iPhone 2.1 firmware

Apple has released new iPhone 2.1 software on its iTunes online service that offers to decrease dropped calls, improve the battery life, improve e-mail reliability, improve text messaging notification, reduce 3rd-party application crashes and reduce the time it takes to sync the device with a computer.

Users have noticed more "bars" on the connection meter and have reported that it was faster performing key tasks. Last month's update from Apple drew some criticism from users that claimed that it did not enhance access to high-speed data networks as Apple had predicted. In this update, Apple also patched 8 security vulnerabilities including the "passcode bug" they fixed last January but failed to include in the July iPhone 2.0 update.

It seems now iPhone will be more of interest if it gives what it claims to provide!What you say?Lets hope this will bring it to what people expect from apple.

Betavoltaic batteries offer 30 years of functioning without recharging

All the electronic devices are based on electricity. And when you run out of battery that’s a big problem. I mean, it happens when you need the device mostly. However, this problem seems to be eradicated once the Betavoltaic batteries will enter the scene.

The scientists form U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory have discovered the miracle of producing energy for 30 years without recharging. The secret - the Betavoltaic batteries that are constructed from semiconductors and use radioisotopes as the energy source.

The batteries are not nuclear as you may think so. The energy is produced when an electron strikes a particular interface between two layers of material. The scientists assure us that no radioactive or chemical reactions are produced during the process. That’s why these batteries won’t be an environmental problem. After their life cycle the Betavoltaic batteries are totally inert and non-toxic.

Probably in a few years we could use them without problems. So, think a little about the great advantage of non-charging your laptop around 30 years. First you won’t need regular energy power. And second, you will need a cool laptop because in so many years it will be outdated.

Newlaunches

Micro-USB Mobile Phone Charging Standard

Last week, at the Open Mobile Terminal Platform, mobile phone manufacturing leaders such as Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and LG discussed the future of phone charging and data exchange. The companies agreed to adopt a new USB standard called Micro-USB, hopefully putting an end to the mess of incompatible proprietary power connectors that has plagued the cell phone industry for years. The move will likely be first implemented in next year's cell phone designs. The Micro-USB standard was develop early this year and introduced by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the group responsible for new USB standards.

Until a new standard is adopted, consumers will finally be able to use their old charger when they purchase a new phone. Companies will no longer have to pay for part of the user disposal and recycling fees for chargers as certain environmental laws worldwide have forced them to do in the past. Another financial benefit for the cell phone companies is that they won't have to include a charger with phones they sell, possibly cutting a major cost. This will in turn allow for smaller, lighter phone boxes, which will cost less to ship and store. Overall, both companies and consumers should end up spending less money once the new standard is implemented.

DailyTech

Sony's 'Bio Battery' Generates Electricity from Sugar

Sony today announced the development of a bio battery that generates electricity from carbohydrates (sugar) utilizing enzymes as its catalyst, through the application of power generation principles found in living organisms. Test cells of this bio battery have achieved power output of 50 mW, currently the world's highest level for passive-type bio batteries. The output of these test cells is sufficient to power music play back on a memory-type Walkman. In order to realize the world's highest power output, Sony developed a system of breaking down sugar to generate electricity that involves efficiently immobilizing enzymes and the mediator (electronic conduction materials) while retaining the activity of the enzymes at the anode.

Sony also developed a new cathode structure which efficiently supplies oxygen to the electrode while ensuring that the appropriate water content is maintained. Optimizing the electrolyte for these two technologies has enabled these power output levels to be reached. Sugar is a naturally occurring energy source produced by plants through photosynthesis. It is therefore regenerative, and can be found in most areas of the earth, underlining the potential for sugar-based bio batteries as an ecologically-friendly energy device of the future. Sony is going to continue its development of immobilization systems, electrode composition and other technologies in order to further enhance power output and durability, with the aim of realizing practical applications for these bio batteries in the future.

Physorg

Vista Battery Saver

Vista Battery Saver can help you save up to 70% of your battery life by disabling the Aero effects and the Windows Sidebar whenever your laptop runs on batteries, or is reaching a certain battery capacity. The features are automatically re-enabled when you plug your notebook into a power source.

HomePage

WiFi into camera memory cards

Chip start-up Eye-Fi has created a memory card that includes a Wi-Fi chip. When a picture is taken, the photo is automatically sent to a photo site, according to Ken Elefant, a partner at Opus Capital, which has invested in the company. When you get the memory card, you set the priorities so that the photos get automatically sent to a given photo site. It is currently unclear on whether the user can choose which photos are sent or whether every single one is transferred. One element that Eye-Fi is trying to integrate is the automatic posting of images to photo blogs. The card fits the standard SD format because the memory chips are stacked.

Considering wi-fi can tap battery power and raise the price of memory cards but the chip can essentially save the end-user a lot of time, tell me Neowin, is this something consumers want?

News.com

Japanese Scientists Create 200nm Thick Polymer-based Battery

At Waseda University, three scientists by the names of Hiroyuki Nishide, Hiroaki Konishi and Takeo Suga have developed a new polymer-based 200 nanometres thick rechargeable battery that incorporates a high charge/discharge capacity, yet it is still durable enough to survive the rigors of recharging. The battery is composed of a redox-active organic polymer film which is then combined with nitroxide radical groups. Unlike some other radical polymer battery solutions that have been developed in the past, this new battery does not have problems with self-discharging. The technology used in the polymer-based battery still is still in the prototype stage, but Dr. Nishide believes that it could find a home in electronic devices within the next three years.

Source: DailyTech