Diffractive sails on spacecrafts

A Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) researcher is taking solar sailing to the next level.

He proposes replacing reflective metallic sails with diffractive metafilm sails. The new materials could be used to steer reflected or transmitted photons for near-Earth, interplanetary and interstellar space travel.

Grover Swartzlander is leading an exploratory study supported by phase one funding from NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program. The nine-month, $125,000 award encourages development of visionary technology with potential to revolutionize future space exploration.

At the same time, Swatzlander also mentions that, “Diffractive sails may also be designed for laser-based propulsion, a decades-old concept that has recently attracted significant interest from private investors, resulting in a program called Breakthrough Starshot.”

Data by New solar sailing technology for NASA

China ‘in’ the hyperloop

China has enlisted the help of a US company to build a hyperloop in the mountainous southwest region.

Hyperloop transportation technologies (California, USA) in partnership with a company controlled by the government of Tongren, Guizhou, will build a test track no longer than 10 kilometers in length. The expansion of the track will depend on the test results.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, or HTT, is one of several companies formed to develop hyperloop systems since billionaire Elon Musk in 2013 released a manifesto detailing his idea for moving people at superfast speeds through a tube.

Besides this project, HTT has also signed a contract for a Hyperloop route in Abu Dhabi and other countries. (I assume it is time to invest in this company!)

Data from China plans Hyperloop track

Microsoft Andromeda?

Microsoft Surface device, code-named “Andromeda”, is planned to be released sometime in 2018 or early 2019.

The device is expected to come with a dual-screen display, since it had been seen multiple times in patents for a ‘pocket-able Surface device’. It is believed that the device will be one of a kind, further blurring the line between a Personal Computer and a Handheld Mobile device.

Microsoft is reportedly experimenting with stylus input for Andromeda, so that the device could fold over like a book and a pen could be used to capture digital ink.

Although it is not clear if the company will use Intel or Qualcomm for the final device, it is experimenting with Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) processor.

Microsoft first launched its Surface lineup of 2-in-1 tablets back in 2012, and only launched the first actual laptop in the series last year.

Credits: NDTV Gadgets

HTC U11 to launch today

#HTC #smartphone #U11 #newtech #technology #mobile #gadgets

HTC will be launching it’s latest model U11 today in India. Considering the price tag for HTC U Ultra is INR 59,990, we can expect a minimum price of INR 50,000 for U11, which might probably be higher than U Ultra price.

The phone comes with Edge Sense, where a user can squeeze the smartphone (press tightly around the edges) to launch certain applications and functions. The user can set whether to launch the camera app and take a picture, activate a voice assistant, etc. by the squeeze feature.

The U11 will have a 3D Liquid Surface design like HTC U Ultra. It will have a glossy finish with two color options, Black and Silver. The phone features a 5.5″ Quad HD display. It will be using the octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor with 2.45 Ghz clock speed, with a 4 GB RAM + 64 GB Storage option or 6 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage option. The storage is expandable to 2 TB!

The smartphone has a 12 MP rear camera with Dual LED flash and a 16 MP front selfie camera with auto-selfie, video selfie and HDR boost. The phone has 4K rear camera video recording and 1080p front recording.

Read the full article here

The phone sounds really good and fused with high-speed processors and good storage space. However, we will know how it all comes together only after the phone is out in the market. The Edge Sense technology is unique and I wonder it’s usability.

Nokia released in India

#Nokia #technology #newtech #India #launch #Nokia6 #Nokia5 #smartphone

HMD Global, the company responsible for Nokia brand at present, is working hard on launching Nokia Android smartphones across the globe. The company launched Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 on June 13th. The phones will have various offers, like cashback for Amazon Prime members and discounts on makemytrip.com.

The Nokia 6 will feature a Snapdragon 430 SoC with 3 GB of RAM. The phone priced at INR 14,999 will be 5.5 inch full-HD display, 3000 mAh battery, 16 MP back camera and 8 MP front camera. The phone will be ready to sell on Amazon starting July 14.

Nokia 5 is priced at INR 12,899 and will feature 5.2 inch HD display, Android 7.1.1 Nougat, Snapdragon 430 process with 2 GB RAM. The phone will have a 13 MP rear camera and a 8 MP front camera.

Read the full article here

As a previous owner of Nokia phones, I am super excited to see the brand coming back to life, and will definitely want to try on the new smartphones. I wish the phones carry on the Nokia legacy as it was before.

Microsoft Xbox One X release

#gaming #console #Microsoft #XboxOneX #launch #technology #entertainment #newtech

Microsoft Xbox One X, the company’s smallest and most powerful video-game console, will be released in November 7, 2017. The device will carry a price tag of $499, and is designed to work with new generation 4K television sets that offer greater picture quality as well as games that offer ever-more-realistic scenes of car races and fantasy worlds.

The announcement came at the start of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles on Sunday. Fortunately, the new console will be compatible with older Xbox games and accessories.

The console is designed for gamers who want the ‘best features and performance’, and who also owns a TV for such a purpose.

However, previously the sales for Xbox One were hurt when it had a $499 price tag, which people found very expensive. So, considering price plays an important part to attract customers, it will be hard to tell the success of the console until it is released in November.

Read the full article here

A new console! I won’t call myself a console gamer, but the way consoles are expanding and providing better video/gaming quality is amazing. Eventually, something like a Nervegear will be released.

OnePlus 5 tech specs?

#OnePlus #smartphone #NewTech #mobile #technology #Snapdragon #Amazon

According to the technical specifications revealed from Amazon India’s teaser page source code for the smartphone, the OnePlus 5 will be featuring an 8 GB RAM and the phone will be using a Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor that reaches speeds upto 2.35 GHz.

The phone is set to release on June 20th officially, and on June 22nd in India. In fact, the sale for the phone will start itself on Jun 22nd at 4:30 pm.

The phone, which will be featuring a dual rear camera setup with a superior camera technology, will be the thinnest flagship smartphone. The phone will feature a 5.5 inch full HD resolution display.

Read the full article here

Although I just bought a new phone half a year back, I am still excited to witness this product. OnePlus has created a different atmosphere, where people can get smartphones with the latest specifications, at less than half the price of today’s leading smartphone brands. Seeing new products launched frequently is remarkable.

Snapdragon and Windows 10 to come together

#Microsoft #Windows10 #Qualcomm #Snapdragon #technology #laptops #newtech

Microsoft and Qualcomm announced at Computex 2017 that they will be releasing Snapdragon 835 Movile PC platform on laptops & 2-in-1s with Windows 10 as the OS. The first three companies that will make such devices will be HP, Lenovo and Asus. This move will bring the best from the smartphone sector to the laptops.

Devices such as these can be constantly connected and will be able to deliver a battery life of more than a day. These devices will be fanless and slim, and the physically smaller Qualcomm’s motherboard will help in creating devices in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Snapdragon-powered PCs don’t have to wake from sleep to receive notifications and messages, and the Cortona voice assistant can listen for instructions, much like how current-day smartphones behave.

The price of such devices is expected to be around $700-$800, much lower than the premium laptops people see nowadays.

Read the full article here

This is amazing. It will be interesting to operate a laptop that works on a mobile processor, and provides longer battery time. It will be really useful to do normal tasks like documents, etc. but not to be meant for hard-core gaming or graphic artists. Much like a Macbook I suppose.

The edge-to-edge screen Android phone

#android #mobile #EssentialProducts #Apple #Samsung #technology #newtech #gadgets

Andy Rubin, the co-creator of the Android mobile phone operating system, launched a new company called Essential Products. The Palo Alto based company will be selling its first high-end smartphone and home assistant device.

The new phone will be featuring an edge-to-edge screen, a titanium & ceramic case and dual cameras. The phone will be running the Android OS and the price tag of $699, will make Samsung and Apple it’s main competitors.

The voice assistant will compete against Amazon’s Echo and Google home speaker. However, the Essential’s voice assistant will let the user choose between Alexa, Google assistant and Siri. The device is also supposed to be able to connect to home network and communicate with devices such as lights and thermostats.

Tencent Holdings, Foxconn, Redpoint Ventures and Altimeter Capital are the main investors in Essential.

Read the full article here

Apple and Samsung have long since dominated the mobile market. Maybe it is time for a change.

Using the Android O beta

#Android #Google #AndroidO #AndroidNougat #GoogleI/O #technology #mobile #newtech

Android O was one of the most awaited segments at Google I/O 2017. It was announced that users wanting to use the Android O platform can do it by enrolling themselves in the Android O beta. Also, you need to have a Google smartphone, such as Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel or Pixel XL.

There haven’t been major changes between Android Nougat and Android O UI, like the settings menu have been re-arranged and grouped together for similar functions. There is also an option to enable battery percentage on Android O, with larger font. It also groups battery consumption based on Apps, System, Services, etc.

Android O has a different toggle system, and it also allows video and chat apps to play picture in picture when minimised. You can even check the notification on an app by long pressing the app icon and also dismiss it by swiping.

It also includes Autofill with Google, Smart Text Selection and other features.

Read the full article here

This is an interesting update. Google focused more on how people access and use the OS rather than upgrading things visually.