In this tech-insight, we take a brief look at what solid-state batteries are, their benefits and challenges, and how why they hold a great deal of promise for use in electric vehicles in the near future. Solid State A solid-state battery is a battery that has solid electrodes and solid electrolytes to transfer ions from the cathode to the anode when…
With Google and Amazon (plus soon-to-be Facebook and Apple) getting into making ‘Smart Glasses’, we take a brief look at what different types are currently being used for, plus we look at the vision for the future of these promising wearables. What Are Smart Glasses? Smart glasses are glasses that incorporate wireless connectivity/Bluetooth and other technology (e.g., a computer…
In this article, we look at what 3D printing is, its benefits, and how it is being used now to add value in many different industries. What Is It? 3D printing (“additive manufacturing”) describes how, using a special printing machine, a three-dimensional object can be constructed from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. The 3D printing machinery…
Many tech commentators have noted how the stagnation in computing has led to ‘Moore’s Law’ being challenged, but has the shrinking of transistors within computer chips really hit a wall and what could be next for Moore’s Law? What Is Moore’s Law? Moore’s Law, named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, is based on his observation from 1965 that transistors…
In this article, we look at some of the lighter aspects of the technological achievement that was the recent Blue Origin rocket flight, and we look at the vision behind it. Space Passengers The recent flight of the rocket containing and funded by (richest man in the world and Amazon Founder) Jeff Bezos yielded pictures of the passengers enjoying…
After a recent ‘Which?’ survey found that some branded printer ink costs more than some champagnes, we take a look at the reasons why printer ink is so expensive. The Recent ‘Which?’ Survey The survey by consumer watchdog Which? asked more than 10,000 inkjet printer owners about their ink shopping experiences regarding both original-branded and third-party brands. Not only…
In this article, we look at the right-to-repair movement, where it comes from, and how it’s progressing. The Right-To-Repair The ‘right-to-repair’ is a movement that seeks to have rules/legislation passed that forces manufacturers (e.g. of appliances, electrical products, white goods and more) to make parts (and information) available to end customers, not just approved/authorised repairers, and technicians, so that…
AI can now design AI chips hundreds of times faster (and better) than humans. Where will this lead? A recent research paper has described how a deep reinforcement learning approach to chip ‘floorplanning’ has led to AI generating chip floorplans that are superior or comparable to those produced by humans. Floorplans Chip floorplanning is the term for designing the physical layout…
With many of us now owning tech items such as laptops, desktops, and printers, we look at the best ways to prepare tech hardware for a safe journey to a new home. Tech Owners An Aviva survey from 2020 showed that the average UK home now has 10.3 internet-enabled devices (286 million in UK homes) and that having children…
If you have Amazon Echo devices in your home (or office), the ‘Drop In’ feature allows you to use Alexa as an intercom through your Echo devices. Here’s how: – Open your Alexa app. – Tap ‘Devices’ (lower-right corner). – Tap ‘Echo & Alexa’ to display a list of all of your Echo devices and enable ‘Drop In’ on each…
