Another big selling point according to Benzion is that most phones require you to have the solar panel in direct sunlight for at least four or five hours a day in order to truly get a good charge. This isn’t the case for the SolMate, which actually works in the shade as well (just at a slower charging rate).

Directly quoted from the above video, Jamie Wojcik had this to say about the SolMate:

“Everyone that has done a mobile solar charger has to be in direct sunlight, and you have to have the planets align and the sun align exactly … to get any charge out of it,” Wojcik said. “Ours is different. We can charge in the shade, although you won’t get as good of charging, but you should be able to get at least your standby current in any light condition.”

The SolMate is being marked under the company name “GreenSimian” and plans to start developing the device this spring with a shipping starting in May. This was likely provided that they meet their goal of $30,000 from Kickstarter pledges, a dollar amount that they have already exceeded.

If you want to get your hands on one when they start shipping, head over to Kickstarter and invest a minimum of $99.

The diagnosis of most particular types of disease is a time-consuming process. But that’s going to change in the future thanks to a new breathalyzer-like technology that is currently under development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The researchers there believe that the tech could be used to diagnose a wide range of diseases including cancer and diabetes.

The human body reacts differently to different conditions. It is capable of shifting between energy sources when required.

According to Warren Porter, a UW-Madison professor of zoology, “When we’re healthy we use the food that we eat. When we get sick, the immune system takes over the body and starts tearing apart proteins to make antibodies and use them as an energy source“.

This shift between energy sources leads to different biochemical pathways. As a result, there will be changes in the carbon isotopes in the exhaled CO2. The “breathalyzer” will be used to detect these changes in isotopic signatures of carbon-containing metabolic by-products.

One of the main advantages of such a system will be the early detection of diseases. Diseases could be diagnosed well before symptoms start to show up. As you already know, early detection is very important when it comes to diseases such as cancer. And the use of a single technique to survey the entire body will also simplify diagnosis to a great extent.

The research on the technique was done on mice which were injected with glucose containing a single atom of carbon-13. This was done to detect the most active metabolic pathways in sick and healthy mice. They found out that there were changes in the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-13 in the exhaled CO2 by the healthy and sick mice. Furthermore, different ratios were detected for different diseases.

At the moment, the “breathalyzer” is about the size of a shoebox, but they are planning to make it smaller. Head here to know more about the study.

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More specifically, warfare could easily slip into the realm of neurological warfare, in case it hasn’t already done so. An enemy is much easier to defeat when he’s hallucinating about bugs crawling all over his body. Similarly, biological and chemical warfare in the form of drugs could have the ramifications of impaired judgement, perception, or all kinds of other things in your adversary.

And it’s not like the military would be necessarily adverse to using something on their own soldiers too. Drugs that increase alertness and reduce the perception of fatigue could prove quite useful (albeit possibly kinda scary). They discuss blocking memories, which could be effective for PTSD victims. The Royal Society also talks about “neural interface systems” (NIS) that would allow weapons to be controlled by the human mind.

By identifying active military research into neuroscience, the Royal Society paints a future of warfare influenced by neuroscience applications as a very real possibility. As well as neuroscience’s massive potential for benign medical applications, the Royal Society is seeking to raise awareness among the scientific community of “hostile” applications.

Check out the video below for more. That mind-reading computer could very well be the next logical step.

Want to enjoy the sensation of complete weightlessness? No, you won’t have to produce millions of dollars and become a space tourist or study to become an astronaut.  And you will be able to float without leaving our planet. Design firm BRC Imagination Arts has proposed a zero gravity roller coaster which might become a reality if it gets the required funding of $50 million.

The new ride has been inspired by NASA’s KC-135, an astronaut training aircraft which is also known by the name “Vomit Comet”. For getting astronauts used to the sensation of space travel, the KC-135 performs parabolic plunges which give its passengers the feeling of weightlessness.

BRC’s roller coaster will give you a similar experience in an enclosed chamber. The roller coaster would go up a track at speeds of 100 mph before decelerating suddenly. This will leave the loosely-buckled riders suspended in the air. Then the roller coaster begins a controlled drop which will make sure that the passengers remain experiencing zero gravity for a few more seconds.

And in case there is a “Vomit Comet” effect, the roller coaster will be coming with a drainage system and attendants with hoses will remove any food stuff that people are unable to keep down. But they won’t be cleaning anything that will be stuck on your face. The cost for the project appears to be almost twice the price of most roller coasters nowadays. But the ride will certainly be cheaper than a zero-gravity flight.

Source: PopSci via BRC

Photo: Nick Kaloterakis
Illustration: Greg Maxson

Just last Friday we covered news regarding a very possible Droid 4 launch on the 10^th of this month. The good news is that we now have official word for Verizon that this is indeed the correct launch date.

The Droid 4 was first introduced at CES earlier this year as a very thin, dual-core beast that also features a slide out five-row QWERTY keyboard, and edge-lit keys that deliver fast, precise typing. Overall it looks to be a rather impressive phone all except for one flaw, it doesn’t run ICS (at least not right out the door), instead coming with 2.3.5 gingerbread.

For those looking to get their hands on the Droid 4, you will be able to purchase it on the 10^th from either brick and mortar locations or online. The device will cost $199.99 with a new 2-year contract.

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The Rogers One Number service has now officially launched and it effectively lets you enjoy unlimited calling, texting, and picture messaging from your computer. The kicker is that the person on the other end will think that you are using your phone. With Rogers One Number, your phone’s identity is carried through to the computer equivalent. It uses the existing Internet connection and minutes (and texts) used do not come out of your monthly bucket. You also get free Canadian long distance and, if you’re talking to another Rogers One Number user, you can have free video chats a la Skype or IM protocols too.

One other feature is the ability to transfer your call between your actual mobile phone and your computer, simply by pressing the corresponding button in the computer app or by dialing a special number on your smartphone.

You can get more information, as well as register, by visiting RogersOneNumber.ca. However, it seems that more than a couple of users have already encounted some problems. Some aren’t getting their PINs, others are being told that the service isn’t supported in their area code. It should also be noted that Rogers One Number does not work with business accounts, pre-paid accounts, or Alternate Line Service. And of course, there’s the issue of entrusting all your services to one provider.

[ source via Redboard ]

Rumors about upcoming Apple products are always hot topics, although most of them require more than just a pinch of salt. And it’s always a smart thing to keep yourselves updated about such hints because once in a while you come across something that is worth pondering about.

Apple recently released a Mac OS update which was pulled later on due to stability issues. But the update reportedly contained some high-resolution cursors. Some believe that these high-res icons indicate that Apple is preparing for future hardware upgrades such as a Retina Display for upcoming Macs.

This definitely is not something that can be pushed aside since already there are rumors flying around regarding a higher-resolution screen for the much anticipated iPad 3. Maybe the company’s plans for this year include HiDPI screens.

According to John Gruber of Daring Fireball, the info on the improved icons, when read with the reports about some Mac Minis booting into HiDPI mode after the update, might be pointing towards “HiDPI Mac displays and/or HiDPI MacBooks. I.e.: retina display Macs“.

Just in case “HiDPI” passed by you like a speeding bullet, it is a new tech which gives you ultra-sharp graphic elements without making them smaller. On traditional displays, the increase of the screen’s pixel density results in smaller elements. With HiDPI, an icon on the screen will have the same size no matter how many pixels it uses. So, same size but more pixels will give you a sharper object.  Somewhat like vector graphics.

But, as always, we recommend a grain of salt for this as well. We will keep you updated on the matter. So stay tuned.

Android fans rejoice! Another unique piece of Android swag for your collection has arrived, the Andru. This charming little guy not only manages to light up his eyes while charging, he can also move his arms, which is great for those like me that are either fidgety or have severe ADD (they kind of go hand-in-hand though).

I can’t help but admit that Google did a phenomenal job when choosing a mascot for its platform. Even if you prefer iOS or Windows Phone, you must admit that a Window-shaped charger or an Apple charger wouldn’t look even half as cool as this.

While certainly not the only Android-themed charger out there, it is certainly one of the most refined looking I’ve seen. The best part? It’s only $25 from Gen, which really shouldn’t be any more expensive than a plain-Jane USB charger at your local big box retailer.

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Google Chrome has finally hit Android mobile devices, well, those that happen to be lucky enough to run Android 4.0 at least. According to Google Chrome blog, the new Chrome app is all about Chrome such as speed and simplicity, a (supposedly) no compromise browser that is every bit as good as the desktop version many of us have come to know and love.

Chrome for Android Beta also features the ability to sync with the seamless sign-in that allows you to take your personalized web browsing experience with you, wherever you go, no matter what device. It also has tabbed browsing and loads your top search results in the background while you type, speeding up your search experience.  The downside to Google’s Chrome is that you won’t have the choice to use this new browser unless you have a brand new Android 4.0 device, or one of the lucky devices that has managed to receive an upgrade.

Chrome is available for download in the Android Market for users in the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

Do you have an ICS device? If you’ve managed to test out Google Chrome on ICS for yourself, let us know what you think of the experience. Is it as good as Google hypes it to be or does it end up falling short?

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A few physical keys will still be there on the remote, but that’s not a problem especially when we compare it to previous remote designs. With the touchscreen, which is located at the top of the remote, you will be able to change the settings of the TV or search the Internet.

The voice recognition feature that’s coming with the device is basically the same one that was used for the company’s ES8000 Smart TV, which was shown off at CES 2012. You just have to speak into the remote’s in-built mic to change the volume and channel. This functionality will also be very useful when logging into streaming accounts. You will just have to say your user name and login.

And to make the interaction with the TV faster, the remote uses Bluetooth and infrared at the same time.

The touchscreen remote will be available with a smart TV that the company plans to release in the coming months. It will also be compatible with different set-top boxes and media players.