Contact Lenses of the future?

It seems Scientists are a step closer to new technology that, if approved, could allow users to read floating texts and emails right in front of their eyes, Terminator-style.

After a series of successful animal trials, these futuristic contact lenses could be a lot closer than we think. Researchers at Washington University who are working on the device say early tests show it is safe and feasible.

There are still wrinkles to iron out, like finding a good power source. As currently, their crude prototype device can only work if it is within centimetres of the wireless battery.

Initial safety tests in rabbits have gone well, with no obvious adverse effects, which has given the researchers renewed faith about the device's possibilities.  They envisage hundreds more pixels could be embedded in the flexible lens to produce complex holographic images.  For example, drivers could wear them to see journey directions or their vehicle's speed projected onto the windscreen.

The researchers in Washington are not the only team working on this kind of technology. Swiss company, Sensimed have already brought to market, a smart contact lens that uses inbuilt computer technology to monitor pressure inside the eye to keep tabs on the eye condition glaucoma.

Adodo are big believers in New Technology but are we ready for this kind of technology? Are we not 'hooked up' to enough technology already? Or is this just what we have been waiting for? Could this improve efficiency across your company?

IBM marks 30 years of PC, by saying goodbye?

Dr. Mark Dean, one of the engineers who worked on the original personal computer, believes that PCs are no longer the leading edge of computing. No single device has taken the PC's place, he said, instead it has been replaced by the socially-mediated innovation it has fostered.

He made the claim in a blog post commemorating 30 years since the launch of the first IBM personal computer. They may have not been the first to produce a personal computer, but the 5150 launched on the 12^th August 1981, did set the standard of design around which many desktops have been built.

Dr. Dean, does still believe that PC’s will be “much-used” in the future, but are no longer the force of innovation that they once were.  Revealing that even he has overhauled the use of his PC and his primary computer was now a tablet.  The powerful changes, originally initiated by the PC are just getting started as we work in a more efficient way, driven by changes in society.  These are undoubtedly exciting times in the world of new technology.

Ofcom Demand Rural Broadband Pricing Should Be Cut

The digital divide between town and country looks to be shrinking, as Ofcom rule that BT have to cut wholesale pricing.

Currently, BT is the only operator with equipment in many of the smaller telephone exchanges, meaning that other ISP’s have to factor ‘renting costs’ into their pricing plans.  The result is that customers often miss out on cheaper deals available in towns and cities.

In cities, many ISPs, other than BT, are able to offer consumers cheap broadband through a system known as local loop unbundling (LLU), where they place their own equipment in the exchange.  This is deemed ‘less economical’ in many rural areas, resulting in pricing being affected by the renting costs. 

As competition rises, this could be great news then for rural customers; however, the telecoms regulator has not applied the reduced charges ruling to ADSL2+, a next-generation copper-wire technology which offers speeds of up to 24Mbps.  The hope is that BT focus on investing in the new technology. 

The pricing changes should begin from mid August, and under the ruling BT must cut its rates by 12% below inflation per year until March 2014.

In the meantime, Fujitsu is bidding for government money to create a fibre network for rural areas. Both Virgin Media and TalkTalk have said they will offer services on it if the bid is successful.

Find out more about about Business Broadband Speeds and Network Analysis with Adodo here.

The Mobile Power of Solar

Two words that strike fear into modern society could soon be a thing of the past.  That’s right, ‘low battery’; will no longer be a problem, if an idea born in Serbia, goes global.

A group of Serbian university students have created the world’s first public solar-powered mobile phone charger and it stands proud in a town just outside Belgrade.  The team won a prestigious European Union prize in April for their efforts, despite being the youngest team in the competition. 

Their invention, dubbed, The Strawberry Tree, has sixteen wires capable of charging all phone models, and has enough energy stored for a month should the sun disappear.  It’s a simple idea that uses natural renewable energy to power modern technology cleanly, and we love it!

PayPal to Sue Google over NFC

Google is facing a law suit courtesy of PayPal who claim that the internet search giant stole the technology for turning smartphones into digital wallets.

The argument resolves around a former employee, Osama Beider who PayPal alleges he obtained trade secrets before becoming Google’s vice president of payments in January 2011.

Google have yet to see a copy of the complaint and have therefore declined to comment until a later date.  The technology called Near Field Communications is widely used in Japan, it has recently gone live in the UK, and is set for launch in the US in this summer.

MobileWallet or not, as a user of the Android Operating Systems you should have boughtinto some form of security.  Anti-Spam,Anti- Virus and Anti-theft are all available for less than £20.

The Mobile Wallet Has Arrived

Quick Tap – the system that allows people to purchase items using their mobile phone has been launched in the UK, and its gathering popularity in Europe.  

To use the service, you will need Orange and Barclaycard accounts as well as a handset that is set up for contactless payments.  The service is made possible by Near Field Communication (NFC), the short-range wireless technology that underpins many wireless payment systems.

The NFC enabled Samsung Tocco Lite handset goes on sale Friday 20^th May 2011. 

Among shops signed up to the system are McDonalds, EAT, Pret-a-Manger and some Boots stores, Subway, Little Chef, Wilkinson and the National Trust. 

Is Google's Android Leading the March?

Google's Android operating system is growing up at speed, and one indication of this is that it's becoming the leading mobile platform for innovation. There are a host of companies using Android to try out all sorts of new ideas.

One of which is a new phone from Motorola, called the Atrix.  It’s a good looking touchscreen handset that boasts the same features as the majority of top-end Android handsets such as, dual-core processor, front and rear-facing cameras, and loads of social media integration.

What sets it apart according to Motorola is a range of accessories that they believe transforms the phone into the only computer you will ever need when you are on the road. 

The Atrix laptop dock looks much like an ordinary laptop computer - except it turns out to be just a dumb screen and keyboard with the ‘brain’ being the phone, that slots in at the back. It’s not cheap and weight may prove an issue, but this could be the ideal travel partner for the high-flying executive.

Another piece of Android innovation is from HTC, the company which has probably done more than any to make Google's mobile operating system a success.  Their new tablet, the HTC Flyer, doesn’t set the mind ablaze with excitement on first glance, but it does offer a new level of interaction in the form of a pen.  

With this tablet, the pen may work where others have failed because when you launch the tablets rather nifty notes app, you can call up a touchscreen keyboard or you can tap on the icon at the corner of the screen, choose a brush or pen, and start painting or writing.  This is of use, for the simplest reason that typing on a 7” inch screen is hard to type on, and may become redundant on a bigger screen. 

The Android’s growing popularity and race for innovation, should kick start a response from Apple, who only upgrade products once a year and they should be worried.  

That said: There are still security worries with regards the Android operating systems, and if you haven’t already, we suggest you explore your smartphone security options for less than £20.  Click here for more information!

Need to Charge Your Phone? Just Shout at it!

As big believers in the importance of new technology, the latest breakthrough in charging mobile phones has certainly divided office opinion.   

It seems, scientists have devised a gadget that enables sound energy to be converted into electricity, meaning that your mobile phone could be charged as you speak.  The greater the volume of speech, the greater the charge, which could result in people inexplicably shouting into their mobile phones to regain power.

So if you are already irritated on the bus when someone is using their smartphone to play music to the masses, or you’re baffled by those that walk around, seemingly talking to themselves with a head piece hidden behind their ear…be warned…its about to get worse!

Is this set to be the most irritating inventions in history?

SmartPhone Made of Paper, to be Revealed

Canadian researchers have announced that on the 10^th May they will reveal the prototype of flexible smartphone made from electronic paper.

The device emerged from the collaboration between researchers at the Human Media Lab at Queen's University, Canada and Arizona State University's Motivational Environments Research group.  It boasts all the same features as a normal smartphone, and triggers different features when it is bent, folded and flexed.

Creator, Dr Roel Vertegaal believes that "Everything is going to look and feel like this within five years".  

The prototype, that is only a millimeter thick, is built from the same e-ink technology found in Amazon's Kindle e-book reader.  They have bonded this to flex sensors and a touch screen that interprets drawings and text written on it. The prototype will go on display at the Computer Human Interaction conference in Vancouver alongside a device they call the Snaplet.

The Snaplet is designed by the same team, and operates as a wrist strap that can be manipulated in a similar way to the phone.  It is a watch when convex, a PDA when flat and a phone when concave.

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"Novel" Mobile Memory Storage

Researchers from Edinburgh University have been working with researchers from Konkuk University and Seoul National University, in Korea to create a device that improves memory storage for mobile technology.

The device, that could be used in MP3s, smartphones and cameras, uses a tiny mechanical arm to translate data into electrical signals.  This allows faster operation and uses less energy compared with conventional memory storage products.

The device measures the current passing through a carbon nanotube, and the binary value of the data that is recorded, is determined by an electrode that controls the flow of current.

Prof Eleanor Campbell, from Edinburgh University's school of chemistry, said: "This is a novel approach to designing memory storage devices.

"However, one of the issues with these novel devices is how easy they can be manufactured on an industrial scale, which we are yet to see."

Goodbye Credit Card, Hello Mobile Wallet

More than forty years since we were introduced to the credit card, a new revolution in shopping is bubbling under the surface.  As early as this summer, we could be paying with a simple wave of a phone.

The technology will allow consumers to make purchases by waving their mobile phone over a till scanner. Barclaycard and the UK’s biggest mobile phone network, which includes Orange and T-Mobile have signed a partnership to bring the system to 40,000 tills.  Mobile phone networks and banks are in talks with the manufacturers including Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia about incorporating the technology into their devices. 

The system uses a tiny chip and antenna built into the phone, which links the handset to the owner and their credit card or bank account.  The antenna sends a radio signal to a till scanner which recognises the handset, authorises the payment and then deducts the money from the owner’s account.  Customers will be able to increase their security with an optional PIN.  Initially there will be a £15 cap on transactions but the banking industry expects this to rise. 

Are you comfortable with another move towards the mobile being a must-have tool in modern life?  Handsets have already gone beyond calls and texts with video, music and internet access, but are you ready for a virtual wallet?

Google Android Driving Spacecraft with Mobile Phone

In recent years we have seen mobiles used at higher and higher altitudes, but until now, they have never gone into space several hundred kilometres above the planet, but that is exactly what the team at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford want to do.

Their plan is to see if the sophisticated capabilities in today's phones will function in the most challenging environment known to man.  Although we do not yet which handset model will be sent into orbit, we do know that the phone will run on Google's Android operating system.  The hope is that the equipment will be used to control a 30cm-long satellite and take pictures of the Earth during the mission later this year.

Messages and pictures will come back via the satellite's radio link, so the phone won’t be “calling home” in the normal sense.  For the first part of the mission, the mobile will simply act as the back-up to the main computer on the spacecraft.  However, at some point, the phone will actually be put in charge of the craft.

The venture is part of the company's quest to find more inexpensive, off-the-shelf electronics that can be used to lower the cost of its spacecraft designs.

BT's Electric Vans

Openreach has begun testing four electric vans in Milton Keynes and East London, and, if successful, plans to roll them out more widely across the fleet of 23,400 vehicles. 

BT’s fleet management division has worked with green vehicle manufacturers to convert four zero emission vehicles that will be tested for a number of things, including suitability for engineers’ work patterns, battery life and energy usage.  As well as being trialled in Milton Keynes (one of the first cities and towns that are piloting charging points for electrical vehicles) the vans will also be tested at Openreach’s Stratford telephone exchange and nearby Olympic Park.

The vans have a restricted top speed of 70miles per hour and can cover up to 100miles between battery charges, considerably more than average 60 to 65 miles per day covered by an Openreach van, on a normal day.

Lifetime award for the first laptop designer

British designer, Bill Moggridge, has been given a lifetime achievement award by the Duke of Edinburgh. He topped a list of famous nominees, including fashion designer Dame Viviene Westwood and the creator of the London 2012 Aquatics Centre.



In the early 1980’s Mr. Moggridge designed The Grid Compass computer which is widely credited as the fore-runner for the modern laptop. The machine went on sale in 1982 and had its own operating system called Grid-OS. It’s price meant that its market was limited to specialist buyers such as the US government.


In the same decade, it was used on the space shuttle, offering the astronauts a navigational programme when they were out of reach of earth-bound navigation tools.


Whilst Mr. Moggridge was “astonished” to have received the award, the jury felt his work had been central to how design helped people understand and use technology.


The Prince Philip Designers Prize is Britain's longest-running design award, and was set up by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1959 to encourage entrepreneurship. It is awarded annually to recognise a lifetime contribution to design.

Battery Power from a good shake?

Japanese electronics has been showing off a new breakthrough in ‘green energy’ as Brother Industries introduces a vibration-harvesting generator that could replace standard AA batteries.



The Vibration Energy Cell batteries deliver power after a vigorous shake. It works in a similar way to a bicycle light dynamo, the only difference is that with the battery, movement from just a few shakes provides energy to power.


"Because of its low output this type of cell is designed to be used for things such as TV remote controls and LED devices, which consume low power and do not consume electrical power continuously." A Brother Spokesman said.


Despite the low power output this seems to be receiving a lot of interest from the industry as a significant breakthrough with bucket loads of potential.


UK mobile operator Orange has also been ‘getting green’ recently as they have revealed their Power Wellies, created in collaboration with renewable energy experts GotWind.