Smartphones and Internet Tablets the New Wave of Me Media (internet technology)
No commentsBy john mce
The new breed of mobile phone is thriving at the moment and the market is starting to flourish with models being introduced from all angles. Previously the iPhone dominated this sector but since everyone’s familiar with the smooth touch screen and slick cover flow it’s just so last year.
Now consumers expect more from their multimedia devices and the Finnish king of mobile phones is adding to the competition. Nokia has just released the 5800 XpressMusic, the touch screen handset that’s an answer to the challenges fronted by Apples iPhone which has hogged much of the market attention since its release last year. In addition Google recently launched its G1 device running on its new Android platform which had stirred up a lot of interest in the tech community. The Blackberry is well established as the smartphone for business for those who don’t want to leave the office, and Research in Motion have announced that a touch screen is in production with the title of the Blackberry Storm.
So Nokia, after concerns were raised about its slipping grip over the mobile market, has got its foot in the smartphone door with a mobile capable of all the usual; web browsing, push emails, digital camera and video playback facilities. But the real crux of the 5800 XpressMusic launch is the Comes With Music part of the promotion where users get unlimited access for a year to the 5million strong database of tracks Nokia has managed to amass with the major labels of the music industry. Amid the fears and hysteria surrounding illegal downloads and file sharing via the web Nokia are hoping this package offers a viable and affordable alternative for children and parents over the Christmas period.
This is a positive step for consumers. Not only is the new smartphone offering a fresh and alternative business model for downloading music rather than just from iTunes, but also with an influx of portable media devices there will be more choice for consumers therefore prompting makers and service providers to be more competitive with their rates. In addition the new Archos 5 media tablet has been released. It’s an excellent digital content device letting you watch video in formats MP4, AVI and WMV as well music formats MP3, WMA and AAC. You can play Flash based games that look striking on the clear as crystal 5-inch screen. You can browse the web and check your emails as well as listen to digital radio. Of course it’s not technically a phone but it is an impressive piece of equipment nonetheless.
With Microsoft penned to enter the fray as well the smartphone market may soon be saturated with quality mobile kit all at competitive prices, good news for the electronics consumers.
John McE writes articles on a number of subjects including business technology and VoIP services. For more about these services see G3 Communications.
Computer Simulation of the Human Brain
By Robert Webb
Researchers have recently constructed a new computer model of the cortex of the human brain. This model is similar in principle to the more well known Blue Brain computer model, but it simulates a much larger area of the brain. It actually less detailed at the neuron level when compared to Blue Brain. The Blue Brain project has already simulated a section of the rat’s brain that is named the neocortex. The Blue Brain computer simulation has successfully modeled approximately 10,000 neurons including near 30 million synapses.
This other computer simulation, however, has successfully modeled about a trillion neurons and almost a quadrillion synapses. This specific computer model is able to model the entire thalamo-cortical system of a mammillian brain. Apparently, the researchers have made of simulation of this brain region because is is involved in creating concious awareness.
An interesting thing that the scientsts have noted from this computer model is that they witnessed the recreation of larger-scale oscillatory activity (i.e. brain waves). They merely emerged as a function of the computer model and were not programmed into it. This basically means that this computer simulation actually was ble to replicate the way a regular brain would look like on an EEG readout. This is an indication that this method of simulating the brain is actually working as it should.
This computer simulation of the human brain will allow scientists to carry out a variety of different experiments that are not currently possible to do. It will enable researchers to gain a much better insight into the workings of the brain. Things that are normally very hard to do on brain wetware may easily be done on the computer model. Researchers will have much more leeway in carrying out different experiments on this virtual brain. The computer model will allow scientists to carry out experiments that are impossible from a physical or ethical standpoint.
This computer model will enable the simulation of almost any type of brain disorder. This is a very exciting possiblity that could help a tremendous amount of people. Researchers intend to investigate disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other psychiatric disorders. The scientists also intend to investigate the effects of pharmaceutical drugs on this computer brain model. This may lead to faster FDA approval for brain drugs.
The researchers also want to learn more about consciousness and how it is constructed. I have serious doubts as to whether the computer model will actually be able to model consciousness. However, this new computer model will likely give scientists a much greater understanding of how the human brain functions. Overall, the research is extremely interesting and it has quite a few potential benefits in advancing our knowledge of the brain.
Read my blog that covers several topics about neurotechnology brain injury attorney Florida and also
Florida injury attorney and next
Florida brain injury attorneys.
Popularity: 42% [?]
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 11:30 am and is filed under technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.