Sukriti's Blog » Did you say Technology???

Google Doodles… Heights of creativity!

Sukriti — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:56:17 +0000

Among the numerous little nitty-grittites in technology that we witness quite often these days, there are some that just leave us speechless. They just make you pause and wonder at the sheer creativity and technical brilliance which went into creating them. One such example is the Google Symbol or Logo, if one may call it, which changes almost every day. Everything about the different logos each day is just superlative. They always manage to win my heart and leave me in a little awe.

One such was the one created for 9th June 2011, and it was according to me, THE best one created till date! I am putting up some pictures of it with this post, to remind some of those who might have seen it.

When I first looked at it, I didn’t understand what was so special about it. I mean, it really was just a couple of strings placed here and there right! But then accidentally, I moved my mouse cursor over one of the strings and guess what….. a musical note played! And what note? A guitar note. So basically, the different strings in the logo, were different guitar strings, each playing a distinct musical note. I was so surprised and excited (I dunno why!) that I went ahead and experimented with all the strings to see what all sounds there were. And to make it a little more eve-catching, they’d associated colors with the different strings which got activated each time you played a string.

And while playing with it I discovered something more. You notice the little keyboard-like button just above the text box? When I clicked on it, it turned red in color. When clicked, consecutive keyboard keys produced the same variety of sounds produced by the different guitar strings on the picture, and the strings would still move and change color. And you know, with this new knowledge, I played ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’ through the “QWERTYU” keys…ain’t that neat!! This doodle was created on the 96th birthday of Les Paul, a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible.

Another interesting one was with the GOOGLE letters formed into clay balls and clay creatures. Created for Oct 12, 2011, this was on the birthday of Art Clokey, the man who pioneered stop motion clay animation. The google letters would take the shape of a live clay creature when the mouse would hover over it. Really cute and intelligent this one too!

To enjoy these doodle if u missed them, click on the following links (Disclaimer – The features mentioned herein may have slightly changed or updated) !!

http://www.google.com/logos/2011/lespaul.html

http://www.google.com/logos/

Lenovo’s laptops are the first to have eye-control ability

Sukriti — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:28:55 +0000

So according to an article I read recently, Lenovo and Tobii tech unveiled what they’re calling the “world’s first eye-controlled laptop,” on March 1st 2011. The idea is to add what the makers call a “truly natural interface” into everyday computing situations, allowing users of the laptop to control what happens in the UI using keyboard, mouse and where they glance on the screen–not entirely unlike the hand-eye-coordinated actions we do in non-computing environments. This taps into the current trend of natural user interfaces, and could change how you think about PCs.

Lenovo is exploiting Tobii tech in a very interactive way. The system is at heart just an infrared light source and a camera that observers a user’s eyes–by looking for reflective IR “glints” off your eyeballs. It combines that with clever software that works out where the eyes are positioned in space in front of the computer, and where they’re looking–translating the interpreted gaze into a corresponding position on the screen.

The result is that you can glance at an on-screen object like an icon and the system will pop up more info on that item. Maps can be scrolled or zoomed depending on the area of interest that you’re concentrating on, and more subtle UI events can be worked in to improve your workflow. These include things like dimming windows you’re not looking at, switching focus between windows based on which ones you what to see, and darkening the display if you’re not sitting looking at the machine.

Talk about user-friendly!!!

Talk about user-friendly

Google wrongly collected information people have sent over unencrypted wi-fi networks

Sukriti — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:37:44 +0000

Google admitted that it might have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) WiFi networks. The issue came to light after German authorities asked to audit the data the company’s Street View cars gathered as they took photos viewed on Google maps.

Google said during a review, that it found it had “been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open networks”.

Read the rest of this post…

So Nokia again sues Apple for patent infringement!!

Sukriti — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:36:31 +0000

Nokia, the world’s biggest cell phone manufacturer sues Apple Corp. after the announcement of the sale of the iPad Tablet computer in 9 other countries outside US.

Apple announces iPad tablet sale outside US on 28 May, and on 7 May the Nokia lawsuit come about patent infringement. Nokia has about 5 important technologies used for enhance speech to its credit, along with Data transmission and Antenna innovation for the compact devices, and Apple is using them in their iPad 3G and IPhone. The Cell Phone manufacturer also provided information about this case in their press release.

Read the rest of this post…

Zip Charge Quick Charger

Sukriti — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:38:32 +0000

With so many devices to tote around these days, making sure they have enough juice to run on is essential wherever we go. Unfortunately, that means packing a plethora of chargers to go, which surely goes a long way in adding the amount of weight you have to tote around. The Zipcharge Quick Charger aims to help you out with that, where it comes in the form of a rechargeable power stick that takes a mere 15 minutes of charging to provide your iPod with another 20 hours of audio playback, while you get 10 more hours of talk time. Now, these are all theoretical figures, so you might want to take it with a pinch of salt. How about a 60 second charge that offers 2 hours of playback on your iPod? Armed with a bunch of adaptor tips for virtually any portable gadget out there, the Zipcharge Quick Charger is going for £49.99.

Sidewinder – Another Wrist Mobile Phone

Sukriti — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:37:28 +0000

Here’s another hot wrist mobile phone – Sidewinder, designed by Susan Cho, whose idea was to create a multi-touch cell phone that a person could wear on his/her wrist.

Do you think, this might be the next stage in technological development? Unfortunately, the multi-touch technology has not reach the phase in which it could be used in a device with such a small interface. Nevertheless, Sidewinder watch phone is still worth mentioning .

The designer says that the watch phone has several menus and boasts a number of tools such as contacts, keypad, GPS, maps and other features that can be found today on smartphones. In addition, the Sidewinder incorporates multi-touch technology.

So go and watch at least instead of buying it.

Apple iPad

Sukriti — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:30:33 +0000

The recently-unveiled Apple iPad tablet computer, which comes at a time when most of the computer makers are attempting to strike a balance between “niftiness” and price point, has already started causing confusion among potential users – while some say that the iPad quite similar to the Amazon Kindle, others are terming it as an “iPod Touch on steroids.”

The tablet device has been much hyped, especially over the past few months, and boasts of some truly notable features; but what is most questionable about it is – which category of users is the device actually aimed at?

Featuring a 9.7-inch touchscreen, the iPad is equipped with a scaled-up version of the iPhone operating system; and it enables the users to surf the web via the Safari browser; play music using iTunes; view e-mail; and get around using Google Maps.

In addition, the iPad tablet also features an iBook application that facilitates the reading of electronic books; a photo-viewing tool; a notebook utility for meetings; and Apple’s address book application to keep a track of the contacts.

Despite the noteworthy features, the success or otherwise of the iPad depends largely on two main factors – firstly, whether the device can attract book lovers from the Amazon Kindle e-reader, which is far more economically-priced at $259 as compared to the iPad’s base model cost of $459; and secondly, whether it will entice full-fledged computer users to go in for the switchover!

Skype Brings Video Chat to Flat-Screen TVs

Sukriti — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:36:14 +0000

VoIP provider Skype has struck deals with two TV makers to offer over-the-Internet videoconferencing features to users. LG and Panasonic will release Web-connected TVs later this year which, combined with a separately sold webcam, will enable video chat from one’s living room. Skype also announced the availability of 720p HD video chat on its existing PC video call technology.

The makers of popular software that allows users to make free phone and video calls via the Internet announced new deals Tuesday with LG and Panasonic that put Skype inside new Web-connected versions of their HDTVs. Starting sometime in mid-2010, consumers who buy new Panasonic Viera TVs and LG sets with NetCast Access will be able to plug in special webcams (sold separately) and enjoy face-to-face conversations with family and friends.

Skype earned its reputation as a low-cost alternative to traditional phone calls via your PC, and that particular platform wasn’t ignored in Tuesday’s spate of announcements. The company also said it is now supporting 720p high-definition video calls over computers, and those attending this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will get a chance to check out new HD webcams from Skype partners faceVsion and In Store Solutions that do all the software encoding within the cameras.

Google Nexus unveiled!!

Sukriti — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:33:33 +0000

Google has officially unveiled the Nexus One smartphone, a handset running an advanced version of the Android operating system. The Nexus features an AMOLED display, a 1 GHz processor, and extensive speech input capabilities. The phone is available immediately either as an unlocked phone or with a two-year contract with T-Mobile. A Verizon version is expected soon.

The device hit the market in two versions Tuesday — an unlocked version that will run on any GSM network, and a subsidized one from T-Mobile.

In addition to standard high-end smartphone features such as an accelerometer, a global positioning system (GPS), and connectivity to social networks, the Nexus One offers three-dimensional (3-D) capabilities and voice-enablement in all its text fields.

“Smartphones like the Nexus One are really minicomputers,” pointed out Erick Tseng, Google’s Android product manager. “We wanted to push the capabilities of their high-end chipsets with 3-D capabilities.”

Take a look at its specifications here…

Adobe Digital Editions

Sukriti — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:36:14 +0000

This is the perfect software for people who love reading. I’m sure that many of you must have faced problems such as not being able to find the eBook versions of books which we can’t seem to find in printed versions or which are simply too expensive to buy. In situations as these, we wish that there was some way we could get our hands on one of the online versions of the books we’d been searching for. Here’s a software to help you do just that!

Adobe® Digital Editions software offers an engaging way to view and manage eBooks and other digital publications. Use it to download and purchase digital content, which can be read both online and offline. Transfer copy-protected eBooks from your personal computer to other computers or devices. Organize your eBooks into a custom library and annotate pages. Digital Editions also supports industry-standard eBook formats, including PDF/A and EPUB.

Some of the features of this software include:

Interface designed for digital reading
Fast, Free download and installation
Stand-alone installer
Content Portability
Support for different formats such as PDF, EPUB, a reflow-centric XHTML-based format
Multimedia support
Easy eBook creation and many more.