Polymer scientists at the University of Akron have developed a layer of transparent electrodes that is flexible, durable and, although unconfirmed, more efficient than modern touchscreen technology. If all you want are the CliffsNotes: this technology could eliminate the shattering of screens on your average smartphone.
In their recently published scientific paper on the process and material, Dr. Yu Zhu and his team, mostly students, explain the details of their transparent electrodes. The resulting layer of electrodes offers the same transparency as the indium tin oxide (ITO) layer that is used on most current smartphones. In addition, the new material is flexible and offers greater electrical conductivity.
Traditional ITO screen technology is fairly brittle and expensive, both of which are things you learned the hard way if you have ever dropped or sat on your phone. The novel film created of the new transparent electrodes manages to retain its shape and functionality in tests of up to 1000 bends. Not only that, but they say it can be economically fabricated in mass-quantity rolls.
We like the sound of all this, but we are reminded of another device that offers flexibility, plus a curved design, the LG G Flex. Do you remember the G Flex drop test from last fall? I don’t want to spoil it, but it didn’t do as well as hoped, requiring a replacement to its cracked display.
With the information at hand, we cannot say how well the new novel film of transparent electrodes will compare to the G Flex, or other flexible displays out there, but it sounds like Zhu and team are eager to get it to market. One thing is for sure, quality competition to any materials manufacturer can only be good for us consumers. If this material can actually make for less expensive and shatterproof screens, count me in.
Have you ever had a cracked display, or would you call this is a solution to an uncommon problem?
Android 4.4.3 is slowly making its way towards all the devices officially blessed with a (near) stock Android experience, including Nexus phones and tablets, Google Play Edition devices, and Motorola’s Moto lineup.
While variants of the Moto X got first in queue for Android 4.4.3 earlier this week, the Moto G isn’t left behind. An incremental over the air update is heading towards US GSM versions of the phone, and one user has captured the update file and made it available for everyone on the XDA-Developers forums.
The 169MB update brings Android 4.4.3, but also a few other Moto-specific goodies, including the new Moto Alert app (introduced on the Moto E) and the ability to pause and resume video recording.
Head over here to get your flashable Android 4.4.3 OTA file for the US-version GSM Moto G. If you have a device from a different location, you will probably need to flash an US Android 4.4.2 firmware first in order to be able to install the 4.4.3 update. Details here.
Users of unlocked GSM, T-Mobile, and the Brazilian Moto X, are also in for a surprise – OTAs for their specific variants can be found here.
For all devices, make sure you are running the proper firmware before installing the Android 4.4.3 OTAs. If you need a walkthrough, our handy sideloading guide will give you all the instructions you need to safely install a new Android version on your device. Enjoy!
We all know the Moto 360 is coming “soon”. How soon, you ask? Pretty soon, if you think that at least one tech journalist is wearing it right now, and on national television of all places.
Joshua Topolsky, the editor in chief of The Verge, is Jimmy Fallon’s resident tech guru. As a recurrent guest on Jimmy Fallon’s shows, Josh shows off new gadgets and sometimes demoes them together with Jimmy and his guests. Yesterday, Josh demoed a Lytro camera and Sony’s new VR headset, but what really caught our eye was the Moto 360 that he was so casually sporting.
You can clearly tell it’s a Moto 360, and, at one point, the device lights up with a sleek neon time face. And, on its official Facebook page, The Verge appears to be teasing the device, so this could be a planned hype-building move, rather than a simple slip-up.
The Verge is in great relationship with Motorola and Google, and has received devices for exclusive advance testing several times before. This is probably what’s happening here, as well, meaning that the Moto 360’s official debut can’t be far. Google I/O, just start already!
Google is reportedly working on a feature that would allow Android devices to make their presence known and detect when they are in the proximity of other “people, places, and things”.
Discovered by the folks at Android Police , the feature will reportedly be called Nearby and be part of a future Play Services update, and therefore available to all users without requiring an OS update.
Nearby will be part of the Location settings on Android devices, just like Google Location Reporting. Here’s the text that will greet users when turning the feature on:
Nearby lets you connect, share, and do more with people, places, and things near you. When Nearby is turned on for your account, Google can periodically turn on the mic, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and similar features on all your current and future devices. Google+ and other Google services need this access to help you connect, share, and more. When you turn on Nearby, you're also turning on Location History for your account and Location Reporting for this device. Google needs these services to periodically store your location data for use by Nearby, other Google services, and more.
When turned on, Nearby will periodically switch on your mic, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and presumably GPS and other sensors, in order to infer if other devices are nearby. Presumably, users will have control over what devices get to see their presence, and the feature can be turned off completely.
While this feature looks similar to location tracking services like Foursquare and Google’s defunct Latitude, it’s more than that, as it’s completely automatic and it runs in the background. Moreover, being part of Play Services means that other apps could tap into Nearby data for various purposes.
Nearby could be a preparation for the Internet of Things era – your device could automatically detect the presence of not only smartphones and computers, but also of thermostats, smartwatches, smart home systems, cars, and so on. All without con
It’s not clear from Android Police’s report when will Nearby roll out, but with Google I/O 2014 just around the corner, it’s possible we’ll see a substantial Play Services update announced on stage, with Nearby as a tent-pole feature.
