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Posts Tagged ‘future tech’

The Wright Brothers and Frequent Flyer Programs or Why Predicting the Future is So Hard

By Michael Gartenberg on Tuesday, Aug 4th 2009 No Comments

Life as an analyst is exciting. For fifteen years, I have had the privilege of standing at the center of the technology universe, observing the technology landscape, charting the major tends and offering my predictions for the future. In that course of time, I watched as fundamental changes occurred. Changes that were large enough to alter the course of the industry. Changes that were sweeping in nature. The funny thing is they were all changes that were almost universally missed by the pundits and experts.

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Five tech things I want

By Michael Gartenberg on Wednesday, Jul 22nd 2009 5 Comments

We’ve come so far these days in the world of personal technology but in some ways, we’re still missing the mark. Sure it’s the middle of summer but here are five things I’d like to see on the market this (or any) holiday season:

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Blame it on the network

By Michael Gartenberg on Tuesday, Jul 14th 2009 No Comments

We’ve come a long way. It was not long ago when most of us had but a single screen in our homes – the television set. (Of course in our house growing up, we had a lot more than that. I come from a family of early adopters). Over time, we added second and third TVs as well as an entirely new category of screen in the form of the personal computer. Increasingly, both TVs and PCs are now found throughout the home, connected to each other as well as the Internet. Net result, a dramatic increase in the complexity of consumer infrastructure. In short, it just doesn’t work most of the time for too many folks and I blame the home network. Oh, it’s not merely three screens consumers are dealing with but rather multiple PCs, TVs, and other stuff with a screen on it.

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Color-changing objects possible with chLCD

By Brenda Stokes on Wednesday, Jun 10th 2009 No Comments

Now this is pretty cool. Apparently, gadgets that can change their color just by pressing a button are on the horizon for tech geeks everywhere. Yes, that means you can make your handheld any color you want on the go. Can you sense the anticipation?

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Black Silicon could mean improved solar cells

By Brenda Stokes on Monday, Oct 13th 2008 No Comments

9433 large blacksilicon Silicon is in every piece of electronic equipment we own. However, when Harvard physicist Eric Mazur discovered black silicon, the substance was found to be a whole lot more sensitive to light, which could spell serious improvements in consumer electronics and more.

Black silicon was discovered in the late 1990’s after a laser was shone on a silicon wafer that had sulfur hexafluoride on it. Once examined under an electron microscope, the wafer, which appeared black, had microscopic spikes all over it. This later proved to show an increased sensitivity to light. In fact, a “100 to 500 times increase in sensitivity to light compared to conventional silicon detectors,” was found and the technology is now being implemented in night vision systems.

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Spin Seebeck Effect could mean new batteries, storage options

By Brenda Stokes on Thursday, Oct 9th 2008 1 Comment

Ah, the marvels of science. Researchers at Keio University in Yokohama, Japan have happened upon something called the “spin Seebeck effect” which would mean big changes for our technological devices. Now, we’re still miles away from any product implementation here, but this is big news for what could be coming in the future.

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Terrafugia Transition is drivable airplane

By Brenda Stokes on Thursday, Oct 9th 2008 No Comments

Well, we may be one step closer to the ever-elusive flying car. But make no mistake, the Terrafugia Transition is still not exactly the “future” set forth in the 1950’s that we’ve all come to expect.

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Solyndra solar panels generate more energy

By Brenda Stokes on Wednesday, Oct 8th 2008 No Comments

solyndra solar cylinders Solar panels are a well known source of alternative energy. However, they are often discredited for not being very efficient, in that they do not convert as much energy as they could. However, these cylindrical solar panels made by Solyndra generate more energy.

And really it all is in the form. Apparently, the cylindrical shape makes it so more solar cells are in a more compact area. They are, in fact, curved into a glass tube. This increases energy output substantially, especially when compared to the output of a standard solar panel, which is typically flat.

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iPoint Presenter uses gesture-based UI

By Brenda Stokes on Friday, Oct 3rd 2008 No Comments

ipoint1 If you’re a lover of touch-based technology (and who isn’t?) you’ll love the latest design from Fraunhofer HHI, the iPoint Presenter. This tech utilizes a gesture-based interface to create an experience straight out of Minority Report.

The screen is projected and you would then interact with this screen. By using infrared, the user’s gestures with their bare hands can be detected on the screen. It’s pretty cool stuff, actually and it looks a lot like an iPhone on your wall.

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d3o is future protective fabric

By Brenda Stokes on Monday, Sep 29th 2008 No Comments

There’s nothing like future technologies and Richard Palmer’s d3olab has come up with a fabric-like substance that can seriously stand up to an impact. In fact, the rubber pads harden instantaneously from a gel to a shield when struck.

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