Month: September 2013

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New Amazon #Kindle Fire HDX tablets, faster, stronger, more more more – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

Coo, you think you know all about the Kindle product evolution, then you look at the Wikipedia page for Amazon Kindle. We positively guarantee that there are versions of the Kindle on there that you have never seen or heard of before. Anyway, there’s another one out now: the Kindle Fire HDX. Faster, lighter (natch) and with some other attractive stuff that past Kindle Fire HDs didn’t have. Today’s infographic details these incremental changes and throws in the obligatory comparison with an iPad, still the finest tablet bar none, no matter what anyone says. Take price out of the equation … Continue reading New Amazon #Kindle Fire HDX tablets, faster, stronger, more more more – an annotated graphic

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#BlackBerry share price rollercoaster ride halted by Fairfax private sale – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

The news that Fairfax Financial Holdings has struck a $4.7 billion deal with BlackBerry to take the “troubled smartphone maker”(TM) private is now expected to bring to an end the *ahem* eventful performance of BlackBerry’s share price on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Five years after a share price peak of $150 per share, the Fairfax deal represents approximately $9 per share, a mere six per cent of that peak price. Those canny investors that got out in 2008 at the peak have doubtless been patting themselves wholeheartedly on the back (and wallet) ever since. Click on the graphic for an … Continue reading #BlackBerry share price rollercoaster ride halted by Fairfax private sale – an annotated graphic

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#4G phones still generally rubbish shocker – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

The hype over 4G has been relentless for months now (years even), but apparently you can still count yourself lucky to get a signal in most parts of the world. Today’s snazzy infographic illustrates the global 4G signal coverage in a very pretty way: east coast America is the place to take your 4G handset, by the looks of things. Naturally, users of BlackBerry 4G phones have bigger things to worry about today, as the once proud Canadian smartphone maker finally agrees to sell itself to its biggest shareholder for a shade under $3 billion. Having spent the past five … Continue reading #4G phones still generally rubbish shocker – an annotated graphic

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#NSA surveillance row jeapordises $4 billion fighter jet sale to Brazil – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

The fallout from the revelations about the NSA’s mass surveillance continues, as Brazil reconsiders its decision to spend $4 billion it probably doesn’t have on US fighter jets, in light of the news that the US may have monitored Brazilian government internet and phone communications. There’s an actual price the NSA can put on the cost of their work: was any intelligence gathered worth $4 billion? Only the NSA knows. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading #NSA surveillance row jeapordises $4 billion fighter jet sale to Brazil – an annotated graphic

Engineering, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

What is the future of Unmanned Aerial Systems?

E&T magazine

We have visited this year’s Defence and Security Event in London and asked some of the industry insiders about the future of Unmanned Aerial Systems. There are few technologies surrounded at the same time by such anticipation and controversy. They represent the first level in the evolution of autonomous killing machines, helping military forces in armed conflicts to wipe out their enemies without men having to pull the trigger and put their own lives at risk. Some fear their stealthy presence above our heads could threaten our privacy – collecting sensitive information about us far more efficiently than Google Street View. … Continue reading What is the future of Unmanned Aerial Systems?

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#Ikea flatpack refugee tents for use in #UN crisis zones – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

All jokes about missing allen keys and incomprehensible diagrammatic instructions aside, you have to give credit to Swedish self-assembly furniture giant Ikea for lending its commercial might to a project to deliver flatpack refugee tents to parts of the world that need them most. Working with the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR, the aim is to produce a shelter that can be rapidly assembled in crisis zones. The Ikea shelters are expected to last up to three years. [Insert joke here] This infographic also appears in the latest issue of E&T magazine, which has lots of other stuff you may find … Continue reading #Ikea flatpack refugee tents for use in #UN crisis zones – an annotated graphic

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New issue of #EandT magazine online now – the great escape for manufacturing

E&T magazine

The new issue of E&T magazine is now available online. This month, we look at the great escape for manufacturing – companies that have made it and new ways for other companies to follow suit. We look at the manufacturing resurrections of Triumph and KTM motorcycle companies, who have bounced back through a renewed focus on innovation and core competencies. We also look at opportunities for manufacturers to stay ahead through waste reduction. Elsewhere in this issue, we consider how the widespread availability of 3D printing opens up copyright, patent and moral issues. And while hacking on a server or … Continue reading New issue of #EandT magazine online now – the great escape for manufacturing

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Bomb-disposing robot: full video interview with Tom van Doren

E&T magazine

Full video interview about the advanced prosthetic arm turned explosives-disposing robot is now available. The CEO of HDT Global Tom van Doren explains how the technology can help increase safety of technicians as they can stay up to one kilometer away from the bomb while the robot risks his life: Read more at: http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2013/sep/bomb-disposal-robot.cfm Continue reading Bomb-disposing robot: full video interview with Tom van Doren

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Costa Concordia salvage operation – an annotated graphic

E&T magazine

A little over 18 months since the Costa Concordia cruise ship veered off course, struck the Italian island of Giglio and sank, plans are afoot to salvage the submerged wreck. An international team of engineers is working on an operation to haul the wreck upright, using a combination of subsea platforms, buoyant caissons and good old-fashioned cables for pulling things. If the attempt succeeds, the 114,000-tonne ship will be towed away for dismantling. Given the size of the cruise ship, there’s an awful lot of money in recyclable materials just sitting out there on the sand, so it’s easy to … Continue reading Costa Concordia salvage operation – an annotated graphic