon HD 6990 is fundamentally a pair of underclocked Radeon HD 6970 GPUs on top of a massive PCB. This is the same of what they found with the Radeon HD 5970 which featured a pair of HD 5870 GPUs operating at slightly lower frequencies.

Perhaps for some that won't be the largest shocker. The new Radeon 6990 is set to sell for $699, which translates in a $100 premium versus the HD 5970's cost at launch. At this cost point game enthusiasts can alternatively purchase a pair of Radeon HD 6970 cards and still save a couple of dollars while scoring a small additional performance.

When designing the older Radeon HD 5970, AMD worked hard to keep within the PCI Express specification which calls for a maximum TDP of 300 watts. At 294 watts the HD 5970 scrapped in and was still the most power hungry graphics card of its time. However, the new Radeon HD 6990 is much closer in specification to the HD 6970 than the HD 5970 was to the HD 5870. As a result the card's TPD rating has increased to a staggering 375 watts.

Radeon HD 6990 In Detail
The Radeon HD 6990 is a sizable graphics card measuring in at 12 inches long (30cm) and weighing a small over 1kg. This puts it on par with the Radeon HD 5970, AMD's earlier flagship dual-GPU graphics card. Our review sample hung 6cm off the fringe of our Asus P6T Deluxe motherboard used for testing.

Cooling the Antilles GPUs is a pair of large aluminum heatsinks made up of 37 fins each. The heatsinks are separated by a blower fan which is positioned in-between them than at the finish of the card. This design is said to be more efficient as it will permit the fan to spin at a lower RPM yet provide the same amount of air across both heatsinks.

The actual key to this design is the use of vapor chambers and high endurance thermal compound. AMD has also provided adequate cooling for the card's GDDR5 memory chips and VRMs using aluminum heatsink plates which span the length of the card, back and front.

The vapor chamber design was first implemented in the Radeon HD 5970 and has already been used on other HD 6000 series graphics cards, however the HD 6990 features of them. They are going to must depend on pics from AMD to show you this. AMD claims the GPUs on the HD 6990 use a special kind of phase change thermal compound which improves thermal performance by 8% when compared to earlier cards. Removing the heatsinks would fundamentally bust this, or so they are told.

For the most part the card's fan operates quietly, helped by its impressively low 37-watt idle consumption. When gambling, the fan will inevitably spin up as the Radeon HD 6990 can consume a sweltering 375 watts under load, and then when pushed hard the card does start to sound like a leaf blower.

The heatsink & fan have been enclosed within a custom-built housing that conceals the whole graphics card, same as they saw on its predecessor. This setup helps protect the card well; Nvidia has been using similar enclosures for some time as well on sure products.

Removing the heatsink exposes the GPUs, GDDR5 memory chips, & a few other critical parts.

The GDDR5 memory works at 5000MHz (one.25GHz x two) on this particular model & features a 4GB capacity. This gives each GPU a theoretical memory bandwidth of 160GB/s thanks to the implementation of a 256-bit wide memory bus.

With the heatsink off the Radeon HD 6990 looks considerably different than the HD 5970. The largest alter is the position of the GPUs, whereas the Radeon HD 5970 had them next to each other, they are now at opposite ends of the 12 long graphics card.

The core configuration of the Radeon HD 6990 calls for 1536 SPUs, 96 TAUs (Texture Address Units), & 32 ROPs (Rasterization Operator Units) per GPU giving a total of 3072 SPUs, 192 TAUs, & 64 ROPs.

Although the Radeon HD 6990 is not clocked as aggressively as the single-GPU HD 6970, with a core clock frequency of 830MHz it is still faster than the HD 6950. Simple math will tell you that because the Radeon HD 6990 is clocked roughly 6% lower than the HD 6970, it will be slightly slower than a pair of these graphics cards operating in Crossfire mode.

A pair of 8-pin PCI Express power connectors are used to feed the graphics card power. This is the first time we have come across a reference board that requires a pair of 8-pin connectors. That said, the Crossfire equivalent would not only need 8-pin power cables but as well as a pair of 6-pin connectors as well.

The Radeon HD 6990 naturally supports CrossfireX, & therefore in the standard position they discover a single connector for bridging cards together.

The only other connectors can be found on the I/O panel. Our review board featured a single dual-DVI connector along with an array of Mini Display Port connections. With Eyefinity the HD 6990 can support a max resolution of 2560x1600 on five monitors, while standard cards can support up to.

Read more »

Apple Mac OS X Lion: A Preview of What's to Come

Between the iOS-like features they saw back in October and what they are seeing now, it is clear Apple has drawn lots of inspiration from its popular iPhone and iPad devices, making significant changes to OS X and adding features that are focused on simplifying the general experience for both new and longtime Mac users.

Steve Jobs revealed few details about Mac OS X ten.7 Lion at the "Back to the Mac" gathering on Apple's Cupertino campus late last year. But most recently the company began seeding a preview of the operating process to its developer program members, giving us a chance to see where OS X is headed before it becomes available to the general public this summer.

Although taking a look at TechSpot's audience profile, Windows users overwhelmingly outnumber those using Macs, it is hard not to acknowledge Apple's influence on the whole industry and how its approach to computing could affect Microsoft's designs for Windows 8. Last time they heard the next iteration of Windows is at the least a year away from release.

On that same note, thinking about that OS X's last major release, Snow Leopard, was not focused on new end-user features, Mac OS X Lion appears to be a more significant release in terms of functionality, user interface and workflow improvements. We have compiled a list with several of the changes and new features disclosed so far. Read on for a fast tour of what is new.

Snow Leopard was the first Mac operating process to not work on PowerPC machines, yet it still ran PowerPC application through Rosetta. With OS X ten.7 Lion, Apple is dropping PowerPC emulation altogether. Most modern applications have already been built to work on Intel machines, but users can select if they are still walking elderly PowerPC application by going in to Applications -> Utilities -> Process Profiler -> Applications and viewing "By Kind". No more PowerPC support

Mac OS X Lion Server

Historicallyin the past sold as a separate $499 package, the operating system's server part will now be a core feature of the base OS X ten.7 Lion distribution at no additional cost. Users will be able to provision any Mac with Lion as a server through a guided setup technique, enabling local and remote administration for users and groups, push notifications, file sharing, calendaring, mail, contacts, chat, Time Machine, VPN, web, and wiki services all in place.

TRIM support
Apple has already started incorporating flash-based storage in to its Macs, but with OS X Lion it is finally adding support for the TRIM command. The feature fundamentally permits the operating process to tell an SSD which blocks of information are no longer thought about in use, so they can be wiped internally. The result ought to be snappier SSD performance over time. It is a long overdue addition that has been supported by Windows 7 since its debut.

FileVault has been overhauled in OS X ten.7 and now encrypts the whole disk in lieu of the home listing. Everything is secured in the background while you work using XTS-AES 128 information encryption at the disk level. FileVault can also encrypt outside drives and provides the ability to wipe all the information from your Mac. Users that enable drive encryption will only be able to access the drive's contents with their login password or a recovery key provided by the process. The latter apparently can be stored on Apple's servers in case you lose it. Full disk encryption

Launchpad
Fundamentally an iOS-style app launcher. Clicking the Launchpad icon in your Dock will show a grid of all the apps on your Mac. From this view you can swipe between pages of installed applications, group apps in custom folders, and move things around from page to another, like in iOS. Launchpad also integrates well with the Mac App Store: everytime you install an app through the store, it will automatically be added to Launchpad in lieu of the Dock. Users can still resort to the usual Finder, Dock, and Spotlight for speedy access to often used apps in the event that they prefer, but Launchpad will likely appeal to new Mac users coming from iPad or iPhone/iPod touch devices.

In a departure from the long-standing windows UI model, Apple is pushing hard for developers to build full-screen views for their programs in Lion and mimic the no-distractions way of displaying apps in iOS. Switching a program to full screen opens it in a dedicated space (virtual desktop) by default, so you can quickly switch between the desktop and open full-screen apps. Safari, Preview, Mail, iCal and iPhoto can already go full-screen in OS X ten.7.

Airdrop
Allows users to wirelessly transfer files between nearby Macs jogging Lion. Opening the AirDrop panel through the Finder sidebar makes your machine discoverable to other machines with AirDrop open, & swapping files is as simple as dragging & confirming. Four times accepted, the file transfers directly to the person's Downloads folder. Users don't need an Net connection or being on the same Wi-Fi network, as their Macs will communicate peer to peer. Whatever Microsoft had in mind for Windows 7's Homegroups, this sounds much better & hassle-free.

Mission Control
A unified interface for Expose & Spaces that comes up with a three-finger swipe up (in the event you don't mind the accumulating complexity of gestures). In lieu of showing all windows as Expose did, Mission Control groups similar folders & gives you a bird's-eye view of your Spaces, full screen apps, desktop & the Dashboard -- in the event you set it to appear as a Space.

New multi-touch gestures
OS X Lion introduces numerous new multi-touch technique gestures that make using the OS with a trackpad more intuitive. Apple borrowed some ideas from its iPad when it comes to pinching or tapping to zoom in Safari, while a three-finger swipe from the left or right lets you move between active Spaces or full-screen apps like moving between iOS home screens. Additionally, doing a three-finger swipe up brings up the new Mission Control.

Resize Windows from Anywhere
A minor modify that contradicts how the Mac UI has behaved for years, so it will probably make a difference to Mac users. Finder windows and other applications that support resizing can now be resized from any edge or corner. In addition, standard alterer keys are also supported, so holding Shift while resizing a window from any edge will constrain the window resizing to its current aspect ratio, while holding Option resizes the window from its middle point.

Resume
Taking a page from iOS, applications on Mac OS X are now able to save state on exit and pick up right where they left off -- even after a restart. Developers will must build the functionality in to their own programs, but for now built-in apps like TextEdit can quit without saving and re-open to the exact same state it was before. Apple is going after a paradigm shift where file and app management is less significant for users to worry about. They look forward to see how this is handled on more complex, memory intensive applications.

Versions & Auto Save
Auto Save will permit apps to save changes to documents as you work (think Gmail or Word on steroids), while Versions brings the continuous backup ideas & interface of Time Machine to all documents. It is possible for you to to step back through the history of your files & basically revert to a earlier iteration. There is & a lock function to prevent information from being saved automatically in case you don't need to record changes to a specific document while you work.

'Seamless' multitasking

A trivial change on the surface, with the potential of becoming so much more down the line. In OS X 10.7 running applications are no longer marked with an indicator light in the Dock (by default). The notion is that multitasking could be made completely seamless to the user, not having to worry whether an application is already running or not, particularly as they begin to support Auto Save.

Again, we suspect there will be an inherent limitation to how fast you can access programs that haven't been loaded yet into memory, however OS X Lion is meaning to improve system resources management to enhance the overall user experience

Read more »

Everything You Need to Know About NFC

Near Field Communication, or basically NFC, is shaping up to be of the hottest tech trends of the next few years. Mobile payment systems backed by major financial institutions are either already being tested or in designs to start tests, while smartphones with built-in NFC chips are making their way in to the U.S. and Europe. But beyond payments, NFC has the potential to reach lots of other industries, from location-based services to ticketing and public transportation.

It's not far-fetched to imagine a world where all they must over around with us is a single do-it-all device. NFC could permit our smartphone to pay for products, open doors, as well as act as our personal ID or a virtual ticket for transport and attractions. Say goodbye to your keys, wallet, cards and any additional weight in your pockets.

Of coursework, there's loose ends that will need to be worked out before the know-how actually catches on, like ensuring the proper infrastructure is there and addressing any security concerns. In this piece they are going to tell you the things that you ought to know about Near Field Communication and the way it could make your life simpler in the future.

What Is Near Field Communication?

Let's start with a basic definition: NFC is a wireless know-how that makes use of interacting electromagnetic radio fields to transmit tiny bits of information between an "initiator" and a "target" -- a key card and your hotel room door, for example. It is similar to Bluetooth in the sense that both are short-range communication technologies, and is thought about a subset of existing RFID (Radio Frequency ID) standards given that is makes use of radio waves for identification purposes. But NFC has its distinctive set of characteristics that will choose how it is used in real-world practical applications.

For thing NFC transmits information across much smaller distances, usually between six and ten centimeters, compared to Bluetooth's 10-meter range, or in the case of some RFID implementations even kilometers. This by-design limitation reduces the likelihood of undesirable interception and makes NFC suitable for crowded areas where correlating a signal with its transmitting physical device becomes difficult.

Another differentiating factor is that NFC sets up connections faster than standard Bluetooth and its low-power variant, Bluetooth two.0. In lieu of performing manual configurations to identify devices, the connection between NFC devices is automatically established quickly in less than a tenth of a second. In fact, NFC could even be used to speed up the method of pairing Bluetooth devices, acting as an initiator by basically bringing them close to each other.

Its short-range nature may significantly reduce the risk of eavesdropping but that alone does not guarantee secure communications; applications must make use of higher-layer cryptographic protocols like SSL to establish a secure channel.

Finally, their information throughput capacity makes them fit for different applications. NFC operates within the globally available and unlicensed radio frequency ISM band of 13.56 MHz and can go up to a maximum information rate of 424Kb/s, whereas Bluetooth operates in the one.4GHz frequency and can reach maximum information rate of one.1Mb/s.

How Does It Work?

As mentioned before, NFC involves an initiator and a target, where the initiator actively generates an RF field that can power a passive target without an electricity source. I'll leave the electromagnetism explanations to Wikipedia or your favourite source of nerd facts, but the substance of it is that of the devices 'needs' to be powered. This enables NFC targets to take simple form factors such as tags, stickers, key fobs, or cards that do not need batteries.

A simple example would be holding a NFC-equipped smartphone near a tagged film poster and getting all relevant information in seconds -- trailer, reviews, schedules at the nearest theater and the choice to buy tickets online. The smartphone would be the initiator and the tagged poster would be the passive target.

While the poster can only be a passive target, NFC-equipped devices like smartphones can act as initiators, targets, or both combined in an active peer-to-peer mode. Elaborating on the same example, say you bought a ticket to that film from the poster, now you can bypass the line at the box office and redeem the ticket on your handset. The NFC reader at the films is the initiator and reads the information from your phone, which acts as the target.

I'll speak about other feasible makes use of next but at this point I require to note that some of this is already feasible with current technologies like QR codes. You can buy a film ticket online and get confirmation with a QR code attached by e-mail, which you can print or basically flash from your smartphone screen to be scanned at the theater. So, despite all the hype about disruption, NFC is more about increasing convenience than enabling something new. In lieu of swiping a credit card or scanning a barcode tap the NFC reader together with your phone and off you go.

What Will They Use It For?

Much noise has been focused on NFC's ability to power mobile payments and that is perhaps because the promise is enticing: It will turn your cell phone in to a wallet. Wave your NFC-equipped phone at a store reader and be on your way. NFC has the potential to replace your credit cards, checkbooks and other clumsy payment methods for a single tool that you already over in all places. That sounds great in the event you ask me. So what are other feasible makes use of?

Public transportation. This might arguably be a subset of mobile payments but it is worth mentioning by itself. In fact, in urban areas with high population density and nice public transportation this can be a major driver of NFC adoption. Pilot and commercial programs have already been deployed in plenty of cities of the world -- including my current city Lovely, Germany -- where you can pay the bus, metro or tram with a tap of your phone.

Ticketing. Take the film theater example in the earlier section and apply it to any kind of ticket: concerts or live shows, conferences, sporting events, theme parks, checking in to a flight and boarding.

Keys. Imagine getting rid of that additional weight in your pocket by replacing your whole keychain together with your mobile phone. With a NFC-enabled phone you could potentially tap your way in to your apartment, office or hotel room, start your car's engine, and access anything else that requires a key with single tool.

Comparison-shopping. Whether you are doing food, purchasing clothes or getting something from the local electronics store, with a wave of your phone you could have access to reviews, additional product information, or prices from other stores. Much like you can do today with barcode scanning but faster.

"Check-ins" and venue reviews. Google recently began pushing this by putting NFC-enabled Places stickers outside some restaurants and businesses in the Portland, OR area. Together with your NFC-equipped phone you can basically rate places or read reviews so you have an idea if the food or service is any nice before going in. It is also useful for getting 'point of interest' information in cities or location-based social networks like Foursquare.

From what I can tell these interactions can be fundamentally split in to categories: Touch and Go, where a simple tap gives you access to something like tickets for a movie; Touch and Confirm, adding an additional layer of security for things like mobile payments by requiring a PIN code or accepting the transaction; and Touch and Connect, when there is an active exchange of information such as sharing contact information with another person.

These are a number of the practical applications of the expertise. Google implementing NFC support natively within Android is a great boost for developers who need to generate applications that depend on exchanging information based on nearness, and with smartphone makers beginning to include NFC chips in their products we'll probably see numerous other examples of how they can make our every day interactions fast, effortless and more engaging.

Read more »

Scientist Develop Self Correcting Sniper Rifle

A team of scientists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a process which makes use of fiber-optic laser-based sensor that automatically corrects minute barrel disruptions & allows snipers to score bull's-eye more basically.

The new process was developed by a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Slobodan Rajic, in order to measure the deflection of the barrel relative to the gun sight & then electronically perform electronic corrections.

The Reticle Compensating Rifle Barrel Reference Sensor automatically calculates the position between the barrel & the weapon sight axes from the shooter to an electronic sensor. The process exactly measures the deflection of the barrel relative to the sight & then electronically realigns the moving reticle, or crosshairs, with the true position of the barrel, or bore axis.

Modern sniper rifles can reach a range of about miles. In this range even the tiniest barrel disruptions may cause the sniper to miss its target. This fact makes the new expertise valuable.

A typical barrel of a high-power rifle has exterior grooves made to reduce weight & permit the barrel to icy faster. The new expertise makes use of optical fibers which are placed inside the grooves produced by the barrel manufacturer or retrofitted later on. The process contains a laser diode that sends a signal beam in to the optical fibers parallel to the bore axis of the barrel.

Accroding to Slobodan Rajic : "The optical fibers are designed to split the laser beam two times, sending beam along the top of the rifle barrel & another light beam along the side of the barrel. Thus, they can measure both the vertical & horizontal barrel deflection."
Using a mix of optics, algorithms & even more sensor input, the process can take in to account distance & other factors affecting the bullet trajectory. Ultimately the sniper gets crosshairs that automatically adjust for changing conditions in actual time.

The resolution of ORNL's process is said to be 250 times better than that of traditional sniper rifle equipment, which can normally be by hand adjusted by one-fourth minutes of angle whereas the ORNL sensor can sense angular displacement by 1/1,000th of a minute of angle.

Rajic & his team are also developing a laser-based bullet tracking process to give snipers even better chances of succeeding by providing specific information about the bullet flight path.

Read more »

Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope

Microsoft recently introduced a new web application that allows computers to function as virtual telescopes bringing together imagery from the best ground and Space-based telescopes in the world. As a result, users have a chance to virtually explore the universe, using a sizable number of 'tours'. The 'tours' are interactive, allowing the user to pause, play, rewind, and fast forward the animation at any given time.

Microsoft is offering a growing number of tours of the sky, guided by astronomers and educators from some of the most famous observatories and planetariums in the U.S., including Harvard Astronomer Alyssa Goodman and University of Chicago Cosmologist Mike Gladders. Each tour elaborates on a different subject, such as the condensing of the Milky Way in to stars and planets and the bending of light, which lets us see billions of years in to the past.

Microsoft used its Visual Experience Engine to generate the WorldWide Telescope; the telescope allows seamless panning and zooming around the night sky, planets, and picture environments. Thanks to the new know-how, the sky can be viewed from multiple wavelengths- X-ray, visible light, and Hydrogen Alpha are several of the views that can be cross-faded in to each other. Other methods to explore our sky include tours of the Moon and of chosen planets.

The project was initiated by renowned Microsoft Senior Researcher Jim Grey. The WorldWide Telescope is built on top of Gray's pioneering development of large-scale, high-performance online databases, including SkyServer, and his contributions to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project whose purpose is to map a immense part of the Northern sky outside of the galaxy. Microsoft Research has announced that the release of WorldWide Telescope was made as a tribute and it hopes it will contribute to the astronomy and schooling communities. Roy Gould, a Researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Middle for Astrophysics, said: "I think this new creation from Microsoft will have a profound impact on the way they view the universe."

The idea behind Microsoft's new project it to try and combine images, information, and tales from multiple sources in to a rich media experience. The project's creation involved other organizations besides Microsoft Research, and members of the academic, educational and scientific communities helped to make WorldWide Telescope a reality. NASA, along with other organizations, collaborated with Microsoft Research to provide the imagery, provide feedback on the application from a scientific point of view, and help turn the WorldWide Telescope in to a rich learning application.

Read more »

Adobe multitouch Photoshop SDK for iPad

After several preliminary demonstrations Adobe released today an SDK (application package for Developers) which consists of five applications for iPad. Eazel, Nav & Lava are new tools that ought to permit future users of iPad to enhance their Photoshop experience by tapping in to the multitouch display of the iPad.

Eazel - Adobe Eazel lets you use your iPad & your fingertips to paint pretty works of art. You can paint across your whole iPad screen, & basically access all the tools you need. Eazel also lets you send your artwork directly to Photoshop CS5 from any location all you need is a network connection between your iPad & computer. Alternatively you can do all of your painting in the app, & share by e mail. Here is more info & a demo.
 
Nav - With Adobe Nav & a network connection between your iPad & computer, you can personalize the Photoshop CS5 toolbar on iPad to basically access the tools you use most. You can browse, reorder, view, & zoom in on up to 200 open Photoshop documents on iPad. Tap a document on iPad to make it the active document in Photoshop CS5. Here is more info & a demo.
 
Lava - With Adobe Color Lava, you can use your fingertips to mix colors on your iPad & generate custom swatches & five-swatch themes. Instantly access them in Photoshop CS5 all you need is a network connection between your iPad & computer. Or use the app & then bring your colors in to Photoshop CS5 when you are connected you may even share colors by e mail. More info & a demo.
 
All three apps, which aren't yet obtainable, use Adobe Photoshop Touch SDK. This application development kit lets any developer write iPad apps that interact with Photoshop as well as other platforms such as Android Honeycomb & the future BlackBerry PlayBook OS.
 
Bringing touch to Photoshop makes the 20+ year elderly application young again & filled with innovative possibilities it still remains to be seen how Adobe, & more importantly other developers, will select to implement its immense capabilities.

Read more »

GigaPan Epic Pro robotic camera mount gets upgraded to firmware version 171

The GigaPan Epic Pro has been privy to the making of some monumental & highly detailed panoramic images, & now the gigapixel gadget is getting an upgrade. The latest firmware update to the robotic camera mount brings even more exposures per position, a "dedicated mirror lock-up" for bulky lenses, & a time display that tells you how long it will take to work its panoramic magic. Among other things, the update also includes a set of new aspect ratios & the ability to take time lapse panoramas. If you are already packing a GigaPan Epic Pro, you can download the update at the source link below free -- a new rig, on the other hand, will set you back a substantial $900. That ain't cheap, but there is a reason it is called the GigaPan Epic Pro. Full PR after the break

PORTLAND, Ore. April 22, 2011 a brand spanking new version of firmware is available for the awardwinning GigaPan EPIC Pro robotic camera mount. New firmware gives photographers a wider range of functions, including new settings to enhance high dynamic ranges (HDR) imaging.

Customers who purchase the EPIC Pro will receive a free additional battery pack, complimentary with their purchase, for a limited time.

New firmware features include:
Exposure Bracketing for HDR Capture Works together with your camera's AEB (automatic exposure bracketing) firmware to capture multiple exposures per position. Can exceed the camera firmware's brackets and exposure separation when in 'Bulb' mode.

Current EPIC Pro users can download the new firmware to replace the earlier version, at no additional charge. The new firmware download is available here.

Dedicated Mirror Lockup Setting Helps prevent blurriness in images when using larger, heavier lenses, where lack of settling is amplified by optical magnification.

Time Display shows the hours and minutes it will take the EPIC Pro to capture a panorama, based on your settings. Ideal for time-sensitive shoots, such as events, or when remaining daylight is limited.

Time Lapse Panoramas lets you capture a sequence of panoramas over a set timeframe with a brand spanking new timer.

Read more »

DirecTV's iPad, iPhone, Android apps will (NOT) have HBO Go streaming May 2nd (Update)

We have heard from DirecTV that this was a "mistweet", as it turns out they won't be adding HBO Go access through their own apps and DirecTV customers will must make use of the native HBO Go app like everyone else. Check the @DirecTV account for the latest tweets, we'll put this on the shelf next to the DirecTiVo for now.

Just like the net versions of HBO Go and Max Go are obtainable both through their own sites and various provider portals, DirecTV has announced it will include access to them in its own apps on iPad, iPhone and "select Android devices" simultaneously native Go apps launch. There is no word on what restrictions may be placed on Android, if it is Froyo or higher hardware with Flash accessibility, then that is thing, but Netflix-style DRM tie ups could show to be much more frustrating to our Game of Thrones streaming designs. The announcement came from DirecTV's official Twitter account which indicated the apps would progress beyond mere remote control and DVR scheduling on the same May 2nd date historicallyin the past teased in HBO's YouTube trailer -- we'll wait and see how long it takes to be integrated in to similar apps from competitors like Comcast and Verizon FiOS.

Read more »

US Army developing Android-based smartphone framework and apps

The US Army is calling on Android app developers to help make military life less stressful -- and, perhaps, a lot safer. 

Under a brand spanking new Army framework known as the Mobile/Handheld Computing Surroundings (CE), third-party developers will be able to generate and submit tactical Android apps, using the military's CE Product Developer's Kit. The framework, originally prototyped by the fogeys over at MITRE, represents the latest phase in the Army's ongoing campaign to incorporate smartphone expertise on the battlefield. 

Any app operating under the CE process will be interoperable across all command systems, and, as you'd expect, will be tightly secured. The kit won't be released to developers until July, but the Army has already begun tinkering with its baseline suite of Mission Command apps, which includes tools designed to facilitate mapping, blue force tracking, and Tactical Ground Reporting. On the hardware side of the equation, the Army is planning to deploy a brand spanking new handheld known as the Joint Battle Command-Platform, or JBC-P. The two-pound JBC-P is fundamentally a military-friendly smartphone designed to run on a variety of existing radio networks, while supporting the full suite of forthcoming apps. 

The JBC-P will be tested this October, and will likely be issued on a wider basis in 2013.

Read more »

How to spot the space station in the sky

(Image: NASA)

The word from Houston is that NASA managers have settled on April 29th for space shuttle Endeavour's final launch. That is timed so that the orbiter can basically chase down the International Space Station and deliver its billion-dollar cargo, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

Not coincidentally, these shuttle launches also coincide with periods when the ISS repeatedly passes over North The united states in the hours after sundown. So not only do you get a chance to see the mammoth, football-field-size assembly glide across the evening sky, but you also might glimpse the shuttle in hot orbital pursuit.

I am always a small surprised when I run in to skywatchers who have seldom seen the ISS pass overhead, because it is slam-dunk simple to spot in the event you know where and when to look. Due to its comparatively low orbit, 360 kilometres up, the spacecraft circles Earth about 16 times each day. They can see it whenever we are in darkness on the ground and the spacecraft is still in sunlight which means the hours after sundown or before dawn. Sighting predictions for your location are a click away.

Whenever the space station cruises overhead, it is usually travelling west to east, the direction of its motion around Earth. However, depending on the specific pass, it could be going northwest to southeast, southwest to east, and so forth. Although it is zipping along at 8 kilometres per second, you'll see that it takes a couple of minutes to cross the sky. Look for a bright steady beacon that is gliding along a smooth, stately path not a fast flash like a meteor.

So sometime in the next couple of weeks, head outside and wave to the station's three cosmonauts and astronauts as they coast overhead. The ISS is now so immense the size of a footy field, including the finish zones that you can detect its shape through a first rate pair of binoculars.

When the first station module reached orbit way back in 1998, I pinged a quantity of my NASA contacts to see if somebody had calculated how bright the space station would appear five times all the pieces came together. Surprisingly, no knew. But now that it is tricked out (pending Endeavour's final additions), the answer appears to be about magnitude -3.8. That outshines every nighttime star and every planet except Venus.

Read more »

Dialing with Your Thoughts

Think of a number: Numbers oscillate on a screen at different frequencies—an EEG headband picks up on these signals to enable mobile phone input using thought control.

Credit: University of California, San Diego

Researchers in New york have created a way to place a call on a cell phone using your thoughts. Their new brain-computer interface is  100 percent correct for most people after only a brief training period.

The process was developed by Tzyy-Ping Jung, a researcher at the Swartz Middle for Computational Neuroscience at the University of New york, San Diego, & colleagues. Besides acting as an ultraportable aid for severely disabled people, the process might day have broader makes use of, he says. For example, it could generate the final hands-free experience for cell-phone users, or be used to detect when drivers or air-traffic controllers are getting drowsy by sensing lapses in concentration.

Participants were trained on the process by a novel visual feedback process. They were shown images on a computer screen that flashed on & off  imperceptibly at different speeds. These oscillations can be detected in an element of the brain called the midline occipital. Jung & his colleagues exploited this by displaying a keypad on a giant screen with each number flashing at a slightly different frequency. For example, "1" flashed at nine hertz, & "2" at 9.25 hertz, & so on. Jung says this frequency can be detected through the EEG, thus making it feasible to tell which number the subject is taking a look at.

Like plenty of other such interfaces, Jung's process depends on electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes on the scalp to analyze electrical activity in the brain. An EEG headband is connected to a Bluetooth module that wirelessly sends the signals to a Nokia N73 cell phone, which makes use of algorithms to process the signals.

Read more »

A Cheap, Portable Way to Monitor Unborn Babies

Maternal monitoring: A tool designed by the West Wireless Health Institute measures fetal heart rate by an ultrasound monitor (lower belt) & maternal contractions by another sensor (higher belt), & then transmits the information by Bluetooth to a tablet (left).

Credit: West Wireless Health Institute

The tool, a cardiotocography machine dubbed Sense4Baby, was designed by engineers at the nonprofit West Wireless Health Institute, a medical research organization whose mission is to make use of wireless know-how to reduce the cost of health care.

An cheap transportable tool could make it simple to monitor fetal health in remote locations, & it might also provide an alternative to more pricey machines currently used in doctors' offices in the developed world.

Cardiotocography machines are currently used by obstetricians, usually in the coursework of the third trimester & in high-risk pregnancies, to measure fetal heart rate & uterine contractions as an indicator of fetal distress. The heart rate of a healthy fetus drops in the coursework of a contraction & then quickly comes back to normal. "If the doctor sees a lack of modify or early or late changes in heart rate, it could be a sign of trouble," says Steven Garverick, an engineer at West Wireless who has been leading the project.

"We designed Sense4Baby from the ground up to be low-cost," says Joe Smith, West Wireless's chief medical officer. "It takes every advantage of consumer-scale microelectronics & ubiquitous low-cost communication infrastructure." The institute is now planning field tests of the tool in Mexico & is in talks to organize tests at major healthcare systems in the United States. The tool has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

Read more »

Redesigning the Web for Touch Screens

Last week, in an essay criticizing Adobe's Flash platform, Apple CEO Steve Jobs drew attention to, among other things, its lack of support for touch--something essential to the experience of an iPhone or iPad. "Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers," Jobs wrote.

But Flash is not very the only Web application that wasn't designed to handle touch, & the advent of touch-based devices "is very asking the whole Web to alter its behavior from what is been built up over twenty years," says Raju Vegesna, evangelist for Zoho, a company based in Pleasanton, CA, that produces a suite of complex online Web applications.

Individual issues are often tiny, but they add up to something more significant, Vegesna says. For example, roll-over interactions are common on lots of sites, but these don't work on touch devices. Other common tricks, such as hovering over a link to see the connected URL in the status bar, must be adjusted before a user can perform the same function.

A serious issue for companies like Zoho that focus on complex Web application is that lots of sites are not equipped with the ability to trigger the "soft keyboards" used on touch devices. Vegesna explains that touch devices pop up a keyboard when they recognize a text field on a Web page, but it is different for the more complex editors used as part of Zoho's online word processors. These usually cannot trigger a soft keyboard to pop up, leaving users frustrated.

Read more »

Touch Screens for Many Fingers

But the full power of multi-touch expertise might be unleashed in screens far larger than those on rings. Over the past few years, Jeff Han, consulting research scientist at New York University, has developed an cheap way to make huge multi-touch screens accommodating ten, twenty, or even more fingers. He envisions applications ranging from interactive whiteboards to touch-screen tables & digital walls--any of which could be manipulated by over person. & this month, Han has unveiled Perceptive Pixel, his new company based on the expertise.

When Steve Jobs demonstrated Apple's new phone at Macworld recently, the feature that elicited the most "oohs" & "aahs" from the audience was the touch-screen interface: it allowed over touch at a time. This "multi-touch" expertise adds functions such as allowing a person to basically zoom in & out of pics & Web pages by pinching the screen with fingers.

"The new iPhone is small to be a fascinating multi-touch tool," says Han, who demonstrates his expertise on this YouTube video. That is because multi-touch expertise implies multiple users. Over person gathered around a huge touch screen "becomes fascinating," he says, "because multiple users can then become collaborators." Such collaboration could take plenty of forms, from brainstorming sessions using networked, interactive whiteboards to animation collaborations at which seven hands can mould the face of a monster. Perceptive Pixel is set to ship its first wall-size touch screen this month, to an undisclosed U.S. military customer.

Various approaches to multi-touch expertise have been demonstrated at engineering conferences since the 1980s. Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs developed the DiamondTouch table, which allows a group of people to sit around & collaborate on projects. Multi-touch screens "never went away, but they are coming back in different ways, & for definite things they will be important," says Bill Buxton, principal researcher at Microsoft Research.

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Ace Review

Samsung Galaxy Ace Specification

Type of phone:	Smartphone
Style:	candy bar
Size:	112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm
Weight:	113g
Display:	16 million colours
Resolution:	352x416
Camera:	Five-megapixels
Special Camera features:	LED flash, auto focus
Video recording:	Yes
Video playback:	Yes
Video calling:	No
Video streaming:	Yes
Music formats played:	eAAC+, MP3, WAV
3.5mm jack port:	Yes
Handsfree speakerphone:	Yes
Voice Control:	Yes
Voice Dialling:	Yes
Call records:	Practically unlimited
Phonebook:	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Ringtones customization:	Yes
Display description:	TFT capacitive touchscreen
Website:	www.samsung.co.uk
SAR:	N/A
Portfolio:	N/A
Standard color:	Black
Launch Status:	Available
Ringtones:	MP3
Radio:	Yes
Operating system:	Android
Connectivity:	Wi-Fi, A2DP, Bluetooth, MicroUSB
Announced date:	January 2011
What's in the Box:	N/A
RAM:	N/A
International launch date:	February 2011
Battery life when playing multimedia:	N/A
CPU:	800 MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset
FM Radio Description:	Stereo FM radio with RDS
Internal memory:	158 MB
Memory Card Slot:	microSD
Messaging:	SMS, MMS, Email
Internet Browser:	HTML
E-mail client:	POP3, Push email, IMAP4
GPS:	A-GPS
Java:	Yes
Games:	Yes
Data speed:	HSDPA
Frequency:	Quad-band
Talktime:	390 mins (3G)
Standby:	420 hours (3G)
Display size:	3.5-inches
Keypad:	N/A
Audio recording:	Yes

Type of phone:	Smartphone
Style:	candy bar
Size:	112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm
Weight:	113g
Display:	16 million colours
Resolution:	352x416
Camera:	Five-megapixels
Special Camera features:	LED flash, auto focus
Video recording:	Yes
Video playback:	Yes
Video calling:	No
Video streaming:	Yes
Music formats played:	eAAC+, MP3, WAV
3.5mm jack port:	Yes
Handsfree speakerphone:	Yes
Voice Control:	Yes
Voice Dialling:	Yes
Call records:	Practically unlimited
Phonebook:	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Ringtones customization:	Yes
Display description:	TFT capacitive touchscreen
Website:	www.samsung.co.uk
SAR:	N/A
Portfolio:	N/A
Standard color:	Black
Launch Status:	Available
Ringtones:	MP3
Radio:	Yes
Operating system:	Android
Connectivity:	Wi-Fi, A2DP, Bluetooth, MicroUSB
Announced date:	January 2011
What's in the Box:	N/A
RAM:	N/A
International launch date:	February 2011
Battery life when playing multimedia:	N/A
CPU:	800 MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset
FM Radio Description:	Stereo FM radio with RDS
Internal memory:	158 MB
Memory Card Slot:	microSD
Messaging:	SMS, MMS, Email
Internet Browser:	HTML
E-mail client:	POP3, Push email, IMAP4
GPS:	A-GPS
Java:	Yes
Games:	Yes
Data speed:	HSDPA
Frequency:	Quad-band
Talktime:	390 mins (3G)
Standby:	420 hours (3G)
Display size:	3.5-inches
Keypad:	N/A
Audio recording:	Yes

Review
While the iPhone four is desirable, it is not very cheap. So, if you'd like a similar tool but at a far lower cost, you could look at this lookalike courtesy of Samsung. While the maker has not claimed the Ace as an iPhone rival, it is hard to deny the similarity between the rings.

All right, so let's examine how similar the Ace is to the iPhone. Well, first it boasts a simple front with a central button (which is rectangular, not circular) underneath the display. Apart from this, it is as minimalist as the iPhone - until, that is, you tap the home button as well as a pair of touch-sensitive lights appear. These are for back & menu functions.

First impression
The edge does look metallic, but doesn't act as an antenna as it does on the iPhone four (some might say this is an advantage!). The edge is also where you'll find the power button & the volume controls. You'll also discover a microSD slot here.

On the reverse, you'll discover something else not found as yet on the iPhone four - a white cover. Actually you can select either white or black cases. It's slightly rounded edges & doesn't appear as slim as the iPhone four either.

So, at a first glimpse, you could mistake it for a more expensive Apple tool. But look again & you won't make the error four times. The screen, for example, is not very in the Retina' section. The resolution is half that of the Apple display - at 480x320 it is the same as that on the iPhone 3GS. It is not very dreadful, but neither is it exceptional - it is no AMOLED screen, which is Samsung's landmark feature. So anyway, let's cease comparing it to Apple's handset & get on with the review.

Android
Running on the Ace is not the latest version of Android - it is version four.2.1. Mind you, there was small changed in version four.3 so it is not a major issue. Samsung has its own interface for Android - called TouchWiz - though it is not as nice as HTC's Sense. Samsung even has a quantity of its own apps - although there is not lots of. There is a social networking hub, for example, which will load a browser & send you to sites such as Facebook or Twitter, so is not hugely useful.

However, what does stand out is the inclusion of Swype - this is a nifty, though unusual, way of using the virtual keyboard, where you can drag your finger across the keys & the application will predict which word you are trying to type. It is also worth trying out its rival Swiftkey which is excellent at predictive text.

The main features
This may be an affordable tool, but its still boasts a five-megapixel snapper with LED flash. It offers no HD video recording but they were satisfied with the quality of the resulting pics.

There is lots of smartphones with 1GHz chips these days, & the Ace only manages an 800MHz processor. This slower chip is often evident when you are left waiting to get on with whatever you are doing.


Oddly, your choice of wallpapers is limited - in fact there is . It is new & nice - it shows a stylish choice of line-drawing trees swaying in the forest - but they thought it unusual that there is nothing else to select from. However, they do know that live wallpapers drain battery power - & the Ace does have excellent battery life.

The decision
The Samsung Galaxy Ace looks nice, & it would be appealing looks-wise if it weren't so simple to compare it with the iPhone four. Naturally, it cannot compete with the Apple tool, but it is far cheaper & runs on Android, which lots of will prefer. And, it's respectable specifications & is a joy to make use of.

Read more »