Facebook announces App Center :-

Facebook put an important marker down today by announcing that it intends to offer what it calls an "App Center" in coming weeks.

"For the over 900 million people that use Facebook, the App Center will become the new, central place to find great apps like Draw Something, Pinterest, Spotify, Battle Pirates, Viddy, and Bubble Witch Saga," Facebook's Aaron Brady said in a blog post. "Everything has an app detail page, which helps people see what makes an app unique and lets them install it before going to an app."

Today's announcement was what Facebook spokeswoman Malorie Lucich described as a call to developers to submit images and copy so that their Facebook can consider featuring their apps. She said Facebook's App Center is designed to push the best social apps through a personalized discovery page.

If you're a person who likes word games--something Facebook would know from your Facebook behavior--the App Center will surface those sorts of apps for you. Then, when you select an app you like, you'll be sent to the Apple's App Store or Google's, depending on your device. "We're certainly not looking at it any competitive way" with Google or Apple, said Lucich.

Famous Scientist ( Sven Gustaf Wingqvist )

-: Sven Gustaf Wingqvist :-

Sven Gustaf Wingqvist

Sven Gustaf Wingqvist (1876–1953) was a Swedish engineer, inventor and industrialist, and one of the founders of Svenska Kullagerfabriken (S.K.F.), one of the world's leading ball- and roller bearing makers. Sven Wingqvist invented the multi-row self-aligning radial ball bearing in 1907.


->1876: Born December 10 in Hallsberg outside Örebro, Sweden. Son of the railway station inspector at Hallsberg S. D. Wingqvist and Anna Lundberg.

->1894: Graduated from Rudbecksskolan in Örebro (Örebro Technical Elementary School).

->1899: Employed as operating engineer at Gamlestadens Textile Industry in Göteborg where he worked many years to find a solution to the problems with frequent break downs in the ball bearings for the main drive shafts. This was caused by the ground conditions with lots of clay that the factory was built on and the shaft bearing supports moved some fractions of millimeters from time to time, hardly measurable, inducing enormous extra forces in the "stiff" bearings that was available at that time.

Wingqvist spend more and more time on the development of bearings in general, collecting all sorts of technical achievements and new ideas that was presented continuously on the ball bearing concepts around Europe. In particular he carefully studied the report presented in 1902 by professor Richard Stribeck working at the Institute of Technology in Dresden, Germany, where he had compared ball bearings versus plain bearings from a scientific point of view. Wingqvist soon realized that the ball bearing techniques had a future and that there was room for innovations. On his initiative a small workshop was set up within the premises of Gamlestadens factory where they could carry out tests with different designs and steel materials. In 1906 he was granted a patent for a single-row self-aligning ball bearing (Swedish patent reg. No. 24160) but this type of bearing had the disadvantage that it could not stand very much axial loads. His work continued in order to find the solution for a self aligning bearing that also could carry some axial loads.

->1907: On the initiative of Sven Wingqvist and the owners of Gamlestadens Textile Industry, SKF was founded February 16, at first as a subsidiary company to Gamlestadens Textile Industry. He was appointed the managing director as well as technical manager.

Axel Carlander, son of one of the owners of Gamlestadens Textile Industry, was appointed CEO for SKF. (Axel Carlander held the position as CEO for SKF until 1937). May 21: SKF sends in the patent application to PRV for a multi-row self-aligning radial ball bearing. Patent is granted June 6 with patent reg. No. 25406. Inventor: S.G. Wingqvist. In the patent application a double-row as well as a triple-row ball bearing is described. Within the same period of time, patent applications is sent out by SKF to 10 different countries, among them France, Germany, England and the USA and patent is granted in all countries within a short time. The door was now open for the world wide expansion.

Driver-less Google cars soon on Nevada roads :-

Google’s self-driven cars will soon be appearing on Nevada roads after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles approved on Monday the nation’s first autonomous vehicle license.

The move came after officials rode along on drives on highways, in Carson City neighbourhoods and along the famous Las Vegas Strip, the Nevada DMV said in a statement.

The Nevada legislature last year authorised self-driven cars for the state’s roads, the first such law in the United States. That law went into effect on 1 March, 2012.

Google’s self-driven cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers, and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigate, according to the company.

The DMV licensed a Toyota Prius that Google modified with its experimental driver-less technology, developed by Stanford professor and Google Vice President Sebastian Thrun.

Google’s self-driving cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and driven along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, according to the company.

Autonomous vehicles are the “car of the future,” Nevada DMV director Bruce Breslow said in a statement. The state also has plans to eventually license autonomous vehicles owned by the members of the public, the DMV said.

Legislation to regulate autonomous cars is being considered in other states, including Google’s home state of California.

“The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error. Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely,” California state Senator Alex Padilla said in March when he introduced that state’s autonomous car legislation.

Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licenses in Nevada, the DMV said.

Google's Self-Driving Car in Nevada Gets License from DMV:-

 

Dell's wonder ultrabook

THE XPS 13 is Dell’s first foray into the ultrabook line, with its defining thin design and light weight for easier mobility.

Despite its thinness, the XPS 13 is still fully high-end in terms of specifications and functionality.

Dell’s XPS 13 has a width of 18mm and weighs around 1.4kg. One of its distinctive features is the material used in constructing the XPS 13.

Instead of aluminum, carbon fibre is used to help dissipate heat more effectively and also because it is more durable and lessens the weight of the ultrabook.

The ultrabook also has a 13.3-inch display, full-sized backlit keyboard, processor of either Core i5 2467M or a i7 2637M dual-core processor with Intel HD 3000 graphics, 4GB RAM with 28GB or 256GB SSDs options.

It also has a 1.3-megapixel webcam, dual-array digital microphone, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, mini Display Port, estimated battery life of eight hours, and a headset jack.

Dell XPS 13 also has Smart Connect Technology which enables laptops to connect to the web even in sleep mode so that email and social networking feeds are updated.

The performance and speed of the laptop is considerably good as it is able to load quickly and perform specific tasks in a quick speed.

Aside from that, the physical design of XPS 13 allows the user to work anywhere, anytime.

Despite its numerous attractions, one of the things that is still lacking is the ultrabook’s battery life which can be a crucial draw-back for some heavy users.

When switched on to full brightness, and the power-saving software with the WiFi on is disabled, and the user is surfing and playing music on the XPS 13 , the battery can last just under four hours.

For RM3,499, you can get an XPS 13 equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor, 128GB SSD hard drive and 4GB memory.

For RM4,899, you can get one with an Intel Core i7 processor and 256GB SSD hard drive.

No Liquidmetal alloy for back casing of next iPhone

A couple of weeks ago the Internet was abuzz with news surrounding the upcoming flagship phone from Apple. News had it that the upcoming handset would feature a breakthrough material called Liquidmetal. The advantages of this new alloy would be that it would make the smartphone to be sturdier, thinner and lighter. The alloy comprises zirconium, titanium, nickel and copper making the surface feel smooth, like liquid. However, in an interview with Business Insider, one of the inventors of this breakthrough alloy, Dr. Atakan Peker, stated that it is unlikely Apple will use this metal for their next iPhone.

In the interview, when asked regarding the rumours surrounding the future Apple MacBooks using Liquidmetal, Dr. Peker said, “Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it's unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term. It's more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.” In all possibility, the brand will not feature this metal on their next iPhone, too as it appears to be too early to manufacture the whole back panel. The report mentions that Apple has only used this metal in small proportions, which is when they used it for the ejector pin on the iPhone 3G.

In a related questions posed to the inventor regarding the use of this metal on Apple products, the author states, “I expect Liquidmetal application in two ways: First evolutionary substitution of current materials and secondly, and more importantly, in a breakthrough product made only possible by Liquidmetal technology.

 Apple’s exclusively licensing a new material technology (specifically for casing and enclosures) is a first in the industry. This is very exciting. Therefore, I expect Apple to use this technology in a breakthrough product. Such product will likely bring an innovative user interface and industrial design together, and will also be very difficult to copy or duplicate with other material technologies.”

Over the last couple of months there have been a lot of rumours surrounding the upcoming iPhone and the list of them includes a slimmer form factor, larger screen and LTE capabilities.A couple of weeks ago the Internet was abuzz with news surrounding the upcoming flagship phone from Apple. News had it that the upcoming handset would feature a breakthrough material called Liquidmetal. The advantages of this new alloy would be that it would make the smartphone to be sturdier, thinner and lighter. The alloy comprises zirconium, titanium, nickel and copper making the surface feel smooth, like liquid. However, in an interview with Business Insider, one of the inventors of this breakthrough alloy, Dr. Atakan Peker, stated that it is unlikely Apple will use this metal for their next iPhone.

In the interview, when asked regarding the rumours surrounding the future Apple MacBooks using Liquidmetal, Dr. Peker said, “Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it's unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term. It's more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.” In all possibility, the brand will not feature this metal on their next iPhone, too as it appears to be too early to manufacture the whole back panel. The report mentions that Apple has only used this metal in small proportions, which is when they used it for the ejector pin on the iPhone 3G.

In a related questions posed to the inventor regarding the use of this metal on Apple products, the author states, “I expect Liquidmetal application in two ways: First evolutionary substitution of current materials and secondly, and more importantly, in a breakthrough product made only possible by Liquidmetal technology.

 Apple’s exclusively licensing a new material technology (specifically for casing and enclosures) is a first in the industry. This is very exciting. Therefore, I expect Apple to use this technology in a breakthrough product. Such product will likely bring an innovative user interface and industrial design together, and will also be very difficult to copy or duplicate with other material technologies.”

Over the last couple of months there have been a lot of rumours surrounding the upcoming iPhone and the list of them includes a slimmer form factor, larger screen and LTE capabilities.

Famous Scientist ( Carl Richard Nyberg )

-: Carl Richard Nyberg :-

Carl Richard Nyberg

Carl Richard Nyberg (May 28, 1858, – 1939) was the founder of Max Sieverts Lödlampfabrik, then one of the largest industries in Sundbyberg, Sweden. Nyberg was born in Arboga. After school he started working for a jeweller and later he moved to Stockholm and worked with various metalworks. He later got work at J. E. Eriksons mekaniska verkstad (later renamed to "Mekanikus").

It was while working there that he formulated the idea of the blowtorch. He later worked on the idea and created a blowtorch with strong, directed heat and also with several safety measures built in. He quit his work at Mekanikus in 1882 and set up a workshop at Luntmakargatan in Stockholm making blowtorches. However the business didn't work well because it took too long to both manufacture and sell them. For a time he made a living selling rings supposedly for curing gout. In 1884 he moved his workshop to Sundbyberg. In 1886 he met Max Sievert at a country fair and Sievert became interested in Nyberg's blowtorch and started selling it. After encouragement by the owner of Sundbyberg gård he started AB Alpha and after encouragement from L. M. Ericsson he started producing wire.

After Primus started producing blowtorches he also decided to make paraffin oil/kerosene cookers. The first model, called Viktoria, wasn't very successful, but the later Svea did better. He delivered many to Russia and soon he produced 3000 per week. In 1906 the company was changed into a stock company. He was quite generous towards his workers and often gave them stock in the company. The workers became known as "Nybergs snobbar" (Nyberg's snobs) because they were generally better off than those who worked in other places. In 1922 the company was sold to Max Sievert who continued to own it until 1964 when it was bought by Esso.

Nyberg also worked on many other inventions, for instance steam engines, aeroplanes, boat propellers and various other machines. He was most famous as an aviation pioneer and he became known as "Flyg-Nyberg" (Flying-Nyberg). From 1897 and onward until around 1910, outside his home in Lidingö he built and tested his Flugan (The Fly) on a circular wood track in his garden and on the ice during the wintertime. However, due the lack of small effective gasoline engines at that time[citation needed], he only managed a few short jumps. He worked hard with the help of professor J.E. Cederblom at KTH in the development of wing profiles but did not succeed to get The Fly in the air. He also designed and built his own wind tunnel to be able to make test of small wing models. The Fly had a wingspan of 5 meters, and the surface area of the wings was 13 m². The engine was a steam engine of his own design, with a boiler heated by four of his blowtorches. It produced a maximum of 10 hp (7 kW) at 2000 rpm. The total weight of the plane was 80 kg.