Apple plots smartphones powered by hydrogen

Apple is working on laptops and smartphones powered by hydrogen fuel cells that would last for weeks without needing to be refueled, patent filings have revealed

04:33 PM Dec 26, 2011

In two documents submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office, the iPhone maker said its proposal "eliminates the need for a bulky and heavy battery".

A hydrogen fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into water and electrical energy.

The technology has long been touted as a potential power source for cleaner cars. Electronics manufacturers also have shown growing interest in replacing batteries that rely on toxic chemicals with hydrogen fuels cells that would last longer and produce only water as a by-product.

"Our country's continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling," Apple says in its patent filings.

"These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources."

It also notes that hydrogen fuels cells could be smaller and lighter than batteries, while still powering mobile computers for longer.

"Such fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities, which can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refuelling," Apple said.

The two patents, "Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device" and "Fuel Cell System Coupled to a Portable Computing Device" not the first signs that Apple is working to replace battery technology. In October a further pair of patent applications detailed ways of squeezing more power from lighter hydrogen fuel cells.

Battery technology has long been viewed as a bottleneck in the smartphone industry, leading microchip developers to focus on developing processors with lower power consumption. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Source: www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/Digital/EDC111226-0000062/Apple-plots-smartphones-powered-by-hydrogen

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The Fujitsu Lifebook SH771

A beautiful mind

Sleek yet powerful, the Fujitsu Lifebook SH771 is the road warrior's best friendby Ryhan Bte Mohd Yazid

04:45 AM Dec 21, 2011

Launched on Oct 24, the Fujitsu calls its Lifebook SH771 the "thinnest and lightest 13.3-inch two-spindle Lifebook".

Even though the SH771 weighs in at a mere 1.22kg, it is a veritable powerhouse. Users have the option of an Intel Core i7 or i5 processor, and with its upgraded 500GB hard disk drive and 4GB RAM, you will be able to multi-task on work documents and enjoy a faster Web-browsing experience.

The tech road warrior will be glad to learn the SH771 has a USB Anytime Charging plus feature, with USB 3.0 port, so you can charge your smartphone, PSP, MP3 players and other devices - without even powering up the SH771.

Sharing images and videos is a clutter-free event with its Intel Wireless Display. It lets you connect wirelessly to a large screen high-definition television so photographs and YouTube videos can be shared among friends and family almost immediately. Its DTS Boost audio enhancement system sharpens audio to make the multimedia presentation a more enjoyable one. DTS Boost even diminishes ambient sounds in noisy spaces to bring out the audio clarity.

On top of the inner workings, the Fujitsu SH771 offers a preview to Fujitsu's 2012 design concept - the Takumi design. The SH771 is uniquely crafted to form a beautiful curve when opening the LCD screen; the perfect viewing angle that allows comfortable viewing on the screen. It also boasts a sleek profile created to fit perfectly and comfortably in your grip - achieved by the simple and slim form factor of the sliced monolith.

The laptop also has a new F-line signature design and a 1.7mm key stroke with dichromatic keys: The shape of the keys lets users type at ease without slipping so you can type comfortably for hours without feeling the strain. Each key is moulded with double injection to produce beautiful blue highlights that subtly exudes a premium look of the SH771. In addition, the SH771 features an enlarged touch pad coupled with a unique Touch Scroll Wheel that enables the easy navigation of website and documents and volume control.

The Fujitsu Lifebook SH771 is available from all Fujitsu authorised retailers and starts from S$2,288. Ryhan Yazid

Source: www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/EDC111221-0000002/A-beautiful-mind

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The new Nokia smartphone Lumia 800

New Windows Nokia smartphone fails to shine

02:08 PM Dec 22, 2011

The new Nokia smartphone Lumia 800. REUTERS

HELSINKI - Nokia's long-awaited Windows phones may be too little, too late in the smartphone war dominated by Apple and Google, despite positive reviews by handset critics.

Its first Windows model, the Lumia 800, has won little interest from consumers, with only 2 per cent of Europeans in the market for a smartphone saying they would pick it, according to a survey by Exane BNP Paribas.

Analysts said there was nothing particularly wrong with the sleek-looking handsets, other than a software glitch on some models affecting battery life, but consumers were just not biting.

Smartphones using Microsoft software have just a 2 per cent market share, compared with Google Android at around 50 per cent and Apple at between 15 and 20 per cent.

"There isn't much room left for a third ecosystem. The smartphone market is consolidating fast," said Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu who rates Nokia a "sell".

Phones using Nokia's old Symbian software, which it decided to dump in favor of Microsoft, are still in circulation and outsell Windows phones 10 to 1.

But as Nokia keeps shifting to Windows, sales of Symbian have a lot of room to disappoint over coming quarters and some analysts are warning of lower dividends and weaker-than-expected earnings ahead.

Now even Microsoft has started to hedge its bets, making its software increasingly available for rivals to Windows Phone.

Smartphones are built on mobile computing platforms, and the most modern combine web browsers, navigation systems, cameras and portable music systems. A so-called "feature" phone - a market Nokia still dominates - has far fewer of these applications.

New Windows Nokia smartphone fails to shine

02:08 PM Dec 22, 2011

Source:  www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/Digital/EDC111222-0000099/New-Windows-Nokia-smartphone-fails-to-shine

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