The Best Tech of 2006
Year 2006 has made us more technology freak and why not some of the best technology in the millennium was unveiled in 2006.
Here I have composed a list of the ten best technologies that were unveiled during this year that made us go crazy for them.
After many years of silence Microsoft pounced back again with their new operating system known as Windows Vista. This new operating system is the successor of Windows XP, the operating system that is used by more than 400 million people daily worldwide. This new OS integrates a new type of interface that Microsoft calls as 'Aero Glass' interface. This new interface provides the operating system with nifty graphics and 3D effects but they also require a new type of graphics card. This operating system was released to businesses on November 30 and the main promotion points for Microsoft for the operating system were that the OS offer better security and more for gaming freaks.
Apple made the impossible, possible with their new high end notebook called the Apple Mac Book Pro. They made this new notebook on Intel processors that was a bit of surprise for me. The system was powered by Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz processor that made the notebook run Mac and Windows simultaneously on it.
The specifications of the Apple Mac Book Pro are:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz
Installed Memory: 2 GB (DDR2 SDRAM)
Display: 15.4 in. TFT Active Matrix
Operating System: Apple MacOS X 10.4
Processor: Processor Type Core 2 Duo
Processor Manufacturer: Intel
Processor Speed: 2.33 GHz
Motherboard: Bus Speed 667 MHz
Display: Display Tech TFT Active Matrix
Display Size: 15.4 inches.
Display Max. Resolution: 1440 x 900
Technical Features:
Security Features: Kensington Lock Slot
Expansion Ports: 2 x USB 2.0 VGA out RJ-45 (NIC) DVI (Digital Video Interface)
Special Features: Integrated Video Camera and Remote Control
Hard Drive: 120 GB
Hard Drive Rotation Speed: 5,400 RPM
Storage Controller Type: Serial ATA Memory
RAM Technology: DDR2 SDRAM
Max Supported RAM: 3.072 GB
RAM Speed: 667 MHz
Installed Cache Memory: 4096 KB
CD / DVD: CD / DVD Type DVD±RW/CD-RW Dual Layer
Optical Drive Read Speed: 24x (CD) 8x (DVD)
Optical Drive Write Speed: 24x (CD) 2.4x (DVD+R Dual Layer)
Optical Drive ReWrite Speed: 10x (CD-RW) 4x (DVD+RW) 4x (DVD-RW)
Video: Graphic Processor ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1600
Installed Video Memory: 256 MB
Graphic Bus Interface: PCI Express
Audio Input Type: Integrated Microphone Line In (3.5mm) Optical Digital In
Audio Output Type: Headphones Sound card Speaker(s) Optical Digital Line Out
Networking Type: Bluetooth Network Adapter Integrated Wireless LAN
Battery Technology: Lithium polymer
Battery Run Time: 5 Hour(s).
Dimensions:
Depth 9.6 in.
Height 1 in.
Width 14.1 in.
Weight 5.6 lb.
Why waste so much on a 50-inch HDTV or a PDP TV when you can watch a high quality video and that too not on a 50-inch TV but on a 12-feet display with these projectors. I got my hands on the InFocus IN76 BigPlay projectors early this year and, let me tell you, it has blown away every other home theater solution I've tried. Even though it's just 720p, HBO HD blown up 12 feet across on my white wall with no screen or Screen Goo looked better than any plasma, projector, or basically anything I've ever watched Entourage on. Plus, the saturation is great-I used it instead of a regular TV even at high noon. With a decent price and very decent design, it may be the most consumer-friendly projector out there.
The Sony PS3 completely changed the gaming experience for everyone around. Accompanied with a 60GB HDD you can load hundreds of games and play them when ever you want. The detailed specifications of this high-end gaming console from Sony are:
CPU
Cell Processor
PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz
1 VMX vector unit per core
512KB L2 cache
7 x SPE @3.2GHz
7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE
* 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy
total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS
GPU
RSX @550MHz
1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance
Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels
Multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines
Sound
Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell- base processing)
Memory
256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz 256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz
System Bandwidth
Main RAM 25.6GB/s
VRAM 22.4GB/s
RSX 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s (read)
SB< 2.5GB/s (write) + 2.5GB/s (read)
System Floating Point Performance
2 TFLOPS
Storage
Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1
I/O
USB Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
Memory Stick standard/Duo, PRO x 1
SD standard/mini x 1
CompactFlash (Type I, II) x 1
Communication
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x 3 (input x 1 + output x 2)
Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Controller
Bluetooth (up to 7)
USB 2.0 (wired)
Wi-Fi (PSP)
Network (over IP)
AV Output
Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI: HDMI out x 2
Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1
Digital audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1
Disc Media
CD PlayStation CD-ROM, PlayStation 2 CD-ROM, CD-DA,
CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW, SACD, SACD Hybrid (CD layer),
SACD HD, DualDisc, DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side)
DVD: PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM, PlayStation 3 DVD-ROM, DVD-Video,
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
Blu-ray Disc: PlayStation 3 BD-ROM, BD-Video, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE
5) Nintendo Wii:
This latest gaming console completely changed the way we game by launching a new kind of remote with which we enjoy our games in a more real sense. This gaming machine from Nintendo had the following features:
Processor: IBM "Broadway"
Gaming Type:
LAN Gaming
Multiplayer Gaming
Memory:
RAM Speed 512 MHz
Graphic Processor ATI Hollywood
Graphic Processor Speed 243 MHz
Graphic Card Memory 3 MB
Polygons Per Second 500 Million
Optical Drive Type 12 cm discs
Audio Out Proprietary Audio Out
Communication Type IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g USB 2.0
Controller Pad Ports 4
Expansion Slots SD Card
Wireless Capabilities IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g
Input / Output Ports 4 x Game Controller Port 2 x USB 2.0
DVD Movie Playback Optional DVD Movie Playback.
Microsoft ventured into the PMP business with their new PMP named Zune. This was a move all set to challenge the supremacy of iPod in the PMP market. You can store more than 7500 songs on the 30GB HDD that was integrated with the device. The PMP was supported MP3/WMA/AAC/MPEG-4/H.264/WMV playback. So this is an all in one device for the all your media needs.
Apple's smallest and lightest iPod-branded audio player to date, featuring a strong and immediately eye-catching aluminum enclosure, rear clip, simple controls and indicator lights, plus an included dock for charging and computer synchronization. As with predecessor model, battery life continues to beat Apple's estimated 12 hours by a nearly 6-hour margin, while transfer speeds have increased to near-nano levels. Plays most audio files supported by full-sized iPods and nanos, and with a 1GB memory space you can upload as many as 250 songs in this small device.
The successor of Sony Ericsson P990 this is a 3G phone from the makers of some world class phones. This smart phone runs Symbian OS so you can also think of a number of third party applications that you can install in the phone. It also boasts of a good 2 Megapixel camera with autofocus. Other good features of the device include a Opera browser shortcut key, camera short cut key and the Memory Stick Duo slot cover. The screen of the P990i is excellent, sporting an improved resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and a 262K color depth with impressive brightness and clarity. The keypad is also something to talk about as the numerical keypad flips down to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard.
9) BeoVision 4 from Bang-Olufsen:
The BeoVision 4 is a high-end 50-inch Plasma TV that boasts of its 'Vision Clear' technology that enable the TV to provide the best possible image to every corner of the room. For this the TV adjust the brightness and the temperature automatically according the ambient lighting in the room.
The TV can be placed on a table and can also be hung on a wall. The Aluminum finish of the TV makes it look like an elegant 50-inch photo frame. You can also choose between a wide variety of colors that includes Red, Black, Silver, Dark Grey and Blue.
The most important feature of the PDP TV is its remote control that can also be used to control other TVs in the other rooms of the house and can also control the curtains and the lighting in the room.
This has been a breakthrough in Electronics. US researchers have developed a new kind of technology that can be used in developing transparent transistors which in turn can also develop transparent displays for windscreens, goggles and also on Billboards.
