Donghee Son and Jongha Lee - Wearable sensors have until now been unable to store data locally.
Researchers have created a wearable device that is as thin as a
temporary tattoo and can store and transmit data about a person’s
movements, receive diagnostic information and release drugs into skin.
Similar efforts to develop ‘electronic skin’ abound, but the device
is the first that can store information and also deliver medicine —
combining patient treatment and monitoring. Its creators, who report
their findings today in Nature Nanotechnology1, say that the technology could one day aid patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy.
The
researchers constructed the device by layering a package of stretchable
nanomaterials — sensors that detect temperature and motion, resistive
RAM for data storage, microheaters and drugs — onto a material that
mimics the softness and flexibility of the skin. The result was a sticky
patch containing a device roughly 4 centimetres long, 2 cm wide and 0.3
millimetres thick, says study co-author Nanshu Lu, a mechanical
engineer at the University of Texas in Austin.
“The novelty is really in the integration of the memory device,” says
Stéphanie Lacour, an engineer at the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology in Lausanne, who was not involved in the work. No other
device can store data locally, she adds.
The trade-off for that memory milestone is that the device works only if
it is connected to a power supply and data transmitter, both of which
need to be made similarly compact and flexible before the prototype can
be used routinely in patients. Although some commercially available
components, such as lithium batteries and radio-frequency identification
tags, can do this work, they are too rigid for the soft-as-skin brand
of electronic device, Lu says.
Even if softer components were available, data transmitted wirelessly
would need to be converted into a readable digital format, and the
signal might need to be amplified. “It’s a pretty complicated system to
integrate onto a piece of tattoo material,” she says. “It’s still pretty
far away.”
Apple has just released the iBeacon specifications for everyone who is a member of the MFi program,
Apple’s program for hardware partners (“Made for iPhone program”,
etc.). You’ll have to sign an NDA to read the specifications. BEEKn
first spotted the news. The company also reiterates that you can’t use
the iBeacon brand without prior consent. You have to register to the MFi
program, submit a request and get approved by Apple. It’s free for now.
As a reminder, iBeacon is an indoor positioning system based on
Bluetooth Low Energy. Many iOS and Android devices now come with
Bluetooth Low Energy, so they are all theoretically compatible with
iBeacon. iBeacon is particularly interesting for retailers. They can buy
a beacon (such as the Estimote pictured above) and use it for proximity interactions.
For instance, merchants can send a push notification to smartphone
users when they get close to a particular product. It can also be used
for payment systems to detect who is in your store. There are countless
of possibilities — it’s just the beginning.
iBeacon is just a particular implementation of Bluetooth Low Energy.
Devices broadcast a Bluetooth LE signal, and iPhones download data when
they are close to a beacon. It also works with Android phones, and Apple
apparently doesn’t want to stop that.
Yet, iBeacon is a registered trademark and Apple can decide what to
do. For now, developers who sign up to the MFi program, request to use
the iBeacon name, and conform to the Apple standard can use the brand
for free. iBeacon devices will mostly be B2B devices for shop owners,
trade show staffs and more.
Think of it like the “Made for iPhone” brand. Dock manufacturers can
build a speaker that works with Android and iOS phones. They put the
little “Made for iPhone” stickers. It means that Apple certifies that it
will work well with iPhones. The iBeacon brand works the same way for
beacons.
Your old phones and tablets don’t have to become e-waste. They can do
real work as repurposed sidekicks for your PC. Think of them as bonus
touchscreen displays and you’ll begin to see the possibilities. They
just need to be plugged in, wiped of unneeded apps and notifications,
and they’re ready to serve as desktop companions. Here are some of the
best ways to reuse that old tech.
Turn your tablet into a second monitor
One simple way to get some extra mileage out of an old tablet is to turn
it into a dedicated PC monitor. Even with just 7-inch tablet, you can
use the extra screen to keep an eye on instant messages, email, or
social networks. If you’re working with photos, video or music, the
second screen could even serve as a dedicated space for toolbars. It’s
also an easy second screen to pack up and take with you.
I suggest Air Display, a $10 app for iOS andAndroid that connects to your main computer over Wi-Fi. (A $5 app called iDisplay
also supports USB connections on Android devices, but I had trouble
getting it to work on a 2012 Nexus 7.) You may also want to pick up a
cheap tablet stand, such as this one.
Use your phone as an air mouse or dictation tool
If you need a break from hunching
over your desk, a spare smartphone can serve as a touchscreen mouse for
your PC. All you need is a remote mouse app that communicates with a
companion desktop app over Wi-Fi.
On the iPhone, Mobile Mouse
is a fine option that supports gestures such as two-finger scrolling.
You can add gyroscopic air mouse controls by upgrading to the $2 Pro version. Mobile Mouse’s Android version isn’t quite as slick, so for that platform I recommend Unified Remote instead.
Here’s a neat trick for either app: With your phone’s on-screen keyboard, use the microphone key for voice dictation on your PC.
Turn your tablet into a full-blown command center
With a little effort and a few bucks, your tablet can be more than just
an extra trackpad. The touch screen can also quickly launch applications
and execute commands faster than you can point and click with a mouse.
iPad users should check out Actions,
a $5 app that lets you create buttons for all the things you do most on
your PC. You can quickly launch a new window in Chrome, expose the
desktop, open the search bar, or control media playback. Just install
the companion server app for Windows or Mac and start shaving the
minutes off your work routine.
For Android, the premium version of Unified Remote
comes close to what Actions offers, even if it isn’t as snazzy. The $4
upgrade gives access to lots of app-specific control panels, plus a way
to create your own panels.
Set up a small file server with battery backup
In terms of raw storage, an old phone or tablet can’t compare to a
networked hard drive. But it’s good enough for documents or a small
number of media files—especially if you can pop in a microSD card for
extra capacity. Plus, mobile devices can hum along for days on battery
power, so you can still get to your files even if someone shuts off your
computer. Think of it as do-it-yourself cloud storage, without the
cloud.
To transfer files onto your phone or tablet, you could just plug it into
your PC and drag-and-drop. Or you could go the automated route: Install
BitTorrent Sync on your PC and your phone, and use the “sync folders” option to back up whatever folders you want.
The easiest way to access Android files remotely is with AirDroid. Install the app on your phone and create a login (or just sign in with your Google account), then visit web.airdroid.com
from any browser. After signing in, you’ll be able to access your
phone’s file directory and snag anything you need. (Just make sure to
disable “power saving mode” in AirDroid’s settings first.)
Create a desktop calculator or document scanner
Tapping digits on a touch screen is easier than pointing and clicking on your PC’s built-in calculator program. (PCalc for iOS and Real Calc for Android are both free for basic calculations, and you can upgrade to paid versions if you need more features.)
As long as you’re making up for missing peripherals, you can also use
your phone as a document scanner. CamScanner, available for both iOS and Android, is loaded with features, and you can try it for free. The paid version costs $5 per month on both platforms.
Dedicate it to calls and video chats
If you’re working on a small laptop or an older PC with limited
processing power, you may want to offload Skype calls, Google Hangouts,
or other video chat applications to a separate phone or tablet. That
way, you can free up your PC’s resources—and its screen—for taking notes
or pulling up reference files. This one’s easy: All you need is a phone
or tablet with a front-facing camera and a cheap stand or monitor
mount. (You could also MacGyver your own phone stand or monitor mount for practically nothing.)
Create minimalist writing/sketching station
The lack of a windowing system on iOS and Android can be a burden for
serious work, but sometimes a break from multitasking can help you
focus. Grab a cheap Bluetooth keyboard if you want, and dedicate a spot
in your office for writing without distractions. A good note-taking app that syncs online, such as Evernote or the Android-only Google Keep, is especially useful, since whatever you write will be waiting for you when you get back to your computer.
Of course, a text editor isn’t the only tool you could have at your disposal. You could also install a diagram app, such as Lucidchart or Idea Sketch, or grab a pressure-sensitive stylus for free-form sketching.
The advantage of
repurposing an older device is that you can completely dedicate it to
the task. There’s nothing stopping you from using a brand-new phone or
tablet for any of these purposes, however. Check out PCWorld’s guide to 13 highly productive Android appsthat play nice with your PC.
Qualcomm is getting high on 64-bit chips with its fastest ever
Snapdragon processor, which will render 4K video, support LTE Advanced
and could run the 64-bit Android OS.
The new Snapdragon 810 is the company’s “highest performing” mobile chip
for smartphones and tablets, Qualcomm said in a statement. Mobile
devices with the 64-bit chip will ship in the first half of next year,
and be faster and more power-efficient. Snapdragon chips are used in
handsets with Android and Windows Phone operating systems, which are not
available in 64-bit form yet.
The Snapdragon 810 is loaded with the latest communication and graphics
technologies from Qualcomm. The graphics processor can render 4K (3840 x
2160 pixel) video at 30 frames per second, and 1080p video at 120
frames per second. The chip also has an integrated modem that supports
LTE and its successor, LTE-Advanced, which is emerging.
The 810 also is among the first mobile chips to support the latest
low-power LPDDR4 memory, which will allow programs to run faster while
consuming less power. This will be beneficial, especially for tablets,
as 64-bit chips allow mobile devices to have more than 4GB of memory,
which is the limit on current 32-bit chips.
The quad-core chip has a mix of high-power ARM Cortex-A57 CPU cores for
demanding tasks and low-power A53 CPU cores for mundane tasks like
taking calls, messaging and MP3 playback. The multiple cores ensure more
power-efficient use of the chip, which helps extend battery life of
mobile devices.
The company also introduced a Snapdragon 808 six-core 64-bit chip. The
chips will be among the first made using the latest 20-nanometer
manufacturing process, which is an advance from the 28-nm process used
to make Snapdragon chips today.
Qualcomm now has to wait for Google to release a 64-bit version of
Android for ARM-based mobile devices. Intel has already shown mobile
devices running 64-bit Android with its Merrifield chip, but most mobile
products today run on ARM processors. Qualcomm licenses Snapdragon
processor architecture and designs from ARM.
Work for 64-bit Android is already underway,
and applications like the Chrome browser are already being developed
for the OS. Google has not officially commented on when 64-bit Android
would be released, but industry observers believe it could be announced at the Google I/O conference in late June.
Qualcomm spokesman Jon Carvill declined to comment on support for 64-bit
Android. But the chips are “further evidence of our commitment to
deliver top-to-bottom mobile 64-bit leadership across product tiers for
our customers,” Carvill said in an email.
Qualcomm’s chips are used in some of the world’s top smartphones, and
will appear in Samsung’s Galaxy S5. A Qualcomm executive in October last year called
Apple’s A7, the world’s first 64-bit mobile chip, a “marketing
gimmick,” but the company has moved on and now has five 64-bit chips
coming to medium-priced and premium smartphones and tablets. But no
64-bit Android smartphones are available yet, and Apple has a headstart
and remains the only company selling a 64-bit smartphone with its iPhone
5S.
The 810 supports HDMI 1.4 for 4K video output, and the Adreno 430
graphics processor is 30 percent faster on graphics performance and 20
percent more power efficient than the older Adreno 420 GPU. The graphics
processor will support 55-megapixel sensors, Qualcomm said. Other chip
features include 802.11ac Wi-Fi with built-in technology for faster
wireless data transfers, Bluetooth 4.1 and a processing core for
location services.
The six-core Snapdragon 808 is a notch down on performance compared to
the 810, and also has fewer features. The 808 supports LTE-Advanced, but
can support displays with up to 2560 x 1600 pixels. It will support
LPDDR3 memory. The chip has two Cortex-A57 CPUs and four Cortex-A53
cores.
The chips will ship out to device makers for testing in the second half of this year.