7:10 PM
The Gorgon Stare UAV will be able to transmit live video images of physical movements across an *entire town* and send dozens of live images to up to 10 US soldiers on the ground who will use devices the size of an iPad or Kindle. Current US UAVs have a single camera (the Gorgon Stare has 9) that covers only a narrow area the size of a building, so this will be a huge upgrade in capability:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/us-deploy-see-all-gorgon-stare-uav
China's first stealth plane has apparently emerged well ahead of schedule--China could have an operational stealth aircraft 3 years ahead of when Defense Secretary predicted last year:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-01/chinas-new-secret-stealth-plane-emerges-chengdu-ahead-schedule
The flood zone in Australia covers an area bigger than Germany and France combined:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/aussie-flood-zone-covers-area-bigger-france-and-germany-combined
40 towns in Australia have been flooded so far, affecting 200,000 people, and the tons of toxic sludge being washed into the sea threatens the Great Barrier Reef. Australia's GDP may drop by 0.5% and residents have to deal with snakes, crocodiles, disease-carrying mosquitoes, and looting:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/australian-floods-spread-forty-towns-threaten-great-barrier-reef
Airports all over the US, including LA and DC, are considering replacing the TSA with private security contractors. This will not save money, but it would hopefully improve efficiency and make travelers happier:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40888102/ns/travel-news/
10-year-old Canadian girl has become the youngest person to ever discover a supernova--on Sunday she combined dozens of telescopic images of star fields in far-away galaxies to make her discovery:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/32722/Canadian_girl_youngest_ever_to_spot_supernova.htm
Researchers discovered that the Oriental hornet takes the sun's energy and converts it into electric power, just like the process of photosynthesis in plants. They are studying the biological processes that turn a hornet's abdomen into solar cells to see if solar cells can be created with the same high efficiency that the Oriental hornet obtains:
http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13661
Researchers are creating a new type of solar cell that is designed to repair itself just like natural photosynthetic systems in plants do by using carbon nanotubes and DNA. They use optical nanomaterials to harvest solar energy that is converted to electrical power. The new technology continuously replaces the photo-damaged dyes with new ones, just like how plants self-regenerate every hour:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110104ChoiSolar.html
Honda took another step towards bringing its first jet (5-6 passengers) to the market, one that uses 20% less fuel than similar-sized planes while flying faster than them. The Honda jet makes extensive use of composite materials that reduces a plan's weight and lets them give the jet a unique shape that reduces drag. Honda also puts the engine on top of the wing instead of under it, which reduces drag at high speed:
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/27026/
Qualcomm is buying chip maker Atheros for $3.1 billion, Qualcomm's biggest acquisition ever. Qualcomm had more than $18 billion cash on hand at the end of last quarter. Atheros announced earlier this week several new wireless products that bring WiFi and Bluetooth technology to tablets while reducing power consumption and increasing battery life:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/qualcomm-to-buy-atheros-for-45-a-share/
Amazon is creating an Android App store and launched their Amazon AppStore Developers portal today:
http://www.androidcentral.com/amazon-launches-android-appstore-developer-portal
LG's Optimus Black, an Android smartphone, will be one of the first devices with WiFi Direct--LG is demonstrating this week at WiFI Direct devices can share data and applications via WiFi without needing a WiFi AP to connect to:
http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-optimus-black-come-wifi-direct-will-be-demoed-ces
Wow, this report from the NVIDIA CES event really mentions some impressive things about the LG Optimus 2X, the first smartphone to use the Tegra 2...dual-core CPU with the first fully hardware accelerated Flash processor. Flash runs 5x faster on a Tegra 2 than its competitors, meaning the Android phones/tablets that have a Tegra 2 will have a gaming and web experience with Flash that is very similar to that on a desktop or PS3. In fact, one of their demos was of a game being played by players on a desktop PC, a PS 3, and the Optimus 2X...they were playing the exact same game and actually played together on the same multiplayer server in real time. A PS3 gaming experience on a smartphone! Verizon is having live multiplayer sessions at CES played between the Nvidia and Verizon booths over *LTE*:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/01/05/live-from-the-nvidia-ces-event/
The Motorola Bionic is like my Droid X...with 2 processors (and the same hardware accelerated Flash processor that the Optimus 2X has), 2 cameras, and a host of capabilities that my phone can only dream of. I guess it is nothing like the X:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/01/05/hands-on-with-the-droid-bionic-by-motorola/
Previously only an option for GM cars, OnStar announced a rear-view mirror that can be installed in cars from any auto manufacturer. OnStar has teamed up with Verizon (sales will be through Best Buy) that features voice calling on Verizon's network, automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation, stolen vehicle location assistance, 1-button access to emergency and roadside services, and hands-free calling including via Bluetooth. Service is $18.95/month or $199/yr. OnStar also announced prototypes for Verizon's LTE network. OnStar is also testing an Android app that will allow drivers to send and receive text messages and Facebook updates using their voice:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/ceslive/story/onstar-teams-verizon-wireless-rear-view-mirror/2011-01-05
For the first time, Firefox passed IE for market share in Europe, the first time that IE lost the top spot for browsers in any major market. IE's market share has been dropping to record lows in its markets--Firefox has been remaining steady and the Chrome browser's increased market share (10% in the US, 15% in Europe) seems to have come from former IE users:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/browsers/firefox-claims-its-first-market-share-crown-559
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/us-deploy-see-all-gorgon-stare-uav
China's first stealth plane has apparently emerged well ahead of schedule--China could have an operational stealth aircraft 3 years ahead of when Defense Secretary predicted last year:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-01/chinas-new-secret-stealth-plane-emerges-chengdu-ahead-schedule
The flood zone in Australia covers an area bigger than Germany and France combined:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/aussie-flood-zone-covers-area-bigger-france-and-germany-combined
40 towns in Australia have been flooded so far, affecting 200,000 people, and the tons of toxic sludge being washed into the sea threatens the Great Barrier Reef. Australia's GDP may drop by 0.5% and residents have to deal with snakes, crocodiles, disease-carrying mosquitoes, and looting:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/australian-floods-spread-forty-towns-threaten-great-barrier-reef
Airports all over the US, including LA and DC, are considering replacing the TSA with private security contractors. This will not save money, but it would hopefully improve efficiency and make travelers happier:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40888102/ns/travel-news/
10-year-old Canadian girl has become the youngest person to ever discover a supernova--on Sunday she combined dozens of telescopic images of star fields in far-away galaxies to make her discovery:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/32722/Canadian_girl_youngest_ever_to_spot_supernova.htm
Researchers discovered that the Oriental hornet takes the sun's energy and converts it into electric power, just like the process of photosynthesis in plants. They are studying the biological processes that turn a hornet's abdomen into solar cells to see if solar cells can be created with the same high efficiency that the Oriental hornet obtains:
http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13661
Researchers are creating a new type of solar cell that is designed to repair itself just like natural photosynthetic systems in plants do by using carbon nanotubes and DNA. They use optical nanomaterials to harvest solar energy that is converted to electrical power. The new technology continuously replaces the photo-damaged dyes with new ones, just like how plants self-regenerate every hour:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110104ChoiSolar.html
Honda took another step towards bringing its first jet (5-6 passengers) to the market, one that uses 20% less fuel than similar-sized planes while flying faster than them. The Honda jet makes extensive use of composite materials that reduces a plan's weight and lets them give the jet a unique shape that reduces drag. Honda also puts the engine on top of the wing instead of under it, which reduces drag at high speed:
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/27026/
Qualcomm is buying chip maker Atheros for $3.1 billion, Qualcomm's biggest acquisition ever. Qualcomm had more than $18 billion cash on hand at the end of last quarter. Atheros announced earlier this week several new wireless products that bring WiFi and Bluetooth technology to tablets while reducing power consumption and increasing battery life:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/qualcomm-to-buy-atheros-for-45-a-share/
Amazon is creating an Android App store and launched their Amazon AppStore Developers portal today:
http://www.androidcentral.com/amazon-launches-android-appstore-developer-portal
LG's Optimus Black, an Android smartphone, will be one of the first devices with WiFi Direct--LG is demonstrating this week at WiFI Direct devices can share data and applications via WiFi without needing a WiFi AP to connect to:
http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-optimus-black-come-wifi-direct-will-be-demoed-ces
Wow, this report from the NVIDIA CES event really mentions some impressive things about the LG Optimus 2X, the first smartphone to use the Tegra 2...dual-core CPU with the first fully hardware accelerated Flash processor. Flash runs 5x faster on a Tegra 2 than its competitors, meaning the Android phones/tablets that have a Tegra 2 will have a gaming and web experience with Flash that is very similar to that on a desktop or PS3. In fact, one of their demos was of a game being played by players on a desktop PC, a PS 3, and the Optimus 2X...they were playing the exact same game and actually played together on the same multiplayer server in real time. A PS3 gaming experience on a smartphone! Verizon is having live multiplayer sessions at CES played between the Nvidia and Verizon booths over *LTE*:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/01/05/live-from-the-nvidia-ces-event/
The Motorola Bionic is like my Droid X...with 2 processors (and the same hardware accelerated Flash processor that the Optimus 2X has), 2 cameras, and a host of capabilities that my phone can only dream of. I guess it is nothing like the X:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/01/05/hands-on-with-the-droid-bionic-by-motorola/
Previously only an option for GM cars, OnStar announced a rear-view mirror that can be installed in cars from any auto manufacturer. OnStar has teamed up with Verizon (sales will be through Best Buy) that features voice calling on Verizon's network, automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation, stolen vehicle location assistance, 1-button access to emergency and roadside services, and hands-free calling including via Bluetooth. Service is $18.95/month or $199/yr. OnStar also announced prototypes for Verizon's LTE network. OnStar is also testing an Android app that will allow drivers to send and receive text messages and Facebook updates using their voice:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/ceslive/story/onstar-teams-verizon-wireless-rear-view-mirror/2011-01-05
For the first time, Firefox passed IE for market share in Europe, the first time that IE lost the top spot for browsers in any major market. IE's market share has been dropping to record lows in its markets--Firefox has been remaining steady and the Chrome browser's increased market share (10% in the US, 15% in Europe) seems to have come from former IE users:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/browsers/firefox-claims-its-first-market-share-crown-559