What to Expect from Google in the Nearest Future?

What to Expect from Google in the Nearest Future?
Google is not only a powerful search system, but also a huge company conducting new high-tech projects. Soon we will witness the creation of driver less cars, airships receiving Wi-Fi signals and other interesting technologies.

                                 Google Technologies

New Android based smartphone Moto X


Google has bought Motorola Mobility and became an owner of 24,000 patents and developments. Very soon Motorola Mobility will be ready to release new smartphone performing functions which competitors can’t offer to their customers. 

Driverless cars

Google has been piloting the project Driverless Car Program for several years. Representatives of the company are negotiating with the authorities about the resolution for testing «independent» cars. Only Nevada, and California gave their permission so far. Ten cars have already overcame 300,000 miles without a driver in test mode.


Medicine projects

Google owns part of the Adimab company, developing a system aimed to diagnose and cure various diseases. The companies have set a goal to invent small sensors that are engaged in searching and optimization of antibodies produced by the body. The patient has to swallow this sensor before the treatment in order to analyze the quality and quantity of certain antibodies. Furthermore, there is another medical development, fulfilling the function of "cell reprogramming" that will fight with diseases by modifying cells.

«Smart house»

New technology from Google, called Android@Home, is still under development, and all its possibilities have not been revealed yet. However, we already know that the main purpose of the innovative program is to link all the household appliances in a house to one system. This technology will help your fridge to order the products, whilst you are away; the coffeemaker will make coffee and microwave oven reheat food just before you arrive home.

Internet airships

Google is going to become the leader among Internet providers. For this purpose the company has launched special airships, which carry Wi-Fi signals. This will provide a wireless connection to all remote parts of the planet. If the project is successful, then 1 billion users will start using internet resources.


Space Elevator


In 2011 Google X decided to work on the idea of Space elevator, a technology that will take people to the Earth orbit. Yes, this idea is one of “What if” projects and many people claim that most probably this is the mission impossible so far. Others are sure that this project is aimed to distract people from innovations developing by the company which will amaze the world in future.  


Android-based Smart Watches

Google is planning to present a competitor for iWatch – Android based smartphone wristwatch. New device from Google, which will be called the Gem, is supposed to be the part of Nexus device family. A significant part of the functions of the smart watch are connected with Google Now service, preparing answers based on inquiries in search systems and geographic location of the user.


Eco-friendly sources of energy

Recently Google has acquired the company Makani Power, developing technologies in the field of solar and wind energy. One of the most famous innovations bought by Google is wind turbines. Hanging at the height of 960-2000 feet this magic technology generates energy literally out of the air. 

Android based video game console

New video game console will become a “killer” for Apple TV, similar Apple product. Android based game console will allow gamers to play games just on a TV set.

Google Glasses

Almost everybody heard about Google Glass. The reaction on this innovation was controversial. But the fact remains - it is truly a new high-tech invention, which has no analogues. No wonder why it is so: with the help of Google glasses the information can be managed with human eyes. One look up and you are checking social networks, weather, e-mail -  everything you can see l at the tablet or a smartphone.
This article is written by Melisa Marzett, a specialist in the field of technologies, innovations and internet equipment. You are welcome to read other articles written by Melisa on http://fastcustomwritinghelp.com/.
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21st Century Housewife - 4 Apps that Every Homemaker Needs

21st Century Housewife - 4 Apps that Every Homemaker Needs
A housewife has plenty of work to do and she can make her life easier with smartphone apps. While some are a waste of time, others will change the way people run their day-to-day life. Here are four apps that every homemaker needs to run her household in an efficient way.

Apps for homemaker


Reminders
A busy homemaker will not have much time to search for, or recall, old information. With the Reminders application, she can find notes and ideas that she needs to get access to immediately. Furthermore, with this helpful program, a housewife can create and follow a shopping list or jot down chores that she would like to complete by the end of the day. This is the perfect app to organize everything as it will allow a person to save all their pertinent information in an easy to find place.

Manage the House from Anywhere
When running a household, some women are in and out of the residence all day and can't always be at home to be the one to lock the door, adjust the thermostat, or turn the lights on and off. Cleveland home security experts suggest that their clients sync their phone to their home security system so that they can manage the home from the line at the grocery store, or from Timmy's soccer game. Mothers who use Vivint in Brownsville TX are able to use their smartphones to lock the doors when they may have forgotten to before leaving the house, or they can turn on the lights and adjust the locks when their teenagers are home alone.

Calendar
With Calendar, one can plan their week, month and year. This is a helpful tool for a busy homemaker who has dozens of appointments for herself and family. In fact, most people realize they need an application like this when they miss an appointment or show up late because they simply forgot. With the included reminder tool, one will never miss that important meeting or appointment again. If you are juggling not only your own schedule, but trying to keep up with the schedules of several kids and your husband, you'll definitely want to set reminders so you can keep up with everyone's calendar.

Menu Planner
A homemaker knows how difficult it is to please everyone when it comes to dinner, and to use all the food in the house. With Menu Planner, you will avoid this serious problem by planning all your meals for the coming days and weeks. Having meals planned beforehand can save busy mothers time and energy, and will make her day go more smoothly. This app even allows the user to enter their list of ingredients and can plan a meal based on the food that is available in the home.

With these four easy to use applications, a homemaker can improve her efficiently and enjoy more time to herself. Everyone knows that being a mom is not an easy job, but take advantage of being a mother in the 21st century and use the technology available to you. You'll be surprised at what using technology for your little personal assistant will do for your busy life!
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What Google Gets Wrong With Their Web Designs And UI

What Google Gets Wrong With Their Web Designs And UI
Google is one of the biggest companies in the technology industry and is one of the major players online thanks to their vast array of incredibly useful products and services from the search engine, to Gmail, to YouTube, to analytics and their other tools for webmasters and developers to Google Drive.
But while Google might be one of the biggest kids on the block, they're certainly not untouchable, and nor do they do everything right. In fact quite a lot of what they put out is downright shabby and really doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.
To demonstrate this point, let's take a look at some of the surprising places where Google has dropped the ball or just made the wrong call.
The White


Using lots of white space in a web design is a good idea as it makes the site feel more 'spacious' while allowing for easier scaling on smaller screens and easily readable text.
But while lots of white is a good thing, it might be fair to say that Google has gone a little too far with their use of white - and particularly with their text links. Head over to Google.com and you will be greeted with a famously stark site which will quickly be covered in ancient looking text links (in nasty blue and dark green) when you type something in. Imagine if Google had used icons for their navigation links along the top how much nicer it might look, or the myriad of different ways they could show their search results. It really is pretty ugly and when you think about it, it hasn't changed all that much since they first launched. Go and take a look at Bing for an example of how nice a search engine can look.
It's not just Google that's made of white and text either - YouTube is pretty much the same with videos taking up an inexplicably small amount of the screen (and not even centring if you shrink the window) and with the interface for wallet being frankly horrible. As a developer I sorely miss the days of Google Checkout as a developer (it doesn't even tell you the time of the sale or the name of the buyer unless you click on the transaction - all information that used to be readily available at a quick glance).
Navigation
Google's navigation when you think about it is far from intuitive a lot of the time, and the features they provide for their users are also often lacking. For instance, YouTube users still can't have more than one account and does anyone really know how to get to Google Plus? The URL is hardly catchy. And how do you use it once you're there? And why does 'shopping' come before 'videos' in the tabs on Google? Who shops more than they use YouTube?
Then there's the fact that Chrome doesn't work with touchscreens when it's scaled up for high resolutions - a point which is causing them to start losing market share. Meanwhile Google can't be synced with Outlook anymore… or with iPhone - or at least without a fair amount of know how.
And when you think about it hard, even Android has a feeling of being unfinished in some places. The downloads tray is reportedly getting an update in the next version for instance, which is good seeing as it's currently just a black screen.
So in short, it's time that Google stopped putting out new products and started polishing the ones they've got. And if you're guilty of any of these crimes then you should start sharpening your act too!

Nancy Baker, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger who is currently writing for Antelope Web, leaders in designing and marketing of web pages. She is an avid base ball fan and loves spending her evenings watching her favorite sitcoms. You can also follow her on Twitter @Nancy Baker.
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How To Find The Best Technology That You Know You Will Use

How To Find The Best Technology That You Know You Will Use
Technology has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years. It is important to find the right items that will help improve your life. Here are four technological items that should change the way you approach your everyday life.

                                    Best Technologies to use

iPad/Tablet PC
With smartphones all the rage, there is a tendency to forget about the impact that tablets have had on the computer market. There was a time when laptops were the be all and end all for people who wanted a portable device. Now there is the tablet. It is possible to watch movies, edit documents, read books, and surf the web on these tablets, and they are so easy to take around.

Wireless Headphones
Technology relating to headphones has changed a lot in the past few years. Now, you have the option to buy wireless ear phones, which can help you listen to music, watch tv, or talk on the phone with greater ease. These headphones are slightly more expensive, but they are more than worth it. Imagine being able to listen to music while at the gym, and not having to carry your phone around with you to each machine. Similarly, you can listen to your television through headphones, instead of disturbing the rest of your household.

External Hard Drives
Running out of space on your desktop or laptop to store pictures, movies, tv shows, and songs? If that is the case, it is imperative for you to purchase an external hard drive. Most external HDs now come in the 1 TB or 2 TB format, which is an insane amount of space. With 1 TB, you are likely to be able to store everything that you have ever collected, leaving your laptop free to add new stuff onto.

All in one Remotes

If your house has a ton of electrical appliances, getting an all in one remote is going to save you a lot of time and effort. Instead of having to keep three or four remotes near you at all times, just get one larger remote that will handle everything. These all in one remotes can control your television, cable top box, streaming media device, Xbox/PlayStation, and your central air system. Some remotes can also be configured to handle the lighting in certain rooms.

Many people dismiss technological items as unnecessary, but that is a mistake. There are plenty of great devices on the market that will help improve the quality of your everyday life.
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5 Great Options When Choosing An Ecommerce Platform For Your Online Store

5 Great Options When Choosing An Ecommerce Platform For Your Online Store
A lot of people would love to start their own online store, but it's hard to get started when you don't know which platform to go with. Luckily it doesn't need to be hard and we can look at a few of your best options right now. Just choose the option that is best for you and jump in feet first otherwise you will never get started.

WooCommerce


If you have any WordPress experience you might want to go down the WooCommerce route. The reason it's great is because you just need to upload a WordPress plugin and you're ready to go. It has really strong security and it's easy to have full control over your store. There are a few downsides and one of them is the fact you will have to spend money on upgrades as you need them. It's also not as powerful as the other options, but if you don't have many products it's a good choice.

Shopify


Shopify didn't used to be such a great choice because they charged you a fee every time you made a sale. People wanting to make maximum profits didn't like this, but these days you have nothing to worry about because you only need to pay a low monthly fee. Shopify also has a lot of beautiful custom designs which means your store is guaranteed to look great. It's easy to get started and there are lots of resources where you can learn how to run your store effectively.

Bigcommerce


Bigcommerce is the biggest rival to Shopify and they are just as popular, but there are a few things that separate them. Unless you know how to code your Bigcommerce store will probably look ugly, not that the design will necessarily have any bearing on how many products you sell. Your coding experience can also be an advantage because Bigcommerce is more powerful than Shopify once you start playing around in the backend, so if you're a coder it might be the choice for you.

Magneto


Magneto is one step up from the rest of them and it's for anyone looking to build a very powerful store. If you're just getting started it's not something you will want to look at. You can always upgrade to Magneto at a later date. You will find tons of features that can help boost your revenue and there is enough training material to keep you busy forever. If you need to take your ecommerce business to the next level Magneto is the obvious choice.

Custom built


There is always the option of having a store custom built and you will find many programmers who can help make your dreams come true. The biggest drawback might be the costs involved, but at the same time you could make more money by changing your design in whatever way you want until your store's conversion rate is very high. Don't forget you can also hire a programmer to help you build a store on one of the platforms we've already talked about.

Nancy Baker, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger, currently writing for, Christom, leaders in website redesign and development. She enjoys knitting and often researches newer designs and techniques to better the results. You can reach Nancy via Twitter @Nancy_Baker_.
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BYOD: Good or Bad For Your Company?

BYOD: Good or Bad For Your Company?
More companies are enabling a BYOD workplace with nearly 30 percent of CIOs polled saying that they support employees using their own digital devices for their jobs, reports IT World. Challenges to this concept come from IT and security management, who wonder how they are supposed keep company assets secure. Knowing these challenges will help you decide whether the upside is worth the costs to your company to offer BYOD.


The Upside of BYOD


There are two primary reasons voiced by companies for justifying BYOD in their workplaces: cost savings and productivity.

Allowing employees to use their own digital devices transfers the cost of providing them with these tools from the company to the employee. In most BYOD programs, the employee continues to pay for their own equipment and service plans. This could be a tangible expense relief of $80 or more per employee with a smartphone or tablet, states CIO Magazine.

The second reason is that employees prefer their own devices. They would rather work with those than learn new company-provided tools. This leads to an increase in morale and productivity, according to Computer Weekly.

The Downside of BYOD


Without the right controls in place, employees can connect to the company network and have access to sensitive information. They could corrupt company data with unauthorized applications. They could also unintentionally infect the company's system with malware. An employee could take their personal laptop home and unknowingly download a virus onto it while browsing a website. The next morning they connect their laptop to the company's network and load a virus in the system.

The Reality of BYOD


While the acronym BYOD is new, the concept is not. People have been bringing their own personal devices to work for years, notes the Digital Workplace Forum. Personal laptops, DVD burners, hard disks, and thumb drives have shown up on employee's desks for years. It has been a challenge of IT and management to detect and monitor these devices to prevent harm to the company's information. One rationale for implementing a BYOD policy is to finally control those items that are going to show up in the workplace anyway.

More Freedom Requires More Controls


Forbes stresses that, more than ever, the BYOD environment needs a digital-use policy which explicitly states what devices are supported and what an employee can and cannot do. Other elements than need to be implemented include:

  • A certified apps library maintained by the company to control which applications can be downloaded to personal smartphones, tablets and laptops
  • Secure collaboration and work areas where employees may work with a subset of the company data without putting the entire intellectual capital at risk
  • A process or service, such as Lifelock, to monitor the Internet for company data inadvertently released onto the network
  • A mobile device management system

The implementation of these tools to protect the company's digital assets, the creation of a robust digital use policy, and the additional employee training have a cost. You'll need to weigh those costs against the anticipated benefits gained from your BYOD workplace. For a small business, the cost of protecting the company's assets may be beyond their budget. The temptation to cut corners to support BYOD might be there. But one piece of malware that corrupts critical data could be too costly to bear.
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Pioneering Path to Brilliance! Sony VAIO Tap 20 Desktop

Pioneering Path to Brilliance!  Sony VAIO Tap 20 Desktop
Touch screen computing is a freshly baked technology that has come into existence gaining from Microsoft’s vibrant new interface. Every computer manufacturing company is giving in their best fight to create something unique binding this technology with Windows 8 update. One such company is Sony which has already achieved a great line of success with its fusion of a sliding tablet and laptop with VAIO Duo 11. Not satisfied enough, Sony has gone more adventurous with its creations by further distorting the line between a desktop and a tablet.  This bend has resulted into a new product namely, Sony VAIO Tap 20 Desktop. This 20 inch desktop all-in-one PC comes with a touch screen and a bewildered feature of battery operation that lets you carry it all around your place. Sony desktop computer Price ranges from mid priced devices to high end products but Sony VAIO Tap 20 Desktop Price is approximately Rs 68,517 which falls somewhere in the middle of the pricing section.


Design and Display:

The all glass front panel and a Windows home button sited smartly at the base make this 20-inch display tablet cum PC the most elegant and well designed devices around. It is merely a giant tablet that comes with dimensions of 504 x 187 x 304 mm and weighs around 5.2 KG. The absurd weight does not allow you to carry it around town but you can always carry it around the house or in your garden for a pleasurable PC time.

Not defining it as a real tablet, it has a stand at the rear part to make it firm on the table making it look like a normal desktop with wireless mouse and keyboard. With the metal constructed slim stand, you can reposition this device according to your convenience.

Marking disappointment with its no Full HD feature, the Tap 20 proffers a resolution of 1,600x900 pixels. With such huge size, a Full HD Display was a necessity but revolving around the price tag, this downside can be neglected. The display is intense and vivid giving out some amazing colors and making Windows 8 tiles look bold and gorgeous as always.


The Interface:

Working on Windows 8 Single Language 64 bit, the Desktop outshines with its functionality and interface. Windows 8 is intended for touch input as it depends deeply on a range of signals and gestures. With motions like swipes and pokes, you can navigate through the Windows tiles for a whole new experience of computing.  Completely different from other Window operating system, this new interface takes a high road to present to its users with loads of features and an a very user friendly experience. some of the installed software include Socialife, Family Paint, Fingertapps Organizer, Air Soccer Fever, Microsoft| Office Trial, Music app, Imagination Studio VAIO Edition (ACID| Music Studio 9, Sound Forge| Audio Studio 10), Imagination Studio VAIO Edition (DVD Architect| Studio 5.0, Movie Studio Platinum 12), Adobe| Photoshop| Elements 11, Play Memories Home, VAIO Movie Creator, Album app, Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 60days and more.

Hardware:

The Tap 20 is powered by Intel Core i5 processor with 6GB of RAM. That is the only available configuration with this model unlike the other models of Sony Desktop PCs. Well, with this configuration you will not face any lags or delays making the touch smooth and opening of apps quite quick and swift.


                                                 Tap 20 Hardware

Pros:
•    Windows 8 software
•    Supports portability factor with its battery powered operations.
•    life-size screen

Cons:
•    Screen is not Full HD
•    Heavy weight
•    A bit Expensive

Last Words:
The 20-inch touch screen display and portability feature with battery operations makes the Tap 20 a unique though confusing device. Considering its full Windows 8 operating system and other dominant constituents, Sony has given out a full package of entertainment with delight.  

Piya Gogia takes interest in latest gadget updates and loves to explore gizmos. Being an instinctive gadget nerd, she has already reviewed Sony desktop computer, Karbonn tablet, Acer Tablet and many other popular devices. The more she discovers, the more she writes.

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5 Great Advances In Technology You Didn't Know About

5 Great Advances In Technology You Didn't Know About
The rapid pace at which technology is advancing in the 21st century is making us miss some inventions and forget about others. Scientists and inventors are constantly working on projects that aim to make our lives easier, more productive and amazing; not all inventions, however, get the same level of marketing and visibility.

Some technology advances are so ingrained in our lives that we simply take them for granted, but others are not given due recognition due to the business approach taken when they are introduced to the market. Here are five great advances in technology you probably did not know about:

Lightning-Fast Wireless Broadband

The Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication standard was implemented in 2009, but not many people are aware just how fast it is becoming. In 2011, LTE providers began to roll out wireless broadband infrastructure capable of delivering downstream speeds of about 50 Mbps. These days, however, wireless providers are experimenting with mobile internet speeds up to 100 Mbps.

Super-Smart Cars
Can motor vehicles make better decisions than their human drivers? With technologies such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, auto accidents may be drastically reduced and highways may become safer for all drivers. An example of effective V2V communications that can improve road safety conditions would be a vehicle warning others about icy road conditions ahead.

Electronic Paper

Although the business world is increasingly going paperless, electronic paper was once proposed as an intermediate alternative that was ultimately abandoned. Japanese researchers, however, are trying to keep this 20th century invention alive with special printers and plastic sheets of electronic paper that can be reused about 1,000 times. The problem is that the components and materials used are too expensive for the average consumer.

Dynamic Lipstick
Thermochromic devices such as mood rings from the 1970s have evolved from their original status as novelty items to cosmetics. The idea behind mood rings is that temperature changes in the human body can supposedly give clues as to emotional state of mind. A cosmetic maker in California has applied this concept to lip gloss that changes colors according to the range of emotions a woman feels. This color-changing lipstick is sold with a handy chart to help males interpret how their partners feel.

Super-Smart TVs
Watching Bell TV on Demand will soon become a far richer multimedia experience than surfing the Web. Sales of smart television sets and devices are already picking up around the world, but the next step will involve the seamless integration of streaming video services, Internet content, advanced video gaming, and extensive video libraries. The idea is to keep TV viewers glued and not lose them to the Internet, and that may happen soon.
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4 Work Tasks That Can Be Easily Automated Through Technology

4 Work Tasks That Can Be Easily Automated Through Technology
There are certain tasks that are so menial that workers can do without them. To reduce the tedium and uselessness of your job, set up an automated system. Review a few work tasks that you can have automated easily.

                                        Handle tasks using technology

1. Automate Your Customer Services

Customer services are needed by businesses that respond to the questions and concerns of customers. If you own a company of any size, save money with an automated work staff. Avoid having to pay the salaries of overworked call center representatives. If you make a call to a large company, you may have interacted with this automated system. Dial in certain numbers to reach certain departments like billing or fraud. Instead of dealing with a live representative, type in your response or speak it into the phone. With an automated system, provide the same amount of quality service and save money at the same time.

2. Automate Your Email Submissions

Some businesspeople want to spend less time looking at emails. Some have to send out dozens or hundreds of emails every day. Even if you plan to submit a dozen emails, review software programs that automate these tasks. Also, as you look through emails, filter through the ones you want to read and the ones you want to ignore.

3. Back Up Data Automatically

To reduce worries about losing vital information on your computer, set up an automatic backup of the data. Create a backup schedule for every day, week or month. Whether you are a student or full-time employee, your data should be important enough to keep, but not important enough to worry about all the time.

4. Use HR Software

Save time with HR software that allows you to manage all HR tasks. The right software program is made within your budget and preferences. Make a list of your business needs and the matching software features, which could include payroll, job applications and tax calculations. With the right software tool, make all the calculations you want, manage many interviews and train the best employees faster than you would if there was no software.

There are good reasons that dull, simple work tasks are being automated. Some work is tedious and can be done by the most inexperienced people. Also, experienced people want to focus on duties that hold more value. When you automate menial tasks, you stop working like a robot and focus on areas that increase your productivity.
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Five Ways Smaller Technology Is Making Us Healthier

Five Ways Smaller Technology Is Making Us Healthier
In the past, it was assumed that all the advances of the future would simply be bigger and better. However, we are now learning that the most valuable advances in scientific and medicinal research are occurring on the microscopic and molecular level. The more advanced we become, the smaller our technology seems to be. In light of this fact, we can take a look at the coming medical horizon by breaking out our biological microscopes. The top 5 advances that are making us healthier are related to nanotechnology.

                                           Smarter Technology

Cleaning Up Energy

There is no doubt that burning fossil fuels takes a toll on everyone's health. The pollution increases cancer rates and instances of lung disease. Nanotechnology is now giving us the potential to leave behind this detrimental form of energy dependence. Nanotechnology is reaching the point that it can change any type of material at the molecule level. In terms of energy collection, it allows for manufacturing solar cells that are five times more effective at gathering the sun's energy. The efficiency of solar technology is a serious issue with some very real life-altering potential.

Robotics


Nano-robotics is one of the fastest growing fields in existence. These tiny “factories” are carbon-based machines with the ability to self-replicate. They can be injected into the human body where they have the ability to take images at the cellular level, repair certain types of wounds, and even mend damaged sections of DNA strands.

Expanding Treatments Across the Globe

Many countries face serious disadvantages in healthcare simply due to the fact that they have no access to refrigeration. However, the DxBox is using nanotechnology to produce a disease-testing device that is smaller than a credit card and can be used without the aid of refrigeration or additional supplies. The kit allows for blood tests and other forms of diagnostic treatments.

Environmental Cleansing

An estimated 600 million people suffer from disease thanks to polluted water supplies alone throughout the world. Nanomagnets can make a dent in this number by being injected into polluted water sources where they attach themselves to arsenic in the liquid and purify it, making it clean enough for human consumption. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also noted that similar technologies of this kind that attach to iron could serve as replacements for standard carbon-based water filters.

Cancer Cures

We may soon see an end to chemotherapy in most healthcare facilities thanks to nanotechnology advances. Scientists at MIT and Harvard have had success killing prostrate cancer cells using nanotechnology without harming the surrounding tissue. Other scientists across the nation are also starting to see success using the same techniques to treat breast cancer and other forms of this deadly disease.

Smaller is certainly better when it comes to attacking disease. There seems to be no better method of attacking illness on its home front other than nanotechnology. There is no doubt that small computers are making a big impact in the world of health care and beyond.
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Three Fun Mobile Apps That Experiment With Augmented Reality

Three Fun Mobile Apps That Experiment With Augmented Reality

                               

Over the past few years, mobile technology has come full-circle as we now are able to do most things that were once reserved for traditional computing from our mobile phones. Even just ten years ago, this was unheard of and even basic functions of modern smartphones would have been difficult – if not impossible – from the average mobile phone at the time. Dozens of new concepts have emerged as a result of the increased power of phones, with mobile applications being the prime facilitator of this trend. One interesting area in the world of mobile applications is the use of augmented reality and its implications for the future of mobile applications at-large. In the following article, we will explore three mobile applications that each experiment with augmented reality and help us imagine what the future of this technology will look like.

Augment

The biggest current advantage to augmented reality is the option that it presents for users to interact with three dimensional objects in the “real world”. Our smartphone cameras allow us to see the world around us and then – through certain augmented reality apps – add layers on top of that, much like we would do in a program such as Google Earth or Photoshop. The Augment application for Android and Apple devices helps users visualise any type of 3D model through its interface and see how that would appear in real life. Custom models can be added or you can browse thousands of existing 3D models that are included. Salespeople, engineers and home owners alike can all benefit from augmented reality when it comes to product selection, design and creation – download Augment today for free from Google Play or the iTunes App Store.

GWR2013 Augmented Reality


Some products and services have already begun using augmented reality as a way to offer bonus content or an aesthetic touch to their appeal. In the case of the Guinness World Records book series, their 2013 edition includes the GWR2013 Augmented Reality as a bonus way to enjoy its content. While it only works with the book, the dozens of interactive sections and animations help users enjoy various world records through the eyes of augmented reality. Whether it is getting up close and personal with a 20-centimetre spider or seeing the world’s smallest human in your living room, the fun features of this augmented reality app make it ideal for owners of the book – and another great example of what augmented reality can offer.

Augmented Reality Solar System

Perfect for children and science geeks, the Augmented Reality Solar System app for Android devices helps users visualise the dynamics of the Solar System at work. The movements, size and positioning of each planet is derived directly from scientific data to ensure proper dimensions, while the app can be used to quickly zoom in and inspect any major body in the Solar System – detailed statistics and information will appear for each body once tapped. Teachers and parents alike can benefit from this app as a completely free alternative to posters and books that outline the same concepts in less efficient manners.



The author of this post, Nancy Baker, is a freelance blogger who often writes for Jac Surveyors, a company based in Melbourne, providing reliable surveys for construction projects. She is a fitness enthusiast and she practices yoga whenever she gets free from work. You can follow her on Twitter
@Nancy Baker.
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