Tech

Sony figures out how to charge you for using a power outlet in public places like coffee shops

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:49:01 +0000

We all carry gadgets around, they all have batteries inside, and they all need recharging regularly. That usually happens at home each night, or at work if you’ve got a free outlet. But public locations usually either try to cater for your charging needs for free or choose to block access to power outlets to limit your stay (coffee shops). Charging for power use specifically has never really been an option.
If you do regularly charge your devices in a public location for free, Sony may be about to ruin your day. It has developed a new power outlet that can identify who is connecting to it, and therefore allows for an individual to be charged for use.

The key to the intelligent outlet is the inclusion of an integrated circuit which communicates over the power line connection. It can check the identity of the device, and therefore the owner of that device before deciding what to do.

The main purpose seems to be controlling who can gain access to power. So it’s not surprising that Sony sees the tech being deployed in airports, restaurants, and anywhere a public power outlet exists. That’s not to say it can’t be used to help conserve energy too e.g. limiting power to certain types of device at different times of the day within a building.

In order for this system to work, there also needs to be a payment system in place. Sony already has such a system up and running called FeliCa, which allows for convenient payments using NFC. For the power outlet scenario it seems likely you’d be able to pay in a similar way either wirelessly or over the power line connection connected to your device.

Ultimately, this power outlet is probably bad news for consumers. It affords an easy way for power to be charged for in public areas, and most companies focused on making a profit aren’t going to pass up an opportunity to generate more money from its customers.

Source

Now coffee shops, airports, and other public places can earn money instead of letting free loaders use their power for free, but I got a feeling a lot of customers will be mad.

Will free power be the next big thing like free Wi-Fi in coffee shops which don't charge for Wi-fi or power?

I see more people just buying extra battery packs and hand crank electricity chargers then paying for power at a coffee shops or public place.

Plus, I rarely use public power at coffee shops since they can contain power surges which can damage my sensitive electronics like laptops, MP3 players, etc unless I have a Surge protector bar, and I mostly only go out to buy food, and other stuff where I don't need to go online or talk to people on a cell phone because I'm buying food and other stuff.

Microsoft Office vs OpenOffice / LibreOffice video

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:30:38 +0000

I use OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and MS Office 2007. I prefer Open Office and LibreOffice the most because they are free and easy to use, and seem a bit faster then MS Office.

Technology of Tomorrow

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:31:02 +0000

http://itechfuture.com/

a very intersting site.

.hack shows the future of tech

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:56:37 +0000

.hack seires, a anime/video game series is set in the future where technology has advanced much. In this trailer for the new moved, .hack// the movie. It shows students taking tests on a tablet in front of them and no doubt able to read books and stuff on it as well. And shows being able to play a game by just slipping on a pair of glasses.

I feel everything shown will become reality one day.

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer -- The Future of Learning Kids Tablet

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:10:27 +0000

This tablet looks pretty good for kids. If it has some adult apps like comic book reader, and newspaper reader it would be even better.

The Screen and camera also looks pretty good, and it seems pretty fast.

I wonder would there be any hackers which hack this Tablet to install Angry Birds, and other popular casual games and Apps on to it.

This Tablet also looks pretty durable and easy to use for kids, and adults.

Will animated storybooks, and novels be the future of literature and books like in this video?

Would you buy an SSD (Solid State Drive) storage drive for your computer?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:35:19 +0000

No, mainly because SSD drives are out of my price range of 100 dollars or less, and I can buy a regular hard drive for 100 dollars which has 1000-1500 GigaBytes of space.

I am also willing to wait an extra few seconds for a file to load on my PC, but save hundreds of dollars by just using a regular hard drive for storage.

Anti-Viruses?

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:55:39 +0000

Whats your current anti-virus? Mine would be ms essentials. I love it myself because very clean and very good for the computer. Tried mcafee and norton before, they didn't work well with my computer, so yeah, switched to ms essentials. Keith, I know you got it and you like it. But yeah, what about other users in this community? What anti-viruses do you got currently?

Linux VS Windows Nixie Video

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:46:22 +0000

Great video on why Linux specifically Linux Mint is the Way to go by Nixie!

Using a Mobile Device as a Desktop Computer video

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:33:29 +0000

If he can connect a external hard drive for watching very long video and have a lot of apps that he use on a desktop then his mobile phone will almost be as good as a desktop except for gaming.

It kind of looks like he is using a giant smart phone on a screen. This will be great for people who don't want to wear glasses while they dial their phone.

ByteSpotter - The Windowed hard drive with wood and paint finish for connoisseurs/rich video

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:09:03 +0000

I'm not sure many people will buy this since what's the point of having a hard drive so fancy when it would be hidden away inside your computer case unless you use it as an USB external hard drive by buying an adapter to change it into a USB hard drive.

According to the comment on the video the drive cost $451 USD.

I think starring at the metal parts inside the drive gets boring after a few minutes.