Software

SNAP Mobile has released its latest Software Development Kit (SDK 2.0). After several years of market deployment and continuous technology development based on developer feedback, the SNAP Mobile SDK 2.0 has evolved to make game development even more intuitive with a simpler API, faster emulation and testing tools. The SDK is free of charge and available through Forum Nokia.

VIA Technologies, Inc, has launched a beta version of the VIA Linux Portal as part of an initiative designed to extend collaboration with the Open Source community.

The VIA Linux Portal will initially offer graphics drivers for the VIA CN896 digital media IGP chipset for the new Ubuntu 8.04 LTS distribution. Documentation and source code for these drivers will be released over the coming weeks, with official forums and bug tracking scheduled for implementation later this year. The VIA Linux Portal will also adhere to a regular release schedule that is aligned with kernel changes and the release of major Linux distributions.

There’s safety (and security) in numbers … especially when those numbers are random. That’s the lesson learned from a DHS-sponsored research project out of the University of Southern California (USC). The research is already helping to beef up security at LAX airport in Los Angeles, and it could soon be used across the country to predict and minimize risk.

Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) gave a sneak peek at its Citrix XenDesktop™ product line this week and revealed that it will officially begin shipping to customers worldwide at the upcoming Citrix Synergy™ 2008 event on May 20.

XenDesktop, which will be co-marketed with Microsoft is a groundbreaking new desktop delivery solution that allows companies to virtualize Windows desktops in the datacenter and deliver them on-demand to office workers in any location. Unlike first-generation virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technologies, XenDesktop is a comprehensive end-to-end desktop delivery system that simplifies desktop management and reduces the cost of traditional desktop computing by up to 40 percent1.

Supercomputers simulate products and manufacturing processes with-in minutes. In the Computer Aided Robust Design CAROD project, Fraunhofer researchers are developing new methods and software that significantly improve the quality of the virtual components.

Trucks drive thousands of kilometers through Europe every month, taking oranges from Greece to Scandinavia, delivering Spanish vegetables to German wholesalers, and collecting milk from farms in the region to take it to central dairies. To make sure the tires, wheel rims and other parts will survive the many kilometers without breaking down, the manufacturers test prototypes in test rigs to discover their service life. Such a test often lasts several weeks, yet it can be rendered useless by malfunctions, such as when bearings or sensors wear out. In the Computer Aided Robust Design (CAROD) project, research scientists from seven Fraunhofer Institutes are devising methods with which malfunctions of this nature can be simulated ahead of time. The researchers are using the results to develop sturdy test rigs for life-cycle tests.

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has successfully completed a comprehensive review of improved flight software designed to provide highly reliable command and control of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO) spacecraft.

SBIRS is designed to provide early warning of missile launches, and simultaneously support other missions including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace characterization.

Adobe® Media Player 1.0 software is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE). An Adobe AIR™ application, this customizable, cross-platform media player provides new ways for viewers to discover and interact with their favorite content, while offering revenue and brand-building opportunities for content publishers. Major television broadcasters and leading content publishers, including CBS, MTV Networks, Universal Music Group, PBS, CondéNet, and Scripps Networks have worked with Adobe to provide a broad range of television programming and entertaining video content to viewers.

Microsoft Corp. released the first community technology preview (CTP) of Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008, the new version of its robotics programming platform. Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 contains improvements in its runtime performance, distributed computational capabilities and tools.

Scheduled for release later this year, the first preview of the product is now available for evaluation and testing by developers, customers and partners. Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 is a Windows-based environment that can be used by academic, hobbyist and commercial developers for the creation of a variety of robotic programs and testing scenarios.

By using an automatic system to advise rail traffic managers, it is possible to limit the consequences of disruptions on the railways. That is the claim by Andrea D’Ariano, who is today - Monday 7 April – obtaining his PhD on the subject at TU Delft.

Netherlands Railways (NS) is looking for ways to improve the punctuality of its trains. One possibility is to streamline the sequence of events during breakdowns and delays. A single delayed train can lead to many others being delayed too. At present, when there is a disruption or breakdown, it is rail managers who decide which trains are given priority and which are diverted, for example. There is no particular strategy for this – the managers take their decisions on an ad hoc basis.

Engineers at GM’s battery test facilities have developed a new computer algorithm to accelerate durability testing of the advanced lithium-ion batteries needed to power the Chevrolet Volt for up to 40 miles (64 km) of electric-only driving.

This advanced computer program duplicates real-life vehicle speed and cargo-carrying conditions, and compresses 10 years of comprehensive battery testing into the Volt’s brisk development schedule.