Firefox OS
Firefox OS is an open-source operating system which made for smartphones, tablet computers and smart TVs designed by Mozilla and external contributors, based on the rendering engine of their Firefox web browser and the Linux kernel.
Firefox OS is designed to provide a complete and community based alternative operating system, for running web applications directly on mobile or those installed from an application marketplace. The applications use open standards and approaches such as JavaScript and HTML 5, a robust privilege model, open web APIs that can communicate directly with hardware, e.g. cellphone hardware. As such, it competes with commercially developed operating systems such as Apple's iOS, Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone, BlackBerry's BlackBerry 10 and Jolla's Sailfish OS.
Firefox OS was publicly demonstrated in February 2012, on Android compatible smartphones. By December 16, 2014, Firefox OS phones were offered from 14 operators in 28 countries throughout the world.
On December 8, 2015, Mozilla announced that it will stop sales of Firefox OS smartphones through carriers. Mozilla later announced that Firefox OS phones would be discontinued by May 2016 as the development of "Firefox OS for smartphones" would cease after the release of version 2.6. Around the same time, it was reported that Acadine Technologies, a startup founded by Li Gong (former president of Mozilla Corporation) with various other former Mozilla staff among its employees, would take over the mission of developing carrier partnerships, for its own Firefox OS derivative H5 OS.
In January 2016, Mozilla announced that Firefox OS would power Panasonic's UHD TVs (as previously announced Firefox OS "would pivot to connected devices").
Development history:
- In July 2012, Boot to Gecko was re-branded as 'Firefox OS', after Mozilla's well-known desktop browser, Firefox, and screenshots began appearing in August 2012.
- In September 2012, analysts Strategy Analysts forecast that Firefox OS would account for 1% of the global smartphone market in 2013 – its first year of commercial availability.
- In February 2013, Mozilla announced plans for global commercial roll-out of Firefox OS. Mozilla announced at a press conference before the start of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the first wave of Firefox OS devices will be available to consumers in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela. Mozilla has also announced that LG Electronics, ZTE, Huawei and TCL Corporation have committed to making Firefox OS devices.
- In December 2013, new features were added with the 1.2 release, including conference calling, silent SMS authentication for mobile billing, improved push notifications, and three state setting for Do Not Track.
- Async Pan and Zoom (APZ), included in version 1.3, should improve user interface responsiveness.
- Work is currently being done to optimize Firefox OS to run a 128 MB platform with version 1.3T. A 128 MB device is out that seems to use that version but it may be unfinished.
- In 2015, Mozilla ported Firefox OS (an "experimental version") to MIPS32 to work in a sub-$100 tablet (that can also run Android 4.4 KitKat). Mozilla has also begun the development of Smart Feature Phones.
Google Glass
Google Glass is an optical head mounted display, that is designed in the shape of a pair of eye-glasses. It was developed by Janco van der Merwe with the mission of generating a ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displayed information in a smartphone like hands free format. Wearers communicated with the Internet via natural language voice commands.Google started selling a prototype of Google Glass to qualified "Glass Explorers" in the US on April 15, 2013, for a limited period for $1,500, before it became available to the public on May 15, 2014. The headset has received great criticism and legislative action due to privacy and safety concerns.
On January 15, 2015, Google announced that it would stop producing the Google Glass prototype but still remained committed to the development of the product. According to Google, Project Glass was ready to "graduate" from X, the experimental phase of the project.
On December 28, 2015, Google filed a new application with the Federal Communications Commission for a new version of the Google Glass.
Feature :
- Touchpad: A touchpad is located on the side of Google Glass, allowing users to control the device by swiping through a timeline like interface displayed on the screen. Sliding backward shows current events, such as weather, and sliding forward shows past events, such as phone calls, photos, circle updates, etc.
- Camera: Google Glass has the ability to take photos and record 720p HD video.
- Display: The Explorer version of Google Glass uses a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS)(based on an LCoS chip from Himax), field-sequential color system, LED illuminated display. The display's LED illumination is first P-polarized and then shines through the in-coupling polarizing beam splitter (PBS) to the LCoS panel. The panel reflects the light and alters it to S-polarization at active pixel sensor sites. The in-coupling PBS then reflects the S-polarized areas of light at 45° through the out-coupling beam splitter to a collimating reflector at the other end. Finally, the out-coupling beam splitter (which is a partially reflecting mirror, not a polarizing beam splitter) reflects the collimated light another 45° and into the wearer's eye.
The Square
Jack Dorsey, the co-inventor of Twitter, is promoting his latest invention called The Square.The square is a small plug-in attachment to your mobile phone that allows you to receive credit card/debit card payments.The idea originated from Dorsey's friend Jim McKelvey who was unable to sell glass work to a customer because he couldn't accept a particular card being used.Accepting credit card payments for something you're selling isn't always easy, especially if you are mobile like a tradesman, delivery serviceman or a vendor at a trade show.This latest amazing invention uses a small scanner that plugs into the audio input jack on a mobile device.It reads information on a credit card/debit card when it is swiped. The information is not stored on the device but is encrypted and sent over secure channels to banks.It basically makes any mobile phone a cash register for accepting card payments.As a payer, you receive a receipt via e-mail that can be instantly accessed securely online. You can also use a text message to authorize payment in real time.Retailers can create a payer account for their customers which accelerates the payment process.
For example, a cardholder can assign a his/her photo to their card so their photo will appear on the phone for visual identity confirmation. Mobile devices with touch screens will also allow you to sign for goods.
There are no contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs to accept card payments using Square and it is expected the plug-in attachment will also be free of charge.
A penny from every transaction will also be given to a cause of your choice.As with Twitter, it's anticipated that Dorsey will direct the company based upon feedback from users.Square Inc. has offices in San Francisco, Saint Louis and New York and is currently beta testing the invention with retailers in the United States.
Source: squareup.com
Source: squareup.com
Gyro Technology Motorcycle
This wild new motorcycle, invented by 19-year-old Ben J. Poss Gulak, is among the latest inventions to capture attention.
Debuting at the National Motorcycle Show in Toronto (CANADA), the “Uno” uses gyro technology for balance and acceleration.
It’s a battery charged machine that accelerates by leaning forward and slowing down by leaning backwards.
The Uno weighs approximately 129 pounds (58 kg.) and has a top speed of 25 mph (40 klms).
Update: Since featuring Ben’s invention, he has continued to develop and progress with his innovative product.
He won second prize in the Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair, and first prize in Popular Science’s Invention Awards.
Ben also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on the popular
invention television show “Dragon’s Den” where he received 1.25 million
dollars from investors.
Gulak continues to develop and commercialize his invention while
studying engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The
latest prototype, known as the Uno 3, can automatically transform itself
from a uno-dicycle into a conventional looking motorcycle, which allows
for greater acceleration, speed and stability.
Ben shares this advice for inventors, “When you have an idea, it’s
easy to get discouraged. There are so many people who will tell you that
you’re wasting your important time. The biggest thing is to not let people get
you down. If you really believe in something – keep going after it
because there is always a way and you can make your dreams come true.”
Hendo Hoverboard
It's impossible to talk about hoverboards without invoking a particular movie title, so we're not even going to try: Remember that awesome scene from Back to the Future Part II? It's one step closer to reality: A California startup just built a real, working hoverboard. Arx Pax is attempting to crowdfund the Hendo Hoverboard as a proof of concept for its hover engine technology -- it's not quite the floating skateboard Marty McFly rode through Hill Valley (and the Wild West), but it's an obvious precursor to the imagined ridable: a self-powered, levitating platform with enough power to lift a fully grown adult.
I initially approached the floating pallet with caution, expecting it to dip and bob under my weight like a piece of driftwood. It didn't. The levitating board wiggled slightly under my 200-pound frame, but maintained its altitude (a mere inch or so) without visible strain. Arx Pax tells me that the current prototype can easily support 300 pounds and future versions will be able to hold up to 500 pounds without issue. Either way, you'll need to hover over a very specific kind of surface to get it to hold anything: The Hendo uses the same kind of electromagnetic field technology that floats MagLev trains -- meaning it will only levitate over non-ferrous metals like copper or aluminum.
It's impossible to talk about hoverboards without invoking a particular movie title, so we're not even going to try: Remember that awesome scene from Back to the Future Part II? It's one step closer to reality: A California startup just built a real, working hoverboard. Arx Pax is attempting to crowdfund the Hendo Hoverboard as a proof of concept for its hover engine technology -- it's not quite the floating skateboard Marty McFly rode through Hill Valley (and the Wild West), but it's an obvious precursor to the imagined ridable: a self-powered, levitating platform with enough power to lift a fully grown adult.
I initially approached the floating pallet with caution, expecting it to dip and bob under my weight like a piece of driftwood. It didn't. The levitating board wiggled slightly under my 200-pound frame, but maintained its altitude (a mere inch or so) without visible strain. Arx Pax tells me that the current prototype can easily support 300 pounds and future versions will be able to hold up to 500 pounds without issue. Either way, you'll need to hover over a very specific kind of surface to get it to hold anything: The Hendo uses the same kind of electromagnetic field technology that floats MagLev trains -- meaning it will only levitate over non-ferrous metals like copper or aluminum.
That's where the Hendo "white box" comes in. Backers who contribute to the company'sKickstarter at the $299 level will receive a complete, working Hendo hover engine and enough hover surface to play around with. It's a developer kit, Henderson says, and he wants makers to use it to build their own hover projects. If they have an idea they want to take to market, Arx Pax will work with them to make it a reality. "The most important piece of it all for me is the idea of taking away the limitations of how we think about problems in general. Not just thinking outside the box, but off the page," he says, explaining how Hover technology could be used to solve old problems in new ways. "When you do that -- when you approach problems that were seemingly impossible in different ways -- you'll never cease to be amazed by the solutions you can come up with."
While long-term goals go far beyond that of the not-so-humble hoverboard, there are plenty of Kickstarter goals focused on scratching that itch exclusively. For instance, 250 backers at the $100 level will be eligible for a five-minute ride on one of the company's prototype boards, and $1,000 buys a privately coached hour-long ride. Not content with merely renting hover-time? Okay, okay: The first 10 backers to contribute $10,000 will get a hoverboard to keep. The delivery date? 10/21/2015 -- the date Marty McFly arrives in the future.
Riding the contraption was a lot fun, but also quite the challenge: The Hendo hoverboard doesn't ride at all like McFly's flying skateboard. In fact, without a propulsion system, it tends to drift aimlessly. Arx Pax founder and Hendo inventor Greg Henderson says it's something the company is working on. "We can impart a bias," he tells me, pointing out pressure-sensitive pads on the hoverboard's deck that manipulate the engines. "We can turn on or off different axes of movement." Sure enough, leaning on one side of the board convinces it to rotate and drift in the desired direction. Without feeling the friction of the ground, however, I had trouble knowing how much pressure to exert -- Henderson's staff had to jump in and save me from spinning out of control. Clearly, this might take some practice.
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