Daily Bits

Facebook Phone in the Works?

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facebook-phoneRumor has it that Facebook is trying to break into the mobile phone market. The news is not so new, as the rumor has been going around since last year. However, it is no secret that this market is booming in every location in the world. Mobile phone deals are all over the place, with telecommunications companies trying to catch the attention of the plethora of customers out there. Of course, Mark Zuckerberg and his cronies are going to give that piece of the pie a try!

Not too long ago, the Facebook CEO had tried to put the rumor to rest. Reeking of sarcasm, he went on about “novel” the idea was – of Facebook creating a mobile phone. While sarcasm may be enough for some people to shut up, there might be some truth in the speculation. Apparently, there have been some leaks providing more substantial information about Facebook’s mobile phone.

One of the most commonly cited sources for this rumor is Pocketnow, who reported specific details on a smartphone which they believe to be the first Facebook phone:

“An Android smartphone built to make messaging faster and smarter. It’s designed around the way people naturally communicate and has Facebook built into its core. The homescreen features multiple entry points to different Facebook functions, while a dynamic widget displays a feed of status updates, albums, videos and photos.”

Now one can say that just because the phone is supposed to have Facebook built into its core, it does not mean that it is going to be a Facebook phone. After all, everyone simply wants to use Facebook on their mobile devices. However, the manufacturer immediately went on the defensive and removed all references to Facebook after the rumors circulated; obviously in the hopes that the rumors will be dispelled. I say a little too late, buddies! I will not be surprised to see a Facebook phone of some sort as part of mobile phone deals before the end of this year. What’s your prediction?

A Look At Windows Phone 7

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Windows Phone 7 is the new operating system from Microsoft to replace the older Windows Mobile platform. It was launched recently in late 2010, entering a tough market already dominated by the Iphone and Android, however the initial sales and reception were strong.

Below is a visual look at what Windows Phone 7 brings.

Enjoy this great Infographic from our friends at Infographiclabs

A Whole New World of (Biotic) Games

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Just the other day, I had the chance to play World of Goo for the first time. Yes, I know that’s a really old game, but some of us have to work. 😉

Anyhow, the experience was a strange one as I didn’t immediately get the concept. Little blobs of black goo (sometimes white) bouncing around just didn’t tickle my fancy, so I didn’t really end up playing it for long. For those of you who are interested in this kind of gameplay – the weirder the better – then you will like these new “biotic” games.

A team in Stanford University led by Ingmar Riedel-Kruse have come up with a bunch of biotic games based on – surprise – biological processes. The main player is paramecia. Quick bio review: paramecium is a kind of unicellular ciliate protozoa. It moves – just like a caterpillar – because of the cilia covering it all over. Now do you see where this can go?

So the scientists had a lot of free time in their hands and decided to have some fun. The games they created are:
‘Enlightenment’, ‘Ciliaball’, ‘PAC-mecium’, ‘Microbash’, ‘Biotic Pinball’, ‘POND PONG’, ‘PolymerRace’, and ‘The Prisoner’s Smellemma’. I cannot even begin to imagine how these games will work, but here is a video that will aid your imagination in case you are in the same boat as I am.

Fancy a biotic game of Pac-Man or soccer? Maybe Ingmar and his team will play nice and let you have a go at their games. I think I will stick to my “traditional” games.

Wear This Shirt and Forget Batteries

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If Zhong Lin Wang (Georgia Institute of Technology) and Jong Min Kim (Samsung Electronics) are successful, we might not to lug around heavy batteries for our mobile devices anymore. The two guys, together with their teams, have unveiled a prototype of their pet project – a flexible energy storage device. This flexible energy storage device is made of zinc oxide nanowires which are incorporated into fibers that are used for everyday clothing. In other words, we just might have shirts and dresses that can function as batteries!

The concept is not that new, actually, but others before this current team were unable to make prototypes that were light enough. In making this new prototype, though, the team made use of supercapacitors which are so tiny that they make the idea feasible. More than being light, these supercapacitors are also very flexible, making them perfect for clothing material.

Of course, more than the flexibility and wearability, we are also concerned about the power capacity of these supercapacitors. Well, the good news is that they can be recharged very quickly and almost endlessly. Even better, the zinc oxide nanowires can be recharged by the person’s heartbeat or a light wind. So if you need to recharge your batteries – literally – you just need to walk a little faster to increase your heart rate and get a bit of wind blowing on the shirt! It does sound too good to be true, doesn’t it?

Since this is all in the development stage, we might not see “battery shirts” in the market any time soon. One thing that is bugging me though: I wonder how much they will sell for?

Photo via Me and Him

Starship Edelweiss: Trekkies Considered Yourselves Warned

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starship
I am serious about that warning for hardcore Star Trek fans out there. I saw this video YouTube, and the word starship caught my eye. Of course, I just had to watch the video. Then again, I should have heeded the red flags that were going up all over the place because of the “electronica” tag associated with it.

Now I don’t know if it’s just me, but there is something not right about the whole concept. Mr. Spock must be turning in his grave right now! Just take a look at the video and tell me if I am overreacting or what.

So what do you think of Edelweiss’s spin on starships, space, and science fiction in general?

Anyhow, the song has been around for a while – since the early 90s. The band Edelweiss is from Austria and it seems that they are not together anymore today. (I wonder if Trekkies had anything to do with that?)

To be fair to the musicians, the line about beaming up to the stars is on repeat in my head. Maybe there is something wrong with me!

Get Ready for Blue Monday

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Blue Monday
Did you know that there is such a thing as Blue Monday? I am NOT talking about having the blues on Monday, but a special Monday of the year that is characterized as statistically being the most depressing day – ever. No one really knows just how true this is, especially since the idea started as a publicity campaign by Sky Travel. (You can never really tell when it comes to these kinds of campaigns.)

However, it is not without some sort of scientific support. Psychologist Cliff Arnall is attributed with the formula that calculates just how depressing this day is. See if you can make the formula out:

[W + (D-d)] x TQ
M x Na

where weather=W, debt=d, time since Christmas=T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions=Q, low motivational levels=M and the feeling of a need to take action=Na. ‘D’ is not defined in the release, nor are units. (Wikipedia)

There is no doubt that a lot of people experience the Monday Blues, and that the period immediately after the holidays can be quite difficult, but does Arnall’s premise hold water? Not surprisingly, he has had his critics. It seems that even the exact Monday is unclear – is it the third or the fourth Monday of January? Wikipedia says it’s the fourth, while other sources (MNN) say it’s the third.

I have an idea. Whether or not Blue Monday exists, why don’t we just gear up for the weekend and start having fun early on a Friday? What do you say? 😉

Photo via Softpedia