Category: Gadgets

Round Gear S2 smartwatch is Samsung’s next wearable technology device

| September 8, 2015

The two new version of the device have been launched ahead of the IFA electronics trade show.

Just before the IFA electronics trade show, Samsung has revealed the look of its upcoming Gear S2 smartwatch, as well as the Gear S2 Classic model, and the look is completely different from previous generations.

The most noticeable difference that is seen in this wearable technology is in the round faces of the device.

Among the primary challenges that Samsung has faced in being able to promote its smartwatch is in the limited number of apps that are available to its users. Still, it has continued to base its Gear S2 on its proprietary Tizen operating system. This places the wearables in direct competition with not only Apple, but also the range of different device manufacturers that have based their gadgets on the Android Wear operating system from Google.

The smartwatch may have been launched by Samsung, but it has yet to announce a price or release date.

The circular design is new to the wearables from the company and, according to Samsung, it will allow the frame of the watch to rotate in order to give users access to various features such as notifications and apps. The circular display is 1.2 inches of Super Amoled. It has a 360 x 360 pixel resolution. This wearable technology has 512 MB of RAM and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor.

There will be two different styles of Gear S2. The first is the moden and the second is the classic. Each model will have a number of different band and color options from which to choose in order to suit the style and preferences of the wearer. The dimension of the Gear S2 are 42.3 by 49.8 by 11.4 mm, with a weight of 47 grams. On the other hand (so to speak), the Gear S2 Classic is slightly smaller at 39.9 by 43.6 by 11.4 mm, and it is also slightly lighter as it weighs in at 42 grams.

The smartwatch category has been one that has been slow to take off, so it will be interesting to see whether or not this new addition brings better successes to the brand than the previous generations of the Gear devices.

Mobile technology system used to issue landslide forecasts

| September 4, 2015

A new system has been created by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh and the Geotechnical Institute of Norway.

The Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) and the Geotechnical Institute of Norway have come together to create a new mobile technology based system that has been designed to forecast landslides.

A new forecast machine issues a signal to cell phones to alert users of an increased risk of landslides.

This new mobile technology alert system has already been implemented in a number of hilly areas and it has deemed to be successful. Heavy rainfall can cause both loose rocks and soil to absorb a considerable amount of water. As this continues the pressure from this absorption increases in the soil and rocks. Finally, the pull of gravity and the rising pressure causes the ground to crack and the soil and rocks to become dislodge, beginning a landslide. As the landslide progresses down the incline, it can pick up a great deal of additional material and force and it presents a massive threat to anyone or anything that is in its way.

The new forecast machine sends alerts through mobile technology based on several weather and geological factors.

Mobile Technology - Landslide WarningThe machine calculates the risk based on overall statistics of the amount of rainfall, the types of soil, and the length of time that the rain has been falling. The GSB entered into this partnership in order to be able to create a system of alert and prevention in response to the 2007 landslide in Chittagong, which killed 127 people.

The first testing of the forecast machine was conducted in 2010, and the data produced through that testing was the foundation of a research paper on the technology that was published by Springer in 2012 and presented at the World Landslide Conference in China.

The study revealed that if there is 100 mm of rainfall within a span of three consecutive hours, there is a striking increase in the landslide risk within hilly landscapes. Moreover, the risk also increases when 200 mm of rainfall occurs within a 24 hour period, or when 350 mm falls within 72 hours. The data is recorded into a computer which conducts an analysis of the risk and sends that information to a server which then alerts the applicable officials and designated mobile technology devices so that timely action can be taken to bring threatened residents to safety.