The present invention in the field of Inertial reference systems for use on moving vehicles and more specifically relates to a short-term strapdown inertial attitude and heading reference system which is assisted by updating inputs supplied by auxiliary instruments in the vehicle is an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS).
The AHRS calculates orientation from angular rate gyro data and augments these with accelerometers (inclinometer) data. Augmentation of the heading is normally done by fluxgate magnetometer or GPS. Because the orientation is augmented, this system has no restrictions on measuring time, but the operating system dynamic is an importing aspect. Before deciding on an acceptable solution, typical dynamics should be measured and depending on the results, the correct augmentation sensor chosen. Furthermore, typical sensor measurements are indispensable for choosing the correct control algorithm setup.
AHRS is not an inertial navigation system, although it resembles an inertial navigation system in some ways. The chief differences are that the device is intended to supply a short-term inertial reference rather than a long-term reference and that the present invention provides, in addition to the position of the vehicle relative to the earth, a number of other variables including the attitude of the vehicle and various other dynamic variables.
Clutched in the hands of this Asian Orlando Bloom-a-like is Samsung’s VLUU NV24HD, an 10-megapixel HD camera with 2.5-inch AMOLED display. As well as automatic smile detection and Red-Eye Fix, what else does the NV24HD have to offer?
24mm ultra optical wide 3.6x zoom lens
1280×720p supported at 30fps
Samsung’s DRIM Engine II for image speed and clarity
HD-level stereo video recording
Full HD images via upgraded HDMI
Face Detection function for portrait shots
Automatic shooting function for smiling face recognition
Red-eye fix
Microsoft will release Windows XP Service Pack 3 during the second half of April, according to a report from a Web site that has correctly predicted recent Windows ship dates
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Motorola INC (MOT.N) said on Wednesday it would split into two publicly traded entities to separate its loss-making handset division from its other businesses, sending its shares up about 5 percent.
The move, which comes amid an intensifying proxy battle against activist investor Carl Icahn ahead of a May 5 annual meeting, could be a prelude for a joint venture for the cell phone business, analysts said.
They said separating the cell phone business, which has been losing market share to rivals like NOKIA (NOK1V.HE) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), could help Motorola find a strategic investor, such as among Asian handset makers that are keen to win a bigger share of the U.S. market.
Under pressure from its second-largest investor Icahn to boost shareholder returns, Motorola announced a strategic review in late January but no potential buyers have emerged.
“I suspect it’s a prelude for a joint venture for the mobile devices business,” said Avian Securities analyst Tero Kuittinen, who sees Chinese and Japanese companies as the top candidates for a venture.
“It might be easier to negotiate with a standalone unit,” Kuittinen said. “It’s positive news because it shows the company is moving toward a serious restructuring.”
Motorola, now ranked third in the global handset market, said the split would take the form of a tax-free distribution to its shareholders and expected it to be completed in 2009. The company has already started to look for a new head for its mobile devices business.
“We expect this action to enhance recovery in mobile devices and accelerate efforts to attract a new leader,” Chief Executive Greg Brown said on a conference call with analysts.
He did not give details on the new capital structures or how shares would be allocated to existing shareholders, saying these details would be worked out in the coming months.
Motorola plans to separate its Mobile phone Devices unit from its Broadband & Mobility Solutions business. The latter consists of its network equipment, enterprise and public safety businesses. Brown did not give details on the branding strategy for each business, beyond saying the Motorola brand is important for the mobile devices business.
WiFi features are as standard on today’s portable computers as built-in modems used to be. Laptop users have become accustomed to the ability to connect to the Internet from practically anywhere to reach e-mail, Web sites and music download portals. Consumers even use wireless routers to connect to the Internet from anywhere in their homes. The problem, however, is that many portable computer users are completely clueless about the dangers of unprotected WiFi connections. They think that they can surf the Net with the same impunity as having a wired connection.
This time, it wants to open up the unlicensed parts of the TV broadcast spectrum, the so-called white space, for wireless broadband Internet access.“The data speeds are comparable with the 700 MHz spectrum, so you could have alternative ISPs and wireless cell carriers and data access which could be provided at lower cost than cable Internet or from current wireless carriers, and if you have nationwide service with comparable quality, they would be competitive with wireless carriers and existing ISPs,” Greg Sterling, founding principal of Sterling Market Research, told TechNewsWorld. Read the rest of this entry »
Stony Stevenson writes to point out that Netscape has finally reached end of line with the release of version 9.0.0.6. A pop-up will offer users the choice of switching to Firefox, Flock, or remaining with the dead browser, but no new updates will be released. “Nearly 14 years after the once mighty browser made its first desctop appearance as Mosaic Netscape 0.9, its disappearance comes as little surprise. Although Netscape accounted for more than 80 per cent of the browser market in 1995, the arrival of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer in the same year brought stiff competition and surpassed Netscape within three years.”
Despite how important memory cards have become to daily life a lot of computer still don’t have card readers, or at least a sufficiently robust one. If you are lucky your notebook will come with a 3-in-1 reader that will be able to handle a SD card, but that is about all we tend to see. For many people this is not that big of a deal, because SD has emerged as the most popular type of memory card, but many of use still use other types, like CF, and are picking up smaller cards to use on phones and portable devices, like microSD.
Running down the list, the Media Reader can handle CF (type I an II), MicroDrive, SD, SDHC, miniSD, miniSDHC, microSD, microSDHC, MMC, RS-MMC, MMCmobile, MMCmicro, and five flavors of MemoryStick. The main card style that people may find missing is xD. The Media Reader is an external device that uses USB to connect to any computer.
The design of the Media Reader is simple and effective. It is about 3.5″ x 2.5″ x 0.75″ and weighs very little (71g). It is sturdy enough to throw in a bag and move around with you and the USB cord tucks inside the body so it should not snag on anything. The reader itself slides within the body of the device so that the four card slots can be exposed or hidden away, protecting both the slots and, more importantly, cards you are holding. The USB connector is on a short cord, about an inch long but an extension is included in case you want to connect the reader to a somewhat inaccessible port.
From a speed standpoint the device is capped at 480Mbps due to it being a USB 2.0 device. During testing speeds were sufficient so that even extended transfers were not too painful. The Media Reader is more designed for versatility and travel than speed though.
Overall, Kingston’s Media Reader gets the job done. My only complaint would be that the sliding mechanism is a bit tough to move from time to time so you have to push the reader a harder than you would normally want to. Past that it works well, and since it costs under $20 there is not really much to complain about. The lack of xD support will be an issue with some people, but it has all the other major media cards covered.
Genome researchers have successfully transformed one bacterial species into another by replacing all of its DNA, according to a report published Thursday. Biologists at the J. Craig Venter Institute transplanted the entire genome, or set of DNA, from one species of Mycoplasma bacteria into another. About three days later, the DNA from the first bacterium had taken over the second so that it became indistinguishable from the donating bacterium, the scientists reported.
