Category Archives: new technology

May 14 2010
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A geek moment, Interesting stuff, new technology

Geek Alert: Cloudkick launch Cloudkick Viz

With browser support constantly growing there’s been a lot of talk around how to make the web a more user-friendly place to live and work.

Cloudkick have developed an interesting tool for the IT guru’s working at the heart of the technical platforms that keep a multitude of web applications up and running for us all.

They’ve launched Cloudkick Viz;  a simple tool that makes it simpler and easier to manage server infrastructure.

Now for the techy bit: Cloudkick Viz turns your browser into an interactive Network Operations Centre (NOC) which automatically pulls in the data from the servers you’ve connected to Cloudkick. Built with HTML5, canvas (an element of HTML5 that allows dynamic rendering of shapes and images), and JavaScript this is the first cloud monitoring system in the world that runs in real-time in tune with your servers.

To make it even easier to use it’s all displayed in a nice 3D graph that rotates around a central axis: check out the live demo here

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May 13 2010
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3D, new technology

3D filming in your hand

The ongoing 3D debate is growing as more ways of enjoying it come to the market, and just as we’re getting our heads around the viewing side of it, ways of recording it are going main-stream.

The latest development is 3D recording on your phone! ‘What?’ I hear you say, it’s true, already the first to launch a 3D TV Sharp have jumped even further ahead of everyone else and are planning to launch the world’s first 3D camera module for mobiles and hand-held cameras by the end of 2010.

The camera shoots 3D footage at 720p resolution (it handles both stills and video), we’ve yet to see what level of production quality we can expect but demo versions are set to hit us by the summer so watch this space.

Sharp is also in charge of developing the 3D screens for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS and plans to produce a whole range of 3D devices before the end of the year.

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Apr 28 2010
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Fun Stuff, new technology

I want one of these

Veho HD Slim camcorder

No wonder YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world when the creation of video is so simple. The latest gadget is this super slim Veho pocket HD camera retailing at just £99.00.

It’s stylish and sleek, and it fits in the back pocket of my skinny jeans, perfect for a night out or just to carry round ‘in case’. The picture quality is fab (haven’t decided whether that’s a good thing or not yet) but with an 8 x digital zoom, anti wobble (or stabilisation if you prefer) detection and motion predictive features it makes creating your own short film a breeze.

It will take stills too, even store your fave tunes and once you’re done you can connect it straight to your TV or computer for viewing pleasure or ‘selective editing’.

Budding Spielberg’s’ there’s really no excuse now.

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Apr 26 2010
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new technology, social networking

Blip in the transaction

Blippy, the latest product from Twitter, has encountered some issues in the early days of it’s launch.

Featuring stores such as, iTunes, Amazon, Zappos, Blockbuster and eBay, Blippy provides tweets on who spent what and where…

To add to the seemingly pointless nature of Blippy if you do decide to share your purchase details you could be sharing more than you bargained for as credit card details were found through Google search on Friday, after a data leak…

Rather than who bought what, I think I’d be asking myself why and who cares?

That said it could be a useful awareness building tool for brands if it does take off… maybe.

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Apr 22 2010
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new technology, social networking

facebook like

buttons seem to be popping up everywhere, are the days of ‘becoming a fan’ numbered? I feel that the new ‘like’ buttons are much easier to use and less imposing.

The ‘Like’ button enables users to make connections to pages you’ve created and share the content with their friends back on Facebook all with just one click.

There are two versions of the button, a basic one is available via a simple iframe you can drop into your page easily. A more complex ‘Like’ button is available via the <fb:like> XFBML tag. This version allows users to add a comment as it is posted back to Facebook.

So what’s the verdict?

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Apr 20 2010
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Debates and Discussion points, Interesting stuff, new technology

What’s so great about the 4th generation iphone?

Whether through mishap or deliberate misplacement the 4th generation iphone has now been discovered and launch dates are on the horizon with the new and improved spec out there for all to know about.

According to reviews the new improved phone comes with a longer battery life, improved display screen, a ceramic outer shell (reported to improve reception) a torch/flashlight, and most importantly a forward facing camera which suggests video calls and ichat.

So what’s new? Apple aren’t the first to develop this technology, but then they weren’t the first to produce a touch screen mobile so why the hype?

Because even if the technology is the same as what’s out there and the device performs only equal (at best) to Google’s android or the latest HTC, it’ll look a darn sight sexier…

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Apr 19 2010
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Interesting stuff, new technology, social networking

Foursquare

The next step in social networking…?

Like all social networks, Foursquare is about interacting with friends, this certainly ticks all the boxes but adds an extra element too.

In the first instance you can invite your friends to join you through the app or use existing networks such as facebook and twitter, you can also find friends in your local area. In addition you can let your friends know where you are and read/ leave recommendations on the activity you’re partaking in.

It doesn’t stop there though, what’s different about Foursquare is that you get a gaming element added in too. As you leave reviews and recommendations you gain points, and as the points add up you work your way to a Mayor badge, which although doesn’t give you any particular power or ability to change local laws, does mean you receive offers and vouchers for your loyalty.

The technology supporting it seems pretty solid but we’re still waiting it for to catch on in the UK at the moment but I get the feeling there’s still a ‘big brother’ nervousness around location based apps (remember www.pleaserobme.com ?) scary or genius?

To learn more visit www.foursquare.com

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Apr 17 2010
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Interesting things on the vine, new technology

speccy 6 eyes

So the long awaited 3D TV is on the horizon with anticipated launch dates any time soon (samsung have a 10 day count down on their site as of today)

So what’s the hype all about? The first reviews are in and according to critics the idea is relatively positive and this is really the biggest thing since high definition. Park the flat picture, there’s an incredible depth to the image that sucks you into the drama making you feel a part of it, if you’ve seen Avatar you’ll have an idea of what the effects will be like (although developers are promising that this will be easier on the eye so you won’t get the headache that comes with it – bonus).

You’re looking at around £2-3k for something along the lines of a 50 inch Panasonic TC – P50VT20 but that comes with just one pair of active shutter glasses so everyone else gets the 2D version (unless you fork out an extra £100-£150 for each extra anticipated guest).

The main drawback at the moment is there’s very little 3D content available. Some TV’s will be accompanied by a smart 3D processor, able to take 2D content and convert it to 3D. This doesn’t deliver the clarity that you experience watching a 3D Blu-ray movie but it will mean you can take a step towards the 3D experience, unfortunately though most current experiences will be run from a demo disc… soooo how long until they’re a living room essential?

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