Holographic Technology

HOLOGRAPHY is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that it appears as if the object is in the same position relative to the recording medium as it was when recorded.

The image changes as the position and orientation of the viewing system changes in exactly the same way as if the object were still present, thus making the recorded image (hologram) appear three dimensional. 

Several types of holograms can be made. Transmission holograms, such as those produced by Leith and Upatnieks, are viewed by shining laser light through them and looking at the reconstructed image from the side of the hologram opposite the source.

the "rainbow transmission" hologram, allows more convenient illumination

by white light or other monochromatic sources rather than by lasers. Rainbow holograms are commonly seen today on credit cards as a security feature and on product packaging. These versions of the rainbow transmission hologram are commonly formed as surface relief patterns in a plastic film, and they incorporate a reflective aluminum coating that provides the light from "behind" to reconstruct their imagery.

BIGDOG ROBOT

BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics robots. It is a rough-terrain robot that walks, runs, climbs and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by an engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog has four legs that are articulated like an animal’s, with compliant elements to absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule; about 3 feet long, 2.5 feet tall and weighs 240 lbs.

BigDog's on-board computer controls locomotion, servos the legs and handles a variety of sensors. BigDog’s control system keeps it balanced, navigates, and regulates its energetics as conditions vary. Sensors for locomotion include joint position, joint force, ground contact, ground load, a gyroscope, LIDAR and a stereo vision system. Other sensors focus on the internal state of BigDog, monitoring the hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine functions, battery charge and others.

In separate tests BigDog runs at 4 mph, climbs slopes up to 35 degrees, walks across rubble, climbs a muddy hiking trail, walks in snow and water, and carries a 340 lb load. BigDog set a world's record for legged vehicles by traveling 12.8 miles without stopping or refueling.

The ultimate goal for BigDog is to develop a robot that can go anywhere people and animals can go. The program is funded by the Tactical Technology Office at DARPA.

GoPro Hero3: Black Edition camera brings 4K to extreme sports

GoPro Hero is the premier choice for sports enthusiasts looking to share the action with the rest of the world. Space jumper Felix Baumgartner wore one himself when he was performing his marvelous feat.

The action-cam maker has just released its new generation GoPro Hero3 model, and boy does the video below make us want one. Not only is it 30% smaller and 25% lighter than its predecessor, but now it is arguably the first affordable 4K video camera available to consumers.

The Hero3 can record 4K at 3840x2160 or 4K Cinema at 4096x2160 resolution giving you pristine high-res images that would have most HD TVs struggling. If you want a slightly higher frame rate then 2.7K can be recorded at 30fps which will give you better than Full HD videos.

GITEX: These Exelway speakers are really slim

It's easy to miss Exelway's stand at Gitex. Located near the main registration area, Exelway at first seems to promote nothing. When we first rushed past it, we thought it was an empty stand, probably still under construction. Upon closer inspection, Exelway were actually showcasing their new slim speaker collection- they were so slim, they almost went unnoticed by us!

The Exelway Slim Speaker comes equipped with a woofer, and all the bells and whistles you would expect from a normal speaker set, only that they are packed in an extremely tiny, and pleasingly simplistic package. You can check out their entire 2012/2013 collection at their stand.  Unfortunately, Exelway are still looking for a distributor in the region, so the speakers are not yet available for purchase. We hope they do find one soon, this is definitely something we are looking forward to give a try.

AMD launches Opteron 6300 CPU codenamed ‘Abu Dhabi’

We've seen Microsoft codename their products over different city names such as Chicago (for Windows 95) and Memphis (for Windows 98), however hearing a product codenamed after a city where you are based out of never fails to make you smile. AMD, a company that in partnership with Abu Dhabi created the Global Foundry, codenamed their upcoming Operon 6300 CPU as 'Abu Dhabi.'

The new CPUs promise up to 24-percent higher performance versus the Opteron 6200 processors and use AMD’s Piledriver core technology for reduced power consumption. The Opteron 6300 Series line-up tops at 3.5GHz with 4 cores or you can go for a 16 core version that reaches speeds up to 2.8GHz. TDPs range from 85W in the 6366 HE low-power model to 140W for the 16-core, 2.8GHz 6386 S.

The Opteron 6300 supports up to four 1866MHz memory channels and AMD claims the 6300 Series is the only x86 processor to work with ultralow voltage 1.25v memory. Each CPU can handle up to 384GB of memory – spread over up to 12 DIMMs – and up to four x16 HyperTransport links (each up to 6.4GT/s).

iPod Touch (5th Generation) Review

While the iPod Touch is quite a popular device, I've never really been attracted to one because my annually-upgraded iPhone has always been a more capable device. And although the new iPhone 5 continues to lead, I must admit that it hasn't really excited me much. Thus, I've decided to give Windows Phone 8 or the Nexus 4 a shot as my primary communications device. However, I'm very much tied to the iOS ecosystem with all my songs, videos and apps bought from the App Store. So as an 'insurance', I decided to pick the latest iPod Touch and thats why you're reading this article.

Packaged in a clear small box with an arrow pointing on where to strip the tape off, the iPod Touch is unmistakably an Apple product. Inside the packaging, you find a pair of the new earplugs known as EarPods, as well as the Lightning cable, a USB charger and the loop along with a quick-start guide.
Measuring 123 x 58 x 6.1 mm and weighing a paltry 88 grams, the 5th generation iPod Touch is insanely thin and light and probably an indicator of what Apple wants the iPhone to weigh in a few generations. Available in quite a few colors, I picked up the blue version which has an Aluminum back that has been quite resistant to scratches in the couple of weeks that I have used and somewhat abused it.

From the front, the new iPod Touch looks almost identical to the iPhone 5 with a 4' screen and a camera on top and the home button at the bottom. About the only thing that differentiates the two from the front is the absence of the earpiece and proximity sensor next to it. On the left side you have volume buttons while power/lock button sits on the top. Apple has moved the 3.5mm plug to the bottom of the device along with the Lightning connector. the new Lightning connector is quite small and I like the fact that you don't have to flip it around to plug it into your device. As far as compatibility with older docks and connectors is concerned, Apple has used their older connector for longer than any USB standard on other phones and it was going to happen sooner or later.

The back side of the iPod Touch houses a 5 megapixel camera with a flash. Next to the flash is a black strip that looks a bit awkward and out of place, however this is where the Wi-Fi antenna for the device is placed. Also present on the back but towards the bottom is a silver button that pops out when pressed. This is where you attach the included loop- Apple's marketing term for a wrist band. I don't care much for wrist-bands so the Loop pretty much stayed in the packaging but I guess it could be a good accessory for people who like running.

Although the previous generation iPod Touch has had a retina screen, I've been told that the quality of that screen was not comparable to what the iPhone offers. However with the latest generation, Apple decided to use the same display as the iPhone 5 and to say the screen is stunning is an understatement. The 640 x 1136 pixel screen uses an IPS panel which provided excellent viewing angles and beautiful color production. It's easily the best display I have seen in a mobile device and with the in-cell screen technology, you feel as though the icons are painted on the display.

Under the hood, the iPod Touch uses the older Apple A5 processor found on the iPad 2 and Phone 4S. By no means is the A5 slow as I zipped in and out of applications and web pages without any noticeable lags. I bought the base unit with 32GB of storage, however a 64GB version is also available. You also get 802.11 dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 along with Nike+ support, however GPS is sadly lacking which is a shame as it could have worked well with Nike+ for runners. Also unlike the iPhone, the iPod Touch only has a single speaker which is fairly loud, however a pair of stereo speakers is always preferred.

Using the iPod Touch gave me a bit of a peak on how an iPhone 5 would be like. The beautiful larger screen is utilized really well with more information displayed- such as the number of emails and tweets. As an added bonus, the new screen has an aspect ration of 16:9 giving your videos the wide-screen treatment that previous versions of iPhone and iPod Touch devices have failed on. As a multimedia device, it would be hard to find something better than the new iPod Touch.

The camera on the back takes pretty decent pictures although sadly not at the same aspect ratio as the screen which now shows black bars on the sides. Low-light photos were a bit grainy but that was expected. Apple has upgraded the front camera on all their new devices to take 720p videos which certainly helps when you're using FaceTime. The back camera is capable of shooting videos at 1080p as expected. Here are two sample shots from the back camera- one without the flash and one with it.

Wrapping things up, the battery life on the new iPod Touch is pretty impressive. In the last two weeks, I've charged it every third or fourth day. My usage pattern on the iPod Touch is probably somewhere between light to moderate with a daily activity of emails continuously flowing in, taking a few pictures, listening to some music and watching videos- as well as my daughters playing their favorite games. The iPhone would probably not make it to a second day with such usage.

Overall, the iPod is a pretty impressive iOS device. It lets you do most of the things that an iPhone does other than making calls or using the GPS. Siri is present on the new iPod Touch as well offering amusing and helpful voice-aided advice. The lack of an earpiece doesn't make the iPod Touch an impressive calling device, however, you can get around that using a Bluetooth or a wired headset.

Priced around AED 1,200, the iPod Touch is not an impulse buy. In fact it is a bit on the expensive side considering the iPad mini is out and should officially cost just a 100 Dirhams more when it launches in the region. This makes it very hard for me to recommend the iPod Touch. Yes, it is more portable and offers more storage than the mini at the AED 1,200 price level and if that is what you're looking for then it would serve you well. For all other purposes, I would pick the iPad mini.

Sony unveils 84-inch 4K Bravia television

Electronics manufacturer Sony unveiled its latest high-performance television in the form of the 4K Ultra High Definition Bravia with LCD display - the industry’s largest 84-inch class. The 4K technology allows it to display images at four times the resolution of standard High Definition, creating a crisper and clearer image - even from just 1.5 meters away.

 

 

The image quality of the 4K Ultra High Definition Bravia is superb (image: Charlie Fripp)
'This television re-defines image quality. The super-high resolution and large screen size ensure a picture experience that is close to reality, 4K is a massive jump in resolution and image quality even when compared to so-called full high definition displays,' Andrew Fraser, senior brand manager for Sony South Africa, said at the unveiling.
The launch of the unit is one of three 4K television sets that was launched in South Africa this week, from three different manufacturers - the others being Sharp and LG.
This definitely points towards a growing trend in the home television market - but Sony's price tag of R276 000 makes the unit attainable within a niche market, for now.

Andrew Fraser, senior brand manager for Sony South Africa, demonstrating some of the features (image: Charlie Fripp)
'Viewers will not be bothered by the pixels, and notice instead that images are breathtakingly realistic and beautifully clear with the wide 60° viewing angle, even if they sit as much as half the distance to the screen, as compared to when viewing full HD,' added Fraser.
Available in South Africa at the end of the year, the Bravia’s 4K LCD panel comprises approximately 8.29 megapixels, and incorporates '4K X-Reality PRO', Sony’s super-resolution high picture quality engine optimised for the 4K TV.
This engine is capable of reproducing a variety of content with different resolutions, such as HD digital broadcasts or Blu-ray discs content, into stunningly crisp, high-quality images with 4K resolution.