Raj Agrawal

Learnings from software and technology

Connect

You are here: Home / Archives for Technology

A Summary Of A Few Upcoming Consumer Technologies

by Leave a Comment

UPCOMING TECHNOLOGY – Just wow! Some of them are yet to materialize, while others have already hit the markets. This wonderful sketch provides an insight into how a technologically enriched consumer/ business environment will realize in future. Presuming that it will all happen 4-5 decades from now – Yet, it’s quite hard to tell. The next major and notable upgrade to consumer/ business environment will see 3D Printers, Matrix-style video gaming, Solar-powered everything, Ultra-intelligent computers and more. They are all cooking. 

future consumer techs

A Handful Of Reverse Printing Technologies – ‘Un-print’ A Paper

by 1 Comment

UPCOMING TECHNOLOGY – This technology sprints it’s way into one of the most innovative ideas put forward in recent times. Everyday, countless number of papers are piled/ shredded for disposal, once the purpose of the paper prints have been served. These papers earn the possibility of re-printing on over and over again, only if there existed easy and accessible ways to un-print them. To achieve this possibility, guys at University of Cambridge have figured out a way to un-print content from print paper by vaporizing the toner ink, without any sort of damage to the paper. This ‘un-printing’ process renders the paper re-usable. On similar lines, Toshiba already has a commercialized Un-Printer.

With precise blasts of a green laser having length of four billionths of a second, the target paper can be easily made useable for re-printing content. This newly proposed technique is said to be 20 times more efficient than re-cycling. And that’s a lot of eco-friendliness on hand. But, this technology is still being perfected at the University of Cambridge, hence there is time until you can get your hands on the Un-Printer.

Toner-print removal from paper would allow paper to be re-used instead of being recycled, incinerated or disposed of in landfill. This could significantly reduce the environmental impact of paper production and use. Previous work on the subject has explored the applicability of ultraviolet, visible and infrared (IR) lasers under nanosecond pulses for toner removal – An excerpt from the journal of The Royal Society.

This is how reverse printing technology from the University of Cambridge works,

Illustration

You should also note that Toshiba already has brought out a similar product that uses a ‘special toner’ to print content on any regular paper and erase them conveniently. So with this, only content printed with a ‘special ink’ can be un-printed.

The Most Entertaining Games Of 2012 [ iOS]

by 1 Comment

The iPhone has become an important handheld games system to even rival the established platforms such as the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PSP. Apple has unexpectedly won a substantial share of the casual gaming market and has managed to attract major production houses and hobbyist developers. Fuelled by the surge in iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch customers, the iOS games market is going from strength to strength. So here’s our recommendation on five of the most enjoyable iPhone Games Of 2012.

Infinity Blade 2 

Infinity Blade 2
Infinity Blade 2

Developer: Chair Entertainment Group

Price: £4.99 from iTunes

Infinity Blade II builds on the stellar success of its immensely popular predecessor, but sticks to the same winning formula of challenging swordplay, ghastly enemies and beautifully rendered 3D cut scenes. The stunning visuals throughout the game make a strong impression, and it’s obvious considerable effort has been made to utilise the graphical capabilities of the iPhone 4S.

Infinity Blade 2 continues the story arc – with the powerful God King defeated, the main character Siris must explore exquisitely rendered environments and vanquish a selection of hideous foes. Every enemy defeated gains you Experience Points which can be used to upgrade weapons and armour, and eventually acquire the Infinity Blade. The touchscreen controls are used to great effect and there are dozens of new weapons, collectible items and several play modes. Although the first game was criticised as being too easy, the countless new features and improvements in Infinity Blade II should help to extend its longevity considerably.

Gameplay Video:

Cut The Rope

Cut The Rope
Cut The Rope

Developer: Chillingo Ltd

Price: £0.69 from iTunes

Cut The Rope is one of those simple but maddeningly addictive little games that really shines on the iPhone. The objective is to feed candy to a tiny green monster called Om Nom, but the candy is attached to ropes that you must cut at just the right time and place to collect stars and advance to the next level. As you progress throughout the game, the challenges become fiendishly hard and there are ever more obstacles to overcome.

Like many iPhone games, the concept is basic but it works well on the small screen. Cut The Rope is a polished and hugely playable game, and the countless extra levels to unlock and hidden items to collect ensure that you’ll be playing it for many months.

Gameplay Video:

Where’s My Water?

Where’s My Water?
Where’s My Water?

Developer: Walt Disney

Price: £0.69 from iTunes

Where’s My Water? is a lovingly crafted physics-based puzzle game from Disney, and one of the most popular games for the iPhone. The objective is simply to get water to Swampy the alligator so he can take a bath, by digging a route for it to flow through the rocks above and collecting strategically places rubber ducks along the way.

The idea is basic, but it’s not always straightforward and it can be extremely frustrating to figure out how to complete each level. Disney’s trademark cartoon look is apparent throughout, and the game should appeal both to adults and children.

Gameplay Video:

Galaxy on Fire 2 HD

Galaxy on Fire HD
Galaxy on Fire 2 HD

Developer: FISHLABS

Price: £6.99 from iTunes

Galaxy on Fire 2 HD is an astounding 3D space combat and trading game that has an interesting storyline, dozens of varied missions and simply gorgeous visuals. The new HD version has considerably improved high-resolution graphics compared to the original Galaxy on Fire 2, and takes full advantage of the A5 processor in the iPhone 4S. Most of the action is presented in a third-person perspective behind your ship (as the role of unlikely hero Keith T. Maxwell), except when docked at space stations where you must interact with other characters to discover missions and earn money once completed.

The Galaxy on Fire series demonstrates the vast potential of the iPhone as a platform for complex games, with great graphics and intricate gameplay mechanics. While many people are drawn to the well known casual gaming hits such as Angry Birds, Galaxy on Fire 2 represents a quantum leap in graphics and interaction, and will surely appeal to anyone that enjoys the old-time PC classics such as Elite and Freelancer.

Gameplay Video:

NFL Flick Quarterback

NFL Flick Quarterback
NFL Flick Quarterback

Developer: Full Fat Productions Ltd

Price: £0.69 from iTunes

NFL Flick Quarterback is the latest sports game attempting to cash in on the popularity of American Football. While it’s appeal may not be immediately obvious to UK gamers, the combination of behind-the-player camera angles, accessible gameplay and great graphics means it’s sure to find a few new fans.

Choose your favourite team and, as the team quarterback, simply flick the ball to make a variety of ambitious passes. The controls are intuitive and, despite a few fumbles, overall NFL Flick Quarterback satisfies as an accessible introduction to the complexities of American Football.

Gameplay Video: