NIKON GOES WITH ANDROID FOR NEW CAMERA

 Models display the Nikon Coolpix S800c based on Google’s Android OS in Tokyo on August 22, 2012. The Coolpix S800c, equipped with a 16 megapixel CMOS image sensor, 3.5-inch wide OLED display, WiFi and a 4.5-45mm/F3.5-5.8 zoom lens. It will go on sale next month in Japan

Fly hearing could help deaf humans

If your attendance at too many rock concerts has impaired your hearing, listen up. University of Iowa researchers say that the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is an ideal model to study hearing loss in humans caused by loud noise. The reason: The molecular underpinnings to its hearing are roughly the same as with people. As a result, scientists may choose to use the fruit fly to quicken the pace of research into the cause of noise-induced hearing loss and potential treatment for the condition, according to a paper published in the online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“As far as we know, this is the first time anyone has used an insect system as a model for NIHL (noise-induced hearing loss),” says Daniel Eberl, biology professor and corresponding author on the study. Hearing loss caused by loud noise encountered in an occupational or recreational setting is an expensive and growing health problem, as young people use ear buds to listen to loud music and especially as the aging Baby Boomer generation enters retirement.

Despite this trend, “the molecular and physiological models involved in the problem or the recovery are not fully understood,” Eberl notes. Enter the fruit fly as an unlikely proxy for researchers to learn more about how loud noises can damage the human ear. Eberl and Kevin Christie, lead author on the paper and a post-doctoral researcher in biology, say they were motivated by the prospect of finding a model that may hasten the day when medical researchers can fully understand the factors involved in noise-induced hearing loss and how to alleviate the problem.

The study arose from a pilot project conducted by undergraduate student Wes Smith, in Eberl’s lab. “The fruit fly model is superior to other models in genetic flexibility, cost, and ease of testing,” Christie says. The fly uses its antenna as its ear, which resonates in response to courtship songs generated by wing vibration. The researchers exposed a test group of flies to a loud, 120 decibel tone that lies in the center of a fruit fly’s range of sounds it can hear.

This over-stimulated their auditory system, similar to exposure at a rock concert or to a jack hammer. Later, the flies’ hearing was tested by playing a series of song pulses at a naturalistic volume, and measuring the physiological response by inserting tiny electrodes into their antennae. The fruit flies receiving the loud tone were found to have their hearing impaired relative to the control group.

A close-up of a fruit fly whose hearing mechanism is similar to that of humans. Researchers will use the creature as a model to study new cures for hearing loss

When the flies were tested again a week later, those exposed to noise had recovered normal hearing levels. In addition, when the structure of the flies’ ears was examined in detail, the researchers discovered that nerve cells of the noise-rattled flies showed signs that they had been exposed to stress, including altered shapes of the mitochondria, which are responsible for generating most of a cell’s energy supply.

Flies with a mutation making them susceptible to stress not only showed more severe reductions in hearing ability and more prominent changes in mitochondria shape, they still had deficits in hearing 7 days later, when normal flies had recovered. The effect on the molecular underpinnings of the fruit fly’s ear are the same as experienced by humans, making the tests generally applicable to people, the researchers note.

“We found that fruit flies exhibit acoustic trauma effects resembling those found in vertebrates, including inducing metabolic stress in sensory cells,” Eberl says. “Our report is the first to report noise trauma in Drosophila and is a foundation for studying molecular and genetic conditions resulting from NIHL.” “We hope eventually to use the system to look at how genetic pathways change in response to NIHL. Also, we would like to learn how the modification of genetic pathways might reduce the effects of noise trauma,” Christie adds.

Micromax Viva A72

General	2G Network	GSM 900 / 1800 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
	SIM	Dual SIM
	Announced	2013, April
	Status	Available. Released 2013, April

Body	Dimensions	142.8 x 76 x 10.6 mm (5.62 x 2.99 x 0.42 in)
	Weight	186 g (6.56 oz)

Display	Type	TFT touchscreen
	Size	480 x 800 pixels, 5.0 inches (~187 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes

Sound	Alert types	Vibration, Polyphonic(64), MP3 ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

Memory	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB
	Internal	110 MB

Data	GPRS	Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
	EDGE	Class 12
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0
	USB	Yes

Camera	Primary	3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels
	Video	Yes
	Secondary	No

Features	OS	Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
	CPU	1 GHz
	Sensors	Accelerometer
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
	Browser	HTML
	Radio	FM radio
	GPS	Yes
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black
		- SNS integration - MP3/WAV/AAC+ player - MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk - Document viewer - Photo viewer - Organizer - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input

Battery
	Stand-by	Up to 280 h
	Talk time	Up to 7 h

Solar heating in European Union + CH

Solar thermal heating in European Union (MW_th)^[69][70][71]

#	Country	2008	2009	2010[65]
1	Germany	7,766	8,896	9,677
2	Greece	2,708	2, 852	2,859
3	Austria	2,268	2,518	2,686
4	Italy	1,124	1,404	1,870
5	Spain	988	1,262	1,475
6	France	1,137	1,371F	1,102
7	Switzerland	416	538	627
8	Cyprus	485	515	501
9	Portugal	223	345	471
10	Poland	256	357	459
11	UK	270	333	401
12	Denmark	293	331	368
13	Netherlands	254	285	313
14	Belgium	188	204	230
15	Sweden	202	217	227
16	Czech Republic	116	148	216
17	Slovenia	96	112	123
18	Hungary	18	58	105
19	Ireland	52	75	92
20	Slovakia	67	76	85
21	Bulgaria *	22	90	74
22	Romania *	66	80	73
23	Malta*	25	29	32
24	Finland *	18	19	23
25	Luxembourg *	16	19	22
26	Estonia*	1	2	2
27	Lithuania *	3	2	2
28	Latvia *	5	1	1
Total	EU27+Sw (MWth)	19,083	22,137	24,114
* = estimation, F = France as a whole

Ta-Fone A34 with dual SIM and Calling

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Karbonn has launched two calling tab Ta-Fone A37 and A34.  Both the tablets come with dual SIM but the A34 model has 2G SIM slots only whereas A37 has got one 3G SIM slot and hence is touch costlier. Nevertheless Ta-Fone A34 accesses 3G network via external dongles. In this fast evolving Tab market, customers want more and more and in fact this only drives the manufacturer to come up with better specs and features at optimal prices.

This Tab is also an outcome of the fight which is incessantly fought between all the Tablet manufacturers for their supremacy( at least existence) in the Tablet market. Ta-Fone A34 from Karbonn comes with Android ICS version of OS and is a 7 inch device with all the other basic features of a Tab under the hood. With 1Ghz Cortex A9 Processor and 512 RAM, this Tab is up for glitch and hassle free performance. Dual camera is another impressive add to this Tab’s profile. The resolution sports 800×480 pixels which is crisp to a good extend.
Feature and Specification are as follow:

Operating System
OS	Android
Version	Ice Cream Sandwich(ICS v4.0)
Upgradable	No
Calling Feature
SIM slots	Yes,2
Network(s)	2G: GSM 900, GSM 1800
SIM Calling	Yes
PROCESSOR
Speed	1GHz
Brand	ARM
Type	Cortex A9
MEMORY
RAM	512MB
Internal Memory	4GB(2 GB accessible)
Expandable Upto	32GB
Memory Card Type	mSD
DISPLAY FEATURES
Screen Size	7inch
Display Type	Capacitive Touch Screen
Resolution	800×480 pixels
View Angle	NA
CAMERA CONFIG
Primary ( Rear)	2MP
Secondary ( Front)	VGA
Video Capture (Resolution)	VGA
BATTERY
mAh	3000
Average Video Play Time	3hrs
Average Battery Life	3.5hrs
Standby Time (hrs)	NA
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi Version	802.11b/g/n
3G	Yes via external dongle
2G/EDGE	Yes, via SIM
Bluetooth	Yes
Btversion	Version 3
HDMI	No
miniHDMI	Yes,1
USB2.0	No
miniUSB	Yes,1
NAVIGATION
GPS/A-GPS	Yes, GPS
Map support	Google Maps
DONGLE INFO
Dongles Supported	Yes
Dongle List	NA
MEDIA FILES SUPPORTED
AudioFiles	MP3, WMA, WAV
Video Files	MP4, AVI, mpg, 3gp
EXTERNAL SUPPORT
Pendrive (upto)	Yes, 8GB
Hard Drive (upto)	No
ERGONOMICS
Dimensions ( L x B x H)	NA
Weight	NA
SOUND
Loud Speaker	Yes, Dual
3.5mm Jack	Yes,1
IN THE BOX
Items	Tablet, Battery, User Manual, Warranty Card, Charger, Headset, USB Cabl

Karbonn Smart Tab 1 Specification

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As the season of tablets is going on, Karbonnmobiles too jump into tablet business with the Karbonn Smart Tab 1. Its price is Rs 6,990. Other tablet in the same price range are Micromax Funbook tab (Rs 6499)  and HCL ME Tab (Rs 7,999).
Although the Karbonn claims that its Smart Tab has superior video and gaming experience, thus targeting consumer who are looking for entertainment in their tablet. Booking of tablet has been started and follow here to book Smart Tab1 online.
Before that check out the specification of Karbonn tablet.

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Operating System
OS	Android
Version	Ice Cream Sandwich(ICS v4.0.3)
Up-gradable	No
Calling Feature
SIM slots	NO
Network(s)	NO
SIM Calling	NO
PROCESSOR
Speed	1.2GHz
Brand	MIPS
Type	NA
Core	Single
MEMORY
RAM	512MB
Internal Memory	1GB usable
Expandable Upto	32GB
Memory Card Type	mSD
DISPLAY FEATURES
Screen Size	7 inch
Display Type	Capacitive Touch Screen 5 point multitouchScratch resistant
Resolution	800×480 pixels
View Angle	NA
CAMERA CONFIG
Primary ( Rear)	2MP
Secondary ( Front)	No
Video Capture (Resolution)	Yes, 1080p
BATTERY
mAh	3700
Average Video/Music Play Time	4hrs/12hrs
Average Battery Life	4.5hrs
Standby Time (hrs)	NA
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi Version	802.11b/g/n
3G	Yes via external dongle
2G/EDGE	Yes, via external dongle
Bluetooth	Yes
Btversion	Version 3
HDMI	No
miniHDMI	Yes
USB2.0	Yes, 2
miniUSB	NA
NAVIGATION
GPS/A-GPS	NA
Map support	Google Maps
DONGLE INFO
Dongles Supported	Yes
Dongle List	2G / 3G(WCDMA):-Huwai E1766, Huwai E230, Huwai E160E, Huwai E182G, Huwai E220, I-230, YE261, Huwai E1750, ZTE MF637U, ZTE MF633BP-1, Huwai E1756, UMG1691, SRT-H800,Huwai E1782CDMA2000 / EVDO:-Huwai EU830,Huwai EC1261, Huwai E150, Huwai EC122,Huwai EC1270, Huwai EC156, ZTE AC2746,ZTE AC590, C820, SEC790, ZTE AC580, ZTE AC2736, SRT H800.
MEDIA FILES SUPPORTED
AudioFiles	MP3, WMA, WAV
Video Playback	Yes, Full HD
Video Files	MP4, AVI, MPG, 3GP, FLV, VOB, MPEG, WMV,MOV, MKV, TS, TP, M2TS, DAT, PMP ASF
EXTERNAL SUPPORT
Pendrive (upto)	Yes, 8GB
Hard Drive (upto)	No
ERGONOMICS
Dimensions	12.1 cm x 0.8 cm x 19.3 cm
Weight	295g
SOUND
Loud Speaker	Yes, Dual
3.5mm Jack	Yes,1
IN THE BOX
Items	Tablet, Battery, User Manual, Warranty Card,Headset, USB Cable, Dongl

Ta-Fone A37 with 3G enabled SIM 

 

Operating System
OS	Android
Version	Jelly Bean( v4.1)
Upgradable	No
Calling Feature
SIM slots	Yes,2
Network(s)	2G: GSM 900, 1800; 3G: UMTS 2100
SIM Calling	Yes
PROCESSOR
Speed	1GHz
Brand	ARM
Type	Dual Core
MEMORY
RAM	512MB
Internal Memory	4GB(2GB accessible)
Expandable Upto	32GB
Memory Card Type	mSD
DISPLAY FEATURES
Screen Size	7inch
Display Type	Capacitive Touch Screen
Resolution	800×480 pixels
View Angle	NA
CAMERA CONFIG
Primary ( Rear)	2MP
Secondary ( Front)	VGA
Video Capture (Resolution)	VGA
BATTERY
mAh	3000
Average Video/Audio Play Time	3hrs/8hrs
Average Battery Life	3.5hrs
Standby Time (hrs)	NA
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi Version	802.11b/g/n
3G	Yes via SIM
2G/EDGE	Yes, via SIM
Bluetooth	Yes
Btversion	version 3
HDMI	No
miniHDMI	Yes,1
USB2.0	No
miniUSB	Yes,1
NAVIGATION
GPS/A-GPS	Yes
Map support	Google Maps
DONGLE INFO
Dongles Supported	Yes
Dongle List
MEDIA FILES SUPPORTED
AudioFiles	All popular audio files
Video Files	MP4, AVI, 3GP, MPEG
EXTERNAL SUPPORT
Pendrive (upto)	Yes, 8GB
Hard Drive (upto)	No
ERGONOMICS
Dimensions ( L x B x H)	NA
Weight	NA
SOUND
Loud Speaker	Yes, Dual
3.5mm Jack	Yes,1
IN THE BOX
Items	Tablet, Battery, User Manual, Warranty Card, Charger, Headset, USB Cable