xTeknoblog

Another HTC flagship leak reveals microSD slot, brushed metal finish (video)

2014-03-19T06:36:00.001-07:00

Storage expansion went out of fashion over the last two years. Fortunate, then, for those of us wanting to take our music / audio book / photo collection everywhere, that HTC's upgraded One will see a return to microSD storage on its flagship series. Against trend, the new One also looks like it'll have an identical footprint to last year's model. In a lengthy video leak from GadgetReviews -- now down, but mirrored elsewhere -- we get to see that unibody build from a few more angles (including a closer look at that brushed finish) and catch some few software tweaks to the Blinkfeed news stream (~~another swipe to the left apparently opens up more options~~). However, what does that secondary camera actually do? We're getting increasingly impatient about that March 25th reveal date.

Update: That extra swipe on Blinkfeed was already there on the most recent HTC One software build.

Weathered old HTC HD2 dresses up like a Nokia X

2014-03-19T06:24:00.003-07:00

You may remember the HTC HD2 from posts such as "will it play Tekken 3?" and "wait, it runs Windows RT now?" Despite the handset's age, a stalwart community keeps it relevant by getting anything and everything to run on the developer favorite. It's only fitting, then, that the HD2 be one of the first to don Nokia's heavily skinned version of Android, other than the unreleased X family, of course. That's right: An XDA Developers forum member by the name of gilbert32 has apparently succeeded in porting some form of the Nokia X Android build onto a rather beat-up-looking HD2. We say succeeded, but while it looks the part and plays a booting sound when fired up, "everything else" is admittedly non-functional. Then again, if the goal was to show the HD2 still has legs after all this time, then mission accomplished, sir.

New HTC One dual-lens camera shown off in detailed leak

2014-03-19T06:21:00.001-07:00

Leaked images and videos of the HTC One's successor are a dime a dozen, so we've already seen every possible nook and cranny of the device. Why, then, are we reporting on the latest find by @evleaks? It gives us the closest and clearest look of HTC's rumored dual-lens camera setup so far, which is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing features on the phone. It features a smaller lens just above HTC's standard lens and dual-LED flash, but the purpose of is still a complete mystery. Plenty of theories exist, and we reported on the most likely possibilities demoed at Mobile World Congress last week. Ideas include the ability to cleanly magnify distant subjects without using digital zoom, enhancing low-light performance (which was an area HTC focused on with the One), quicker autofocus and the ability to change a picture's depth of field. Whether or not these particular benefits show up, it's hard to dispute that a parallel-lens setup is indeed coming to HTC's new flagship smartphone.

HTC's overpriced Desire 310 ready to underwhelm Europe in April

2014-03-19T06:18:00.003-07:00

When the Desire 310 popped up on HTC's Chinese site a few days ago, we wrote it off as a regional product with no international aspirations. Well, we were mistaken, and though there's no word on the low-end handset coming to the US, it's most certainly bound for Europe. HTC didn't invite the Desire 310 to party at MWC, but then again, there's not much to celebrate. The handset bundles a 4.5-inch, 854 x 480 display with a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek CPU, a gig of RAM, 4GB of storage (expandable via microSD), a 5MP camera, 2,000mAh battery, 3G connectivity and Android 4.2. It's an incremental improvement over the Desire 300, with a few design tweaks like the omission of soft keys (a recent trend for HTC). We're told in the UK that the Desire 310 will arrive at O2, Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse at the end of April in a selection of hues, and the folks over at GSMinfo.nl note a recommended price of 169 euros for The Netherlands, or around £140 (UK pricing isn't available yet). With the far superior Moto G going for £100 on pay-as-you-go or £130 unlocked in the UK, though, we can only suggest HTC raise the stakes soon if it's serious about betting on lower-end devices.

Goophone copies the all new (still-unannounced) HTC One

2014-03-19T06:14:00.002-07:00

If you're going to clone one of 2014's hottest Android flagships, you might as well clone others, right? Goophone certainly thinks so. It just launched the Goophone M8, a smartphone that bears an uncanny resemblance to the all new (and still-unannounced) HTC One. Not that the similarities are much more than skin deep, mind you. Goophone's attempt at keepin' it real fake uses capacitive keys instead of the new One's on-screen buttons, and we doubt that the middling (if octa-core) processor, 1GB of RAM and 3G data speeds will have HTC breaking a sweat. It only costs $230 to get Goophone's knock-off, though. And hey, it comes in gold -- if you're only looking for an ostentatious design, you might as well save some cash.

How would you change HTC's 8X?

2014-03-19T06:12:00.002-07:00

It seems like forever ago that HTC was making Windows Phone devices, but it's not even been a year. HTC's 8X earned plenty of praise for the fantastic performance, build and battery life - not to mention the display and camera. The downside, of course, was Windows Phone 8, which, at the time, was still too young to hit the spot for our tame phone reviewers. But what about you? We guess that plenty of you would have picked up this phone, so share with us your experiences and what, if anything, you would have changed.

HTC's next One leaks again in all-angle photo shoot

2014-03-19T06:10:00.002-07:00

HTC's upcoming successor to the One, codenamed M8, has been a leaky ship while sailing to its March 25th launch. But the latest set of photos from a Chinese Weibo site leave nothing to the imagination, showing a possible China Mobile retail model from nearly all sides. Of interest are the speaker grills, which seem to be coated with a clear layer of material, possibly for protection. The leaker also said that the M8 used a lot of new CNC process tech, resulting in a very tight build on the handset. Otherwise, the gallery confirms details we've already seen, plus several pics with an HTC One Max that show the relative size. To cap it off, @evleaks has shown a possible snappy-looking LED smart cover for the M8. That mimics others we've seen (like on the Alcatel OneTouch Hero), by showing the weather, date and other real-time info. Head after the break to see that image, or for an all-around view of the (alleged) M8, check the gallery below.

HTC One M8 multi-photo leak

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[Image credit: TD Beta]

[Image credit: @evleaks]

New HTC One sold on eBay in Verizon packaging for $500

2014-03-19T06:08:00.002-07:00

Given the vast number of leaks about HTC's all new One, its upcoming flagship launching March 25th, it's almost surprising that it was this long before we saw a retail unit sold on eBay. But hey, it's finally happened, although we must say we're a bit puzzled as to why the sale only netted $500. Naturally, the final retail price will be a bit higher than that. Regardless of price, the fact that it comes in its packaging is more important because it has most of the specs listed on it.
We can't take this as official confirmation of the phone's specs -- it's all mere speculation until the One launches on the 25th, so it could still easily change between now and then. However, the box tells us we can expect a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset, a 5-inch 1080p display, microSD slot for expandable memory and 32GB internal storage, a 5MP front-facing camera, UltraPixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, a Nano-SIM slot and 2GB of RAM. Curiously, the eBay listing has been taken down already, but it appears that the damage is already done and the phone is likely already on its way to the lucky winner.

HTC's new One smartphone to go on sale 'just minutes after it is officially announced'

2014-03-19T06:05:00.003-07:00

At this point, we have a pretty clear idea of what HTC's upcoming flagship smartphone will look like. Everything from its unique duo rear camera, to its refreshed version of Sense to its familiar One-like aluminum body has been leaked in the lead up to the company's March 25th event. And now, thanks to the UK retailer Carphone Warehouse jumping the gun, we know the handset, dubbed the "new HTC One (M8)," will be available to purchase "just minutes after it is officially announced" at six locations in London. How's that for spoiling the surprise? It's clear from this release that HTC intends to waste no time directing attention from its headline-dominating launch into direct retail sales. Whether or not that gamble pays off is another matter. But we'll know soon enough if that market opportunism can successfully channel fanboy enthusiasm into dollars and pounds.

[Image credit: TD Beta]
Update: It seems that o2 may not have the HTC One on store shelves until the first week of April, so that "same day" availability we've been hearing about may only apply to select carriers or resellers.

Android Wear: Zen and the art of smartwatch design

2014-03-19T05:59:00.002-07:00

Are you ready for a smartwatch that knows where you are, what information is important to you and, above all, wants you to forget that you're even wearing it? That seems to be the basic idea behind Google's Android Wear platform, which promises to deliver contextual, relevant information to you whenever you need it, while fading into the background when you don't. With today's announcement of the Android Wear platform for wearables, much of the discussion has revolved around how Google is following the Android smartphone playbook and focusing on creating an ecosystem that can accommodate multiple manufacturers, with a range of products with different price points and feature sets. And Google has lined up an impressive list of partners, including smartphone makers HTC, LG and Motorola; chipmaker and smartwatch-wannabe Qualcomm; and watchmaker Fossil. Even Samsung, which just last month held a splashy launch for its latest round of Gear smartwatches, is in on the game.

... Google doesn't see wearable devices as full-fledged computers or smartphone replacements.

Those partnerships instantly make Android Wear a major platform in this nascent category. However, what's most interesting about Google's approach isn't the business model, which isn't that different from Microsoft's SPOT platform of a decade ago. What matters most about Android Wear is Google's approach to the category. Unlike, say, Samsung, which initially marketed Galaxy Gear as the real-life successor to Dick Tracy's wrist communicator, Google doesn't see wearable devices as full-fledged computers or smartphone replacements. They're designed to help you get snippets of crucial information -- like the weather, your flight status or whether there's a jellyfish warning in effect for your beach -- when you need them most, and then allow you to get on with the rest of your life.
The philosophy is consistent with Google's approach to its first wearable, Glass. The media may obsess about how Glass can be used to pirate movies and play games. But the device, first and foremost, is designed to make it easier to focus on the here and now, while still being able to check to see if your boss sent you that important email you were waiting for. As Glass Senior Developer Advocate Timothy Jordan said at Engadget Expand last year, the best apps for Glass "help technology get out of the user's way, but [are] there whenever they want [them]."

The philosophy is consistent with Google's approach to its first wearable, Glass.

The first Android Wear watches extend that idea further, bringing Glass' location awareness and voice control to a more socially acceptable design. Nobody is likely to ask if you're recording them, and cops probably won't pull you over, just for wearing a Moto 360. In today's Android Wear announcement, Google SVP Sundar Pichai called watches "the most familiar wearable," and said that devices based on the company's new platform "understand the context of the world around you, and you can interact with them simply and efficiently, with just a glance or a spoken word."

Google isn't the first to treat the smartwatch as a simple way to access actionable information without interrupting the flow of your life. Pebble, for one, takes a similar approach. CEO Eric Migicovsky says developers are encouraged to look for a "subsegment" of their smartphone apps that can work effectively on a small screen. Unlike Pebble, however, Google's ambitions are to give you access to just about all of the information you can get on your smartphone -- but to allow you to do so unobtrusively and with minimal effort. Android Wear apps, according to Google, should "provide the maximum payload of information with a minimum of fuss, optimized to provide tiny snippets of relevant information throughout the day." User input, according to Google, should take place only "when absolutely necessary." In 1991, computer scientist Mark Weiser declared that "the most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it." Weiser envisioned a future dominated by "ubiquitous computing," with invisible technology that is always there. Android Wear, with its Zen-like approach to "allowing you to be connected to the virtual world and present in the real world," and with a developers' guide that lists being "unobtrusive" as a key design principle, seems to be an attempt to deliver on Weiser's promise. The question is, in a world where it's become socially acceptable to pull out a smartphone in the middle of a meeting, and where the most exciting developments on the gaming front all involve immersive virtual reality environments, is there still a market for technology that just gets out of your way?

Nokia unveils Asha lineup, bringing Series 40 to emerging markets: 200, 201, 300, 303

2014-03-19T04:43:00.002-07:00

Nokia has unveiled the Asha lineup, a spate of lower-end devices that run Series 40 and blur the line between featurephone and smartphone. The devices -- named the 200, 201, 300 and 303, are all designed to encourage the "next billion" users to access the web, and seem directed toward emerging markets. The 200 includes an Easy Swap option that lets you throw in multiple SIM cards, and can offer up to 32GB of storage for media playback -- 52 hours of it, in fact. It, along with the 201, have exceptionally loud speakers that work great for parties and those crazy all-nighters, though the latter lacks the multi-SIM support. Both of these phones will be available for €60 ($85); the 200 is going to ship before the end of the year, while the 201 will be ready for your purchase by Q1 2012. The 300 and 303 are the touchscreen handsets of the bunch; the 300 is a candybar with a numeric keypad and offers a 1GHz CPU, 5MP camera and 3G. It'll be priced at €85 ($120) and will be available in Q4 2011. Similarly, the 303 offers the same types of features with a 2.6-inch display and full QWERTY experience, and should be ready before the end of the year for €115 (about $160).

All four Asha devices are made of polycarbonate and come with a Nokia Browser, which is powered by the cloud and compresses data by up to 90 percent, saving users from racking up excessive charges. Oh, and did we mention Angry Birds is coming to Series 40? Be sure to check out the vids for each Asha phone -- as well as the press release -- after the break.

Nokia Asha 200, 201, 300, 303

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Nokia Asha 200, 201, 300, 303 at Nokia World

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Sharif Sakr and Dante Cesa contributed to this post.

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Asha: A new family of smarter mobile phones

Nokia continues its mission to deliver high quality, stylish devices that provide the best access to social networks, the Internet and information, and offer the best overall experience and value proposition for the next billion mobile phone users. These consumers want access to innovations such as easy-to-use dual-SIM, local services and content, and third-party apps, all with a superior user experience for which Nokia mobile phones are known.

These devices comprise the new Asha family of Nokia mobile phones. Derived from Hindi - meaning 'hope' - Asha signifies Nokia's focus on positive user experiences and connecting millions of people to new opportunities that help them reach their aspirations.

The Asha mobile phone family includes:

Nokia Asha 303
The Nokia Asha 303 is a stunning phone designed with sophisticated materials and metallic finishes. It combines a large 2.6" capacitive touch screen with a high quality QWERTY keypad. The Nokia Asha 303 is built with Internet and social networks ease in mind.

The device harnesses a powerful 1Ghz engine, 3G and WLAN to deliver a fast Internet experience. Social networks, email and IM are at the center of the experience, easily accessible from the homescreen. The Nokia Asha 303 is powered by the cloud-based Nokia Browser, which by compressing the web by up to 90%, provides higher speeds and a more affordable access to the Internet.

Entertainment and applications are also a core part of the Nokia Asha 303 offering. Angry Birds Lite, the popular mobile game, comes preinstalled, together with support for other globally relevant applications such as Facebook Chat, Whatsapp messaging and the latest release of Nokia Maps for Series 40 (in selected markets). The price will vary from market to market and operator to operator. The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 303 will be approximately 115 EUR, excluding taxes and subsidies. It is expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Nokia Asha 300

The beautifully designed Nokia Asha 300 is a touch device which also offers the convenience of a keypad. The Nokia Asha 300 has a powerful 1GHz processor and 3G to deliver a faster Internet and social networking experience. The Nokia Browser allows for fast, affordable and localized Internet access by compressing web pages by up to 90%.

Users have fast access to messaging, email and instant messaging from the home screen and can swipe to access apps, music or games from the Nokia Store. The Nokia Asha 300 also arrives preloaded with the popular Angry Birds game.

The Nokia Asha 300 comes with a 5 megapixel camera, a music player, FM radio, Bluetooth connectivity and can handle memory cards up to 32GB. The price will vary by market and operator. The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 300 will be approximately 85 EUR, excluding taxes and subsidies. It is expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Nokia Asha 200

The Nokia Asha 200 is Nokia's latest dual SIM phone with Easy Swap functionality, allowing consumers to easily change their second SIM without switching the device off.

It is a fun and colorful QWERTY phone designed to meet the needs of young, urban consumers who want to constantly stay in touch. The Nokia Asha 200 features integrated social networking, email and IM, adding RenRen, Orkut and Flickr support. Nokia Asha 200 makes it possible to carry thousands of songs with support for 32 GB memory cards and providing a battery for an amazing 52-hour playback time. The price will vary by market and operator. The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 200 will be approximately 60 EUR, excluding taxes and subsidies. It is expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Nokia Asha 201

The single SIM version of the Nokia Asha 200, the Nokia Asha 201 is ideal for young consumers who wish to stay socially connected, are price conscious and like listening to music. The Nokia Asha 201 has great music features including a high performing loudspeaker, enhanced stereo FM radio and ringtone tuning. With the Nokia Browser you get even faster, even better and more affordable access to the Internet. It supports up to 32 GB memory cards and provides a battery for 52 hours of music playback time. The Nokia Asha 201 also supports push email as well as the popular Whatsapp messaging app. The price will vary by market and operator. The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 201 will be approximately 60 EUR, excluding taxes and subsidies. It is expected to start shipping in the first quarter of 2012.

Nokia unveils Asha lineup, bringing Series 40 to emerging markets: 200, 201, 300, 303

2014-03-19T04:39:00.002-07:00

Nokia Asha 200, 201, 300, 303

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Nokia Asha 200, 201, 300, 303 at Nokia World

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Nanogenerators turn you into a duracell

2014-03-19T04:21:00.001-07:00

For anyone who thought gyms with workout equipment that generate electricity were a good idea, prepare to be one-upped. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working on metallic nanowires as nanogenerators that transform bodily kinetic energy into pure electricity. We were all thinking, oh, sweet, power-generating nanotech clothes. Naw dude, these peeps want to implant the nanogenerators right in your corporeal form for maximum energy output. Thought your mom got mad when you got a tattoo or piercing? Try explaining subcutaneous power generating zinc oxide nanowires.

Breakthrough in ferroelectric materials could enable million-GB thumbdrives

2014-03-19T04:19:00.003-07:00

While we have to agree with certain Engadget readers who feel that 640KB of RAM is plenty for most computing tasks, those darn scientists just keep looking for ways to stuff more and more data into smaller spaces. The latest breakthrough on the storage tip comes courtesy of researchers from Drexel and Penn, who have found a way to stabilize the simple physical property of ferroelectricity at the nano scale, making possible such obviously unnecessary densities as 12,800,000GB per cubic centimeter. Ferroelectric materials are usable as memory because they possess the ability to switch electric charges in so-called dipole moments, but before Drexel's Dr. Jonathan Spanier and colleagues decided to embed the materials in water, it had previously been impossible to screen those dipole moments at scales small enough to be useful. Don't expect to be able to buy a zillion gig, water-filled iPod anytime soon, though, as the research team still faces significant hurdles in actually assembling the nanowires that would make up such a drive with the proper density as well as developing a method of efficiently reading and writing data.

Georgia Tech researchers design nanowires to monitor blood pressure

2014-03-19T04:16:00.003-07:00

If you see yourself taking an unwanted trip to the ER anytime in the next decade or so, there's a fairly decent chance you'll end up with at least one or two creepy creatures perusing some aspect of your innards. As if mechanical beings cruising through your intestines wasn't eerie enough, a team of Georgia Tech researchers have proposed a new way to constantly monitor one's blood pressure. The aptly-dubbed nanowires take advantage of the "piezoelectric effect in semiconducting zinc oxide" in order to detect minute forces as tiny "as a few piconewtones," or about the same amount needed to unzip a strand of DNA. The specially designed sensors will purportedly enable robotic nurses to continually monitor your blood pressure to take action before things get too out of hand, and of course, the "biocompatible "system would beam results wirelessly to devices in hospitals or even wrist-mounted readers so you'd know when to pop a proverbial chill pill. This should definitely suffice as a "second opinion," eh?

Georgia Tech researchers develop environmentally-powered nanogenerators

2014-03-19T04:14:00.003-07:00

While the school of the Ramblin' Wreck may be best known for its barrage of engineering graduates, the university has been on quite the medical trip of late, as researchers have reportedly developed a nanometer-scale generator after already cranking out nanowires that monitor your blood pressure. The aptly-named nanogenerators can produce "continuous direct-current electricity by harvesting mechanical energy from such environmental sources as ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration or blood flow," which translates into easy energy for implanted and worn medical gadgetry of the future. Interestingly, the project was funded by the likes of the National Science Foundation and our pals at DARPA, and while this invention may not quite match up with wireless charging (hey, we're scared of hospitals), the concept is novel nonetheless. So if you were hoping that dreams of implanted analysis of your vitals would suddenly cease, things aren't looking up for you.

[Via MedGadget]

Nanowires developed to retrieve data on the double

2014-03-19T04:13:00.000-07:00

Those fond of how quickly flash memory reads and writes their data are sure to adore the research that a few University of Pennsylvania scientists have been working on, as Ritesh Agarwal (pictured) and colleagues have crafted "nanowires capable of storing computer data for 100,000 years and retrieving that data a thousand times faster" than existing micro-drives. Moreover, the "self-assembling nanowire of germanium antimony telluride" consumes less energy and space than current memory technologies, and even Agarwal stated that the "new form of memory has the potential to revolutionize the way we share information, transfer data and even download entertainment." Unfortunately, there seems to be no word on if (or when) this creation could be headed to the commercial realm.

Silicon nanowire could convert light into electrical energy

2014-03-19T04:10:00.004-07:00

Nanoelectonic devices have to have juice too, and thanks to a team at Harvard University, extraordinarily minuscule gizmos of the future could be powered via a "silicon nanowire that can convert light into electrical energy." The device itself is said to look much like a typical coaxial cable, but it's around 100,000 times smaller and shuns metal in favor of "silicon with three different types of conductivity arranged as layered shells." Reportedly, a single strand can output "up to 200-picowatts," which won't move much, but it could be just enough to run ultralow power electronics that could be worn on, or even inside, the body. Hopefully they'll have this all ironed out by the time we need a pacemaker.

[Image courtesy of Harvard]

Stanford's nanowire battery leapfrogs Li-ion

2014-03-19T04:05:00.004-07:00

Stanford claims its latest advances in silicon nanowires have it building batteries with 10 times the capacity of existing Li-ion cells. Apparently people have been trying to stuff silicon -- which has a much higher capacity than existing materials -- into a battery for decades, but since it swells when charged with positively charged lithium and shrinks during use, the silicon has a tendency to "pulverize." Who knew batteries could be so dramatic? Oh, right. The advancement at Stanford, led by Yi Cui, builds the battery in the form of silicon nanowires, giving the silicon room to grow and shrink without damage. A patent is being filed, and Yi Cui is already considering forming a company or licensing the tech to a manufacturer.

Researchers hope to charge up gadgetry with body heat

2014-03-19T04:02:00.004-07:00

We've heard of firms tinkering with the idea of converting excess heat directly to energy, and apparently, a team of scientists from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have done just that. Oddly enough, the researchers admit that they're still unclear on how their findings actually work, but they've nevertheless discovered how to increase the conversion efficiency of converting waste heat to energy "by a factor of 100." The authors of the report suggest that clothing constructed of material embedded with thermoelectric modules could one day "recharge mobile electronic devices off the heat of one's body," and while we're certainly stoked about the idea, we're already conjuring up awful images in our minds about what this garb will actually look like.

[Via textually, image courtesy of FourEyesJokeShop]

Researchers develop copper nanowires for field-emission displays

2014-03-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since we've heard of any significant progress in field-emission displays, but a group of researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign now seem to be shaking things up a bit, with them touting new copper nanowires that could one day be used for ultra-thin FED screens. Specifically, the copper nanowires developed by Kyekyoon Kim and Hyungsoo Choi are between 70 nanometers and 250 nanometers wide, and can be "grown" on various surfaces including silicon, glass, metal, and plastic. As Technology Review reports, in the case of field-emission displays, the nanowires would be used to fire electrons at phosphor particles on a screen to light them up. That process would result in displays that are not only thinner than traditional flat-panel displays, but brighter and more energy-efficient as well -- assuming they ever find their way out of the lab, that is.

MIT fabricates nanowire mats to selectively absorb oil

2014-03-19T03:55:00.001-07:00

A team of astute MIT researchers have developed a sophisticated new material that could help control, contain and lessen the environmental impact of future oil spills. The creation is a mat of nanowires that actually looks a lot like paper, but unlike the material your paycheck gets printed on, this stuff can "selectively absorb hydrophobic liquids (oil-like liquids) from water." We're talking about a membrane that can "absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, and can be recycled many times for future use." Outside of this, it could also be used in water filtration processes and for designing the next great wetsuit. Okay, so we're making that last one up, but don't dare say it's beyond the realm of possibility.

[Via NewScientist]

Researchers get one step closer to all-nanowire sensors

2014-03-19T03:53:00.002-07:00

The latest in nanowire research has a crew at the University of California, Berkeley creating the very first integrated circuit "that uses nanowires as both sensors and electronic components." By utilizing a so-called "simple" printing technique, the researchers were able to create a batch of uniform circuits that could one day serve as image sensors. According to Ali Javey, an electrical-engineering professor at the institution, the goal is to "develop all-nanowire sensors" which could be used in a wide array of applications, and the benefit of using 'em is their exceptionally high level of sensitivity. In due time, the gurus would like to make everything on the circuit printable, though we have this strange feeling we won't be seeing any actual results from all of this for years to come.

Piezoelectric nanowires could lead to blood-powered iPods, cellphones

2014-03-19T03:51:00.005-07:00

You know what'll be awesome? Actual end products resulting from this presumably nonstop research on piezoelectric nanowires. Yet again we're hearing of a new group of researchers that have figured out a way to harness electricity from life's simplest things: walking, a heart beating or even the flowing of blood. Put simply, the gurus have discovered how to use zinc oxide nanowires in order to generate an electric current when "subjected to mechanical stress." The difference here, however, is that these critters could actually be implanted under the skin, though the scientists have made quite clear that there isn't a timetable for commercial production. In other words: yawn.

[Via textually, image courtesy of NSF]

Stanford wants to roll its own paper batteries

2014-03-19T03:48:00.001-07:00

It was only a couple of months ago that MIT was wooing us with the energy-preserving properties of carbon nanotubes, and in a classic act of oneupmanship Stanford has now come out and demonstrated paper batteries, which work thanks to a carbon nanotube and silver nanowire "ink." We've seen this idea before, but the ability to just douse a sheet of paper in the proper magical goo and make a battery out of it is as new as it is mindblowing. Battery weight can, as a result, be reduced by 20 percent, and the fast energy discharge of this technology lends itself to utilization in electric vehicles. The video after the break should enlighten and thrill you in equal measures.