Archive for February, 2010
The Next Generation Flash Drive is Here
Set to launch Monday March 1st, 2010, at roughly $150 the company predicts this will be the most talked about product since the flash drive was invented.
Infinitec, the Dubai based start-up is set to unveil the the worlds first Infinite USB Memory Device on March 1st, 2010. The companies website states that this product will not only give you infinite Gigabytes of Storage, it will also also allow you to stream media to any USB equipped DVD player, PS3, XBOX 360, HIFI, or Home Theatre system.
Press Release as originally published at Engadget here:
Features:The Next Generation Flash Drive is Finally Here
Simply put, the IUM is the next generation of USB flash drives. Why? Because it provides you with a more efficient, practical and comprehensive solution for transferring your files than traditional USB flash drives. You no longer need to run back and forth between laptops to share files, you don’t need to worry about what previous content may still be on your flash drive before you give it to a friend or colleague, and you don’t need to try to figure out if you have enough capacity available to share all you content. Oh, and by the way, have we told you about its media streaming capabilities? Here are some of the things it can do.
Unlimited File Sharing
Because the IUM allows you to share your entire hard drive as well as any servers, external hard drives or other storage space that your laptop has access to, you can never run out of storage space.
Complete Freedom
The IUM gives you the complete freedom of choosing whether to share one single file or your entire hard drive. You are in control. You decide what to share, when and with whom.
Completely Secure
Because the IUM uses your laptop’s hard drive for storage, if your IUM is lost or stolen, none of your files will be gone with it. Unlike in traditional flash drives, the IUM doesn’t store any content in it and therefore your data is always protected because it never leaves your laptop.
Compatible with all File Formats
The IUM supports all types of files and folders regardless of the functionality or the extension of the file. All you have to do is mark the file for sharing using the IUM software and your files will immediately appear on the IUM.
Stream Your Media
Because files never leave your laptop, you can stream all your movies, music and pictures directly to your TV, DVD player, Blu-ray player, HiFi system, etc. All you need is a USB port and off you go! (Note: Infinitec only endorses the download of legally acquired content)
Supports Full HD
Because we understand that the world is moving to HD, we want to you to enjoy that freedom too. The IUM gives you the ability to streaming your movies in full HD (1080p support) so that you can enjoy a better image quality.
Uninterrupted Playback
We understand wireless technology and how unreliable it can be. That’s why we’ve installed measures to protect you from any interference or drop in the wireless signal. So you can enjoy your movies and music with uninterrupted playback.
Compatible with all Operating Systems
It doesn’t matter if your friends or colleagues are using a PC, Mac or Linux computer. The IUM is plug-and-play device that’s recognised by all operating systems so that you can share your files with anyone you choose.
Compatible with Gaming Consoles
We understand that you like to use your flash drives on your video consoles so we’ve made sure you can do the same with your IUM. The IUM is compatible with all major gaming consoles such as PlaysStation3, Xbox360, Wii, etc.
Plug and Play
Since the IUM is the next generation of USB flash drives, it’s compatible with any device that currently accepts the use of traditional flash drives. Everything from printers to digital photo frames. You don’t need to install software or download drivers. It truly is a plug and play device.
Future Proof
Because the IUM is a plug and play device, this means that it will be compatible with all future devices that support USB flash drives. So if one day they make microwaves that have a USB port in them, you’ll be able to use your IUM to make your popcorn as well!
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How it Works
Intro
Why is the IUM is the next generation of USB flash drives? Because it looks and feels like a traditional USB memory drive, but has none of the limitations of these devices. This is because the IUM does not actually store any memory on the drive itself. Instead, it uses your laptop’s WiFi signal to connect to it and then leverages your laptop’s storage capabilities as its own. This means that you get to decide what is the storage capabilities of your IUM instead of having to buy a larger capacity flash drive every year.
The IUM’s storage can be as large as the entire hard disk of your laptop or even larger. This is because you can share all the external hard drives and servers that your laptop has access to. Ultimately the more storage space that your laptop has access to, the larger the memory of the IUM will appear to be. And because a laptop can always find access to additional servers or hard drives, these can all be combined to create the IUM’s infinite capacity.
In addition, the IUM is a Plug-and-Play drive: when it’s connected to any USB equipped device, it will always appear as a standard off-the-shelve flash drive. This means that you’ll never need to install any drivers or software on any of the devices you want to use it with.
Pairing Process
So what happens after you get back from the store, excited about purchasing your first IUM? Well the first thing you need to do is pair it with your laptop. The IUM pairs uniquely to a single laptop and this laptop becomes the host or “brains” of the IUM. This is a very simple process; all you need to do is move the IUM’s selector switch to ‘pair’ mode and then plug it into your laptop’s USB port. This will automatically install the Infinite Portal software on your laptop which will then pair the IUM to your laptop.
The pairing process is designed to uniquely identify your IUM from others that may be around. Your IUM will only work with your laptop while other IUMs will only work with their owners’ laptops. By pairing each IUM with a unique host laptop, you and your colleagues can all use your IUMs simultaneously without having any incompatibility or interconnection issues.
Once the IUM is paired to your laptop, you simply unplug it, shift the switch back into ‘infinite’ mode and you’re ready to go!
Infinite Portal
So how do you use and control your IUM? Well it’s simple really; the Infinite Portal provides you with all the tools you will need to do that. This user-friendly application is extremely intuitive and allows you to fully control the behaviour of your IUM. You can use it to set the maximum storage size of the IUM, to decide what file system should be used and to easily mark or unmark the files and folders that you want to make visible on the IUM. It even comes with a set of organisation tools to help you keep your shared content into an easy to use directory structure.
In addition, the Infinite Portal comes equipped with a full set of performance monitoring tools. These allow you to constantly check the connectivity status of the IUM, the transfer speed and throughput. That way you always know what’s happening on your IUM no matter who is using it or for what purpose.
Ultimately, the Infinite Portal is a very powerful tool that gives you full control over your IUM so that you can decide how and for what it’s used.
Product Uses
So, what can you use your IUM for? So many things! Think of the uses of a flash memory drive and now multiply them by infinity! Here are some of the most common uses but we’re sure you’ve already thought of many more:
1. Next Generation USB Memory Drive
How many times have you been in the situation where you want to give your friend or colleague a bunch of files but just couldn’t get your hands on the right flash drive to do it? Either your existing flash drive wasn’t large enough, it was already reaching its storage limit or you had confidential information on it that you didn’t want anyone else to see. In the end, you either had to sort through your flash drive contents deciding what to delete or you had to use the drive back-and-forth several times to transfer all the files. With the IUM these issues are over. You simply lend your IUM to your friend or colleague and use the Infinite Portal to give them access to whatever files you want them to copy. Whether it’s 1 kilobyte of data or 1 terabyte, the IUM will never run out of space or give you any hassle.
2. DVD Players, Media Players, Blu-ray Players and LCD Screens
We all love downloading movies, trailers and TV shows but we all hate having to watch them on our laptops screens when we have a larger TV at home. The IUM solves that problem. Simply plug your IUM into the USB port of your DVD player, media player, Blu-ray player or new generation TV and you can steam all your movies directly to it. All you need to do is use the Infinite Portal to share your video collection on your IUM and you’re ready to go. Just don’t forget the popcorn!
3. HiFi Stereo Systems & Amplifiers
Our music must go with us at all times. That’s why we have MP3 players in all shapes and sizes. But sometimes we want to blast those tunes on our HiFi systems without having to burn songs on DVDs or wrestle with connectivity cables. And since most new HiFi systems come with USB support, your problems are solved. Connect the IUM to your HiFi, share the three million songs that are on your laptop and they can all be played on your large stereo system. Just don’t forget to keep the volume down so the neighbours don’t call the police!
4. Video Gaming Consoles
Gaming consoles are rapidly becoming the norm for multimedia. Whether you want to watch a movie, play some music or play through your album of pictures. These devices are becoming extremely popular for more than just their video gaming features. The only problem is that they’re limited by having to use media servers with them when you have a large amount of content. But what happens if you don’t want to spend a fortune on media servers? The answer is simple, use your IUM. It will allow you to stream all your media files from your laptop straight onto the console. No wires, no hassle, no running back and forth.
5. Digital Photo frames
So you’re back from your holidays and you have five thousand photos that you took while you were there. Now how do you transfer them all to your digital photo frame quickly and without hassle? Use your IUM. Plug it into your photo frame, choose your pictures, mark them as shared and they are immediately on display.
6. Printers
Most new printers have USB ports for printing from memory sticks. For those printers, the IUM can be connected to allow you to print your documents wirelessly. Just connect your IUM, share the documents you want to print and you’re set to go while you’re still relaxing on the couch.
7. Projectors
New projectors are slowly coming out with USB ports. Can you imagine being able to go into a meeting and not have to wrestle with cables and the screen capabilities of your laptop? Well that’s what we do for you. Simply connect the IUM into the projector, choose the presentation you want to display and it instantly appears on the screen. How impressed will your boss be when you pull that one off?
Among the plethora of newly designed objects, a metallic set of light s by Londoner, Tom Dixon, stands out in the crowd and is receiving much buzz. The sculptural-looking spun metal pieces are shiny without any edges – yet they could probably be defined as edgy. As for Dixon himself, his path in the design world wasn’t planned and orderly. He never envisioned himself as a designer.
In his earliest design phase, Dixon had taken a class in plastic bumper repair. At some point he fell in love with welding. The pools of molten metal. The fusing of one piece of steel to another. The ability to construct stuff out of scrap metal. The industrial aspect was charming and appealing and he made objects just for the heck of it until people started buying.
Along the way, an Italian furniture design company fell in love with some of his designs and invited him to join them. He would become famous for the “S” chair that was originally made with recycled rubber inner tubes. Nowadays the iconic chair is among Dixon’s other work hanging about in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. And among his spectrum of designed objects there are “fantasy” objects. Design - it’s everywhere you want it to be.
Back in the day, the office joke was about those naughty coworkers who sat on the copy machine, sans clothing in some cases, to print – posterior art. Perhaps in the not too distant future those folks may be able to print actual posteriors. Although, it isn’t clear why anyone might need an extra set of those – except in the case of excessive laughing. Still, science fiction is fast becoming science fact in biotechnical labs. The most recent example of this being from the Organovo Company in San Diego which has engineered a printer for body parts. Yes, it is an odd thought.
In collaboration with Invetech, an Australian company that has delivered an array of medical devices for diagnostic purposes, Organovo developed the Novogen bioprinting technology that uses 3D bio-printers to print livers, bladders, arteries and the like. The process is somewhat similar to inkjet printers. The bio-printer has two heads, one for human cells and the other for a hydrogel that acts as a scaffold for holding the cells together. With each pass, the printer deposits droplets of the new material that eventually takes shape. It’s a complex process for the non-engineering crowd but let’s just say at the end of it, this is good news for organ failure patients.
Unlike other architecture, the human body is different and in the case of bio-printed organs function and form are unrelated. So the printed kidney might not actually be – kidney shaped. It could look like an inner tube or a ball or some other shape. All of which could lead to more artistic looking MRIs and X-rays. Beyond skin and blood, the technology won’t enter common usage for a few years, but it’s nice to know that we will eventually have the freedom to eat, drink and be merry without fear of organ failure.
Those who went to the Malta Jazz Festival last year learned that Brad Meldau is the most influential jazz pianist. If the Malta Jazz Festival isn’t high on your annual must-do list, you might have encountered Florida-born and Connecticut-raised Meldau anyway. He is quite popular for his jazz arrangements of popular rock music and his collaboration with well-known jazz groups. (Just for the record, Malta in the Mediterranean is a former British colony where the national bird is the Blue Rock Thrush, not the falcon.) If the sound of jazz isn’t necessarily your thing, it turns out that music has the power to transport you back in time, cause your mind to wander and activate parts of your brain. Sound, not necessarily of music, is generally a very influential factor in our lives.
Marketers in the 1970s may have recognized this, which is why there are so many jingles from that decade. Now it turns out, sound is no longer the distinguishing characteristic of advertisements. It is thought that around 83 percent of the advertisements we see daily, depend on visuals to communicate the message. But restaurant management might want to know that when the music is slower than the human heartbeat, diners eat more slowly and eat more food. At the same time, silent slot machines in Las Vegas resulted in revenue falling by almost a quarter. What gives?
Martin Lindstrom, the neuro-marketing guru recently arrived at a list of the ten most “addictive” sounds in the world – though it isn’t clear how he defines world. Topping the list of branded sounds was – Intel. Can you hear it now? Of the non-branded sounds, it’s a giggling baby. Meanwhile, vibrating phones and phone ringtones occupied several slots on branded and non-branded lists. And who knew Letterman’s theme would round out the top ten, non-branded sounds.
Top 10 Branded sounds:
1. Intel
2. National Geographic
3. MTV
4. T-Mobile
5. McDonald’s
7. State Farm
8. AT&T Ringtone
9. Home Depot
10 Palm Treo Ringtone
Top 10 Non-branded sounds:
1. Baby giggle
2. Vibrating phone
3. ATM / cash register
4. “Star Spangled Banner”
5. Sizzling steak
6. ‘Hail to the Chief’
7. Cigarette light and inhale
8. “Wedding March”
9. “Wish Upon a Star”
10. Late Night with David Letterman Theme
Thanks to Augmented Reality (AR), television fans of the Vancouver Olympics are being treated to the digital line. Shani Davis or some other Olympian is skating around the track in a qualifier when all of a sudden that line on the ice appears. It moves closer or further away. It’s the time to beat. Viewers in front of their TV sets are probably wishing Shani could see the line. But he can’t. It’s just another augmented reality application, layering computing power over real world experiences. Numerous smart phone apps are also applying AR to everything from finding nearby restaurants or train stations to showing how golf balls will roll around on a specific green.
Now for anyone thinking that AR has reached its potential, a group of people in Malmo, Sweden might beg to differ. Travelers in Scandinavia might think of Malmo as the place where trains from Denmark, Norway and Sweden meetup. But travelers in the smart phone world are more interested in how The Astonishing Tribe and Polar Rose, based there, are changing the user experience. It may be scary, it may be fun, but thanks to these folks your smart phone can now put names and faces together. Point the phone to that guy at the lectern and you soon pull in data from his digital life. Scary if you’re the lecturer.
The Astonishing Tribe, a company that designs user interfaces for smart phones and other hardware, is also bent on astonishing everyone with their TAT Home technology, a gesture powered interface that allows users to manage contacts, messaging, music and other widgets without leaving the home screen. But long before the digital era, AR started in art museums with cassette tapes that allowed someone to learn more about the artwork while standing in front of it.
See demo here