Bloom Fuel Cells

Well, it seems someone finally cracked the fuel cell problem:

http://www.gizmag.com/bloom-energy-server-fuel-cell-launched/14328/

Here is the sixty minutes interview:

http://ww w.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6228923n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

The dig at solar is unwarranted. This fuel cell technology acts as energy converter. Solar makes the power from a free source. It is not an apples and apples comparison.

As the price comes down this will change how electricity is created and distributed. It will cut down on our coal usage and increase the use of natural gas and propane.

-Tech Dennis

 

Tablet Wars

With batteries holding more power; processors using less power;  touch screens becoming common (along with the software/apps to go along with it); new types of low power touch screens; the next great leap in electronics is the tablet PC.

Bigger than your smart phone, easy to read; can fit in purse or brief, surf the internet, possibly make phone calls and can operate like a computer to do real work.  The future formula may be having a powerful desktop, and an ultralight tablet.

Apple is said to be coming out with one, but here is a real contender by Norton Ink called the Atom:

http://gizmodo.com/5429466/notion-ink-enters-tablet-wars-with-android-devicel

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10422961-1.html

Really great stuff. And once again, unlike the Apple version , I will probably be able to afford this one… I love Apple. I just wish I could afford something from them…..

Update 1/28/10:      Apple has come out with the I-Pad:

http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/

Even though it does not have a camera or a low power screen, I am impressed. If it had a low power screen I would say it is revolutionary, but it does not….

There are apps which allow you to make phone calls through 3G and WIFI. So I am going out on a limb and will say you can use it to make calls, using an earpiece.I still have to clarify this (you can make calls through an I-Touch through WiFi. It is a pay service).

I do not have an I-phone or a Mac. Cannot afford the Mac laptop, and do not want to pay the fees for an I-phone. But with this I could see doing the work of both devices. So I could see paying the initial price and the monthly fee for that…..If I ever have the money:)

1/30/2010: Clarification: There is no app to make calls through 3G network for the I-Pad. I am sure this will come very soon. I am assuming it will still be able to use the I-Touch app that allows you to make calls through WiFi.

Update: 2/11/10 This new contender is not only copying the Apples base design, but also it naming. Meet the I-Tablet:

http://www.gizmag.com/x2-itablet-windows7-linux/14145/

Now if it just had the Apple operating system, a low power screen and Apples million and one apps……

-Tech Dennis

 

New Type of Display….

It seems a company called Qualcomm has developed a new type of display. It will not display video, but will allow color and very low power consumption:

http://www.gizmag.com/qualcomm-mirasol-display/13819/

We may be seeing these in E-readers very soon. One has to wonder what the life expectancy of the technology is since there are moving parts. Very small parts; but moving none the less….

-Tech Dennis

 

Please Ignore. Links to Improve My Google Rating…

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Lithium-Ion Breakthrough

Well it seems a defense company in Great Britain ,called Qinetiq, has figured out how to make Lithium-Ion batteries that may be; much cheaper; recharge faster and hold more energy.

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24288/

Obviously it is still in the laboratory.  Hopefully they will be able to mass produce these batteries in a factory setting and still get the same results.

If so, the electric cars that are already out and the ones coming out this year will get cheaper. Along with all the electric gadgets like cell phones, cordless tools, digital cameras and laptops.

-Tech Dennis

 

New Treatment for Tumors/Cancer

I do not generally post about medical technology. I feel I lack the expertise in many cases to truly divine the wheat from the chafe chaff.

But even a blind man can see this is a big one:

http://www.gizmag.com/implant-cancer-vaccine/13462/

Obviously no human trials yet, but if it works as advertised this will be a powerful tool for all our health.

-Tech Dennis

 

Uni-Pixel To Start Manufacturing Amazing Display

Well, they call it time-multiplexed optical shutter (TMOS). First I have heard of it. Since they are announcing they are going to start manufacturing them beginning next year (not announcing they have made a breakthrough in technology or lab results) I am assuming they have been in stealth mode.

Stealth mode is what you do when you have amazing new technology and do not want to give the competition (which has older, established technology) time to bring down prices or try and better the old technology.

You line up a few large customers, start producing the new technology and then the competition stares at you as you take away their plate of food (market).

This strategy has worked well in the past. You go from no share of the market to almost all of it. But let me stop yammering and show you the amazing technology:

http://www.gizmag.com/next-gen-tmos-displays-mass-production/13167/

I did a little digging an found this paper they put out in 2007:

http://www.prad.de/download/TMOS_-_Unipixel_Whitepaper.pdf

If this works as advertised we shall see a decrease in computer cost and a great increase in laptop battery life. If memory serves, the LCD display uses 40% of a laptops battery.

Plus extended smart phone battery life. And make color E-Readers possible.

Of course that is if it works as advertised. Since they are beginning production in a couple of months I guess we shall see……

-Tech Dennis

 

New Coskata Ethanol Plant-With Gasification

Hey Folks,

The race for an economical process to make ethanol is getting hot and heavy.  Coskata is the latest contender.

http://gm-volt.com/2009/10/18/coskata-opens-semi-production-cellulosic-ethanol-plant/

I do not know much about gasification, so a little self education is needed on my part. This is a good page for that:

http://energy-squared.com/Testimonials.html

Great stuff. Gasification gets rid of the “how to break down the cellulose” question that has slowed the process to a crawl in most instances.

A question I would like answered is how much maintenance is needed for the process and how many hours a week would it have to be shut down for that maintenance?

-Tech Dennis

 

Lithium-Ion Battery Breakthrough

Even thought I am really hoping EEStors capacitors will becoming out at the end of this year (holding my breath), progress is still being made on the development of Lithium-Ion batteries.

http://www.gizmag.com/adding-graphene-to-titanium-dioxide/12917/

The problem of these batteries (and by effect the problem with electric cars….) is one of cost. Hopefully this will help reduce this problem.

Update:  Another advance, this time using Nanotechnology on the anodes.

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23516/

While it is nice than they have increased the batteries capacities, whenever I read about nanotechnology I wonder about cost and production ability…..

-Tech Dennis

 

Ford Coming Out With Direct Injection/Turbo Combination for Its Engines

It seems Ford is one upping GM. GM is coming out with direct injection (previously posted on this site), so Ford is coming out with a direct injection and turbo combination.

http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2009-09/fords-turbo-charged-ecoboost-engine

Of course to keep the fuel from having “Vapor lock” issues, where the fuel vaporizes before reaching the combustion chamber, this will require a high pressure pump and injection system. Also possibly a fuel system that sends fuel back to the tank to spread the heat out.

Also no word on how expensive this will be. I think as the internal combustion engine becomes more complicated and expensive there will be a tipping point on cost.

Electric cars with range extending engines are already much simpler than today’s cars and electric cars without range extending engines are  stupid simple. As electric cars become cheaper and “regular” cars become more expensive and complicated to get the MPG required by law we will see a dramatic shift in buying habits.

Another aspect of this is car life. It is true that batteries will have to be replaced in electric cars, but there are so few components to them it may work out that it is cheaper to go to a shop and have it repaired than to buy another.

As in the case of many European diesels in the 80’s, when the car refused to stop working  (engine and tranny, the two big money repair items that force most people to ditch a vehicle, just kept going and going….) people got rid of them due to worn paint jobs, worn seats and rust. A desire to have something new and pretty.

-Tech Dennis