GPS will be in all mobile devices in five years, study suggests
ABI Research has released a report that forecasts the integration of GPS into every mobile device within five years. The report attributes this development to the low cost of GPS chip sets, GPS modernization, and the new Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and predicts that 900 million GPS units will be in use by 2013.
World’s smallest touch screen device debuts at CES
Test versions of the Neonode N2 smartphone (neonode.com) were released to the press at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. The N2’s amazingly small size (1.88 x 3.08 x .6 inches) and customized user interface make it perhaps the most unique and innovative device to be introduced so far this year. The N2 weighs a mere 2.6 ounces and has a 2-inch (176 x 220) touch screen. Below the screen is a joystick, as well as an antenna loop that also functions as a lanyard clip. The device runs on Windows CE 5.0 and uses a unique user interface designed by Neonode; other features include a miniSD slot, a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and music and video players. The smartphone Internet connection runs on the slower GPRS standard, but it is a quad-band GSM phone that will be sold unlocked through a U.S. carrier yet to be named.
Toshiba announces new line of 1.8-inch disk drives
Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) has announced a new line of hard disk drives (HDD) for PCs and handheld devices. The line includes 80 GB and 60 GB models for ultra-mobile PCs and portable handheld devices. The lightweight and thin (5 mm) HDDs are targeted for use in a variety of handheld devices, including camcorders and digital cameras.
New nanowire battery holds 10 times the charge of current ones
Researchers at Stanford have developed a new method of using silicon nanowires in lithium-ion batteries that produces 10 times the charge of existing Li-ion batteries. The silicon in typical batteries tends to pulverize during the expand/shrink process of charging and discharging. Nanowires avoid this fracturing problem due to their extremely thin shape (one-thousandth the thickness of a sheet of paper), thus greatly enhancing the battery’s performance. The new batteries could be used in anything from laptops and cell phones to electric cars.
Contigo GPS tracking system helps recover stolen items
Contigo’s assisted-GPS technology has aided law enforcement officials in tracking down and recovering stolen goods as well as breaking up theft rings. So far, the GPS solutions have helped recover $125,000 in stolen items, including high-end air conditioners, in which GPS beacons were hidden and then tracked. The system has helped track down stolen items from San Francisco to Dallas and into Illinois.
Pizza Hut introduces mobile ordering
Pizza Hut has rolled out a new mobile ordering service that allows customers to order from any of its 6,200 outlets nationwide. Orders can be placed via text message or the mobile Web. The other top chains, Domino’s and Papa John’s, have also invested in online and mobile ordering. Pizza Hut hopes to earn half of its revenue from orders placed from computers or cell phones within five years.
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