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IBM Makes Brainy Breakthrough in Computing

2011-08-22T02:22:00.002+07:00

IBM (NYSE: IBM) researchers unveiled a new generation of experimental computer chips Thursday. The chips are designed to mimic the brain's abilities of perception, action and cognition. The development could lead to advances in computers that require much less power and space than current technology.

IBM's first neurosynaptic computing chips recreate the spiking neurons and synapses of biological systems such as the brain by using advanced algorithms and silicon circuitry. The first two prototype chips have been fabricated and are undergoing testing.

Systems built with these chips will be called "cognitive computers" and won't be programmed the same way as traditional computers. Cognitive computers are expected to learn through experiences, find correlations, create hypotheses and remember, mimicking the brain's structural and synaptic plasticity. IBM is combining principles from nanoscience, neuroscience and supercomputing to kick off a multi-year cognitive computing initiative.

IBM and its university collaborators have been awarded approximately US$21 million in new funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for phase two of the Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) project. SyNAPSE's goal is to create a system to analyze complex information from multiple sensory modalities at once and to dramatically rewire itself to adapt to the environment.

Computerized Learning, My Dear Watson

Giving a computer the ability to learn changes the way it works. Today's computers react to human input and programming, while a learning computer would process information differently. The new chip is a step closer to actual learning than even the Watson computer used on "Jeopardy" to respond to questions.

"You can think of this like Watson, since both systems have the ability to learn," Kelly Sims, communications manger at IBM Research, told TechNewsWorld. "It has to be a learning system because you can't program a computer for every possible question. The computer has to be able to guess what the different data mean. Typical computer calculations are limited by programming. You can't program a computer to know everything."

IBM is implementing its hardware knowledge to fabricate a new type of computer. IBM dreams of a computer that is more aware of its surroundings and is ready to learn from them.

"What we're trying to do is create something that can take in different information from senses and come up with an understanding of what is going on," said Sims. "Watson was designed to answer deep questions and answers, to understand and find answers in natural language. The underlying hardware involved is the same hardware we've been using for 50 years."

Computers today are reaching the walls of physics, which could stymie the uninterrupted progress of faster and deeper computations.

"Computers today face a number of problems. One is Moore's Law. We're coming to physical limitations. You have to make the computer go faster to get more out of them. We could build a computer that could know almost everything, but it would be the size of Manhattan and it would take just as much energy."

Sims notes that the new chip is completely different from previous computers, even Watson.

"We found a separation in the road from the old computers to a new direction, and this chip is the new way," Sims said. "For some things, the regular computer is perfect. It's been left brain. Now we're adding right-brain capability."

AI for Real?

This new chip brings technology yet another step closer to replicating a human-like intelligence. The adaptation of brain-like structures into computer chips could be a leap toward a much more complex artificial intelligence.

"This is a pretty cool development," Roger Kay, founder and principle of Endpoint Technologies, told TechNewsWorld. "It's complicated, but essentially, it arranges computing elements like processing, memory, and communications in a manner closer to the way our brains store and send information in neurons, axons and synapses.

The most important changes include the way processors are smaller and less complex and are associated with their own memory, Kay noted.

"The difference is the way individual elements communicate in a many-to-many fashion," he said.

"This computing engine has to be hooked up to inputs such as sensors -- eyes and ears -- and outputs like actuators -- hands and mouths," said Kay. "When a sensor sees the color red, a 'red' neuron fires, alerting many others around it with the message 'I have red.' Another neuron associated with a fire engine, one with a Ferrari, and one with blood would all fire back, maybe with a query, 'Is it liquid? Does it make noise?' And others in those departments fire off input requests. An assessment comes back, 'makes high pitch whine,' and several neurons team to make an output 'could be Ferrari.' Eventually, this sort of computing architecture could change many things, but not for many years. This is a long-term research project."

Google 'Speak to Tweet' keeps Egypt on Twitter

2011-02-02T07:41:00.003+07:00

Protesters in Egypt are turning to a new Google tool to enable them to keep tweeting, following the country's government-enforced internet blackout.

The new 'Speak to Tweet' service, which was launched on Monday night allows users to leave a message on an international number for it to be posted at the @speak2tweet Twitter page.

The page displays the country origin of the message and a link for you to listen to the voicemail in its entirety. Other third party sites are now transcribing and translating the messages.

Revolution

The under-fire Egyptian government has reportedly blocked access to the internet, including social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, in order to contain reports of demonstrations and prevent organisers from planning more protests.

The new service, which partners with Google's newly-acquired speech recognition company SayNow, is one of the only ways for citizens to get the word out, with the authorities also closing down TV station Al Jazeera's Cairo offices.

So far over 800 messages have been posted to the @speak2tweet account, with most of them originating from the troubled African state.

The voice messages are being translated by volunteer site Alive in Egypt as the international online community rallies behind the democratic movement.

Top 12 best tablet PC iPad alternatives

2011-01-22T22:32:00.014+07:00

This year is going to be the year of the touchscreen tablet, of that there can be no doubt.

While tablet PCs have been around for yonks, only now are they becoming the desirable, usable and functional devices that we've always wanted them to be – and it's about time too.

The iPad is currently the most obvious example of how tablets are going mainstream, but that's not to say that all tablets released from now on are guaranteed to be super awesome.

Indeed there are some real stinkers out there – remember the Toshiba F olio 100?

So allow us to walk you through the best tablets currently on sale, along with the sexy tablets that are set to tickle your fingertips later in 2011.

Samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P1000

UK release date: October 2010
Specs: Android 2.2, 1 GHz Cortex A8 CPU, 512MB RAM, 16GB/32GB, 7-inch capacitive LCD at 1024x600, 3.2MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, phone-call-friendly 3G, 380g.

What we think: While the Galaxy Tab promised the world, it didn't quite deliver the tablet experience we were hoping for. As the first big-name tablet to take on the iPad, it failed to live up to its billing. That said, user response has been positive, and despite a high asking price of over £500 SIM-free, this is about as good as it gets out of the current crop of Android 2.2

tablets. A Wi-Fi only model is imminent.

Viewsonic ViewPad 7

UK release date: October 2010
Specs: Android 2.2, Qualcomm MSM 7227 600MHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 512MB storage, 7-inch capacitive LCD at 800x480, 3MP rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, phone

call-friendly 3G, 375g.

What we think: Not technically built by Viewsonic, this tablet is also available under various different titles. Essentially it's a Chinese-built OEM device, but you'd be wrong if you think that means it's not very good. It is. It's responsive, it's a nice size and it's usable. The problem is that it should cost £200, not £400.

Advent Vega

UK release date: November 2010

Specs: Android 2.2 (sans Android Market), 1GHz Nvidia Tegra CPU, 512MG RAM, 512MB storage, capacitive LCD at 1024x600, 1.3MP rear-facing camera, no 3G, 700g.

What we think: At £250, the Advent Vega comes in at a very attractive price - it's probably the best tablet for those on a very tight budget. And actually, it isn't half bad. It's responsive, it's not too heavy, it runs Android without breaking a sweat. The problem is that without 3G connectivity there's no Android Market access. There's also no Home button, and the other hardware buttons are fiddly as hell.

ExoPC Slate

UK release date: October 2010
Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, 23GB/64GB, 11.6-inch capacitive LCD at 1366x768, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 950g.

What we think: While the list is dominated by Android tablets, let's not forget poor old Windows 7. It's in no way a touch-friendly operating system, but that doesn't mean there isn't some decent hardware out there doing its best. The ExoPC Slate is

the best Windows tablet

s at present, and so if you MUST have Windows on your tablet, this is currently the one to get.

BlackBerry Playbook

UK release date: Spring/Summer 2011
Specs: BlackBerry Tablet OS (QNX), 1GHz Cortex A9 dual core CPU, 1GB RAM, 7-inch capacitive LCD at 1024x600, 3MP front-facing camera, 5MP rear-facing camera, 400g.

What we think: From the moment the good folks at RIM started talking about t

he Playbook,

we knew it was going to be awesome. And by Jove it's one of the most im

pressive gadgets we've ever played with. Slick, seemless and sexy, the new BlackBerry OS is as impressive as the polished hardware. This one simply cannot be released soon enough.

Motorola Xoom

UK release date: Spring 2011
Specs: Android 3.0, Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 32GB Flash storage, 10.1-inch capacitive LCD at 1280x800, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, barometer, gyroscope, 5MP rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera, 3G, 730g.

What we think: The Motorola Xoom is one of the second-generation Android tablets that the tech world is getting very excited about. Packing Nvidia's super-po

werful Tegra 2 chip and running the tablet-friendly Android 3.0 OS, the Xo

om is going to be big.

Notion Ink Adam Tablet

UK release date: Summer 2011
Specs: Android 2.3, Nvidia Tegra 250, Cortex A9 dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 1GB SLC,

10.1-inch capacitive display at 1024x600, optional Qi display, 3.2MP swivel camera, 3G, 2x USB, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass, 726g.

What we think: The Notion Ink Adam Tablet is maybe the most anti

cipated tablet of them all. While it runs on Android 2.3, the Bangalore-based company has built its own complex interface on top called Eden. The hardware specs are impressive on paper, and it looks like this could to be one of 2011's hottest products. Or, it could be an absolute disaster... we'll find out soon enough.

Asus Eee Pad MeMo

UK release date: Summer 2011
Specs: Android 2.3/3.0, Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 7-inch capacitive display, 64GB Flash storage, rear-facing camera, front-facing camera, mini-HD

MI out.

What we think: We don't know much about the Asus Eee Pad yet. What we do

know is that there are four models, of which the MeMo is at the bottom end. We also know that Asus is taking its time with these Eee Pads, so we can be fairly confident that when they finally go on sale, they'll be good.

Asus Eee Pad Slider

UK release date: Summer 2011
Specs: Android 2.3/3.0, Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core CPU, slide-out keyboard, 10.1-inch capacitive display at 1280x800, card reader, HDMI-out, rear-facing camera, front-facing camera.

What we think: At 10.1-inches, the Eee Pad Slider is bigger than the MeMo, and Asus thinks it's big enough to warrant a slide-out keyboard. It's the netbook of the new generation, if you will. It's also the first Android tablet we've seen with a feature like this,

though it's not a new

concept. Typing on a touchscreen can be a pain, so including a proper keyboard is a nice idea – though how useful it ends up being remains to be seen.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer

UK release date: Summer 2011
Specs: Android 2.3/3.0, Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core CPU, 10.1-inch capacitive display at 1280x800, full-size keyboard dock, card reader, HDMI-

out, rear-facing camera, front-facing camera

What we think: Asus is keeping all its bases covered by offerin

g a variety of different tablet options, and waiting to see what people

buy. The Eee Pad Transformer is similar to the Slider, except there's no built-in keyboard. Instead, the tablet comes with an optional keyboard docking station (it'll cost considerably more with it) for you to keep on your desk.

Viewsonic ViewPad 10s

UK release date: Spring 2011
Specs: Android 2.2 (with Tap UI), Nvidia Tegra 2, Cortex A9, 512MB RAM, 16GB Flash memory, 10.1-inch capacitive LCD at 1024x600.

What we think: While the original ViewPad 10 was an absolute dog, the 10s looks a lot better simply because Android 2.2 replaces the dual-booting Windows 7 and Android 1.6. Already released as the Viewsonic G Tablet in the US, the 10s boasts decent hardware specs an

d a custom overlay on top of Android 2.2. Providing it's priced sensibly, this could be an attractive purchase when it goes on sale.

Dell Streak 7, Dell Streak 10

UK release date: Summer 2011?
Specs: Android 2.2, 7-inch capacitive LCD, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 16GB storage.

What we think: Dell is expanding its range of Android products after it launched its 5-inch phone/tablet lovechild last year. On the way is the 7-inch Dell Streak 7 and the 10.1-inch Dell Streak 10 - and if the original is anything to go by, these tablets will be exce

llent.

More tablets on the horizon in 2011:

HTC Tablet: An Android 3.0 tablet with impressive hardware specs and probably SenseUI.

T-Mobile G Slate: Built by LG, is this another Android 3.0 tablet. It's currently unclear whether it will be joined by an LG-branded Optimus Pad.

HP PalmPad : Running Palm's webOS (first seen on the Palm Pre), the PalmPad promises to be something a little bit different and a little bit special. HP have an event scheduled for February 9, so we'll know more after that.

Panasonic Viera Tablet: We had our first look at the three Panasonic Viera Android 2.2 tablets at CES this year. While the hardware is nothing special, what's interesting is the way they interact with Panasonic's Viera Connect Internet TV service.

Acer Iconia Tab A500: Acer is using the name Iconia for its touchscreen offerings, and the Iconia Tab A500 should launch later in 2011 packing Android 3.0.

Lenovo LePad: The LePad incorporates a 10.1-inch (1280×800) touch-screen, 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs a customised version of the Android 2.2 OS. To be available in 16GB and 32GB versions, it's 3G-only and includes a front-facing 2 Megapixel camera.

Apple iPad 2: Hazzah!

Sistem Bedah Robotik Bantu Dokter Bedah Mengoperasi Jantung Manusia Yang Masih Berdetak

2009-12-17T05:43:00.002+07:00

Jantung adalah salah satu organ penting bagi kehidupan manusia. Ketika jantung berhenti berdetak, artinya seorang manusia telah lepas dari kehidupannya. Tapi tak jarang pula di dunia kesehatan, ditemui banyak keluhan mengenai penyakit jantung yang diakibatkan oleh berbagai hal, salah satunya bisa jadi karena pola makan kita.

Tentu untuk bisa mengobati penyakit jantung adalah hal yang sangat sulit, bahkan untuk seorang ahli bedah sekalipun, mengoperasi jantung yang sedang berdetak sama artinya berjudi dengan nyawa seseorang. Hal tersebut bahkan bisa menyebabkan kematian.

Tapi tampaknya resiko tersebut mungkin suatu hari nanti akan dapat diminimalisir dengan adanya sistem bedah robotik yang kini masih terus dikembangkan oleh sejumlah peneliti di Montpellier Laboratory of Informatics, Robotics and Microelectronics di Perancis. Sistem robotik ini dipadukan dengan sistem 3D modelling yang mana dapat melacak gerakan jantung seperti detak jantung.

Bahkan nantinya sistem ini ditargetkan untuk dapat menyesuaikan hal-hal seperti gerakan dinding dada pasien ketika bernafas dan memprediksi gerakan dalam satu langkah saja. Ketika nantinya jantung dipasangkan dengan lengan robot ini, sistem akan beroperasi secara efektif membiarkan dokter bedah melakukan pekerjaannya untuk mengoperasi jantung. Tentu dengan adanya sistem operasi jantung ini nantinya akan sangat membantu di dunia kesehatan. Wah, semoga saja ya sistem robotik ini dapat segera diselesaikan oleh para peneliti, supaya nantinya para dokter dapat lebih mudah melakukan pekerjaannya dan kemungkinan sembuh bagi para pasien penyakit jantung pun akan meningkat.

Sumber: www.beritateknologi.com

Sony Ericsson Satio

2009-11-20T00:27:00.005+07:00

Bersiaplah publik di Indonesia, pasalnya di awal kuartal ke-4 tahun 2009 ini baru saja telah hadir perangkat ponsel yang mampu menyajikan ala hiburan tanpa batasnya. Untuk mengisi waktu senggang liburan tahun Anda, kiranya Anda bisa menghadirkan perangkat ponsel yang satu ini sebagai tandem keseharian Anda. Dengan hiburan tanpa batasnya tersebut, Sony Ericsson Satio akan mampu menghadirkan hiburan yang dasyat tiada tara bagi Anda semua.

Satio merupakan salah satu dari trio andalan Sony Ericsson yang akan dirilis bersama pada tahun 2009 ini juga. Dua lainnya adalah Yari dan Aino. Pada dasarnya, trio ponsel Sony Ericsson tersebut memiliki keunggulan fitur yang berbeda untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hiburan para penggunanya. Sebagai genre terbaru dalam jajaran produk Sony Ericsson, perangkat ponsel yang satu ini memang berbeda dengan lainnya. Satio sendiri adalah perangkat ponsel pertama yang menggabungkan antara teknologi walkman dengan cybershot yang dilebur sehingga mampu menghadirkan hiburan tanpa batas ( Entertainment Unlimited ) yang menjadi fitur keunggulannya.

Ponsel berdimensi 112 x 55 x 13 mm ini memiliki bentuk persegi panjang dengan sudut-sudut dinamis yang melengkung di kedua ujungnya. Warna yang ditawarkan pun dalam berbagai warna pilihan yang ada seperti warna Black (hitam), Silver (perak), dan Bordeaux (merah marun). Satio tak hanya telah memperlihatkan kesederhanaannya, namun sekaligus menunjukkan kelasnya di segmen perangkat ponsel kalangan atas.

Dengan mengusung teknologi layar sentuh secara penuh, Anda bisa menjangkau dan menghadirkan hiburan tanpa batas dengan sangat mudah dan cepat. Ditambah pula keberadaan kamera beresolusi 12,1 MP dengan dukungan Xenon flash serta fokus sentuhan intuitifnya, seakan menambah kesempurnaan fitur dan kemampuan yang dimiliki perangkat ponsel yang satu.

Berikut adalah spesifikasi lengkap Sony Ericsson Satio, yaitu:

Kamera
Kamera 12.1 megapiksel
Digital zoom hingga 12x
Fokus otomatis
BestPic^TM
Deteksi wajah
Foto geo-tagging
Penstabil gambar
Photo feeds
Photo fix
Kirim ke web
Reduksi mata merah
Deteksi senyum
Fokus sentuh
Lampu video
Perekaman video
Flash Xenon

Musik
Album art
Stereo Bluetooth^TM (A2DP)
Pemutar media
Nada musik (MP3/AAC)
PlayNow^TM
TrackID^TM

Web
WebKit web browser
Bookmarks
Web feeds

Komunikasi
Daftar panggilan
Speakerphone
Tanda getar
Video calling

Pesan
Chatting
Email
Exchange ActiveSync^TM
Pengenalan tulisan tangan
Pesan instan
Layar keyboard QWERTY
Pesan gambar (MMS)
Predictive text input
Perekaman suara
Pesan teks (SMS)

Desain
Rotasi otomatis
Gesture control
Media
Wallpaper bergambar
S60 5th edition Symbian^TM OS
Layar sentuh
Wallpaper animasi

Hiburan
Permainan HD dan 3D
Aplikasi Facebook^TM
Radio FM dengan RDS
Java
Video streaming
Video viewing
YouTube^TM

Konektivitas
Teknologi Bluetooth^TM
Modem
PictBridge
SynchroniU1in
TV out
Penyimpanan massal USB
Mendukung USB
WiFi^TM yang in-built

Organizer
Jam alarm
Kalkulator
Kalendar
Kontak
Pembaca dokumen
Editor dokumen
Mode penerbangan
Notes
Daftar tugas

Servis berbasis lokasi A-GPS
Google Maps^TM
Navigasi turn-by-turn

Aksesoris
Sudah termasuk:
- U1i
- Baterai
- Charger baterai
- Kartu memori 8GB
- Kabel USB
- Media manager
- Stereo portable handsfree berwarna sesuai ponsel
- Petunjuk penggunaan

Tambahan:
Video Viewing Stand IM920
Fakta dan Figur 1)2) Ukuran: 112 x 55 x 13.3 mm
Berat: 126 gram
Warna: Black, Silver dan Bordeaux
Layar utama: nHD TFT 16.777.216 warna
Layar lebar 16:9
Resolusi: 640 x 360 piksel
Ukuran: 3.5 inci
Memori ponsel: Hingga 128MB
Mendukung kartu memori: SanDisk microSD^TM

U1i
Ketersediaan dan Versi Jaringan:
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS HSDPA 2100

U1i(a)
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100

Dalam hal ini Sony Ericsson tampaknya menempatkan Satio pada segmen orang-orang berduit (kalangan atas) mengingat harganya yang cukup tinggi tersebut yaitu harga resmi per unit terbarunya saja saat ini sekitar 7 jutaan ke atas. Hm, Anda berminat?

Windows 7 RC to Have Shutdowns on March 1 '10

2009-05-05T14:14:00.001+07:00

Last week the news made the rounds of the Windows 7 RC having a longer than average trial period. Stated clearly by Microsoft is that the Release Candidate install will remain valid until June 1, 2010.

What wasn’t so clearly publicized is the small detail that starting March 1, 2010 there will be bihourly shut downs of any installs of Windows 7 RC.

As Microsoft details on its partner site regarding the shutdown schedules for the beta and RC:

To avoid interruption, it’s recommended that you and your customers rebuild test machines by using a valid Windows operating system before Windows 7 Beta and Windows 7 RC expire. Windows will automatically notify you that the expiration process is about to begin. Two weeks later, your PC will shut down every two hours. For Windows 7 Beta, the bihourly shutdowns will begin July 1, 2009. The software will expire August 1, 2009. For Windows 7 RC, the bihourly shutdowns will begin March 1, 2010. The software will expire June 1, 2010.

So there you have it. While Windows 7 RC will be useful for 13 months as we all thought last week, it’ll be more useful for the first 10 months.

If there’s any confusion regarding what bihourly means – if it’ll be shutdowns every 30 minutes or 2 hours – it’s the longer of the two options, though probably still annoying enough to make one want to upgrade to the final version.

Windows 7 RC is set for a public launch tomorrow. Look forward to it! (Unless you’ve already downloaded it.)

Source : Tom's Hardware US

FX7400 RFID Reader

2009-04-28T21:01:00.000+07:00

FX7400 RFID reader offers high performance in a compact design for improved inventory management.

ORLANDO, Fla., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RFID Journal Live! (Booth #215) -- Building on its extensive history of enterprise innovation and industry firsts, Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today introduced a new series of business-class fixed radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers. The Motorola FX7400 series provides maximum functionality in a sleek package that is less than half the size of traditional fixed RFID readers, making it ideal for retail stores, offices, and other customer-facing or business environments.

Motorola's new cost-effective, high-performance fixed RFID reader is built on a new platform that supports Gen 2 technology and is capable of hosting third-party, customer-driven embedded applications to meet the growing requirements of enterprises. As a compact, lightweight, unobtrusive RFID reader, the FX7400 can be installed under point-of-sale counters, behind walls or on ceilings - providing an ideal solution for item-level tracking, retail inventory management, file tracking and asset management applications in environments where performance and a small footprint are critical. For retailers, this new reader will help improve employee productivity, reduce cycle count times and decrease out-of-stock items in order to improve operations and increase sales. The FX7400 series complements Motorola's existing portfolio of industrial solutions and opens a new window of opportunity for retailers and businesses to implement RFID. Motorola intends to broaden this business-class portfolio with additional reader options in the future.

"The introduction of the FX series of business-class readers draws on Motorola's decades of design excellence, typifying its innovation prowess and commitment to collaborate with customers to create new and differentiated technologies that meet the specific needs of RFID customers across varying markets," said Mike Poldino, vice president of RFID, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. "With the FX7400 series, Motorola is making it even easier for our business-class customers to deploy, use, and manage RFID. For our retail customers in particular, we designed the FX7400 to support the increased employee and operational efficiencies necessary for an enhanced in-store customer experience."

The FX7400 series supports deployments worldwide with one single configuration, making it easy for organizations to deploy and manage RFID solutions across multiple regions and locations. With the FX7400 fixed RFID reader, Motorola is introducing the industry's first plenum rated(1) RFID reader, and includes Power over Ethernet (PoE) connectivity, which helps users reduce the cost of electrical drops and the need for external power supplies. The feature-rich FX7400 also includes a unique key hole bracketing design and mounting bracket for easy mounting onto counters, walls and ceilings. Customers can choose between models with two- and four- antenna port configurations, helping to reduce deployment complexity and meet a variety of application needs at an affordable cost.

Easy to install, configure and manage right out of the box, the FX7400 series is designed for integration with both Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 and IBM WebSphere Premises Server 6.0 and 6.1. It also supports Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0 for hosting customer applications directly on the reader. The FX7400 offers a variety of security features and leverages standardized auto discovery, firmware upgrade and monitoring protocols to quickly and easily manage readers across a network.

"The compact, high performance FX7400 is a major stepping stone in the industry's effort to innovate standards-based technologies that encourage the continued growth and broad adoption of RFID solutions across industries," said Darrell Cavens, director of product management for BizTalk Server at Microsoft Corp. "We look forward to working with Motorola to support its new business-class line of readers, and we believe that our widely adopted Microsoft BizTalk Server platform coupled with Motorola's FX7400 series readers will give customers the precise tools they need to quickly and easily gain real-time visibility into their business processes."

In conjunction with the introduction of the FX7400, Motorola is also introducing a new reader interface and set of APIs in .NET, C and Java, enhancing the user experience and making it easier for application development. Motorola is also releasing ShowCase II, a new set of software tools to enable a broad range of applications, including benchmarking, field testing, and firmware and seamless reader configuration upgrades.

The Motorola FX7400 fixed RFID reader will be available through Motorola PartnerSelect members and Motorola sales. It is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in the third quarter of 2009 and globally by the end of the year.

ASUS EeeBox B208 Offer HDMI Out and Graphics Diskrit

2009-04-27T15:13:00.000+07:00

Currently we are in the era of ultra-portable notebook that can be for low cost enjoyed by the community. After the sale of large-scale netbook can be formed, such as the producers start putting ASUS netbook hardware is cheaper to desktop machines in an attempt to menbuat system for the small user's desktop.

Nettop systems while not yet proven to be popular with the customers, a place where a nettop that can either be configured to do things better as a HTPC. At the bottom HTPC that is connected to a large screen that is expected to produce a special HD video. ASUS themselves are preparing the launch of a EeeBox PC B208 that will be present later in June, which not only offer HD capability, but also will feature graphics and HDMI Out diskrit it.

ASUS offers some specifications for B208 on one of the sites and devices to its website is similar to other EeeBox nettops with HD capability as a newspaper in December 2008 that then. B208 is operated with the processor Intel Atom 330 CPU with 2GB of memory. With 2GB of memory, a machine that uses Windows Vista Home more fundamental than with Windows XP. Storage engine for a range of up to 160GB and 320GB are supported by its own grafic via ATI Radeon HD 4530. Wi-Fi has been integrated with the memory card reader and Bluetooth. Output include HDMI and DVI-D with an adapter. Small HTPC also show the output S / PDIF.

ASUS will send the engine-engines with a multimedia remote control to satisfy the needs of more customers. Power supply for the engines is a unit set of 36 Watt and ASUS also asserts that only emissions 26DB computer only. Later on this product will be marketed with the ASUS price 500 USD, or approximately 5.5 million. You interested?

Prophylactic Thunderstorms

2009-04-20T15:46:00.000+07:00

Electricity is one form of energy. Many events occur in the power of nature all this, including lightning / thunder. Flash / lightning spark the high-voltage electricity that occurs in the earth's atmosphere is actually the electrical energy exemption. Ordinary lightning storms occur when rain accompanied by thunder and sometimes in the snow storm, dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and at the nuclear explosion.

Flash that occurs when rain storms come from the electrical loads that arise from the flow of air in the cloud. Perbadaan hoarding loads kilatan generate electricity in the lightning cloud, cumulus that between one another or between a cloud with the earth. Lightning usually occurs in the height of about 10 km and rise to five to ten kilatan in a minute, but most are not visible because it occurs in the cloud.

Sometimes lightning reaches the earth and can cause fire, injury or cause death to humans. One of the nature of the electricity load is a mutual attraction between positive and negative loads. Nature of this prophylactic tool is used to attract lightning and thunder to their land before the lightning strike the building. There are several kinds of lightning prophylactic tools are usually used, namely:

Franklin Rod, the tool is a copper cone with the form of protection with cone angle peak of the imaginary 112O. In order for the protection of, Franklin rod is placed on the iron pipe (with 1-3 meters high). The Franklin rod away from the weak protection in the protection of these areas. Franklin rod can be seen as pillars in the building rooftop.
Faraday Cage, To overcome the weakness because of the Franklin Rod areas that are not protected and the protection of the weak when the distance away from the Franklin Rod is then made Faraday Cage system. Faraday Cage have a system such as the nature and Franklin Rod, but the whole installation in the roof surface with a high pole lower.
Corona Ionization this system is interesting for lightning to strike his head with the ion-ion emit into the air. Ion density has a greater distance if close to the head. The ion generator can use electricity or Battery backup (generated ionization) or natural (natural ionization). Area protection system in the form of a ball with radius at approximately 120 meters radius, and this will decline in line with the increasing age. This system can be identified from his head, surrounded by a strip of 3 different voltage and high-mounted on the pole.
Radioactive although lightning is the best carrier system, but its use has been prohibited because radiation can disrupt the dipancarkannya human health. In addition, this system will be reduced radius pengamanannya with time according to the radioactive nature.

Thunderstorms are drawn and then channeled into the ground. Various conductor that can be used to drain off energy to the ground and lightning characteristics of the main frame is steel (prone to dropping out / failed connection that causes lightning vault cash and the induction currents in the lightning round), bare copper (no induction currents in the lightning round flow ), and coaxial cable ( induction currents in the cable).

While for the grounding terminal, can be a copper rod, copper plates or copper cone, the wide surface of the terminal and the lower the custody of land, then the better system grounding.

Gardu Trafo Tiang (GTT) Distribusi

2009-04-17T11:04:00.001+07:00

Gardu Trafo Tiang (GTT) adalah merupakan salah satu komponen instalasi tenaga listrik yang terpasang di Jaringan Distribusi berfungsi sebagai trafo daya penurun tegangan dari tegangan menengah ke tegangan rendah, dan selanjutnya tegangan rendah tersebut disalurkan ke konsumen. Mengingat fungsi dan harga dari trafo tersebut cukup mahal bila dibandingkan dengan peralatan distribusi lainnya, maka pemeliharaan preventif yang dilakukan secara intensif, dengan kriteria pemeliharaan yang jelas untuk setiap komponen GTT dan ditangani oleh tenaga yang terampil dengan peralatan yang memadai agar pemeliharaan tersebut berjalan dengan efektif.

Komponen Utama GTT

Secara umum komponen utama GTT adalah sebagai berikut

Transformator : berfungsi sebagai trafo daya merubah tegangan menengah (20 kV) menjadi tegangan rendah (380/200) Volt.
Fuse Cut Out (CO) : sebagai pengaman penyulang, bila terjadi gangguan di gardu (trafo) dan melokalisir gangguan di trafo agar peralatan tersebut tidak rusak. CO di pasang pada sisi tegangan menengah (20 kV).
Arrester : sebagai pengaman trafo terhadap tegangan lebih yang disebabkan oleh samabaran petir dan switching (SPLN se.002/PST/73).
NH Fuse : sebagai pengaman trafo terhadap arus lebih yang terpasang di sisi tegangan rendah (220 Volt), untuk melindungi trafo terhadap gangguan arus lebih yang disebabkan karena hubung singkat dijaringan tegangan rendah maupun karena beban lebih.
Grounding Arrester : untuk menyelurkan arus ketanah yang disebabkan oleh tegangan lebih karena sambaran petir dan switching.
Graunding Trafo : untuk menghindari terjadi tegangan lebih pada phasa yang sehat bila terjadi gangguan satu fasa ketanah mauoun yang disebutkan oleh beban tidak seimbang.
Grounding LV Panel : sebagai pengaman bila terjadi arus bocor yang mengalir di LV panel.

Hati-Hati dengan Bahaya Plastik! Pelajari Sebelum Terlambat

2009-04-15T16:51:00.000+07:00

Sudah banyak orang yang memberi peringatan, rumor, gosip bahkan artikel majalah tentang bahaya plastik. Tetapi tetap saja hanya segelintir orang yang menggubris, peduli atau sampai meneliti lebih lanjut.

Plastik adalah salah satu bahan yang dapat kita temui di hampir setiap barang. Mulai dari botol minum, TV, kulkas, pipa pralon, plastik laminating, gigi palsu, compact disk (CD), kutex (pembersih kuku), mobil, mesin, alat-alat militer hingga pestisida. Oleh karena itu kita bisa hampir dipastikan pernah menggunakan dan memiliki barang-barang yang mengandung Bisphenol-A. Salah satu barang yang memakai plastik dan mengandung Bisphenol A adalah industri makanan dan minuman sebagai tempat penyimpan makanan, plastik penutup makanan, botol air mineral, dan botol bayi walaupun sekarang sudah ada botol bayi dan penyimpan makanan yang tidak mengandung Bisphenol A sehingga aman untuk dipakai makan. Satu tes membuktikan 95% orang pernah memakai barang mengandung Bisphenol-A.

Plastik dipakai karena ringan, tidak mudah pecah, dan murah. Akan tetapi plastik juga beresiko terhadap lingkungan dan kesehatan keluarga kita. Oleh karena itu kita harus mengerti plastik-plastik yang aman untuk kita pakai.

Apakah arti dari simbol-simbol yang kita temui pada berbagai produk plastik?

#1. PETE atau PET (polyethylene terephthalate) biasa dipakai untuk botol plastik yang jernih/transparan/ tembus pandang seperti botol air mineral, botol jus, dan hampir semua botol minuman lainnya. Boto-botol dengan bahan #1 dan #2 direkomendasikan hanya untuk sekali pakai. Jangan pakai untuk air hangat apalagi panas. Buang botol yang sudah lama atau terlihat baret-baret.

#2. HDPE (high density polyethylene) biasa dipakai untuk botol susu yang berwarna putih susu. Sama seperti #1 PET, #2 juga direkomendasikan hanya untuk sekali pemakaian.

#3. V atau PVC (polyvinyl chloride) adalah plastik yang paling sulit di daur ulang. Plastik ini bisa ditemukan pada plastik pembungkus (cling wrap), dan botol-botol. Kandungan dari PVC yaitu DEHA yang terdapat pada plastik pembungkus dapat bocor dan masuk ke makanan berminyak bila dipanaskan. PVC berpotensi berbahaya untuk ginjal, hati dan berat badan.

#4. LDPE (low density polyethylene) biasa dipakai untuk tempat makanan dan botol-botol yang lembek. Barang-barang dengan kode #4 dapat di daur ulang dan baik untuk barang-barang yang memerlukan fleksibilitas tetapi kuat. Barang dengan #4 bisa dibilang tidak dapat di hancurkan tetapi tetap baik untuk tempat makanan.

#5. PP (polypropylene) adalah pilihan terbaik untuk bahan plastik terutama untuk yang berhubungan dengan makanan dan minuman seperti tempat menyimpan makanan, botol minum dan terpenting botol minum untuk bayi. Karakteristik adalah biasa botol transparan yang tidak jernih atau berawan. Cari simbol ini bila membeli barang berbahan plastik.

#6. PS (polystyrene) biasa dipakai sebagai bahan tempat makan styrofoam, tempat minum sekali pakai, dll. Bahan Polystyrene bisa membocorkan bahan styrine ke dalam makanan ketika makanan tersebut bersentuhan. Bahan Styrine berbahaya untuk otak dan sistem syaraf. Selain tempat makanan, styrine juga bisa didapatkan dari asap rokok, asap kendaraan dan bahan konstruksi gedung. Bahan ini harus dihindari dan banyak negara bagian di Amerika sudah melarang pemakaian tempat makanan berbahan styrofoam termasuk negara China.

#7. Other (biasanya polycarbonate) bisa didapatkan di tempat makanan dan minuman seperti botol minum olahraga. Polycarbonate bisa mengeluarkan bahan utamanya yaitu Bisphenol-A ke dalam makanan dan minuman yang berpotensi merusak sistem hormon. Hindari bahan plastik Polycarbonate.

Masih banyak sekali barang plastik yang tidak mencantumkan simbol-simbol ini, terutama barang plastik buatan lokal di Indonesia . Oleh karena itu, kalau anda ragu lebih baik tidak membeli. Kalaupun barang bersimbol lebih mahal, harga tersebut lebih berharga dibandingkan kesehatan keluarga kita.

Pada akhirnya. Hindari penggunaan plastik apapun di Microwave. Gunakan bahan keramik, gelas atau pyrex sebagai gantinya.

Hindari juga membuang sampah plastik terutama yang mengandung Bisphenol-A sembarangan karena bahan tersebut pun bisa mencemari air tanah yang pada akhirnya pun bisa mencemari air minum banyak orang.

Semoga informasi ini bermanfaat.