Kiplinger clients have long come to rely on Kiplinger editors’ early insights into new technology and other exciting developments that eventually would make life easier and more enjoyable for all of us. Examples of "you read it in Kiplinger" include the coming of commercial air routes in 1927, the early development of television in the 1930s, electronic office machines in 1953 and mobile phones in 1983.
What will be the tech breakthroughs of the next decade? Watch the energy and transportation sectors. Here are eight forecasts pulled from the pages of The Kiplinger Letter in 2009 that look at some promising developments to come -- everything from spray-on solar cells to new ways of relieving traffic congestion. Offer your own thoughts and predictions in the reader discussion area.
Think an all-electric car is out of your budget range? Maybe not. A $25,000 model from U.S. upstart Aptera Motors is close to commercial rollout. You’ll know it when you see it -- a bullet shaped three-wheeler about the size of a Toyota Prius. The range: 140 miles. Buyers have already put down deposits on the first 4,000 to come off the assembly lines. Those orders will be filled by August 2010. It’ll take a year or so longer for General Motors, Nissan and Toyota to produce plug-ins, and they’ll cost more and have shorter ranges. GM’s Chevy Volt, for example, will sell for $40,000 after rebates and will go only 40 miles per charge.
Imagine converting motion -- from auto traffic or pedestrians -- to electricity. Tests are already under way to convert to electrical power the repeated pounding of tires on busy roads and tollbooth lanes or of commuters running to catch the subway. It could be used to run simple devices, leaving no carbon footprint. It may even be possible for joggers to use their footsteps to run cell phones and iPods. The technology could be in use in five years or so if the tests are successful.
New technologies to unsnarl traffic are on the horizon: Traffic management systems that combine video devices with computer logic will reduce collisions, reroute motorists and allow real-time adjustments to signals. They’ll be sorely needed to help ease major congestion that not only frustrates motorists but also slows business shipping and delivery.
Powered by Thorium Ever heard of thorium power? You will. Thorium is a naturally occurring element, slightly radioactive, that is far more common in the ground than uranium. The first nuclear reactor fueled by thorium will be built in about five years, with more to come.
Thorium has a lot of practical advantages over the more commonly used uranium, and it can churn out the same amount of emission-free electricity to power the U.S. Thorium is safer, produces less waste and is abundant here in the U.S. Plus it’s less likely to cause accidents and can’t be used by terrorists for dirty bombs.
North Dakota as an oil patch state? Yes, probably in a decade or less. The state’s Three Forks-Sanish formation could rival nearby Bakken Play, a vast oil shale field. Together they could provide the equivalent of 30 years’ worth of U.S. oil needs.
Oil companies are already scurrying to stake claims to the bonanza. New drilling and recovery technologies make the fields ripe for production. They sit a mile beneath the surface and, until recently, were mostly inaccessible. Though drilling has begun, commercial production at Three Forks is five years away.
Space based power plants are no longer just a science fiction fantasy. Pacific Gas and Electric aims to supply 250,000 customers from one by 2016. The California utility inked a deal with Solaren Corp. for 200 megawatts of electricity -- power to be generated by an orbiting solar cell plant and transmitted as microwaves to Fresno, where it will be converted to electricity.
Solaren, PowerSat, Space Energy and others working on orbital power are getting a lift from state laws requiring more use of renewable sources. And they figure they’ll have a steady customer in the Defense Department, which wants a means of getting power to troops in remote areas.
Ballmer's 10th anniversary as CEO of Microsoft arrives in January, but it's hard to imagine he'll be celebrating. Microsoft stock has dropped by nearly 50 percent on his watch, lagging not just other tech companies but even the Dow Jones industrial average. Distracted by the Windows Vista fiasco, Ballmer has missed every big new tech market of the past decade. Google won the race for Internet search and keyword advertising. Apple won in MP3 players and online music sales, and now holds the high ground in mobile phones, while Windows Mobile fades away. Microsoft's Zune music player is a dud. Bing, Microsoft's search engine, will never catch Google. Ballmer is said to be a brilliant guy, but he got a black eye for the way he blundered and blustered and finally botched an attempted acquisition of Yahoo. He's a screamer and a bit of a bully--not the easiest guy to work for. If Microsoft were any other company, this guy would be in trouble. But the catch is, Ballmer was put into the job by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and the two have been pals since their undergraduate days at Harvard. If Gates wants to get rid of Ballmer, he'll have to craft some kind of graceful exit that lets his buddy save face. Another problem: there's no heir apparent on the management team. Nevertheless, investors must be getting restless. Soon they'll start calling for a shake-up.
Le nouveau phone: Google lance un nouveau phone mobile revolutionnaire.
Rumours that Google is planning its own smartphone, called Nexus One, appear to be gaining momentum after the company confirmed that its employees have been given a new mobile device to test.
Android
Google burst onto the mobile phone scene in 2008 with the T-Mobile Google Android G1, and the OS has grown into the biggest competitor to Apple's App Store and iPhone.
Since then a series of Android OS-based handsets have followed including the HTC Magic, Samsung i7500 and one of the most popular Android mobile phones to date, the HTC Hero.
See all the latest Android news, reviews, and video below...
The Google gizmos that we can't live without
As the first Google-powered T-Mobile Android mobile handset hits the streets and we prepare for a revolution in the way we use our little personal pieces of tech joy, T3 takes a look at how the Google brand is moving into every aspect of our daily lives.
Not content with handling our millions of daily search queries, Google's innovations are rapidly becoming technological necessities that most us cannot get through the day without.
Comment avoir un phone gratuit.
The Free iPhone Guide
To get yourself a free iPhone, iPod Touch, or the latest Macbook Air all you have to do is follow the 3 easy steps:
Step 1 : Sign up for a free Gift
Sign up at the link below to get your free gift. We recommend this free gift site because it's been TRIED and TESTED to work.
http://apple.freebiejeebies.co.uk/45 (copy and paste into address bar)
You can choose other prizes like free iMacs from this site too! Make sure you use a real email address. Use your real details when you sign up so that the company knows where to send your gift! Remember that they have been proven legitimate, so will send you your free gift if you do everything legitimately!
Step 2 : Try an advertiser's offer
Basically all you need to do in this step is complete one of the offers, this is where the freebie site make their money, if you complete an offer then the freebie site will recieve commission for it. So if you complete Coral which will only cost you £5 to complete, the freebie site gets £25 from Coral. The two best offers are Lovefilm Free DVD rental trial (where you rent any two DVD's for free!) and Coral (bet £5 on a sport). I would reccommend you do Coral as it credits in an hour and is really simple to do, Lovefilm however can become complicated and takes up to 4 weeks to credit! You can also try one of the other offers, most are gambling offers. Don't skip this step! You must complete this step to get your free gift!
Step 3 : Refer some friends
This part is a lot easier than it seems, especially now with free gift sites getting so popular. There's lots of people online who want a free iPhone, Touch or macbook too, so start referring them! You only need to get a few signups before you'll be finished. You can ask your friends or your online buddies. I already got a free iPhone without even having to ask my friends for help - there's lots of people online who want a free iPhone like you! One of the easiest ways to get a referral is to do a favour for a friend and ask them to sign up in return. That way, you both can get a free gift!
Basic rules
Don't break these rules! This is the only reason that you won't get your free gift, so make sure you follow these rules!
- One account per household - don't use a public computer to sign up!
- Use real information - this is a proven legitimate site and they will not give out your information.
- Only complete each offer once! You cannot complete the same offer again, even for different freebies.
- Don't try to cheat the system. This site has been proven legitimate, and they will catch you if you try to cheat. If you do everything legitimately, by following this guide, you will get a free gift!
Thats all, just follow my guide and you will have your free gift in no time.
|
|
| Google out to shake up the smart-phone industry The company reportedly plans to sell directly to consumers a new smart-phone that will not be "locked" to any wireless carrier.
European officials signaled Monday that they are closer to approving Oracle's proposed $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems, after Oracle pledged to address antitrust concerns.
|
