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China to Launch Lunar Satellite in September 2007-05-22 08:08:00 The Chinese space program plans on launching a lunar satellite later this yearThe ambitious Chinese space program plans to launch the Chang'e 1 orbiter in September -- the first of three steps towards having moon samples brought back to Earth. Assuming the Chang'e 1 is able to successfully orbit the moon, it will then be sent on a mission to land on one of several designated zones of the lunar surface. Officials hope Chang'e will send 3D images of the moon's surface back to Earth, along with studying lunar microwaves and estimating the thickness of soil on the moon's surface.Phase one of the mission is to launch the probe to orbit the moon, which will take place later this year; phase two is to land on the lunar surface to take samples of the lunar surface; in phase three, another orbiter will land and take lunar and soil samples before heading back to Earth.The moon rover mission would be launched in 2012, assuming everything else goes according to plan."The moon probe project is ...

IBM Unleashes 4.7 GHz POWER6 Microprocessor 2007-05-22 08:03:00 IBM claims to be launched the world's fastest chip for UNIX serversIBM just launched the dual-core 64-bit POWER6 processor running at 4.7 GHz, which doubles the speed of the previous generation POWER5 while using nearly the same amount of electricity to run and cool it.The POWER6 processor is a result of a five-year R&D period, is composed of 790 million transistors and is built using IBM?s 65nm process technology. IBM scientists targeted the way instructions are executed inside the chip to improve performance. For example, in the POWER6, the number of pipeline stages ? the chunks of operations that must be completed in a single cycle of clock time ? are kept static, but each stage is made faster, removing unnecessary work and doing more in parallel. As a result, execution time is reduced. Earlier this year, IBM hinted that its new POWER6 architecture may hit frequencies higher than 5 GHz. The POWER6 chip has a total cache size of 8 MB per chip ? four times the POWER5 chip ? to keep p ...

80GB PlayStation 3 Bound for South Korea 2007-05-21 13:17:00 The roomiest PS3 yet will hit Korea on June 16Unlike the Xbox 360, the 2.5-inch hard disk drive inside the PlayStation 3 can be upgraded by the user at any time. Sony?s Korean division appears to be well aware of this, and according to official information posted on the PlayStation Korea website, the territory will be getting an 80GB hard drive inside the machine when it launches June 16. Neither the 20 GB nor the 60 GB PS3 consoles will be available in South Korea.Rumblings of this first came in March when Sony filed with the FCC papers describing a PlayStation 3 with an 80 GB hard drive inside. Sony did not confirm nor deny the plans for an 80 GB unit at that time, saying only, ?As mentioned when we made the product announcement for PS3, the system will have different configurations (thus, 60GB HDD with memory card slots and Wi-Fi and 20GB HDD without memory card slots or Wi-Fi both exist). Application to the FCC has been made with various possibilities in mind, however, it does not ... Playstation

BYB Balance Cell Phone 2007-05-21 12:53:00 Balance is an authentic luxury-smartphone. Up to now, these two categories (luxury and smart) have diverged, and few well-executed alternatives exist. The choice of material (titanium and stainless steel) and its mechanism (a shell-slide solution) impart exclusivity to the phone, while its features satisfy the most exigent business and multimedia requirements. The 45 x 73.5 x 10.25 mm concept combines the advantages of shell- and slider phones; when placed inside a pocket, the phone?s two inner touch-sensitive screens are protected, its storage therefore requiring no special attention. Flipped over, however, the advantages of the slider can be fully made use of, while in desk stand mode, the phone can be used as a clock or a digital photo frame, without the aid of a separate stand. The phone can be operated in multiple ways, either via the touchscreen displays (main - 2.8 inch , 400 x 240 pixel, 262K TFT), or with the help of the buttons located around them. Furthermore, the MindPad - ... Cell Phone

Electronic Go (Chinese Chess) Board 2007-05-21 12:49:00 Simulate playing Go (a strategic board game for two players) wherever whenever with a touch of technology. The styling uses the traditional calligraphy and painting of the open-book system and the OLED board can be rolled up like a scroll and conveniently transported. Endless entertainment.Designer: Tommy Chen ...

Keychain Pocket Watch 2007-05-21 12:45:00 Keys are central to moving and arriving. Whether for your car, motorcycle, house or office, keys are inseparably linked to getting somewhere on time, so the ISI Pocket Watch unites a keychain with an unpretentious digital timepiece. Its cube form is both appealing and functional, and by simply pulling the cord, it displays the time even in total darkness. The digital display is housed in a semitransparent cube measuring 20mm square and the time is only visible when the cord is gently pulled. A separate turned aluminum holder houses two button cell batteries to power the clock. Designer: Francisco Cubides ...

Tedious Rubik?s Cube MP3 Player Concept 2007-05-21 12:32:00 Several companies have spent the past 6 or 7 years improving and streamlining the interfaces of MP3 players with touch sensitive wheels, strips and screens so maybe it?s time to start heading in the other direction.This concept MP3 player by designer Hee Yong is based on the popular Rubik?s Cube puzzle and requires a bit of thinking to operate. To turn it on you simply need to start playing with the cube and each layer has a different function like play, pause or skip. I assume you need to properly align certain columns or rows to get it to do what you want and of course the only way to turn the player off is to complete the puzzle.Somehow I don?t think they need to rush out and patent their design.By Andrew Liszewski ...

AMD "Puma" Mobile Platform Details Unveiled 2007-05-20 21:03:00 AMD prepares to take on Centrino with more power saving featuresAMD is preparing to take on Intel?s Centrino, current Santa Rosa and upcoming Montevina, platforms with the next-generation Puma mobile platform. At the heart of Puma is AMD?s next-generation Griffin-core 65nm mobile processor, ready to take on Intel?s Core 2 Duo with a power saving vengeance. Griffin is a dual-core mobile processor geared towards enhanced performance without sacrificing battery life. AMD?s Griffin features extensive power saving characteristics, more so than its upcoming Barcelona-family, such as an improved split power plane. The split power plane supported by Griffin allows the memory controller and each processor core to operate with independent voltages. Griffin?s DDR2 memory controller also features an improved DRAM pre-fetcher and enhancements in efficiency. With the split power planes, the memory controller?s power plane operates at a lower voltage than the two CPU cores. AMD's Technical Director ...

Samsung, LG Philips Showcase More AMOLED Displays 2007-05-20 20:55:00 Samsung and LG announce new active matrix organic light emitting diode displaysSamsung SDI and LG Philips LCD separately announced new active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays. LG Philips announced the development of the world's first full-color, flexible AMOLED that uses amorphous silicon (a-Si) technology, while Samsung announced the mass production of its new ultra-thin displays.The Samsung AMOLED display touts a 2.2-inch screen at a 320x240 resolution, 262, 000 color reproduction, a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, with a 100% NTSC color gamut, and a life span of around 50,000 hours when set at 200cd/m2 brightness. The display also has a thickness of 0.52-mm.While the LG Philips display holds the same resolution as the Samsung model, this model can reproduce 16.77 million colors. This 4-inch display stands at a thickness of 150-nm, barely thicker than a human hair. Its durability and protection against heat is due to a stainless metal foil substrate, improving the manu ... Samsung

Dell to Release Tablet PC in Q3 2007-05-20 20:52:00 Dell on Tablet PCs: "We're coming!"Dell has been sitting on the sidelines as companies like Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, Gateway and Lenovo have embraced the Tablet PC form-factor. Dell will no longer sit on the bench and instead will get into the game the latter half of 2007.The company posted a short minute-long video on its Direct2Dell blog site which discusses its new Latitude XT Tablet PC. The Latitude XT will be marketed at the education, medical and corporate sectors according to Dell's Jeff Clark.Clark notes that the device will be one of the lightest Tablets in its class and will feature advances in the touch-screen interface to make it more practical to use. The prototype that Clark showed off in the video features a 12.1" widescreen display running Windows Vista. All of the usual connectivity options are there including Bluetooth and WiFi along with a fingerprint scanner.Thankfully, the Latitude will be based on Intel's Santa Rosa-based Centrino Pro platform. That means tha ... Dell

Honda's 68MPG FCX Fuel-Cell Sedan to See Limited Service in '08 2007-05-20 12:17:00 Honda promises limited consumer trials of its FCX in Japan and the United States along with a new sub $25k hybridHonda's hydrogen fuel-cell based FCX prototype has been making the rounds on the auto show circuit for quite some time now. Honda is looking to trade-in the bright lights and show floor turntable for bumper-to-bumper traffic and left lane hogs with a production version of the four-door sedan.Honda won't say just how many of the vehicles they will make available to John Q. Public, but there are only 20 current-generation Honda fuel-cell prototypes traveling America?s roads. Most are being used by government fleets, while just two are in the hands of actual consumers who lease them for $500 USD per month. "The consumer focus is where we need to put more attention," stated Steve Ellis, a fuel-cell marketing manager for Honda. "We started with fleets, added a few consumers, now we're going to swing the pendulum."Honda's FCX prototype uses a 95kW (127HP) electric motor which ...

Update: Proposed Senate Bill Calls For Increased Fuel Economy, Auto Industry Cringes 2007-05-20 12:14:00 The auto industry says that a proposed Senate bill has requirement that are unattainableIt seems that while traffic congestion has gotten progressively worse over the past ten years, Americans have had a hankering for going nowhere faster. Fuel economy numbers haven't increased nearly as much as horsepower has in today's vehicles.Your garden variety family sedans are now considered underpowered if they don't have at least a 250HP engine available on the option sheet. The Toyota Camry, America's best-selling car, is available with a 3.5 liter V6 engine putting out 263HP and can blast 0-60 in the low six second range. The V6-powered Camry is rated at 19/28 (highway/city), under the new 2008 EPA mileage ratings.Chrysler is no stranger to high horsepower sedans, either. The company's Chrysler 300C and Dodge Charger R/T come equipped with 5.7 liter 340HP Hemi V8 engines (15/23) -- if that isn't enough, the 6.1 liter 300 SRT-8 and Charger SRT-8 pump out 425HP (13/18).America's thirst ...

Chrysler Jumps on Hybrid Bandwagon With Aspen, Durango 2007-05-20 12:10:00 Yes, it still has a HEMIChrysler doesn't want to be left out in the development of hybrid vehicles and is racing to get two full-size SUV hybrids out the door in 2008. Chrysler's first hybrid vehicles available in North America will come in the form of the Dodge Durango and it's blinged out counterpart: the Chrysler Aspen.Both SUVs will feature the infamous 5.7 liter V8 HEMI engine with Multi-displacement System (MDS) and a two-mode hybrid system. The hybrid system was developed in conjunction with General Motors and the BMW Group.Power will come from the electric motors alone, the 5.7 liter HEMI engine or any combination of the two. In addition, two electronic continuously variable transmission (ECVT) modes as well as a transmission with four forward gears are also available. "The all-new Chrysler Group HEMI Hybrid will offer our customers the best of both worlds: renowned performance and significantly improved fuel economy," said Frank Klegon, Executive VP of Product Development f ... Hybrid

Acer Working With BMW Design House on New Notebooks 2007-05-20 12:05:00 Acer will soon have notebook computers with BMW 'flame surfacing'Personal computers and exotic cars do not appear to be closely related, but thanks to Acer, the two are married through Ferrari-branded notebook computers and LCD monitors. Soon, Acer will be getting another automotive brand in its computing garage.Acer is working with a BMW design house on an upcoming line up Aspire "Gemstone" notebooks, reports IDG. Unlike the Ferrari products, however, the BMW co-designed notebooks are aimed at the average consumer who is a little more sensitive to price and value.The new design is said to be curvaceous and sleek black, taking on some cues of the latest cars from BMW -- though it is unknown if Chris Bangle or Adrian van Hooydonk will have any influence on the design. Under the hood users will find advanced features for notebooks, such as an HD DVD drive and the requisite Dolby surround sound and HDMI port for outputting digital video.Rather than selling only a couple limited notebook ... Design

Nissan and NEC to Bring Lithium Ion Hybrids in 2009 2007-05-20 12:01:00 Nissan plans to "add lightness" by using Li-ion instead of NiMHCurrent hybrid vehicles on the road today run on nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries. Nissan and NEC plan to buck the trend and adapt lithium-ion battery technology into upcoming hybrid vehicles."Together Nissan and NEC's engineers have addressed the key challenges of cost, performance, safety and reliability. We believe that we have a breakthrough technology: the lithium-ion battery produce we will produce," Nissan executive vice-president Carlos Tavares said.Lithium-ion batteries are generally regarded as superior to nickel-metal hydride for higher capacities in smaller form factors. This will enable automakers to implement hybrid technology power source into a smaller and lighter package. Furthermore, weight savings afforded by lithium-ion technology will positively affect nearly all aspects of the vehicle?s characteristics."Co-development with Nissan has enabled a superior-class battery that we expect to spread ...