NFC chip with embedded flash memory from Samsung

Looks like NFC chip will indeed go quite big in 2011, as Samsung announced that its new near field communications (NFC) chip now comes with embedded flash memory for next-generation smartphones. Fancy a Galaxy S2 with Gingerbread and NFC? Mass production of the NFC is slated for the first quarter of 2011, so we should be able to see these NFC chips being used in smartphones launched during 2011, at least the third quarter.

The new Samsung NFC chip adopts flash for the embedded memory which allows device designers to easily to upgrade software or firmware. Samsung also provides a software protocol stack and technology services for antenna design and tuning. Through such features and support, designers can reduce their product’s time-to-market, the vendor said.

Samsung claimed it developed this NFC chip to have minimal power consumption in both active and stand-by mode. With a 20% decrease in power consumption, Samsung’s NFC chip remains active for mobile payment even without battery power. But if you look at the current NFC chip in the Google Nexus S, switching it on full time does little to the lifespan of the battery that it’s totally insignificant. The PN544 NFC chip from NXP that is used in Google’s Nexus S runs at an insignificant 50 micro amps and 35 milliamps when briefly interacting with a tag. If you deduct 20-percent from that, which we assume is the benchmark of current NFC chip’s power consumption then 40 micro amps is definitely insignificant to the battery’s consumption.

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Wi-Fi Direct certification begins, devices coming soon.

Here’s something new for us to know. Perhaps this might also kill off Bluetooth. This was talked about quite some time ago by the Wi-Fi Alliance, but there’s no news until recently. They’re ready to push this new technology called ‘Wi-Fi Direct’.Here’s how it works.

In order to make a direct device-to-device connection over WiFi, just one of the two needs to be Wi-Fi Direct certified. In other words, a Wi-Fi Direct printer can recognize and interface with your Latitude D410 laptop from 1999, as all Wi-Fi Direct certified devices have to be able to control the one-to-one relationship. The goal here is pretty simple — it’s to create a protected connection between two devices over WiFi with as little hassle as possible. Think Bluetooth, but using WiFi. Yes, the range’s gone so big, you can still transfer your MP3 while you go to poo.

Another thing, “most” products certified will also support “one-to-many” connections, enabling a Wi-Fi Direct laptop to be in contact with a printer, connected HDTV and a tablet simultaneously, with no router in-between at any point. Something important to note here, is that while 802.11a/g/n is supported over 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, there’s no requirement for Wi-Fi Direct products to support 802.11b. Odd right?

Hardware wise, there’s no minimum requirement. That means any existing WiFi chipset could be upgraded via firmware to handle Wi-Fi Direct. Finally, they noted that the app ecosystem is likely to make this whole rollout a lot more interesting, particularly considering that Direct is simply a pipe that software can dictate as it sees fit. Don’t have to stick to your mate anymore when transferring that MP3.

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Joining the military has never been so much fun

Every year, a large sum of tax payers funded money is spent into military funding. Often then not, these funding includes huge and dull screens that are static and does not include any form of hard exercise. So now, the Army in the States is trying out a more immersive approach with a new training helmet that allows trainees to progress around in a virtual environment ala “Counter Strike” style.

According to Wired: “Defense firm Cubic announced yesterday that it had won a $4.8 million contract to supply 27 COMBATREDI systems to the Florida Army National Guard, along with four Warrior Skills Trainers, a vehicle simulator that works with COMBATREDI. It’s the first sale of COMBATREDI, which the company rolled out at a simulation and training conference last December. “

Unlike typical point-and-shoot-dummies training, COMBATERDI is a mobile device worn on the helmet, which projects high-definition virtual surroundings into their mounted OLED display, with sounds coming out from the integrated 3D stereo headset. Other equipments includes wireless, scoped sim rifle that contains artificial magazines and real-life feedbacks.

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World’s First USB 3.0 with 5Gbps transfer speed

Symwave has announced that they will demonstrate the world’s first USB 3.0 storage solution boasting 5Gbps transfer speed at the upcoming CES 2009. It has greater energy efficiency and compatible with current USB 2.0/1.1 devices. Read the rest for more pics.

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Samsung Fuel Cell Battery

It looks a C4 or some explosive stuff at the first glance. It is actually a Fuel Cell Battery from Samsung for Military use. This ethanol-powered fuel cell is going to power military equipment next year. The DMFC (Direct Methanol Fuel Cell) is capable of powering up a laptop for 72 hours. Each of the batteries weighs 7.7lb. Tee tee tee…… Boooooom!!!!!! Just kidding.

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X12 stun gun

The X12 is the latest stun gun which can fires a jolt through the air wirelessly through nonlethal bullets which can cut through clothing to paralyze a perpetrator within an effective range of 88 feet. Good thing is that this paralysis occurs without pain. The first shipment of X12 will start in June.

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World’s First Liquid-Cooled LED Lightbulb

Eternaleds is introducing their new Hydrolux-4 LED lightbulb which claimed as the world’s first LED bulb to use liquid-cooling technology to give true 360 degree light like a regular light bulb. The Hydrolux-4 let you save more on your electric bill as it consumes only 4-watts of electricity. Each lightbulb is rated for 35,000 hours of use and the liquid inside is harmless paraffin oil that has been tested and certified safe to UL and ROHS standards. The Hydrolux-4 LED lightbulb is available in “warm white” and “daylight” options. Check out the video after the break.

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Pistol – Rifle Convertor

Hey gunners, you can now upgrade you pistol to rife by using the CAA Tactical’s Pistol-Rifle converter. This gun parts in going to add a stock, front grip, picatinny rails, sight/scope and extra mag holder, while being compatible with a silencer. It does not turn the pistol to true rifle but it does make the pistol to go more accurate. Check out the video after the break.

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Sony and Panasonic developed 67GB Blu-ray Disc

Sony and Panasonic has developed a new Blu-ray disc that can store up to 67GB data, thanks to its i-MLSE (Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation) technology. That’s mean the next-generation of Blu-ray disc can store 33.4GB of data on a single layer disc or 66.8GB on a dual-layer disc. You wouldn’t need any new software for these Blu-ray discs. No word on the availability yet.

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Nvidia Simulating Realistic Hair

NVIDIA’s Sarah Tariq is simulating the realistic hair at the GDC 2010- featuring 18,000 individual strands of human hair simultaneously, completely interactive with light, wind, and, apparently, conditioning. Video after the break.

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