AdminSpy Latest Gadgets and Gizmos

Evolta - The World's longest lasting AA Battery from Panasonic

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:19:00 +0100

Panasonic today introduced the EVOLTA battery, which is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s “longest lasting AA alkaline battery. The recognition was the first of its kind for Guinness, which created a new category for batteries.

The EVOLTA AA Alkaline battery lasts longer in more devices than the company’s own previous-generation AA alkalines as well as those from other brands.

The new structure of the EVOLTA battery provides more internal space than Panasonic’s previous generation batteries, allowing storage of extra active materials and incorporating an improved sealing technology.

To demonstrate the power of EVOLTA, Tomotake Takahashi, an engineer in Tokyo, created a mini robot nicknamed “Mr. EVOLTA.” The 6.7 inch-tall robot made headlines in May when it climbed a 1,740-foot rope dangling from a cliff in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park. Mr. EVOLTA accomplished the feat using just two AA EVOLTA batteries. The climb took 6 hours and 46 minutes and covered a distance that was 290 feet more than the height of Chicago’s Sears Tower, the tallest building in the U.S.

Article Source Evolta - The World's longest lasting AA Battery from Panasonic

Pioneer Develops 16-layer 400GB Blu-ray Disc

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Its per-layer capacity is 25 gigabytes, which is the same as that of a Blu-ray Disc (BD). This multilayer technology will also be applicable to multilayer recordable discs. This development has bolstered Pioneer's confidence in the feasibility of a large-capacity optical disc, which is expected to become necessary in the near future.

Utilizing the optical disc production technology that it has developed in the DVD field, Pioneer solved these problems by, among other things, using a disc structure that can reduce crosstalk from adjacent layers, resulting in a 16-layer optical disc that can playback high-quality signals from every layer.

Pioneer achieved stability in the playback of recorded signals by employing a wide-range spherical aberration compensator and light-receiving element that can read out weak signals at a high signal-to-noise ratio in the optical pick-up mechanism.

Since the optical specifications of the objective lens, such as NA (Numerical Aperture), are the same as those for the existing BD discs, it is possible to maintain compatibility between the new 16-layer optical disc and the BD discs.

The 16-layer optical disc technology, capable of storing much more data than the conventional discs on one disc, will greatly reduce the number of discs to be used and therefore contribute to the conservation of resources.

Article Source Pioneer Develops 16-layer 400GB Blu-ray Disc

Imation Buys XtremeMac for $9 Million

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

The Florida-based XtremeMac specializes in Apple-related accessories and managed to pull in some $25 million last year, through the manufacture of products for the iPod, iPhone, and AppleTV.

"This acquisition is another building block in our strategy as we build a portfolio of strong brands that resonate with consumers--in this case the large and growing number of iPod, iPhone and Apple TV customers," said Imation's president and CEO, Frank Russomanno.

"With the acquisition of XtremeMac, Imation has added a brand recognized and respected by Apple enthusiasts and one that enhances our portfolio of products serving the growing market for consumer electronics related accessories. The XtremeMac accessories can be found in Apple stores, consumer electronics retailers and on-line channels."

The acquisition isn't expected to affect Imation's financial performance this year.

Article Source Imation Buys XtremeMac for $9 Million

Nokia launches Internet Radio

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The application can be downloaded for free from http://www.nokia.com/internetradio and will also be embedded in upcoming Nokia S60 3rd edition devices.

The station directory of Nokia Internet Radio features browsing which can be done based on station name, genre, country or language. You can even find out what hits are hot around the world, hourly updates of the top ten most popular internet radio stations are also available in the station directory. You can also add your top stations to the list of Favorites.

The audio quality is enhanced by selecting appropriate streaming servers that match the speed of the current network connection.

The Nokia Internet Radio application is currently available for download to the following devices: Nokia N82, Nokia N91, Nokia N95 and Nokia N95 8GB. The application will be embedded in selected upcoming Nokia S60 3rd edition devices.
Article Source Nokia launches Internet Radio

Nokia to replace 46 million batteries

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Nokia is offering to replace 46 million batteries for its mobile phones after reports of overheating while charging.

The problems are confined to BL-5C batteries made by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006.

Nokia said there had been 100 reports of overheating, and that the problem battery had been used inside more than 50 different phones.

Nokia said in a statement: "Nokia has identified that in very rare cases the affected batteries could potentially experience over heating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge."

Customers can check on the Nokia website if the battery in their mobile phone is affected.

"Concerned consumers may want to monitor a mobile device while charging that contains a BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory," the company said.

Article Source Nokia to replace 46 million batteries

Microsoft lowers XBox 360 price

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 01:00:00 +0100

The Xbox 360 will be $50 cheaper starting Wednesday, confirming leaked advertisements posted by bloggers in July.

Microsoft said its most popular console, which comes with a 20-gigabyte hard drive, will cost $349.

A basic console without a hard drive or wireless controllers will retail for $279, $20 less, while the Xbox 360 Elite, a black version with a 120-gigabyte hard drive and high-definition video support, will drop $50, to $449.

Microsoft has been dodging questions about a price cut since its competitor Sony slashed the price of its 60-gigabyte PlayStation 3 to $499, from $599, in July. The Nintendo Wii, the least expensive of the so-called next-generation consoles, costs $250.

Aaron Greenberg, a group product manager for Xbox 360, said in an interview Monday that the ads were real. He also said competitors’ prices had no impact on Microsoft’s decision.

Microsoft also said Tuesday that the green and gold 'Halo 3'-themed console, will go on sale in September for $400.

Article Source Microsoft lowers XBox 360 price

Hitachi unveils Finger Vein biometric authentication device

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Hitachi today announced that it will begin the sale of its compact and contact less Finger Vein biometric authentication device.

Hitachi developed the product based on the original model designed for the Japanese market and sold in Japan since October 2006. You can now guard against illegitimate access or leakage of information on your computers by using the vein patterns in your finger as the key to manage your computer login process.

The finger vein unit has achieved its small size, high accuracy rate and low cost by employing a single-chip LSI design with this device. In addition, an SDK is available to allow for development of custom applications or integration into existing application environments.

Hitachi claims that because of the unique and "non-traceable" nature of the biometric technology, counterfeiting is not possible.

Hitachi increasingly is focusing its businesses on creating solutions to answer various market trends aiming at the achievement of a safe, comfortable, ubiquitous information society, exemplified by making finger vein technology the de facto standard for high-security biometrics.

The finger vein pattern recognition technology employs the vein pattern of the finger as the biometric feature. The finger vein pattern is impossible to counterfeit because the vein is inside the body.

With some of the existing biometric systems, it is possible to acquire biometric data without the knowledge of the individual. It is not possible to acquire the finger vein biometric feature without the knowing consent of the individual meaning that from a societal aspect, finger vein pattern recognition is safe and secure for the individual.

Article Source Hitachi unveils Finger Vein biometric authentication device

Bandido (DrinkOrDie) Sentenced to 51 months in Jail

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Bandido (Hew Raymond Griffiths) was sentenced to more than four years in a US jail today.

Griffiths was extradited from Australia to the US in February and the Judge took into account almost three years Griffiths had spent in Australian jail while fightingh US extradition order

The prosecution claims that he was the leader of DrinkOrDie, the world's largest international internet piracy group.

Griffiths, 44, ran the internet ring from his home in Bateau Bay, on the NSW central coast.

Griffiths was known by the screen name "Bandido", and as the leader of the warez group, DrinkOrDie. Apparently he was the mastermind behind the illegal reproduction and distribution of more than $US50 million ($A59.11 million) worth of pirated software, movies, games and music.

Arguably, the revenue actually lost by the software, music, and movie industries was probably considerably lower than $50 million. Many of those downloads were likely made by individuals who weren't looking to buy in the first place, and groups like the Business Software Alliance have been heavily criticized recently for their methodologies in calculating revenue losses due to piracy.

DrinkOrDie was founded in Russia in 1993 and offered people cracked versions of programs from Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk, Symantec, Novell and many others.

"From his home in Australia, Griffiths became one of the most notorious leaders of the underground internet piracy community by orchestrating the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in copyrighted material," US Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher said.

"The Justice Department is committed to protecting intellectual property rights, and will pursue those who commit such crimes beyond the borders of the United States where necessary."

DrinkOrDie specialised in cracking software codes and distributing the cracked versions over the Internet.

Article Source Bandido (DrinkOrDie) Sentenced to 51 months in Jail

Pentagon Shuts Down Systems After Cyberattack

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Last week, Pentagon officials said that an attacker penetrated the unclassified systems in the Office of the Secretary of Defense prompting authorities to take as many 1,500 accounts offline

Elements of the OSD unclassified e-mail system were taken offline yesterday afternoon due to a detected penetration. A variety of precautionary measures are being taken. We expect the system to be online again very soon. "Pentagon said"

Between 1,000 and 1,500 users of the system were taken offline, a defence official said. On Wednesday, a congressional panel disclosed that hackers also have succeeded in penetrating computers at the Department of Homeland Security, the lead government agency in providing security against cyber attack.

The Pentagon would not comment on the source or the nature of the attack, only saying that they detected it and that they caught it early enough to stop it. The systems were used for basic non-classified email transmissions so no critical or sensitive information was accessed.

Article Source Pentagon Shuts Down Systems After Cyberattack

Google will limit data retention to 18 months

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Google is reducing the length of time it stores personal data that can identify its users as it tries to please the European Union watchdog that has questioned its privacy policies.

Google said last night that it will scale back the period it keeps data it harvested from users of its search engine to 18 months, from a previously proposed two years. After that period, information held in Google's vast data-storing server farms will be anonymous — meaning it should not be possible to link it to an individual.

The change in policy comes on the back of increasing pressure from privacy campaigners who are concerned about the amount of personal data Google is gathering.

Every time people search the internet using Google, the company collects personal information about users' interests and beliefs. But the company insists this potentially-sensitive data is not shared outside of Google.

Article Source Google will limit data retention to 18 months