Week of Sun, 2007-10-14 00:00 to Sat, 2007-10-20 23:59

Neuroscientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a novel approach for measuring and deciphering brain activity that holds out promise of providing improved movements of natural or artificial limbs by those who have been injured or paralyzed.

Neuroscientists have long been working towards achieving a better understanding of the relationship between brain activity and behavior, and especially between neural activity in the motor regions of the cortex and hand movements.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has developed three new LCDs for notebook PCs – two offering a true 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio for viewing movies, TV shows and new-age gaming, while the third featuring active White-LED (light-emitting diode) backlighting that boosts picture clarity and reduces power consumption.

The new 16:9 aspect-ratio displays – 16-inch and 18.4-inch – delivers virtually the same rich colors as that of an LCD TV with color saturation levels of 60 percent for the 16-inch model and 90 percent for the 18.4-inch model, compared to the 40-50 percent range seen in most notebook monitors today.

The Air Force Global Cyberspace Integration Center took a step forward in the Air Force's effort to "Fly and Fight in Cyberspace" following the signature of a new mission directive.

The directive, signed by Lt. Gen. Michael W. Peterson, Air Force Warfighting Integration and chief information officer for the secretary of the Air Force, outlines the new role the AF GCIC will assume.

The AF GCIC will be responsible for enabling global decision superiority across air, space, and cyberspace components by improving information quality and speed through assured delivery and quality of service.

More than 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles are part of a comprehensive deployment plan dubbed “Project Driveway.” The "project" constitutes the first large-scale market test of fuel cell electric vehicles anywhere.

A variety of drivers – from regular families to celebrities – will have free use of an Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle and the hydrogen fuel it needs to make electricity onboard. The average family will get one of the vehicles for three months and be required to report their experience to Chevrolet.

Disembowel a mobile phone and the most prominent components on the circuit board are the microchips, mounted inside plastic casings with metallic feet protruding from the sides. But such bulky chip packages, as they are known, could become a thing of the past thanks to a new technology that will help ensure electronic devices keep getting smaller and more powerful.

Astronomers have located an exceptionally massive black hole in orbit around a huge companion star. This result has intriguing implications for the evolution and ultimate fate of massive stars.

The black hole is part of a binary system in M33, a nearby galaxy about 3 million light years from Earth. By combining data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Gemini telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, the mass of the black hole, known as M33 X-7, was determined to be 15.7 times that of the Sun. This makes M33 X-7 the most massive stellar black hole known. A stellar black hole is formed from the collapse of the core of a massive star at the end of its life.

DDR3 1800MHz DDR3, Low-Latency 1625MHz HyperX memory modules from Kingston Technology Company, Inc.

Lower CAS latencies typically deliver better performance — even when a module’s speed is slower — without driving thermal conditions that would require extra cooling in a high frequency system. The release of Kingston HyperX 1625MHz low-latency memory marks Kingston’s third foray into the DDR3 low-latency overclocking arena.

Transferring funds safely and securely using mobile phones has the potential to revolutionize the way people around the world utilize their money, and it holds the promise of driving great social benefits in the developing world. But perhaps its most important attribute lies in the short term: mobile operators have a significant opportunity to draw further revenue from existing network investments.

Five projects have been selected for negotiation of awards of up to $7.9 million in DOE funding to develop and integrate technologically- advanced controls and cyber-security devices into our electric grid and energy infrastructure.

These projects aim to protect our Nation’s energy infrastructure from cyber attacks and seek to modernize our electricity grid, advancing the President’s efforts to increase energy and economic security. These projects will integrate controls systems, which encompass vast networks of interconnected electronic devices that are essential in monitoring and controlling the production and distribution of energy in the electric grid and in the oil and gas infrastructure.

Worldwide PC shipments grew by 15.5% in the third quarter of 2007 (3Q07), according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Most regions continued to grow close to the pace of recent quarters, but EMEA saw a significant increase in Portable PC demand. Across regions, strong consumer and Small and Medium Business demand was supported by back-to-school promotions and competition for retail and SMB channels. A strong Euro and rising investment throughout EMEA helped accelerate the trend, pushing global growth to rates not seen since the end of 2005.

Manufacturing of the F-35 Lightning II Carrier Variant (CV) has started. The CV aircraft is the final F-35 variant to start production and means that all three variants of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft are now being produced concurrently.

NASA will conduct a new competition for funding that remains in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project, known as COTS.

Companies will have 30 days to respond to Monday's announcement, and NASA intends to enter into one or more new COTS agreements early next year. Companies that are U.S. commercial providers, as defined in the Commercial Space Act, will be eligible.

COTS provides seed money to companies when they reach performance milestones to help them design and develop space transportation capabilities that could pave the way for private cargo deliveries to the International Space Station. Of the $206.8 million NASA agreed to invest in Rocketplane Kistler, the company received a total of $32.1 million. The remaining $174.7 million will be offered to aerospace firms in a new competition.

United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire Tom Colantuono and FBI Special Agent in Charge Warren Bamford announced today that Michael Wyatt, 43, of Plainfield, New Jersey was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud based upon an advance fee loan scheme that he participated in with Larry and Christopher Stallings of Wautaga, Texas, and others. A jury convicted the Stallings of conspiracy and other on June 28, 2007.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) has been notified of a "mini-tender" offer by TRC Capital Corporation to purchase up to 5 million shares of the Company’s common stock, which represents approximately .90 percent of its outstanding shares. AMD is cautioning its stockholders that TRC's unsolicited “mini-tender” offer of $13.25 per share was more than 5 percent below the $14.02 per share closing price of AMD stock on October 10, 2007, the day before the “mini-tender” offer was commenced and approximately 9 percent below the $14.55 per share closing price of AMD stock on October 18, 2007.

The soldiers came from different locations, with different backgrounds, but they had one thing in common: an overwhelming eagerness to learn how to use the Raven unmanned aerial vehicle in the battlefield.

While the Raven looks deceptively like a remote-controlled hobby plane it is actually a high-tech device that can provide real-time footage or still images of the battlefield. The 10-day training program was conducted in Nangarhar province Oct. 5-15, 2007.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) reported third quarter 2007 revenue of $1.632 billion, an 18 percent increase compared to the second quarter of 2007 and a 23 percent improvement compared to the third quarter of 20061. In the third quarter, AMD reported an operating loss of $226 million, and a net loss of $396 million, or $0.71 per share. Third quarter results include a negative impact of $120 million, or $0.22 per share, due to ATI acquisition-related, integration and severance charges and impairment of assets. In the second quarter of 2007, AMD reported revenue of $1.378 billion and an operating loss of $457 million. In the third quarter of 2006, AMD reported revenue of $1.328 billion and operating income of $121 million.

Imagine owning an automobile that can change its engine to suit your driving needs – when you’re tooling about town, it works like a super-fast sports car; when you’re hauling a heavy load, it operates like a strong, durable truck engine. While this turn-on-a-dime flexibility is impossible for cars to achieve, it is now possible for today’s computer chips.

A new, patent-pending technology developed over the last five years by UCR’s Frank Vahid, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, called "Warp processing" gives a computer chip the ability to improve its performance over time. The benefits of Warp processing are just being discovered by the computing industry. A range of companies including IBM, Intel and Motorola’s Freescale have already pursued licenses for the technology through UCR’s funding source, the Semiconductor Research Corporation.

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] successfully completed a 12-hour test flight of its A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft on Oct. 12, recording the aircraft's longest flight to date.

The A160T took off at 6:27 a.m. Pacific near Victorville, Calif., and landed 12.1 hours later at 6:32 p.m. The aircraft carried a 500-pound payload at an altitude of 5,000 feet, simulating a multi-sensor operational mission. The flight used less than 60 percent of the aircraft's maximum fuel, demonstrating the advantages of the A160's design, including its unique optimum speed rotor. The 12-hour flight followed an eight-hour flight on Sept. 27 during which the Hummingbird carried a 1,000-pound payload module.

Overcrowded mega-cities without adequate water supplies or sewage disposal facilities, frequent flooding and extreme drought are problems that a new urban infrastructural concept can help solve. It has a flex-ible, water-saving vacuum sewerage network.

While Germans consume an average of 130 liters of clean water each day, they drink only three. A third of the total amount is flushed down the toilet. “Water is one of our most valuable resources, and far too precious to waste on transporting fecal matter,” says Professor Walter Trösch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart. Together with Dr. Werner Sternad of the IGB and Dr. Harald Hiessl of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karlsruhe, he designed and created DEUS 21, a decentralized urban infrastructure system. The team won the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize 2007 for this achievement. The jury was impressed by the process engineering used to treat water and the comprehensive approach to effective materials recycling.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit against the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) today, demanding any information about telecommunications companies' efforts to get off the hook for their role in the government's illegal electronic surveillance of millions of ordinary Americans.

Congress is currently considering granting amnesty to the telecoms -- a blatant attempt to derail lawsuits aimed at holding the companies responsible for knowingly violating federal privacy laws with warrantless wiretapping and the illegal transfer of vast amounts of personal data to the government. EFF represents the plaintiffs in Hepting v. AT&T, one of dozens of class-action suits accusing the telecoms of violating customers' rights by illegally assisting the National Security Agency with this domestic surveillance.

After an eight-year run that gave astronomers a completely new perspective on the universe, NASA has concluded the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer mission. The satellite, known as FUSE, became inoperable in July when the satellite lost its ability to point accurately and steadily at areas of interest. NASA will terminate the mission Oct. 18.

Using a little-known Google Labs widget, computer scientists from UC San Diego and UCLA have brought common sense to an automated image labeling system. This common sense is the ability to use context to help identify objects in photographs.

For example, if a conventional automated object identifier has labeled a person, a tennis racket, a tennis court and a lemon in a photo, the new post-processing context check will re-label the lemon as a tennis ball.

Toshiba Corporation, together with Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group) have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding expressing their intent to establish a joint venture that will produce high-performance semiconductors, including the ‘Cell Broadband EngineTM’ (Cell/B.E.) and the ‘RSX’ graphics engine, and to transfer to Toshiba from Sony Group the 300mm wafer line fabrication facilities installed in Fab 2 of Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's Nagasaki Technology Center (SKC) by the end of March 2008. Following the transfer, production on the line will be operated by the joint venture. Subject to receipt of any necessary government approval and after further due diligence, Toshiba and Sony Group will aim to finalize the definitive agreements as soon as possible before the end of March 2008.

Audi is launching its TDI initiative on the North American market. As early as next year, Audi will be putting their clean diesel engine into series production vehicles in the USA virtually in parallel to its launch in Europe: the 3.0 TDI with ultra-low emission system will initially be available for the Audi Q7, and later for the new Audi A4 too. Audi has been expanding steadily in the USA for many years now, and sees the market as holding high potential for its cutting-edge TDI engines. The low-sulphur fuel required for the engines’ operation was introduced throughout the country a year ago, paving the way for the initiative to begin.

Nokia's third quarter 2007 net sales increased 28% to EUR 12.9 billion, compared with EUR 10.1 billion in the third quarter 2006. At constant currency, group net sales would have increased 32%.

Third quarter 2007 operating profit grew 69% to EUR 1.9 billion (including the EUR 26 million net negative impact of special items), compared with EUR 1.1 billion in the third quarter 2006 (including the negative impact of the EUR 128 million special item). The special items for the third quarter 2007 included a EUR 86 million restructuring charge and other one-time items in Nokia Siemens Networks (impacting Nokia Siemens Networks operating profit); and a EUR 60 million gain on sale of real estate (impacting Group Common Functions). Nokia’s third quarter 2007 operating margin was 14.4% (10.9%), including the EUR 26 million net negative impact of the special items. Excluding the special items, Nokia’s third quarter 2007 operating margin was 14.6% (12.2%).

What do the countries of Thailand, Uruguay and Ghana have in common" They all could become leading producers of the emerging renewable fuel known as biodiesel, says a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

The ease of manufacturing biodiesel from vegetable oils and animal fats has made it one of the most promising, near-term alternatives to fossil fuels. Seeking to understand which nations are best positioned today to enter the burgeoning biodiesel market, researchers Matt Johnston and Tracey Holloway of the Nelson Institute's Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) ranked 226 countries according to their potential to make large volumes of biodiesel at low cost.

The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet can be connected to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot or over your Bluetooth mobile phone. The N810 allows you to make internet calls; check your Google Mail or Facebook Account; watch the latest videos on YouTube or update your blog using the device's slide-out keyboard. Its built-in maps and satellite navigation helps you to find your way. It is expected to start shipping mid November with an estimated retail price of 479 USD (excluding local taxes).

Siemens VDO is expanding its aftermarket range through the addition of the SIDIS MB diagnosis system. The system can examine more than 15,000 control units from well-known automotive manufacturers in more than 800 vehicle types to detect errors.

The new SIDIS MB is an easy-to-handle vehicle diagnosis system for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The system is able to identify errors in the engine management system or in the peripherals, such as the engine sensors or the comfort, ABS, and transmission control systems, which, thanks to precise directions, can be eliminated quickly. SIDIS MB covers more than 800 vehicle types from 43 well-known automotive manufacturers, from Alfa Romeo to Volvo.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, led by Pitt Psychology Professor Thomas Kamarck, are studying the effectiveness of a wrist-mounted instrument for measuring psychosocial stress exposure during the course of daily life.

Kamarck and his colleagues have received a $426,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the first year of their four-year project, which is part of a larger NIH initiative to study environmental factors that people encounter every day that may increase their risk of certain diseases.

A subsidiary wholly owned by Acer Inc. (TWSE: 2353; LSE: AM50), Galaxy Acquisition Corp., has successfully completed its tender offer for Gateway, Inc. (NYSE: GTW). The offer expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Wednesday, October 10, 2007. As of the expiration of the offer, a total of approximately 322,931,202 shares of Gateway were validly tendered and not properly withdrawn (including 13,370,772 shares tendered under guaranteed delivery procedures), representing approximately 86.09 percent of Gateway's outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis. All shares that were validly tendered and not properly withdrawn have been accepted for purchase.

Carnegie Mellon University's Adrian Perrig and Jason Franklin, working in conjunction with Vern Paxson of the International Computer Science Institute and Stefan Savage of the University of California, San Diego, have designed new computer tools to better understand and potentially thwart the growth of Internet black markets, where attackers use well-developed business practices to hawk viruses, stolen data and attack services.

NASA senior managers announced Oct. 23 as the official launch date for space shuttle Discovery. Commander Pam Melroy and her six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 11:38 a.m. EDT on mission STS-120 to the International Space Station.

The 14-day mission includes five spacewalks – four by shuttle crew members and one by the station’s Expedition 16 crew. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6.

Carbon nanotubes have been employed for a variety of uses including composite materials, biosensors, nano-electronic circuits and membranes.

While they have proven useful for these purposes, no one really knows much about what’s going on at the molecular level. For example, how do nanotubes and chemical functional groups interact with each other on the atomic scale" Answering this question could lead to improvements in future nano devices.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) have introduced the bipartisan Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007 to give federal prosecutors important new tools to combat the growing problem of identity theft and cyber crime.

Leahy and Specter first introduced comprehensive data privacy legislation in 2005, and the Judiciary Committee has twice approved the Leahy-Specter Personal Data Privacy and Security Act (S. 495), most recently in May. Their new bill builds on earlier efforts to protect Americans’ privacy. Leahy and Specter have worked with the Department of Justice to craft the legislation.

According to IDC's latest report “Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) IT Security Solutions 2007 - 2011 Forecast and Analysis” (Doc#AP3271IDP), Australia accounted for about 26% of the total security solutions revenues in Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) (APEJ) in 2006, while China accounted for about 22%. By 2011, China is expected to contribute 30% of the security solutions market by revenue in the region, compared to 21% that is forecasted to come from Australia. The 5 countries to top the APEJ IT security solutions market in terms of vendor revenues in 2011 are expected to be China, Australia, Korea, India and New Zealand, in descending order (see figure below).

When it comes to heavy-duty, special purpose vehicles, some Americans may imagine a gas-guzzling engine and tons of unfriendly emissions taking their toll on the environment.

But the Air Force's Advanced Power Technology Office, or APTO, here is working to change the stereotype and prove heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicles cannot only help preserve the environment, but also can help reduce dependence on foreign fuels.

Seagate Technology (NYSE: STX) reported disc drive unit shipments of 47 million, revenue of $3.3 billion, GAAP net income of $355 million, and diluted net income per share of $0.64 for the quarter ended September 28, 2007. GAAP net income and diluted net income per share includes approximately $30 million of purchased intangibles amortization and other charges associated with the Maxtor and EVault acquisitions. Excluding these charges, non-GAAP net income and diluted net income per share were $385 million and $0.69. Included in both GAAP and non-GAAP results are restructuring charges of approximately $5 million or approximately $0.01 per share.

An operator who used more than 5,500 copycat Web addresses to divert surfers from their intended Internet destinations to one of his sites, and held them captive while he pelted their screens with a barrage of adult-oriented ads, has agreed to settle FTC charges that he was in contempt of a court order requiring him to halt the practices. Under the new FTC order, the defendant must give up $164,000 in ill-gotten gains, conform to enhanced compliance and monitoring requirements, and transmit a copy of the new order to his probation officer.

Ninety-seven years after an American was hanged in London in one of the most notorious and famous murder cases in British history, forensic science at Michigan State University is producing evidence that his execution was a mistake.

Dr. Hawley Crippen was hanged for murdering and dismembering his showgirl wife, then fleeing with his mistress across the high seas with the police in hot pursuit. Loaded with enough sordid details and twists to eventually fuel more than 40 books and several movies, this London case is second only to Jack the Ripper in its sensational notoriety.

Intel Corporation has reported third-quarter revenue of $10.1 billion, operating income of $2.2 billion, net income of $1.9 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of 31 cents.

Financial Review
• Revenue of $10.1 billion was up 16 percent sequentially, primarily driven by growth in Mobility and Digital Enterprise Group processors of 14 percent, with related chipsets and other products up 19 percent.

Solar modules must stand up to UV radiation, rain, snow and heat. To find out where their weak points lie, outdoor weathering stations are being set up at sites exposed to extreme climatic conditions: in the tropics, in the desert, and on top of Germany’s highest mountain.

Manufacturers usually provide a warranty of 20 or 25 years on solar modules. But there is little reliable data on which to estimate the life of more recent designs. How resistant are they to snow, salt-laden sea winds, arid deserts or humid tropical climates? Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg have set up outdoor weathering stations at a variety of sites where solar cells can be exposed to extreme climatic conditions: heat and a wide fluctuation between day and night temperatures in the Negev desert, Israel; snow, high winds and intense UV radiation at the top of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain; combined heat and humidity in Serpong, Indonesia; and corrosive sea air on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) reported third-quarter 2007 diluted earnings of $1.68 per share from continuing operations compared with diluted earnings of $1.45 per share in the third quarter of 2006, an increase of 16 percent as reported. Third- quarter income from continuing operations was $2.4 billion compared with $2.2 billion in the third quarter of 2006, an increase of 6 percent. Total revenues for the third quarter of 2007 of $24.1 billion increased 7 percent (3 percent, adjusting for currency) from the third quarter of 2006.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has found a galaxy that is the equivalent of the painting of Dorian Gray, a portrait in an Oscar Wilde novel that appears mysteriously to age.

Like the fictional painting, the galaxy I Zwicky 18 appears to look older the more astronomers study it. What astronomers once thought was a toddler galaxy by galactic standards may now be considered an adult.

Following the announcement that Royal Air Force Typhoons have formally taken up operational duties in the UK, development of the world's most advanced swing role combat aircraft continues.

Typhoon Instrumented Production Aircraft 6, known as IPA6 and based at BAE Systems site at Warton in the UK, has just completed engine runs. This is the first time the aircraft has worked as a complete system independently of ground support equipment and is a major milestone towards clearing the aircraft for first flight later this year.

For the first time theoretical modeling has provided a glimpse into how promising dielectric materials are able to trap charges, something which may affect the performance of advanced electronic devices. This is revealed in a paper published on the 12th October in Physical Review Letters by researchers at the London Centre for Nanotechnology and SEMATECH, a company in Austin, Texas.

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT / TSE:6501) will begin the sale of its door access control system by finger vein authentication in Asia starting in October as the first step of its global sales.

Authentication terminals connected to networks can be managed by management server software. By adding authentication terminals, scalable system construction can be achieved. Also, globally pervasive IC card iCLASS card from HID (HID Global Corporation: Headquarters: The United States California state: President and CEO Denis Hébert )can be incorporated, which enables construction of highly secure systems by combining finger vein and the HID card.

Toshiba Corporation and Kaga Toshiba Electronics Corporation (Kaga Toshiba) marked the official opening of a new semiconductor production fab based on 200mm wafers at Kaga Toshiba, a consolidated subsidiary of Toshiba based in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. The new fab will enhance production capacity for power devices.

Demand is growing for power devices that control current flow and voltage conversion in digital consumer products, including TVs and personal mobile equipment, and hybrid vehicles. Toshiba and Kaga Toshiba's investment in the new production fab will increase capacity for these key devices.

When University of Illinois crop scientist Fred Below began growing tropical maize, the form of corn grown in the tropics, he was looking for novel genes for the utilization of nitrogen fertilizer and was hoping to discover information that could be useful to American corn producers.

Now, however, it appears that maize itself may prove to be the ultimate U.S. biofuels crop.

Early research results show that tropical maize, when grown in the Midwest, requires few crop inputs such as nitrogen fertilizer, chiefly because it does not produce any ears. It also is easier for farmers to integrate into their current operations than some other dedicated energy crops because it can be easily rotated with corn or soybeans, and can be planted, cultivated and harvested with the same equipment U.S. farmers already have. Finally, tropical maize stalks are believed to require less processing than corn grain, corn stover, switchgrass, Miscanthus giganteus and the scores of other plants now being studied for biofuel production.

VDO Dayton will launch an aftermarket commercial vehicle navigation system enabling truck, bus and van drivers to take a route that is suitable for their vehicle. When determining the route, the new PC 5200 TSN takes into account not only vehiclespecific attributes such as height and weight but also the special driving characteristics of large trucks. Initially, the system will be available as an embedded system. By the end of this year, VDO Dayton will launch a portable truck navigation system in the aftermarket as well.

Paratransit buses, more commonly known as minibuses, are a fairly common sight on the roads of many American communities. Public transit and social service agencies, among others, often use the 16- to 20-seat vehicles in order to provide access to public transportation to people with disabilities, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Mac OS® X Leopard will go on sale Friday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m. and that Apple’s online store is now accepting pre-orders. Leopard has more than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac®.

S60 will introduce new features that enhance the user experience and enable manufacturers, developers and operators to design new types of mobile devices, applications and services.

The touch user interface in S60 smartphone software offers licensees the opportunity to develop devices with a variety of input methods, whether it is a touch screen with a traditional keypad, touch screen with a qwerty keyboard or touch screen alone, supporting both finger or stylus optimized input, in addition to the range of access options that already exist today.

Motorola (NYSE:MOT) will acquire a 50% interest in UI Holdings BV, the parent company of UIQ Technology AB, which is currently wholly owned by Sony Ericsson. Under the agreement, Motorola and Sony Ericsson will work together and jointly invest in the development of the UIQ open user interface platform. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. As previously announced, Sony Ericsson acquired UIQ Technology from Symbian Ltd in February 2007.

The Eclipse Rich Ajax Platform (RAP) 1.0, a freely downloadable Ajax platform for creating and deploying Rich Internet Applications.

RAP 1.0 is the first Ajax platform that allows developers to create Rich Internet Applications (RIA) using the Eclipse component model, based on the OSGi standard. OSGi is a service-oriented, component-based environment that promotes the interoperability of applications and services. Organizations using RAP are now able to create Ajax and RIA applications that are component-based and integrate into existing enterprise systems.

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has successfully demonstrated that its Avenger-mounted laser system can neutralize the kinds of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) that threaten U.S. troops deployed in war zones.

During laser firings Sept. 26-27 at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., the Laser Avenger engaged and destroyed five targets representing IED and UXO threats. Laser Avenger, equipped with a 1-kilowatt solid-state laser, proved its effectiveness at ranges that allowed the system to be operated at safe distances from the target. During the test, the system also took a step toward demonstrating a counter-unmanned aerial vehicle capability by destroying two small unmanned aerial vehicles that were stationary on the ground.

The Department of Justice announced that 13 new state and local law enforcement agencies will receive more than $3 million to form Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces in their regions. The funding marks the presence of ICAC task forces in all 50 states, and will support a seamless network making communities and children safer nationwide.

NEC has developed the world's first portable human DNA Analyzer with Aida Engineering. This analyzer integrates all steps of the DNA analysis process, from DNA extraction to electrophoresis and individual profiling.

The analyzer has been developed mainly for the law enforcement market. By narrowing the analyzer's application to DNA analysis specifically for individual identification, developers have streamlined the analytical process and realized a compact device the size of an attaché case (500mm W x 400mm D x 200mm H) that can be easily transported and analyzed at crime scenes.

NASA is extending, for a fifth time, the activities of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The decision keeps the trailblazing mobile robotic pioneers active on opposite sides of Mars, possibly through 2009. This extended mission and the associated science are dependent upon the continued productivity and operability of the rovers.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) scientists have measured the distribution of electrical charges in tubes of carbon that measure less than 2 nanometers in diameter, 50,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair.

This novel technique, which relies on the interactions between electrons and phonons, provides a detailed understanding of the electrical behavior of carbon nanotubes, a material that shows promise as a building block for much smaller, faster and lower power computer chips compared to today's conventional silicon transistors.

Airbus has officially handed over the first A380 to Singapore Airlines in a ceremony held at its Delivery Centre Toulouse, France in the presence of over 500 guests. The aircraft was officially handed over to Chew Choon Seng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Singapore Airlines by Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders in presence of Chief Executive Officer Rolls-Royce Sir John Rose. Singapore Airlines will be the first to fly the A380 on regular scheduled service.

Searching for digital photographs could become easier with a Penn State-developed software system that not only automatically tags images as they are uploaded, but also improves those tags by "learning" from users' interactions with the system.

"Tagging itself is challenging as it involves converting an image's pixels to descriptive words," said James Wang, lead researcher and associate professor of information sciences and technology (IST). "But what is novel with the 'Tagging over Time' or T/T technology is that the system adapts as people's preferences for images and words change."

Airmen with the 3rd Space Operations Squadron and Boeing Corporation contractors took over early-orbit operations on Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite Vehicle 1 from a Boeing facility in El Segundo, Calif., Oct. 10, approximately 30 minutes after it launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

The teaming gives 3rd SOPS Airmen an opportunity to become acquainted with WGS during its initial stages, said Col. Clinton Crosier, the 50th Operations Group commander.

Discovery Communications has agreed to acquire HowStuffWorks (www.howstuffworks.com). Acquiring HowStuffWorks further strengthens Discovery Communications’ global position as the number-one nonfiction media company.

HowStuffWorks’ 11 million global monthly unique visitors[1], which have grown 25% over the past year, have access to an extensive and rapidly growing library of deep and broad content designed to deliver the most relevant information possible. In addition to an editorial team that creates new content every day, HowStuffWorks leverages the exclusive digital rights to over 30,000 books, 800,000 images and more than 180,000 maps as it explains the world from brains to bats, from rocket engines to roller coasters, from hybrid cars to HDTV, and countless other topics.

The all-new 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid will have a fuel economy rating of 25 miles per gallon in city and 32 miles per gallon on the highway.

The Vue Green Line will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $24,795, making it the most affordable hybrid SUV on the market.

In combined city and highway driving, the Vue hybrid's fuel economy estimate is 27 percent better than the non-hybrid four-cylinder Vue. The fuel economy estimates are calculated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, using the government's new 2008 testing procedure that was revised to better reflect real-world mileage.

Researchers in the UK are gearing themselves up for an influx of help, with the move of a successful volunteer computing project to the University of London. Forty thousand people have already run the LHC@home program on their home or office computers, to help scientists discover the secrets of matter. This week, researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, officially launched the new base for LHC@home, which has moved from CERN, the European particle physics laboratory in Geneva.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) is expanding its TV Wonder™ product lineup that enables HDTV on the PC.

The TV Wonder 650 Combo USB, with a manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) of $149, includes two TV tuners allowing users to watch and record off-the-air Digital TV/HDTV, unencrypted Digital TV (ClearQAM) cable programming, analog TV, and listen to FM broadcasts. TV Wonder 600 PCI and TV Wonder 600 PCI Express TV tuners break new ground by offering ClearQAM at a value of $99 MSRP.

Researchers at Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501) and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST), have successfully reduced existing recording heads by more than a factor of two to achieve new heads in the 30-50 nanometer (nm) range, which is up to 2,000 times smaller than the width of an average human hair (approx. 70-100 microns). Called current perpendicular-to-the-plane giant magneto-resistive (CPP-GMR) heads, Hitachi's new technology is expected to be implemented in shipping products in 2009 and reach its full potential in 2011.

Technology has a way of altering perception, cultural practices and even language. The Economist recently noted how so many of our favourite sayings seem quaint in modern times. Thanks to developments in data management, weather forecasting and ICTs, ships’ captains can look forward to ‘clear sailing ahead’ instead of ‘bigger losses at sea’.

When the first production F-35 Lightning II rolls out in 2008, communications between pilot and aircraft will enter a new era thanks in part to testing and analysis conducted at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Human Effectiveness Directorate.

The F-35 will be the first U. S. fighter aircraft with a speech recognition system able to "hear" a pilot's spoken commands to manage various aircraft subsystems, such as communications and navigation.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) has launched a program that allows mainframe users to monitor their systems' precise energy consumption in real-time.

IBM will also begin publishing typical energy consumption data for the IBM System z9 mainframe. The data is derived from actual field measurements of approximately 1,000 customer machines, determining average watts/hour consumed which can be used to calculate watts per unit -- similar to automobile miles per gallon estimates and appliance kilowatt per year ratings.

A Princeton-led research team has created an easy-to-produce material from the stuff of computer chips that has the rare ability to bend light in the opposite direction from all naturally occurring materials. This startling property may contribute to significant advances in many areas, including high-speed communications, medical diagnostics and detection of terrorist threats.

Compellent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE Arca: CML) initial public offering of 6,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $13.50 per share.

Compellent Technologies has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 900,000 additional shares of common stock at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions, to cover over-allotments, if any. Compellent Technologies’ common stock will be listed on NYSE Arca under the trading symbol "CML" and will begin trading Wednesday, October 10, 2007. All of the shares in the offering are being offered by Compellent Technologies.

The UK’s next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine has successfully carried out its first firing trials on schedule.

The first of class Astute has discharged a total of 10 dummy torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles from its torpedo tubes in the dock at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness, completing the first stage of weapons firing tests.