Emerging Technologies : Buzz

Companies developing alternative green energy sources are known for their innovation and out-of-the-box mentality.  New Energy Technologies, a Baltimore-based company, is taking it to the extreme with two new technologies that seem like something from a Sci-Fi film.

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"In the not too distant future, companies may spray the world's tiniest solar cells on office and residential building windows to generate electricity. New Energy Technologies, (OTCBB: NENE), a Baltimore-based firm that is developing the SolarWindow technology, is also working on a MotionPower system that grabs kinetic energy from cars, trucks and buses as they decelerate to enter maintenance facilities, parking areas or drive-in windows.

The company has developed successful prototypes of its technologies. It tested MotionPower, for instance, at a Burger King, a Holiday Inn Express, and a Four Seasons Hotel and is looking for additional test sites with high bus or truck traffic in and out of a facility.

Its SolarWindow technology not only works with sunlight, but also with artificial light, says John Conklin, who recently took the helm as CEO of the company."

Read the entire article here.

Millennial Media  could soon be part of mobile giant Research in Motion. The Blackberry-maker has been in talks with the mobile advertising company, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Here's an excerpt:

"Under pressure in the increasingly competitive wireless market, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. is shopping for a mobile advertising network, people familiar with the matter said.

In recent months, the Canadian device maker has held talks with Baltimore-based mobile ad network Millennial Media about a potential acquisition, these people said. But the talks have stalled over disagreements regarding the value of Millennial, which serves advertisements on its own network of mobile websites. It also brokers ad sales to a group of other mobile ad networks."


Read the entire article here.

It won't work exactly like Gene Roddenberry envisioned on Star Trek, but teleportation will likely be a reality one day. Pioneering research being conducted at the University of Maryland's Joint Quantum Institute, among others, on quantum entanglement could lead to the ability to instantly transport an item from one end of the galaxy to another.

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"According to the quantum theory, everything vibrates," theoretical physicist Michio Kaku tells NPR's Guy Raz. Kaku is a frequent guest on the Science and Discovery channels. "When two electrons are placed close together, they vibrate in unison. When you separate them, that's when all the fireworks start."

This is where quantum entanglement � sometimes described as "teleportation" � begins. "An invisible umbilical cord emerges connecting these two electrons. And you can separate them by as much as a galaxy if you want. Then, if you vibrate one of them, somehow on the other end of the galaxy the other electron knows that its partner is being jiggled."

This process happens even faster than the speed of light, physicists say."

Listen to or read the entire article here.

Baltimore County Schools students will soon have their game faces on -- their game developers' face, that is. Baltimore County Schools says it will add the new curriculum using serious games.

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"Along with Learning Port strategies, the public school district has developed a program called L.i.V.E., or Learning in a Virtual Environment, which includes a "virtual high school" and a game development contest that will encourage students to create games based around topics related to science, technology, engineering, and math.

Baltimore, Maryland-area schools hope that the program will both generate interest in the sciences and prepare students for technical careers later in their lives."

Read the entire article here.

Nearly four months after some 1100 cities submitted proposals as part of Google's Fiber for Communities initiative, a $1 billion project that will bring super high-speed broadband to the city or cities Google has chosen, the search giant responded with a YouTube video thanking them. Two of Baltimore's own Mario Armstrong and Joe Weaver, who's holding a Google logo created by his daughter, are included in the video.

Read Google's response here.

Watch the video:

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What's it take to be a mayor in the 21st century? A good grasp of social media and pushing out information to constituents is one thing, according to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Watch the video:

You can't see it but the air around Baltimore is teeming with bandwidth. PC Mag's Sascha Segan has been traveling from the Big Apple to Charm City for the past few years, testing out the city's bevy of mobile WiFi networks.

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"Baltimoreans are lucky to have lots of choices, with AT&T, Cricket, Sprint 3G, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint 4G all available in Charm City. Of the 3G networks, AT&T pulled the best speeds but had problems with consistency. Verizon offered..."

Read the entire article here.

Call it an amazing bit of serendipity or just plain luck, but for a Middletown, Maryland couple the recent campaign launched by Oprah Winfrey and other organizations around the country to get people to stop using their cellphones while they drive, could be their break. John Tsinonis, a software developer, and his wife, Joana, a business development expert, have developed software that will prevent drivers from receiving incoming calls or texts as well as sending them while the car is in motion.

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"The proTextor software blocks incoming and outgoing text messages and phone calls while a driver's vehicle is in motion. GPS-enabled software engages when a vehicle starts moving, blocking incoming and outgoing calls and texts. The goal is to keep drivers' hands on the wheel and eyes on the road by preventing cell phone use while the car is in motion.

More than 80 percent of crashes involve some type of distracted driving, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. And although many states now require drivers to use hands-free devices, using a cell phone in any context while driving is distracting -- period, Joana Tsinonis said.

The Maryland General Assembly's recent ban on using a cell phone while driving highlights how serious the problem is, John Tsinonis said. The law goes into effect Oct. 1.

The development of proTextor has a personal side to it. The Tsinonis have six children and the thought of a texting-while-driving accident strengthened their quest to find a solution."

Read the entire article here.

As cities continue vying to become the city chosen as the test subject for Google Fiber's ultra-highspeed broadband network, TechCrunch takes note of the extremes and how the telecom companies have failed the U.S.

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"A couple weeks ago, we noted the city of Topeka, Kansas' humorous attempt to get Google's attention: by rebranding their city "Google, Kansas." Why would they do such a thing? Because they want in on Google's fiber action � the search giant's proposed plan to sell 1 gigabit-per-second broadband to consumers. Now Baltimore, Maryland is getting in on the fun as well.

The city has appointed a "Google Czar" � yes, that's the actual title � to lobby the company to put Baltimore on the list of cities in the initial trial. Tom Loveland, CEO of a local tech company, Mind Over Machines, has been appointed by Baltimore's mayor to take this exalted, but volunteer position."

Read the entire article here.

While Baltimore's tech community, local business leaders, government reps and citizens make a push to be the lucky city chosen to recieve Google's ultra-highspeed broadband network, it seems our fair city is already pretty darn wired, according to Forbes' list of America's Most Wired Cities.

Out of 20 cities, Baltimore ranks no. 8 on the list just three spots behind the Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia-area, the only other city in the Mid-Atlantic region to make the list. The ranking does take into account the estimated 66 percent broadband adoption rate in Baltimore, the 18 broadband providers and 10,141 people per wi-fi hot spot. It didn't count the citywide Wifi, Clear, available in Baltimore using WiMax technology.

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"...we compiled the list by computing the percentage of Internet users with high-speed connections in a particular city and the number of companies providing high-speed Internet in that area. Since many urban residents access the Internet by wi-fi, we also measure the number of public wireless Internet hot spots."

Read the entire article here. Read the Baltimore blurb here.

Baltimore's grassroots effort to be one of the lucky city's chosen as a test ground for Google's ultra-fast 1-gigabit per second broadband deployment is just one of several currently taking shape in city's across the country. See what the other cities competing for the prize doing...

Here's an excerpt:

"Broadband-starved cities and towns across the country are going to great lengths to grab the attention of Mountain View (Calif.)-based Google, which in February said it will set up a network that can deliver speeds of 1 gigabit per second, about 20 times faster than the speediest ones sold by Verizon Communications (VZ). Google will spend "hundreds of millions" on the effort, Richard Whitt, Google's Washington telecom and media counsel, said in a recent interview with Bloomberg News.

To set themselves apart, some municipal officials are naming cities after Google, owner of the world's largest Web search engine. The city of Greensboro, N.C., is preparing an "Operation Google" gift package for delivery to Google headquarters and has earmarked $50,000 for promoting a Google broadband effort."

Read the entire article here.

Necessity as they say is the mother of invention. A local Germantown teen proves the adage true with a new search engine aimed at aging baby boomers and earlier generations.

Here's an excerpt:

"Sunmee Huh does not want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates.

The introduction by Washington state-based Clearwire Corporation of WiMax service last winter has made Baltimore one of the country's most "wired" cities. Reporter Peter Wayner tries out the "4G" network and reports on speed, ease, and areas for improvement.

Excerpt:

For the last six months, I've used a full WiMax/4G equipped netbook to test the service around Baltimore. The Acer Aspire One with a Sprint U300 WiMax card I used is an ideal companion for sending and receiving e-mail messages. It's small enough to take almost everywhere but it's large enough to act like a PC � a PC that's always connected to a very big Wi-Fi hotspot.

Adding WiMax to a laptop may make it easier to read e-mail messages often, but the real value of the bandwidth becomes apparent when the PC does something more than just send text. VoIP software like Skype turns it into a video phone, a browser pointed at Hulu acts like a television that can fetch shows on command and there's also GPS service for finding directions. It's a smartphone with a normal keyboard and a very open software marketplace. All of the PC software built for the desktop also works with the small package.

Read the entire article here.