All of Apples new Announcements from Big Event

     There were four announcements that caught attention at Apple's event yesterday. These consist of two new iPads both mini and air, a new 5k iMac and the two new software offerings in OS X Yosemite and iOS 8.1. This event was not as large as the massive media event that Apple held for the announcement of the new iPhones, but still had information that many Apple fans can appreciate.

Josh Valacrel / Wired

The software news regarding OS X Yosemite is already available for a free download and the mobile operating system in iOS 8.1 will be available for download on Monday. The 8.1 system will add Apple Pay and a beta of iCloud photo libraries. It will also include Camera Roll, for those who have been missing the feature. The company has also re-worked it iWork suite in an update which is available for download today. Finally, for developers the company announced WatchKit which is an SDK which will allow apps to start being created for the AppleWatch before it is released.
     Now lets cover the new thinner, lighter more golden iPads. Apple has cut off 18% of the thickness from the iPad air (which already was brought down 20% in thickness from the its previous counterpart). Measuring in at 6.1mm thick, makes it the thinnest tablet on the market currently. In order to accomplish this Apple had to eliminate all of the micro thin layers of air between the layers of display, this was accomplished by optically bonding them together. In addition they also reduced the internal reflection and added and anti-reflective coating that supposedly will reduce reflections by up to 56%. As for the inside, the iPad air comes with a 64-bit A8x processor which offers 40% faster CPU performance and 2.5% faster GPU performance which makes it up to 180 times faster than the original iPad. It also gets 10 hours of battery life per charge.

Josh Valcarcel / Wired

     As cameras have become one of the most important features in mobile devices today, the iPad has updated its camera which is now 8 megapixels, with f/2.4 aperture. Enabling it to shoot 1080p video, take panoramas, burst mode, slo-mo and time lapse. The front camera also has been improved for FaceTime HD with a f/2.2 aperture. They also improved connectivity for the iPad with faster LTE bands and a new faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Finally the iPads also come with TouchID which will make it easy for users to take advantage of ApplePay and TouchID app extensions.
     The iPad Air 2 is available for pre-order now starting at $499 for a 16GB, $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 128GB. They have also added Gold to the colors of Silver and Space Gray.

Josh Valarcel / Wired

     The iPad Mini 3 is also available and has been upgraded to a Touch ID. It starts at $399 for 16GB, $499 for 64GB and $599 for 128GB. In addition Apple also dropped the price of the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 by $100, so you can now grab them at an all-time low price.

     Now that we have covered the iPads and new software lets talk about the new iMac which has gotten a huge resolution boost. Apple introduced the iMac with Retina Display, having a 27-inch display with a 5120 x 2880 pixel resolution (14.7 million pixels). Apple is calling it a "Retina 5k" display. This iMac will sport a 3.5Ghz i5 processor which is available to be upgraded to 4Ghz, Radeon graphics, 8GB of memory (not impressive) and a 1 TB fusion drive. This iMac will start at $2,499 but is customizeable up to $5,000.

Their final announcement in the Mac Mini has a 4th-generation Intel processor, Iris and HD graphics 5000 and a 802.11ac WiFi. Complete with 2 Thunderbolt USB ports. The small Mac Mini is energy efficient and starts at $499.
Although Apple has continued to give us new product with upgraded software/hardware there were no real jaw droppers at this unveiling, but improvements are improvements and it will keep the competition on their toes for the rest of the year for sure.

Sources: Wired

Mercedes Making a Self-Driving Tractor Trailer could Change the Future of Shipping

     Mercedes has recently unveiled images of a new self-driving semi which they believe will change the future of shipping as we know it. From looking at it, you may think that this truck is just fancy with all of it's LED lights instead of headlights and cameras instead of mirrors, but this is the design that makes this truck self-driving. These are minor cosmetic changes as the true amazement is "Future Truck 2025" drives itself. Although these images are just of the prototype Mercedes is intent on perfecting and getting this truck ready for commercial use in the next 10 years.
     We have all seen the self-driving cars and trucks that are in development but this is the first of tractor trailers we are seeing. Many might think that a vehicle with such weight and importance should not be allowed to be automated because of the risks involved. However, in 2012, according to NHTSA 333,000 large trucks were in accidents in the U.S. alone. Of these accidents nearly 4,000 people have been killed the majority riding in passenger vehicles. In addition there has been difficulty implementing regulations to ensure that truckers get enough rest during their travels. What is going to solve this problem? Seems like Mercedes might have an answer.

The future truck complete with the "Highway Pilot" automated system. Dr.Wolfgang Bernhard, the Daimler board member for trucks and buses states: "It never gets tired. It's always 100% and sharp. It's never angry; it's never distracted. So this is a much safer system."
Of course this automated system will truly only shine on long stretches of road where speeds are steady, with no pedestrians and minimal turning is necessary. Their are enough sensors fitted all over the truck to cover the surroundings at all time so local driving and navigating cities is possible just not as easily performed.


     The new idea of vehicle-to-vehicle communication will truly help make this automated driving much simple by being able to collect data from cars around the truck, but it will be a long time until this type of communication is on most vehicles on the road, so even without this communication the truck uses its many cameras to keep an eye on every inch of the road around it.

     With technology like this emerging in the technology industry it is only a matter of time before our cars and trucks will be communicating with each other and making decisions on the road for us getting us from point A to point B.
     "The challenge now," Bernhard states, "is to leverage this momentum and to continue our open dialogue with all parties involved, so that in ten years' time the autonomously driving truck will indeed have become an accepted feature on our roads."



Sources: Wired

3D Printable Solar Panels Coming Soon!

     We all know that 3D printers are evolving on a daily basis to print everything from small items to houses. Australian scientists have begun printing solar panels with 3D printers and although they are still in testing they claim that very soon we will see them in the mainstream marketplace.
     Why would we want to print something that we are already manufacturing though that work properly? Australian researches say that it will revolutionize what solar panels are able to be used for, from iPad covers to skyscrapers all over the world by printing solar panels not only is it quicker, but more cost effective and more customizable. With the ability to print a solar panel in any size it makes it so that taking the time to manufacture a panel this small isn't a waste of time.

     The best part about all of this is that the 3D printers can print these solar panels on to just about any surface from plastic to metal and they are so far equally effective. They have even come up with a solar panel that can be printed on the size of a coin without losing effectiveness.
     Before they release this to the public however they are researching ways to make solar panels even more effective at capturing sunlight.  Fiona Scholes, senior research scientist at Australia's national science agency CSIRO stated"We would like to improve the efficiency of solar panels - we need to develop solar inks to generate more energy from sunlight... We are confident we can push technology further in the years to come.

The potential for alternative uses is endless, she told Mashable. "They could potentially be used in a whole range of applications such as consumer product packaging, windows and window furnishings, temporary structures remote locations and developing communities."

New Exoskeleton Could Increase Work Productivity 20 Times

Lockheed Martin as developed anew exoskeleton designed to help individuals who perform demanding physical labor work not only faster but easier. Typically when people are working on ships, buildings or roads they are required to handle heavy equipment and perform physically tolling tasks. This new exoskeleton is designed with manual labor in mind by helping to support various machinery and tools taking a lot of the pressure off of the user.

 Currently most physical laborers have to take brief breaks between their work to not exhaust their body to quickly and this exoskeleton is supposed to help decrease the frequency of these breaks by taking stress off of the human body itself. The exoskeleton is able to support tools up to 36 pounds making it so that the load is transferred from the worker's hands and arms to the device which transports that weight to the ground through its design. The overall goal is to lighten the amount that workers have to carry while making them more productive and allow them to focus on quality more effectively.
     In the past there have been other exoskeletons such as TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) which essentially was a computer driven exoskeleton but it focused more on turning a normal individual into a sort of Iron Man. This on the other hand is purely hardware that has been designed optimally to help all sort of physcial laborers. The Navy has already purchased two exoskeletons and will begin testing them over the next several months.

     That being said this exoskeleton is a wearable technology with no computers or software involved. Simple equip the exoskeleton and attach the machine you want to use. The design takes pressure off your knees, arms, legs and even back to allow your stamina to raise greatly during physically exhausting tasks. It is also designed with everyday movements in mind. Allowing you to squat, bend and even walk stairs while hardly noticing you have it on.

     In a world where efficiency is valued among businesses it is important for the worker to get every benefit necessary to help improve speed and quality this exoskeleton solves both for the physical industries in the world. The question is with a device such as this will we start seeing construction workers and many other jobs take on this new exoskeleton or will it just be meant for our armed forces. Wait and see!

Sources: Wired