Photo Pin - Royalty-free Image Search

Photo Pin is a new website offering images that can be re-used for blog entries, video productions, slideshows, and print media. Photo Pin uses a combination of Flickr's API for Creative Commons search and Fotolia's image library to serve-up royalty-free images. The search results page on Photo Pin clearly delineates between images that are free to use and images that you have to purchase.

Applications for Education
If you're looking for a new way to find Creative Commons-licensed images for yourself or your students, Photo Pin could be a good option for you. I like that Photo Pin offers a clear reminder to users that they must correctly link to the sources of the images that they choose to use.

Galaxy Note 8.0 vs. Nexus 7

After several years of the 9.7-inch iPad dominating tablet sales, we’ve seen a shift. Customers are gravitating more toward smaller (and cheaper) 7 to 8-inch slates. Two of today’s top choices in that bracket are the Google/Asus Nexus 7 and Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8.0. Read on, as we compare the specs – and other features – of these two mini tablets.

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Size

The Galaxy Note 8.0 has a larger surface, but is significantly thinner than the Nexus 7.

Weight

The two tablets weigh roughly the same, with the Nexus 7 tipping the scale just a hair more than the Note 8.

Display

Samsung’s display sits in the 8-inch range that many iPad mini customers enjoy. If you can sacrifice that (diagonal) inch of real estate, the Nexus 7’s screen should appear sharper.

Processor

Both tablets sport quad core processors. The Note’s offers better performance, but for everyday use, both will more than suffice.

RAM

The Galaxy Note 8.0 doubles the Nexus 7’s 1 GB of random-access memory (RAM).

Storage

The storage edge goes to Samsung’s tablet. It offers larger internal flash memory options, as well as SD card support. The Nexus 7 doesn’t have a microSD slot.

Wireless

If you’re looking for a Wi-Fi only device, both deliver. As far as (more expensive) mobile data options go, the Note has LTE and the Nexus 7 settles for HSPA+.

Cameras

Megapixels aren’t everything, but Samsung clearly wins this round. The Nexus 7 has no rear camera.

Battery

You’ll always want to take battery capacity with grains of salt, as many other factors combine to determine actual uptime. With that said, the Note 8.0’s battery holds a bit more juice.

Intangibles

After several years where its Galaxy Tabs met lackluster sales, Samsung has found more success with its Galaxy Note line of tablets and "phablets." Its marketing angle centers around the Note's stylus input, and the creativity and fine-tuned-input that it (supposedly) allows.

The Galaxy Note 8.0’s stylus (S Pen) sees some upgrades, with greater integration into the Note’s Touchwiz software. Unsheathe the stylus, and the Note will prepare for pen input. Hover the S Pen over the screen, and select apps will respond accordingly (like previewing a post in Flipboard).

The Nexus 7’s X-factor is its price. We don’t yet know how much the Galaxy Note 8.0 will cost, but it won’t likely meet the Nexus 7’s affordable US$200 starting price. Expect something more in the range of the iPad mini’s $330 for the Note.

The Galaxy Note 8 runs Android 4.1.2 Jellybean (with Samsung’s Touchwiz UI sitting on top). The Nexus 7, meanwhile, not only ships with the newest version of Android (4.2.2, Jellybean). It will also get future updates muchquicker than Samsung’s tablet will. The Nexus 7 also sports “pure” (unskinned) Android, which many customers prefer over manufacturer UIs.

Wrap-up

Many of these comparisons reveal either two very similar devices, or one clear winner for most shoppers. Here, though, we have two divergent paths:

The Nexus 7 offers a sharper display, a more compact build, and pure Android. Its rock-bottom price doesn’t hurt either.

The Galaxy Note 8.0, though, delivers a larger screen, a thinner form factor, and a faster chip. Some customers may also find its stylus to be a perk.

"Airwriting" glove turns arm-waving into text messaging

If you’re one of the many people who hate poking at the tiny virtual keys on smartphone keyboards, then you might like the experimental “airwriting” glove system created by a team of computer scientists at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. When the glove’s wearer draws letters in the air with their hand, the system can identify which letters are being drawn. Those letters are converted into digital text, which could then be input into an email, text message, or any other type of mobile app.

The glove is able to detect hand movements via integrated accelerometers and gyroscopes. That data is wirelessly transmitted to a computer, which starts by using pattern recognition software to determine if the movements are actually the result of airwriting, or if the user is simply doing something such as cooking.

Once it’s determined that letters are indeed being drawn, the computer then sets about identifying the individual letters. The program incorporates statistical models of the unique signal patterns for every letter in the alphabet, and can account for differences in individual writing styles. It can also recognize approximately 8,000 words (as long as they’re drawn in all-capital letters), along with complete sentences.

So far, the system has an error rate of 11 percent – that drops to three percent, however, once it picks up on a specific user’s style of airwriting.

Doctoral student Christoph Amma, who developed the technology, now hopes to miniaturize the sensors to the point that the glove could be replaced by something less impractical to everyday use, such as a wrist band. Alternatively, he also envisions the hardware being incorporated into a smartphone – in that way, a single hand-held device (the phone) could be used both to detect hand movements, and to process the data.

Airwriting technology could additionally be used to interface with mixed-reality devices such as Google Glass, claims Amma, eliminating the need for any extra device with a touchscreen or virtual keyboard.

Rollei introduces Rubik's-Cube-like pico projector

German manufacturer Rollei and Korea's SK Telecom have teamed up to develop the Innocube – a small, lightweight pico projector designed to pull images from a smartphone or tablet and beam them onto a wall at a size of up to 60 inches.

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Billed as the world's smallest pico projector (a claim some manufacturers, including Samsung, would certainly contend), the Innocube measures 1.8 x 1.8 x 1.8 inches (45 x 45 x 46 mm) and weighs 4.6 oz. (129 g). Its cube design makes it look more like a mini-speaker in the silver-and-black IC200T version or a mini Rubik's Cube in the IC200C multi-colored model.

The Innocube uses a 2300 mAh lithium-polymer battery and LED to pull images from a smartphone or tablet and beam them onto a wall or screen. It can create images of up to 60 inches (152 cm) with a 4:3 aspect ratio. It packs 35 ANSI lumens of brightness, VGA (640 x 480) resolution and an 800:1 contrast ratio. The battery is said to run for up to 120 minutes, and the LED construction is good for more than 10,000 hours of burn time.

The Innocube is designed to work with all types of mobile devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones. The IC200T version will go on sale in March in Europe with a retail price of €299.95 (approx. US$392). The Rubik's Cube-looking IC200C will follow in April for €329.95 (approx. $432).

Rumor points to 4.5-inch polycarbonate iPhone in 2014

Apple’s secrecy has its advantages. One of the biggest is the endless stream of rumors and speculation that keep the company in the spotlight year-round. In addition to the iWatch and the iTV, one of the trendiest Apple rumors right now is the fabled budget iPhone. A recent report out of Japan claims to have some new details about the alleged product.

According to Macotakara, Apple is working on an iPhone with a 4.5-inch display and a polycarbonate build. The handset would supposedly have a build similar to the old white MacBook (which Apple put to rest in 2011, cannibalized by the MacBook Air).

The polycarbonate iPhone is said to have a thicker build than the iPhone 5, but would otherwise retain standard iPhone features like a home button below the screen.

The report also claims to know Apple’s targeted pricing for the iPhone, saying its off-contract price will match the iPad mini’s US$330. This would place it squarely in “budget iPhone” territory, and could help Apple to fare better in China and prepaid markets.

Many grains of salt

As with all Apple rumors, you’ll want to take this with many grains of salt. Apple’s supply chain produces its share of leaks, but there’s at least as much nonsense floating around as there is legit information. You often don’t know which is which until Tim Cook and company take the stage to announce the product.

We’re especially skeptical of the bit about the budget iPhone’s expected pricing. Even if Apple were preparing prototypes of the iPhone, how would the suppliers know pricing a year in advance? Suppliers aren't going to get anything but absolutely essential information from a secretive company like Apple.

A START TO THE NEW

New Technology - 2013

On December 21, 2012, we were supposed to see the end of the world. I'm thinking that didn't happen, and I glad it didn't, since I enjoy being alivewriting on the internet, playing with new technology, and driving fast cars. Plus, there's a lot to look forward to in 2013 that I don't want to miss.

Now that we're past he supposed end of days and done opening up Christmas presents, we are one step closer to the greatest new revolution in technology mankind has ever experienced. Although we never truly know for sure what new technology the future will bring us, we've got a pretty good idea for what new things are in store for us next year. 2013 may not be the year man and machine become one but there will certainly be plenty of new technology and gadgets for us to play with.

MIT's Folding Electric Car to be released in 2013

Source: Hiroko

Hiroko - MIT's Folding Car

The Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT) is a hub for new technology, and has their sights set on being the catalyst for finally pushing the electric automobile revolution over the edge. In 2013, the Hinoko (meaning "urban car," pictured above) will be released to the masses across Europe (With a small few areas in the U.S.), making the "Smart" brand cars virtually obsolete.

One of the best characteristics of the new Hiroko is that it is incredibly easy to park in small spaces, with the technology to fit in one third of a parking space after being "folded" up. Yes, that's right, three of these things fit into one regular old parking space. Since European cities are known to be rather crowded, this new technology will be a welcomed feature. The initial plan is for city governments to run a program similar to ZipCar, promoting the use of the new Hiroko.

The downside? A 75 mile range, so don't go thinking you can start a new Hiroko Taxi service. You will fail. Miserably.

Memristor Technology

The basic message of Moore’s law tells us that advancements in new technology will cause computer chip performance to double every two years. So far this has held true; and if it continues, we will run face first into a brick wall somewhere around 2020 due to simple physical limitations.

Memristors are the answer. They are without a doubt the future of technology in our society. In their current form, a resistor is a passive component with a set resistance value. Memristors, on the other hand, have the technology to change their resistance based on the direction of current running through them. In addition to that, you can power down a device using memristors, and they will remember their last state when powered back on. This new technology is expected to completely eliminate boot times from computer devices, which will in turn convince us to power them down on a regular basis, drastically reducing power usage and increasing battery life.

This new technology is said to be capable of neural net processing, allowing it to mimic the human brain. Taken further, scientists believe that human skin and blood can be used as memristors. While this has some great implications…it also may be cause for fear…

While there is no reference to memristors in this series, this new technology certainly puts us on the right path to create just such a machine.

Source: Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator.

Google Glass

I’ve built a love/hate relationship with Google over the years. I remember the day when “Google” was nothing but a single page with a logo and a text box. Now we’ve got Google putting their stamp all over new technology with Gmail, a social network, Android phones, Android tablets, and even Android TV's. What is the logical next step? Google smart goggles of course. Tell me you didn’t see that one coming. (Ok, I didn’t.)

Google’s next piece of new technology is going to put a little screen right in front of your eyes as you walk around going about your life. This screen will present to you an augmented reality overlay as you view the world around you. The Google Glass is reported to have built in 4G with GPS technology, a camera, and a Bluetooth connection to Android based phones.

Concept art Samsung used to file a patent for smart skinned phones.

Source: Patent-Bolt

Smart Skin Phones

Samsung has filed a patent for a new technology called smart device-skinwhich will supposedly be able to take any digital image, and display that image across the skin of the device. The patent describes a layer of film that wraps the phone, covering the entire phone except the sockets, the camera, and the screen. Little else is known about this new technology (other than it’s awesome), but it is described as a possible feature for an upcoming phone. The technology may also be available as an accessory to fit onto most other devices. While little information on this new technology has been released to the public (including a release date), we do know of another upcoming piece of Samsung technology that just might be the aforementioned phone….

Us techno-geeks love giving new devices complicated, high-tech names. This provides an aura of mystery and excitement. Our next highly anticipated device is known as…

CaseCrown Hard Book Cover Case for Le Pan II Tablet Current Bid: $10.00

CELL PHONE STAND & CLOCK ACRYLIC CRYSTAL IPOD HOLDER DESK TABLE NIGHT STAND Current Bid: $5.00

AMOLED bendy screen phones by Samsung

Source: MyGreatPhone.com

Bendy Screen Smartphone

Yes, the bendy screen smartphone. For those of you who are technologically illiterate, a bendy screen smartphone is a new technology touting a screen that we can bend! Yep. Who doesn’t want to bend and twist their phone into silly shapes sometimes? It's the best way to let out your anger, other than just throwing the thing against a wall.

Using Samsung’s OLED display technology, we can be expecting a new phone model that will allow us to bend it, roll it up, and hit it with a hammer. (YES!) We already have the specs for this new piece of technological genius as well. The phone debuted as the “Galaxy Skin” (wait..did that say…skin?) features a high-res 800×480 AMOLED screen, 8mp camera and 1Gb of RAM as well as a 1.2GHz processor.

Don’t be surprised to see this new technology implemented into bendy screen tablets released shortly after.

Xbox 720

There are rumors everywhere about the new Xbox system: it won’t have an optical drive, all games will be downloaded digitally, it’s called the Xbox Loop, it’s called the Durango...and the list goes on. There are a few reliable rumors about this technology, however. The graphics are certainly being done by AMD, who claim that the graphic detail will be on the same level of Avatar. We can also certainly believe that the system is going to be released at E3 in 2013, as several companies working on the project have claimed.

Source: MyBasis.com

Basis Band

We’ve all seen heart rate monitors, pedometers, and the like. Soon, we'll have something even more advanced and useful called the Basis Band. The Basis Band is a wrist watch style monitor with the technology to track virtually everything your body does. It automatically detects your activities and keeps track of things such as calories burned, heart rate, sleeping patterns, and other physical activities. I’ve never been a huge fan of health monitors in the past, but a piece of technology that can monitor my sleep patterns on top of everything else may be just what I need.

Basis (Band) Current Bid: $97.11

Fujitsu Lifebook 2013

Ok so you’re the guy who leaves home with a digital camera strung around his neck, a backpack to carry his laptop, a tablet in his briefcase, and a phone in his pocket? Well, you’re just weird. That said, Fujitsu has the answer for you…weird folk.

The Fujitsu Lifebook, coming in 2013, combines all of these fancy pieces of technology into one. Ditch everything else, keep the laptop backpack. Need a camera? Detach the laptop’s camera to be used as a handheld digital camera. Tablet? Open it up and pull that out as well. Put it back in and the tablet immediately displays itself as a touch-screen keyboard for the laptop. There is even a spot where you can attach and remove a special cell phone, which I imagine acts as the cellular modem for the laptop when attached. (Don’t be surprised if this allows you to make video phone calls from the laptop as well.)

The price is undetermined, but as with all new technology, don’t expect it to be cheap.

Lifebook Concept Design

Source: Yanko Design

The Invisible Tank

This may not be some neat tool or new piece of exciting technology you can bring home and show off to your friends, but it is definitely something to be excited for. The word invisible may be a bit misleading though as this tank uses technology more like that of a chameleon...A chameleon that only works at night. The British Army revealed this new technology at the world's largest weapons fare, probably to make everybody else jealous.

The chameleon tank works by using the infrared technology on night-vision goggles and surveillance planes against them (Obviously it is useless against the naked eye). The tank uses a system of thermo-electric tiles and thermal cameras in order to conform with the environment around it. These heat signatures can change so fast that it even works while moving. If that wasn't enough, the system has it's own library of environmental patterns. This means you could be a terrorist looking for the enemy with your nifty night-vision specs only to find nothing out in the field but a roaming cow. Suddenly this cow emits a burst of flames, and you find yourself blown to pieces by an HE-Frag. Who knew cows could be so violent
?