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3D printing experiment is being done in the space under zero gravity conditions at the ISS. If the experiment is successful, we'll soon see a new era of manufacturing parts in the space. 3D print will use extrusion additive manufacturing that builds objects layer by later from polymers and other materials. NASA and a California based firm 'Mad In Space' have joined hands to begin the experiment in the next year. It'd be the first 3D microgravity experiment to be carried out in the International Space Station.
One of the aims of the experiment will be to test the technology to reduce cargo weight and volume. In future, the astronauts will be able to print the tools or components they need while in space. NASA believes in the potential of 3D printing technology and believes that one day, it will allow humans to manufacture entire spaceship in the space. This would eliminate the design constraints caused by the launch-related restrictions.
The importance of 3D printing technology is growing every day. NASA believes that this technology will be incredibly useful in our mission to send humans to Mars.
Alongside the Acer Iconia W3 Tablet, the Taipei based Taiwanese manufacturer has also launched a first-of-its-kind phablet called the 'Acer Liquid S1'. Designed to be your companion in travel, the huge 5.7" HD (1280 x 720 pixel resolution) screen is supposed to help you increase your productivity levels on-the-go. A 'mobile wireless office' is how Acer describes its self-proclaimed phablet. And if or not rightfully so, this smartphone-tablet combo has support for dual SIM cards and is running over the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Powered by a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, Acer thinks, and we try to believe, that the phablet's battery sustains a day full of usage.
The company has tried to fit-in a lot many features of its own to make its product appealing for the users who love to multi-task and want to do a lot more with their phone other than making-receiving calls or playing games. The support for AcerCloud Docs lets the business people wirelessly retrieve their files and Acer Remote Files makes sure that users can also remotely access files from their main PC. Th Acer Float User Interface has been set up to allow using several app windows at once. Moreover, by just pressing a key Float Apps shortcut springs up and then the apps on a translucent screen float over the function being used. Other than that, there's a Float Caller notification that pops up when you get an incoming call, while the Acer Auto Profile makes sure you don't have to fiddle with the network settings. Especially when you are at a frequently visited location, Liquid S1 switched among the predefined profiles for networks.
If those features have failed to impress you, let us take you through the mundane routine of the general tech specs - Along with support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G, while the photo taking, video recording is made possible using the rear camera, the the front camera with 88° wide viewing angle plus the 24 mm lens can capture Wide Front Shot and do the video calling back home. Thanks to Voice Unlock, users will be able to directly open the apps or interfaces by recording and using personal voice commands. Coming to the audio - there is Studio Sound for an extra-wide stereo image with DTS Studio Sound. The 2-way Live Screen app means users can invite friends for temporary live group sharing.
As Acer puts it, the phone is designed minimally for the target audience of "assertive businesspeople and passionate explorers". And if that involves you, you should know that the Acer Liquid S1 comes in two colors - matte black or white. Starting to ship from third quarter of 2013, the phablet will be available in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, UK and Germany, followed by Spain and Italy. There's no official word about the exact release date or about the U.S. Launch. At a price of €349 (approx. Rs. 26,000), do you think this phone reaches anywhere in the best buy bracket? Let us know your reactions in comments below.
The budget-restrained techies have got something really exciting to look forward to. ARM, the mobile processor design giant, is foraying into the mid-range smartphone segment where they've kept a selling target of 580 million devices by 2015. To tone up that segment of $250-$350 prized smarts, the company is developing the ARM Cortex-A12 CPU design that houses future chips to look after your processing requirements while ARM Mali-622 GPU and ARM Mali-V500 video processor shall cater to your graphic needs.
The basic aim for designing these chips into the mid-range devices is to expand all content creation work like video editing, adding special effects creation in photographs, etc in the budget-friendly segment as well. Not only these, but features like natural language processing, handwriting recognition and hardware-based security that's presently enjoyed on high-end models shall be making its way in mid-range too, thus offering the best of both worlds to the customer.
The mid-range chips shall be so designed that they'll also offer a better display pixel resolution, better battery life, better camera quality, increased storage and memory plus additional sophisticated technology. And Cortex A-12's energy-efficient tag makes it the most obvious choice for its inclusion in mid-range smartphones. With support from ARM POP technology and the ARM Development Studio 5 toolchain, ARM partners can deliver smartphones and tablets with higher efficiency and reduced time to market. According to ARM, Cortex-A12 CPU gives 40% better performance as compared to Cortex-A9, while the ARM Mali-T622 GPU is smaller and 50% more energy efficient than Mali-T600 series graphics chips. Mali-V500 video processor supports HD (1080p) processing and is the first ARM design ever to support TrustZone secure video, which offers anti-piracy benefits to video distributors, and disallows protected videos to be decoded/streamed on phone. The chips are expected to be incorporated into mobile devices mid-2014 onwards.
With the power in their hands to be backing the 580 million mid-range mobile devices over the next two years, while keeping in mind the fact that the mid-range market is projected to exceed the number of premium smartphones and tablets beginning in 2015, ARM Architecture is sure taking steps in the right direction. And for the consumers who don't care about flagship devices and are willing to wait till mid 2014, this news could definitely mean something significant. What say you?
Continuing our Computex coverage, we have ASUS debuting its two Desktop PCs G10 and M51 with fourth generation (Haswell) Intel Core i7 processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics. But the feature that makes these features standout is the ASUS Power Pack. The ASUS Power Pack is a removable battery that acts like a mini UPS for the PC providing 25 seconds of power backup and after the 25 seconds it automatically deploys hibernate mode to save the user session. This Power Pack can also be removed from the desktop to act like a portable rechargeable battery pack for smartphones and tablets.
For enhancing the gaming experience the G10 has been equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX680 graphics with 3D Vision Surround capable of supporting up to four monitors at once. It also has indicator LEDs to show the operational state of any attached USB storage device. For audiophiles, ASUS has enhanced audio with SonicMaster technology and provided its AudioWizard interface that allows custom sound settings.
ASUS G10 Desktop PC
Both these PCs come with ASUS Smart Cooling System that automatically controls the fan speed to achieve the perfect balance between cooling and noise reduction. ASUS Universal Storage Module hot-swap drive bay makes for easy and fast data sharing. Front mounted USB 3.0 ports with Ai Charger technology for rapid charging of mobile devices. The M51 also comes with an additional wireless charging tray.
ASUS M51 Desktop PC
We are still waiting on the availability and pricing details but it can be safely assumed that it will be on the pricey side.
Update – According to reports from Engadget, The G10 comes with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD paired with a 128GB SSD. An in terms of connectivity it has a 16-in-1 memory card reader, a DVD burner, six USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 connections, HDMI-out, DVI-D and VGA. And it would make its way to shelves in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2013.
Computex, Taiwan has made sure that gadgets enthusiasts get a wider choice of products. So continuing our focus on ASUS and confirming last week rumors, Let’s check out the two Android tablets from ASUS one by one.
MeMO Pad HD 7
This 7inch tablet runs the slightly older Android 4.0 on an ARM Cortex A7 quad-core CPU with 1GB of RAM. The 7 inch display has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels with IPS to provide 170 degree viewing angles. For photography it comes with a 1.2 MP front camera and an optional 5 MP rear camera on high end models. Keeping up with times the tablet comes with stereo speakers with ASUS SonicMaster audio technology for an added punch. ASUS is also claiming that the lithium polymer battery (mAh unspecified) will be able to provide 10 hours 720p video playback. Taking lessons from the drawbacks of the Nexus 7, ASUS has provided a microSD slot and micro USB socket this time. The models will be available in 8GB and 16GB capacity with a price tag of 129 USD (7,315 INR) and 149 USD (8,450 INR) from July 2013 respectively in four colour variants of black, white, pink and green. Users will also be getting 16GB ASUS WebStorage free for one year.
ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10
The latest addition to the MeMo Pad series is the ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10. This 10 inch Android 4.2 Jelly Bean tablet runs on a 1.6 Intel Atom Z2560 (Clover Trail+) with 2GB RAM. As the name FHD suggests, it has a Full HD IPS display of 1920 x 1200 pixels capable of HD playback and HD video recording with help of its 5MP rear camera. On the front it comes with a 1.2 MP snapper. The 9.5 mm thick tablet is powered by a 25Wh battery capable of providing 10 hours of 720p video playback. Connectivity options include 802.11a/b/g/n, GPS and GLONASS navigation. The ‘micro-weave finish’ of the product is complemented by its four color variants of Royal Blue, Silk White, and Vivid Pink. The product will be available in 16 GB or 32 GB models at an undisclosed price from September 2013. The company also throws in a 5GB of free lifetime ASUS WebStorage.
MeMO Pad Accessories
To add value to the above two devices, ASUS also unveiled two covers. A TransCover for both the devices acts like a prop up stand for the tablet and a Persona Cover only for the 7 inch MeMo Pad to act as a back cover.
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