Robbie

Google has patented the design of its augmented-reality glasses, known as Project Glass.

Three patents for a “wearable display device” with characteristics of the much-talked about futuristic glasses were submitted last autumn.

The patents reference such functions as displaying data in front of the wearer’s eyes and playing audio.

Scientists at Newcastle University have developed a computer game designed to help stroke victims recuperate.

The Circus Challenge game, created with a computer game studio, aims to help patients recover motor functions.

Players use wireless controllers to perform virtual circus acts such as lion taming and plate spinning.

It is hoped the PC-based game will serve as a cheaper and more effective alternative to existing treatments, with patients able to play at home.

The project received a £1.5m grant from the Health Innovation Challenge Fund, a partnership between the Wellcome Trust and the Department of Health, to allow further development.

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-18102299

Sourced by Roy W Nash

Microsoft has opened up its So.cl social networking service to the general public.

The website is designed to let users share and comment on interesting search results and connect with “like-minded” people.

It is targeted at students and had formerly been restricted to invitees at universities and schools in the US.

The service integrates with Facebook and is being pitched as an “experiment” rather than a rival to other networks.

Sources:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18161597 http://www.so.cl/

Sourced by Roy W Nash

Google today said that it has finally closed its acquisition of Motorola. First announced in August 2011, the $12.5 billion deal took longer than expected to clear regulatory hurdles in China. China gave Google the green light on May 19 and Google now owns Motorola Mobility, for which it paid $40 per share in cash.

One concession Google had to make in order to garner approval from Chinese antitrust regulators was a commitment to Android’s openness. Google agreed to keep the platform open to other handset makers for a period of at least five years from the closing of the acquisition.

Now that the deal is complete, Google has already made changes to the company’s leadership. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha, who led the company for about three and a half years, is stepping aside and being replaced by Dennis Woodside, a Google veteran. According to Google, Woodside played a pivotal role in the acquisition process. Jha will work with Google to help complete the leadership transition, but only temporarily.

Source: http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/smart_phones/240000797

Researchers in Japan have smashed the record for wireless data transmission in the terahertz band, an uncharted part of the electro-magnetic spectrum.

As consumers become ever more hungry for high data rates, standard lower-frequency bands have become crowded.

The band makes use of frequencies from about 300 gigahertz to 3THz, between the microwave and far-infrared spectrums, which are entirely unregulated at this time.

It is used principally for imaging in research contexts, as terahertz waves penetrate many materials as effectively as X-rays but deposit far less energy and therefore cause less damage.

Terahertz wi-fi would probably only work within ranges of about 10m, but could in theory support data rates up to 100Gb/s.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18072618

Sourced by Roy W Nash

The system by which video games are rated in the UK is to be made “simpler and stronger”, the government has said.

Games will now be rated by the Video Standards Council in line with Europe-wide guidelines.

Previously, additional ratings were decided upon by the British Board of Film Classification.

The new system means for the first time that anybody selling a 12-rated game to a child under that age could face jail time, but does not apply to games bought online.

Sources:  [1]
Sourced by: Roy W. Nash

In January, Yahoo named Scott Thompson, the president of PayPal, as its new head.

But investment firm Third Point discovered that Mr Thompson did not hold a degree in computer science as had been claimed.

Thompson apologised to staff in a memo on Monday, but made no mention of why his biography had listed the degree he had not received.

Yahoo has acknowledged the “inadvertent error” and has said it will conduct a review, and fired him as CEO Sunday.

Ross Levinsohn, a 48-year-old executive who oversees Yahoo’s media and advertising services, is taking over as interim CEO.

Sources:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17984877, http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1177782–yahoo-ceo-to-step-down-due-to-resume-controversy
Sourced by: Roy W. Nash

Facebook has launched its own app store to promote mobile programs that operate using the social network.

The company said the App Center will become the “new, central place to find great apps like Draw Something” and other titles.

Developers will have the ability to charge a fee for apps sold in the store in the near future, Facebook said.

The announcement came as Facebook admitted growth in mobile use could hurt future advertising revenue.

The App Center is expected to be rolled out globally in “the coming weeks”, said Facebook’s Aaron Brady in a post on the network’s developer blog.

Only apps which make use of Facebook’s log-in system Connect are eligible to be included in the store.

Source:  http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18017379
Sourced by: Roy W. Nash

A Russian company has developed software it says can disrupt and prevent people from downloading pirated content.

Pirate Pay has been backed by Microsoft and has so far worked with Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures to stop “thousands” of downloads.

The tool poses as real bit torrent users but then “confuses” peer-to-peer networks, causing disconnections.

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18056727
Sourced by: Roy W. Nash

A retinal implant – or bionic eye – which is powered by light has been invented by scientists at Stanford University in California.

Implants currently used in patients need to be powered by a battery.

The new device, described in the journal Nature Photonics, uses a special pair of glasses to beam near infrared light into the eye.

This powers the implant and sends the information which could help a patient see.

Retinal implants stimulate the nerves in the back of the eye, which has helped some patients to see.

Early results of a trial in the UK show that two men have gone from being totally blind to being able to perceive light and even some shapes.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18061174
Sourced by: Roy W. Nash