With stacks of eight being only 0.6mm thick, Samsung’s new 30-nanometer NAND chips are practically anorexic, but for once that’s a good thing. Thinner chips like these could bring smaller gadgets and hopefully also lead to lower SSD prices.
According to Samsung, their new chips are actually the slimmest ever and “40% thinner and lighter than a conventional memory package.” Whether those details are true or not, I look forward to seeing them hit the market and start slipping into newer, smaller gadgets. [Information Week via Engadget]
I love that smartphones let me avoid cramming my pockets with extra gadgets like an MP3 player or camera. But Dr. Martin Cooper—the former lead engineer of the Motorola team that developed the first cellphone—reckons that’s just phooey.
The 80 year old inventor, who has also criticized the iPhone as being overly complicated and hard to use, told a privacy conference in Madrid this week:
“Whenever you create a universal device that does all things for all people, it does not do any things well. Our future I think is a number of specialist devices that focus on one thing that will improve our lives.”
I hear the basic point: jacks of all trades tend to be masters of none. And that’s a valid observation. But a bunch of smartphones and mobile OSes now do a decent job of handling music, and their cameras are getting better, too. Not to forget all the goodness from Web-based services. So with the utmost of respect good sir, this isn’t the 1980s, and using an iPhone (or any smartphone for that matter) is no longer like trying to program your VCR. [The Telegraph]
Well, it doesn’t have a Roomba that will check up on your vitals just yet, but it looks like iRobot is betting on healthcare robotics in a fairly big way, with it taking advantage of the recent TEDMED conference to announce that it’s forming a new business unit focused solely on the still burgeoning industry. That unit will be headed up by Tod Loofbourrow, who says that he believes the business “has the potential to make a significant difference in the field of healthcare,” and adds that he thinks “the long-term potential of robotics to extend independent living is profound.” While he’s just as light on specifics, iRobot CEO Colin Angle is no less ambitious about the company’s goals, saying that iRobot’s “healthcare mission is add a million years of independent living to our customers.” And in case you’re wondering, the image at right isn’t an iRobot robot, but it is all too real.
LaserMotive’s photovoltaic-powered machine became the first in the 3-year history of NASA’s space elevator contest to climb a 2,953-foot-long ribbon, securing a prize of $900,000. However, they fell short of the $2 million grand prize.
For that, they would have had to ascend the ribbon with an average speed of 11 mph. They didn’t quite reach that goal but it appears that we are finally making real progress on a concept first proposed in 1895. What’s more, the ground laser that was used to charge the photovoltaic cells used half the power than their previous model with far better results. This year’s contest has not concluded, and there is the possibility that another team could equal or surpass LaserMotive’s results, but at the very least there is reason to believe that the idea of an elevator that reaches to space might not be so far fetched after all. [AP via PopSci]
I’m sure I’m not the only one who just received confirmation that their PS3 Netflix disc is on the way for Friday delivery. Can I get a woo-hoo? (Note, if I can’t, please disregard said request.)
You are lost, walking through a dark forest. Unknown animal sounds drill into your ears and fears. The freezing wind crackles above you. And then, reality breaks, opening a gate to an unknown white. Would you enter or run away?
I think I would. After recovering from the heart attack, I probably would run into it, only to get electrocuted by Yochai Matos’ “Flame (Gate)“, which is what this spacetime fabric door really is: An art installation made with hundreds of fluorescent bulbs. [Yochai Matos and The Coolist]
Bonus morning post soundtrack: My beloved Kim Deal singing Into the White.
Slacker finally brings its excellent streaming music app to the Android Market, adding optimized support for current Android hotshots the Droid and Droid Eris. It’s available now, in either a free “lite” or a paid premium version. [Slacker]
Gigabyte’s Booktop M1305 was shown as far back as June, but now it seems the stark white ultraportable is nearing its ship date. Nothing about the 13.3-inch rig seems too special at first glance — after all, a Core 2 Duo, GMA 4500MHD graphics set, 1,366 x 768 panel, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 320GB or 500GB HDD won’t set any carpets on fire — but it’s the docking station that makes this one special. When situated in the dock, the M1305 can take full advantage of the discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT220 GPU that’s squeezed within, making it entirely more capable of pushing out 3D graphics or HD multimedia to connected displays. We know, docking stations are all but dead outside of the enterprise, but who’s kvetching about more power once your portable gets home?
Well, it doesn’t have a Roomba that will check up on your vitals just yet, but it looks like iRobot is betting on healthcare robotics in a fairly big way, with it taking advantage of the recent TEDMED conference to announce that it’s forming a new business unit focused solely on the still burgeoning industry. That unit will be headed up by Tod Loofbourrow, who says that he believes the business “has the potential to make a significant difference in the field of healthcare,” and adds that he thinks “the long-term potential of robotics to extend independent living is profound.” While he’s just as light on specifics, iRobot CEO Colin Angle is no less ambitious about the company’s goals, saying that iRobot’s “healthcare mission is add a million years of independent living to our customers.” And in case you’re wondering, the image at right isn’t an iRobot robot, but it is all too real.
Oh, boy. Just when you thought NVIDIA ’s feud with Intel couldn’t rise above endless name-calling, lawsuits and production shutdowns, NVIDIA does this. In a series of not-so-subtle cartoons on the recently established Intel’s Insides website — which NVIDIA’s spokesperson has confirmed is, in fact, hosted by NVIDIA — NVIDIA takes aim at Intel (and CEO Paul Otellini, specifically) over a range of alleged ill doings, and even goes so far as to include a cheeky disclaimer that the site “is not provided, sponsored or endorsed by Intel Corporation.” Hit up the gallery below for a quick retrospective, and stay tuned for what we can only hope is a decent comeback from Intel.
With stacks of eight being only 0.6mm thick, Samsung’s new 30-nanometer NAND chips are practically anorexic, but for once that’s a good thing. Thinner chips like these could bring smaller gadgets and hopefully also lead to lower SSD prices.
I love that smartphones let me avoid cramming my pockets with extra gadgets like an MP3 player or camera. But Dr. Martin Cooper—the former lead engineer of the Motorola team that developed the 
LaserMotive’s photovoltaic-powered machine became the first in the 3-year history of NASA’s 
I’m sure I’m not the only one who just received confirmation that their 
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