The World’s Largest Solar Powered Ship

 

 

Global Energy crisis is a hot debate these days and scientists are coming up with alternative means to provide for the power requirements. We covered the flying wind mill a few days back and they keep coming up with new innovative methods for power generation. While some of them can be employed on a larger scale and may provide energy for more than one individual, some projects focus on individuals and deliver power for a single household or a vehicle. Solar power has been around for quite some time now and is proving to be very versatile and adaptable source of energy. Today we present the world’s largest solar powered ship. As the name implies, the idea is not new. However, it is impressive because of the scale of things. PlanetSolar has come up with this ship that runs on solar power. The ship has a length of 31m and a width of 15m. Want to take a guess of how many kilowatts it can generate? Here’s a hint, the engine requires around 20 kW. The ship is able to capture almost 103.4 kW of solar energy! That is five times more than what is required. The engine requires 20 kW to achieve a mean speed of 8 knots which is equal to 15 Kph or 9Mph and it is possible for the ship to go twice as fast. This marvelous solar powered ship weighs about 60 ton and costs $24.4 million! The assembly of this ship was carried out at Knierim Yacht club in Kiel, Northern Germany. It took 14 months for this ship to be assembled and launched.

To ensure full maximum solar energy generation, solar cell covered flaps have been installed which are extended at the stern and amidships. Photovoltaic cells have been provided by SunPower and a huge number of 38,000 units have been installed on the ship. The company claims that these photovoltaic cells have an efficiency of 22 %, which renders them as the most efficient photovoltaic cells available in the market right now. The idea conceiver, Raphaël Domjan, is from Switzerland and along with Frenchman Gérard d’Aboville, made the world’s first trip around the world that was powered by solar energy. They travelled more than 60,000 km and ended their trip on 4^th May, 2012.

The PlanetSolar team stated that their invention is not intended to replace any traditional marine vehicles. However, they stressed that boating as a activity has been around for a long time and has become a source of pollution for the environment and people have forgotten how clean their transport can be. “Today the boat is the most used means of transport of goods. It represents single-handedly almost 1.4 billions of tons of carbon dioxide (in 2008), that is 6% of the total carbon dioxide emissions and twice more than the air transport.” The project comes with zero environmental pollution and that is perhaps the most impressive feature of this world’s largest solar powered ship.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

NASA Tests A Hybrid Plane That Works Like A Toyota Prius

 

 

Recently there has been a shift in paradigm and now science is doing its best to go green. We have come to realize how our inventions have affected the nature and are doing our best to undo those harmful effects and to be more and more environment friendly. One such project was ERO robot that recycles concrete and Project Zero Electric Plane. This was the reason behind NASA’s project known as Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA). The ERA’s goals were to reduce aircraft emissions, noise and fuel consumption. This is what inspired the engineering students from the University of Virginia into focusing their time and energy into the simulation of an environment friendly plane. The result of this work is a simulation that employs a hybrid electric plane which is capable of flight with 50 passengers aboard. The team was led by aerospace engineering students; Sohail Ahmad and Kelly Thomas and these undergraduates used Flight Optimization System (FLOPS) to evaluate a number of designs which were based on propulsions systems and airplanes which are already in use. The whole study was carried out to find out if a hybrid – internal combustion engine and electric motor – was feasible for being a passenger aircraft.

The team decided,  to make use of the batteries while takeoff and landing since they take place in congested areas and the internal combustion engine (ICE) would be in charge during the rest of the flight. The ICE would be charging the batteries for the landing part too. The test plane was chosen to be ATR 42-600 which is a twin turbo propeller commercial aircraft that can carry 48 persons. The team wanted to see if converting this model would result in a feasible hybrid solution to the problem. Two methodologies were employed; series and parallel. In a series system; ICE works to charge the batteries and powers an electric generator which in turn runs the motor. However, for the parallel system; the propeller is capable of being powered by either the ICE and/or electric motor. Their final conclusion was that the parallel system was more efficient for their design and project.
The batteries are a crucial part of this system and they had to consider a number of factors including the power to weight ratio and life of battery. The modeling they did in FLOPS gave them specifics for the battery they needed. Accordingly they needed energy enough to provide them with a thrust of more than 6,000 lbs at a speed of 368 km/hr. This came down to be 1500 kW per engine. Their final choice of battery was a Lithium polymer battery which ended in a total weight of batteries equaling less than 13,000 lbs.



The final conclusion from the team tells us that in the coming years using this modification approach for an aircraft designed to work ICE  would be much more fuel efficient  for distances of up to 300 miles and holds a promise for the environment. However, retrofitting the current technology won’t prove to be very fruitful.  But they are confident that using the current technology to design an aircraft specifically for the hybrid propulsion system would do the trick. Research is in progress and we wish them good luck. This sure is a work of wonderful engineering.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Xbox One to Launch November 22

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After much speculation, Microsoft has officially announced a release date for its next generation console. The Xbox One will launch on November 22, a bit later than anticipated and a week after its main rival, Sony’s PlayStation 4.

The Xbox One will retail for $499 and will be available in 13 territories as of November 22. These include North America and the UK, but also Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, among others.

The Xbox One release date does not seem random, as this is the same day that the Xbox 360 launched in North America in 2005, so Microsoft is probably hoping that the new system will replicate or even surpass its predecessor’s success.

Microsoft also confirmed that the Xbox One CPU will be boosted to 1.75 GHz as previously suggested. The company also said that the gaming system is already in full production. To confirm, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson released the first images of the new consoles being readied for shipment. Larry Hyrb posted two images on Twitter, showing a case of consoles and a loaded pallet, ready to be shipped to retailers.

The Xbox One will retail with one controller, a headset, a Kinect sensor and a HDMI cable. The console’s Day One Editions are again available for pre-order, Microsoft said. Customers who have ordered Day One editions in Europe will be given a free download code for the game FIFA 14.

At launch, there will be 23 titles available for the new Microsoft console, including exclusive games such as Ryse: Son of Rome, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct and others.

It is not yet known when the Xbox One will launch on other markets except the 13 territories that will see the release on November 22. Microsoft recently said the gaming system will be available in other European countries such as Belgium, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden and others as of 2014.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 will retail for $399 and will launch on November 15 in North America and on November 29 in Europe. The PS4 has widely been seen as a favorite with gamers, due most of all to its lower price tag.

Microsoft however seems pretty confident that the Xbox One will withstand and maybe even overcome the competition. So what do you think of their decision to launch the new console after the PlayStation 4? A smart move or a marketing disaster?

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

How to move All Android Apps to SD Card (Without Rooting Device)

Android apps install to the internal storage by default. If you’ve ever seen your device complain that it is out of memory, especially when trying to install a new app, don’t feel too bad. You can also set the SD card as your default install location. This trick allows you to move almost any app to the SD card – no root access required. Enabling the moving app feature on your phone is much easier than how it may sound like. We shall take you through it step by step.
This tweak requires Android 2.2 or later. To change the default install location, you’ll need to use the ADB, or Android Debug Bridge, utility included with Google’s Android SDK. Following are the Step-by-step Instructions for moving All Android Apps to SD Card (Without Rooting Device).

First of All Hit Like Buttons Shown Below.

1) Enable USB Debugging & Developer Options
The 1st step is to enable USB Debugging.In gingerbread it is placed in Settings> Applications > Development > USB Debugging. And ICS it is placed in Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging. But, after upgrading it to 4.2 it is missing. If your are on Android 4.2 or higher The USB Debugging and Developer Options are hidden in latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. If we want to use those options, manually activate it.  Here is the guide to enable USB debugging on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean running mobiles and tablets.
Developer Options have many features for app developer to test an app on their device from PC via ADB.

• Go to – Settings > About phone.
•  Then move on to Build number option
• Tap on Build number repeatedly about 7 times.
•  This is enough.
• After touching 7th time you will see a message that, “you are now a developer”.

Now the option will be placed in Settings menu. Normally it placed under System in Settings menu. Then you can enable it in Developer Options and Android Debugging.

2) Install the Android SDK
After Enabling USB Debugging You’ll need to download and install Google’s Android SDK on your computer. If you don’t already have Oracle’s Java JDK installed on your computer, you’ll have to download and install it before installing the Android SDK.

Note: You need only Android SDK for this so No need of Downloading Android SKD bundle just download SDK Tools Only.

After you’ve installed both the JDK and Android SDK, launch the SDK Manager from your Start menu.

The ADB utility isn’t installed by default. It’s included in the Android SDK Platform-tools package – select this package and click the Install button to download and install it.

After the process completes, connect your Android device to your computer with its included USB cable. Windows should locate the device and install the appropriate drivers automatically. If it doesn’t, you may have to download and install the appropriate drivers from your Android device’s manufacturer. Do not mount the device after connecting it – just plug it in.

3) Using ADB
Open a Windows Explorer window and navigate to the android-sdkplatform-tools folder. On Windows, you’ll find this folder at C:Program Files (x86)Androidandroid-sdkplatform-tools by default. Check C:Program FilesAndroidandroid-sdkplatform-tools if you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows.

Launch a Command Prompt window in this folder by pressing and holding the Shift button, right-clicking in the folder, and selecting Open command window here.

• Run the adb shell command to enter ADB tools.

Command Code:

adb shell

• Run pm get-install-location command to check the default install location which will be 0.

Command Code:

pm get-install-location

• Run pm set-install-location 2 command for setting default install location to SD card.

Command Code:

pm set-install-location 2

0 [auto]: Let system decide the best location
1 [internal]: Install on internal device storage
2 [external]: Install on external media

• Run pm get-install-location command again for conformation of location change.

Command Code:

pm get-install-location

4) Moving Apps to SD Card

Apps that refused to leave your system storage can now be moved to the external storage. For instance, below you’ll see screenshots of the Google Maps app. Before the change was made, the Move to USB Storage button was grayed out. After the change was made, the button is enabled and the app can be moved.

Warning.!!
Some apps shouldn’t be installed to your SD card and should remain installed on the internal storage. The external storage is unavailable when your Android device is mounted on your computer, so apps that remain running all the time should be left on your internal storage. Widgets, launchers, animated wallpapers, and anything you want to use while your Android’s SD card is mounted on your computer should be left on the internal storage.

EnjOy..:)

Bugs Of Techn0l0gy

Google Makes Android 4.3 Official, Offers Multi-User Restricted Profile Accounts And Bluetooth Smart

 

Android 4.3 isn’t an overly dramatic advancement over Android 4.2, but the new version of Google’s mobile OS announced today does bring a number of improvements that should appeal to both developers and end users. Highlights include the redesigned camera interface, general performance improvements for the OS including smoother animations, and long-awaited Bluetooth Low Energy support.

Muti-User Restricted Profiles

This builds on the multi-user accounts on 4.2, but adds Restricted Profiles. These make it possible to do parental controls on the tablet, by changing the performance of apps and other services based on who’s logged in. It also blocks out access to stuff like in-app purchases. There’s much more to this than just parental controls, however, including options for provisioning in enterprise settings.

Bluetooth Improvements

Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart) makes it easy to connect accessories to Android devices without sapping too much battery. This is key for smart watch and other wearables, as well as health and fitness trackers.

OpenGL|ES 3.0

This is huge for game developers, as it allows for much better graphics rendering, which shows off very well in the demos Google showed off on stage. Now we can also see lens flares a la J.J. Abrams, and other very nice visual effects on future games. All of the above is rendered in real-time in native 1080p.

DRM APIs

Who doesn’t get excited about locked down media content? Serisously though, this is a boon for content providers and should help Google convince even more to offer up greater libraries, with the peace of mind that their stuff is safe. It does accompany the news that Netflix will deliver 1808p video streaming on Netflix, making the Nexus 7 the first Android tablet to get that.

Notification Access

You now can access and interact with notifications form the Android status bar, and use those to be displayed in another app or via Bluetooth on a connected device (like the Pebble) and you can change their read status and dismiss them, too.
The update is pushing out live today to existing Nexus tablet devices, in addition to shipping on the new Nexus 7. It's also going to be coming to Google Nexus handsets and experience devices soon
EnjOy..:)
MamoOn..

Huawei Ascend Mate Review

• Huawei Ascend Mate Price in Pakistan
• Company : Huawei
• Product Type : Mobile Phone
• Model : Ascend Mate
• Screen Size : 6.1 Inches
• Display Resolution : 720 x 1280 pixels
• Camera : 8MP, Autofocus, LED Flash
• Operating System : Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Colors : Crystal Black, Pure White
• Memory : 2GB RAM
• Body Type : Touch Phone
• Huawei Ascend Mate Prices
• Huawei Ascend Mate Price in PakistanUpcoming Mobile Phone

Huawei Ascend Mate Review

Huawei has just announced its new mobile phone set Huawei Ascend Mate for the New Year. The set is expected to be available from February 2013. It is a touch screen phone. The sleek and stylish body of the set has given it a graceful look. Mate is available in crystal black and pure white color.

It is carefully designed in the light of current trends. Mostly, the upcoming handsets are larger in size; especially those belong to Samsung family. Ascend Mate has dimensions which are 163.5 x 85.7 x 9.9 mm with a weight of 198 grams. So it is a heavy handset.

Following the current trends and to compete other popular mobile sets, as mentioned earlier, it is designed with a large body having a screen size of 6.1 inch with 720 x 1280 pixels. Huawei does not compromise on the quality of material used in the screen.

A latest technology has been applied, that is known as IPS or In-Plane Switching technology to build most important part of this handset. Precisely the screen is LCD capacitive touch screen utilizing IPC technology. It will be a great experience for sure. From protection perspective, it has Corning Gorilla Glass on the screen.

Looking at its general features, Huawei Ascend Mate is capable of working with 2G and 3G networks. On the other hand, it is also capable of operating within a wide variety of band ranges. But to do all these, a micro SIM card, from the network service provider is required.

Further, it has memory slot that can be used to extend its storage abilities. It can be increases up to 32 GB. This is acceptable but not impressive, because a heavy handset like this should be provided with a larger storage, for example at least 32GB. Size of the RAM is fine and it is 2 GB, good for efficient and smooth working.

Coming to its technical specifications, it uses well known Android operating system. For Huawei Ascend Mate, version 4.1 – JellyBean has been installed. The chipset is Huawei K3V2, while a powerful CPU, Quad-core 1.5 GHz, has been staged on the motherboard. This is for sure that it is a strong CPU, which is capable of multi-tasking without the fear of hanging up. Heavy graphic games and new and innovative applications form Android market can easily be installed and enjoyed on this handset. Other features like sensors are accelerometer, gyro, proximity and compass.

The most important feature of Huawei Ascend Mate is its high-resolution 8-megapixel camera on the rear side. One can say that it is a handset with professional camera. It can capture a picture of size 3264×2448 pixels, which is a large size. As far as video abilities are concerned, it can record video with 1080pat 30fps, quite impressive. A secondary camera of 1 megapixel is also mounted on the front too. Other features associated with camera are autofocus, LED flash light, geo-tagging, face detection and HDR.

For connectivity purpose, it uses GPRS, Bluetooth, EDGE, WLAN and USB. It also utilizes HTML5 browser, which is fast. Some common features present are like Radio, GPS with A-GPS support, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Organizer, Document Editor and Photo viewer/editor.

Last but not the least is the battery of his handset. It is supplied by the power of a Li-Ion 4050 mAh battery. Claims are that it has a standby time of 216 hours. If this is so, it is good, as high power is required by this handset due to large size. There is no doubt; it is going to give tuff time to Samsung handsets, which are having strong hold in the mobile market of Pakistan. After going through all these features, Huawei Ascend Mate seems that it will be a success for Huawei.

Huawei Ascend Mate Specs/Features

• 6.1 Inches TFT Capacitive Touchscreen
• 198g Weight
• 2GB RAM Internal Memory
• Expandable memory up to 32GB
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
• 8 MP, autofocus Camera with LED flash
• 1.0 MP Front Camera
• Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Processor
• Available in Crystal Black and Pure White Colors
• DivX/XviD/MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player
• MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player
• Internet Features: Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar and Google Talk
• Powered by Li-Ion 4050 mAh battery

EnjOy..:)
MamoOn..

: HTC One Preview :

: HTC One Preview :

The name is quite a statement, but one that befits a smartphone that has the makings of a masterpiece. The HTC One builds on a time-honored tradition of unibody design and packs all the very latest tech available - some of which exclusive - to make what is perhaps one of the best all-rounded packages to see the light of day in the first half of 2013.

    

HTC One official photos

The HTC One is like a supercar - it's the best that current technology has to offer and while not everything is completely practical, it looks and handles great and is ready to wow its owner. And much like a car dealership, HTC is ready to offer you money if you trade in your old HTC phone - it's $100 or the value of the old phone, whichever is greater.

The biggest bullet point in the features list is the camera - a 4MP "ultra-pixel" camera. Yes, the resolution sounds too low, but this camera marks a first in the mobile phone imaging world, which puts it next to the Nokia 808 PureView and Lumia 920.

Speaking of a feature list, here it is. The One (camera aside) is basically a Butterfly with bumped up specs and a cool aluminum unibody.

HTC One at a glance:

·         General: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, quad-band UMTS/HSPA, optional LTE Cat 3 (100Mbps downlink, 50Mbps uplink)

·         Form factor: Aluminum unibody touchscreen bar phone

·         Dimensions: 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm, 143 g

·         Display: 4.7" 16M-color 1080p (1080 x 1920 pixels) Super LCD 3 capacitive touchscreen, 469ppi pixel density; Corning Gorilla Glass 2

·         Chipset: Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600

·         CPU: Quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300

·         GPU: Adreno 320

·         RAM: 2GB

·         OS: Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Sense 5

·         Memory: 32GB/64GB storage

·         Camera: 4 megapixel auto-focus camera with ultra-pixels and Optical Image Stabilization; LED flash

·         Video camera: Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps with HDR; 720p @ 60fps

·         Front camera: 2.1MP front-facing camera, 88°; 1080p@30fps video with HDR

·         Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, standard microUSB port with MHL and USB host, GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, IR port

·         Battery: 2,300mAh Li-Po

·         Misc: Beats Audio, BoomSound stereo speakers on the front, HDR microphone, HTC Zoe photo gallery

The camera is backed by ImageChip 2, which enables some advanced functionality. It takes the Scalado tech we first saw on the HTC One X and puts them into overdrive.

HTC is trying to move away from Android slightly. Yes, it's still a full-blown Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, but the new Sense UI version 5 transforms the interface into something that isn't instantly recognizable as Android, including a brand new homescreen and a gesture-based replacement for the menu button.

   
Handling the HTC One

The company is also playing to its audio strengths - the usual Beats Audio is on board, but there's also BoomSound for the front-facing stereo speakers, which are said to blast out up to 93dB. Then there are the HDR microphones to ensure good call sound quality.

HTC One full specifications

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
	4G Network	LTE (market dependent)
	SIM	Micro-SIM
	Announced	2013, February
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, March

BODY	Dimensions	137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm (5.41 x 2.69 x 0.37 in)
	Weight	143 g (5.04 oz)

DISPLAY	Type	Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	1080 x 1920 pixels, 4.7 inches (~469 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 2
		- HTC Sense UI v5

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
	3.5mm jack	Yes
		- Beats Audio sound enhancement

MEMORY	Card slot	No
	Internal	32/64 GB, 2 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSPA+; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
	NFC	Yes (Market dependent)
	Infrared port	Yes
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL)

CAMERA	Primary	4 MP, 2688 x 1520 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	1/3'' sensor size, simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, OIS
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., video stabilization
	Secondary	Yes, 2.1 MP, 1080p@30fps, HDR

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
	Chipset	Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600
	CPU	Quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300
	GPU	Adreno 320
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
	Browser	HTML5
	Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black, Silver, Red
		- SNS integration - Dropbox (25 GB storage) - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - DivX/XviD/MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player - MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/FLAC player - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk - Organizer - Document viewer/editor - Photo viewer/editor - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Non-removable Li-Po 2300 mAh battery
	Stand-by	No official data
	Talk time	No official data

EnjOy.. :)

MamoOn..