SCiO turning Apple iPhone into molecular scanner

To get to know of the nutritional value of a restaurant meal or even slicing into an unripe fruit may soon be a thing of the past with the entry of SCiO, which is a pocket sized spectrometer that enables user to analyse the molecular structure of any substance from plants to food and even the human body giving the results on their iPhone device.

With the aid of Consumer Physic, SCiO’s creator, one can have a Star Trek experience with this device and users can focus the Zippo sized scanner at a fruit and find out its ripeness without the need of even touching or peeling it. Moreover, the SCiO could also be used to analyse a meal to determine its calories as well as its fat content, thus making the tracking of the meal much easier than before.

Providing Nutritional Information

It is a device which provides the nutritional information on the food we consume without the need of entering most of it and is the first portable spectrometer for consumers offering a greater versatility of application. It could help users in checking soil conditions alert gardeners on their plants for sufficient water or ensure their medication is authentic.

Dror Sharon, CEO of Consumer Physics informed CNN that it is the first application for consumers who would be interested in knowing the nutritional value of what they are consuming, adding further that she often came across people who did not know the contents in cheese, fruit or vegetables thus having a hard time in discerning what should be eaten.

This device according to her would be empowering if consumers would want to change their intake, either for medical reasons or training thus providing education in teaching to make better nutritional options.

Endless Applications 

According to Co-founder of Consumer Physics, Damian Goldring in a promotional video for the gadget, he states that the applications are endless. The SCiO can be connected to a smartphone through the Bluetooth Low Energy which works in tandem along with a custom companion application where SCiO directs its raw data to the cloud for analysis with the results available on the user’s handset.

The readings taken by SCiO is done through a method known as infrared spectroscopy wherein the light reflected from an object is analyzed by a sensor called the spectrometer. Due to the different molecules interaction with light in unique way, the spectrometer is capable to determine which molecules would be responsible for the light signature that it envisages.

SCiO, Low in Cost with Advance Algorithms

Though handheld spectrometers operating on this method do exist, they are generally big and bulky items would be costing a large amount of money. Consumer Physics had stated that they use low cost optics with advance algorithms in order to make SCiO smaller with significant low in cost when compared to other NIR spectrometers.

SCiO technology which seems to be similar to anapproachApple is rumoured to be studying for its `iWatch’, Apple though focused on health benefits like non-invasive blood oxygen and glucose monitoring instead of the general purpose spectroscopy.

Apple Making The MacBook Air Cheaper And Efficient

Apple the Cupertino tech giant, the finest laptop and computer making company is all set in making its smallest Mac available to users at reduced price with upgraded processor ina bid to attract new buyers. It has been reported that Apple has dropped its prices on the laptops and will now be selling the cheapest 11.6 inch MacBook Air Model at $899 instead of $999 making the MacBook

Air a lot cheaper and efficient. This means that all Apple fans can now opt for a lighter, cheaper alternative to the MacBook Pro with this price cut with an additional $100 for Retina display if they desire the same.Besides the entry level 13.3 inch Air also saw a $100 slash to $999 from $1,099 and all Apple users in UK now will be getting an even better deal of £100 price cut in the Air line.

The 11.6 inch Air will now start at £749 and the 13.3 inch model will be at £849. These entry models come with 128 GB flash storage and 4 GB of memory and the higher end version comes with a 256 GB solid state drive which also comes with a price cut of $100 in US and £100 in the UK.

The New Air Models Standard and Faster

The new Air models will now come with a standard and faster 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 processor instead of the 1.3 GHz chip being a minor performance upgrade though the fourth generation Intel Core Haswell process would be more efficient in various ways like power efficiency or cooling with these manufacturing improvements.

Intel’s latest Haswell processor offers a great boost in speed and its main advantage is that it conserves power where the 11 inch and 13 inch MacBook Air notebooks offer around nine to twelve hours of battery life respectively.

Better Battery Life

The main upgrade versions are better battery life with additional iTunes and free iLife together with iWork according to Apple. iTunes movie playback times increases to 12 hours on the 13 inch notebook while the 11 inch will get 9 hours adding to two additional hours of playback time with the updated MacBook Air.

The iLife and iWork comes free with every new Mac.Besides the price cut and the upgrading of the processor, the MacBook Air line remains unchanged though speculations are on that a redesigned Air would be coming up later this year with NPD DisplaySearch and many others hoping that Apple would release a thinner, 12 inch MacBook Air model along with a Retina display, since the Apple’s most portable laptops of 11.6 inch and 13.3 inch are non-Retina resolution displays powered by Intel’s HD 5000 graphics. Most of the users would find the new starting price an attractive offer with both a price drop and a processor boast.

MacBook Air has not seen any major redesigns since 2010 and the new price drop MacBook Air is now available online and in stores for interested users. Macmyth provides the latest updates on Apple technology; do visit the site to get acquainted with the latest updates on technology.

Apple’s minor update for mobile operating system

With regards to Apple technology, it has been reported that Apple has recently released iOS7.1.1, a month and a half later after releasing its first major updates of iOS7.1with minor update for its mobile operating system with a purpose to address a few bugs inclusive of issues that would affect keyboard responsiveness while at the same time be improving theperformance of the iPhone 5s Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

The latest entry follows March’s release of iOS 7.1 which is a significant upgrade that will be addressing a variety of issues which had remained pending since the debut of iOS7. It fixes various crash related issues where users of iPhone and iPad had envisaged at the time of using the multi-tasking view and browsing the web in Safari.

The iOS7.1.1, labelled as build 11D201, comes with additional improvement to the Apple’s Touch ID, fixing a bug which impacts the keyboard responses where fixing a bug would involve Bluetooth keyboards.Some users had experienced gradual worsening of the Touch ID sensor’s ability in recognizing existing fingerprints and hopefully this could help those who envisaged having this problem.

Bug Fix making iOS Keyboard Responsive

Moreover, iOS7.1 brought about much improvement for Siri and Touch ID while setting the stage for the launch of CarPlay in supported vehicles as well as aftermarket install kits, later that year. It had been reported that Apple had previously been preparing updated software to improve this problem.

According to software’s release notes, the bug fix should make the iOS keyboard more responsive as well as fix issues affecting the use of Bluetooth keyboards when Voiceover accessibility features would be enabled. Users could check out the Software Update submenu in `Setting’,application on the iPhone or iPad, or it could be plugged into the computer and iTunes, to update the device.

Documentation with the update states that it contains – improvements, bug fixes as well as security updates. From the security point of view, the update includes a number of fixes for issues which would enable an attacker to obtain website credential, capture date, change operations performed in SSL protected session or also install malware on vulnerable device.

For additional information, users could also check out Apple’s security notes for iOS7.1.1 and 1.2GB storages would be needed for update.

Introduction of Eight Generation Mobile Operating System

As Apple continues improvement for the next major update to iOS, it would be introducing its eight generation mobile operating system at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference to be held in June this year and it is likely that the conference will kick off with a keynote presentation to formally unveil iOS8 as well as other products which the company may have in store.

The next generation OS would help to name the tune due to integration with Shazam as per Bloomberg and is already available to download on the Apple Store and if the deal with Apple come through, iOS users need not download a separate app but will be able to tap into the service’s technology.

Apple has stated that iPhone 5s users will also see more improvements to Touch ID fingerprint recognition after the installation of update, which the company has always seemed to be doing since the launch of the handset earlier this year. You could visit us at Macmyth for more updated technology news.

NikeFuel Ecosystem in Partnership with Apple

With Nike’s focus on digital sport software, it was reported that Nike CEO, Mark Parker has plans for expansion of the NikeFuel ecosystem with partners like Apple. In a recent interview, the CEO had said that his company would not be giving up on its digital sport after the end of FuelBand.

Moreover he stressed the importance of its existing relationship with Apple and was looking forward to future relationship with its partner. It was also reported that Nike had laid off its Fuelband team and had stopped building new fitness tracker hardware which is a strategic way of opening up Nike software to other wearable platforms.

Moreover the source also implied that one of these upcoming iWatch or iBand would be from Apple. With the discontinuation of the Fuelband line as well as laying off most of the team, it seems like a failure for Nike, while Fuelband software also called NikeFuel would get a huge push from Apple customers with their sights set on the iWatch.

Focus on FuelBand software

Parker, it was reported saying that they were focusing more on the software of the Fuelband experience making it a part of wearable going forward which would be integrated into other products that were created and then they would be expanding their partnership in order to create more reach for the Nike Fuel and Fuel system that they had.

According to him the best way to do it was to get involved with good partnerships. He had also informed CNBC regarding Nike’s laying off of its Fuelband hardware team that the company was planning to expand the reach to Nikefuel by getting into partnership with other companies.

It was also reported that the move would be similar to the way most of the consumers were now accessing the Kindle store through a tablet and not a Kindle. With Nike and Fuelband software, it would be similar to Apple’s fitness ecosystem featured on the iWatch.

Strong Push on the Software

When Parker was asked if Nike had plans to exit the wearable hardware market, he stated that they were focusing more on the software part which according to him would be part of wearable that would be going forward.

Though the Nike chief refrained from confirming the Fuelband’s death he commented saying that there would be a strong push on the software of the company’s proprietary Nikefuel activity quantification as well as measurement system.

He had commented saying that they were just looking forward in continuing the relationship between them and personally they were very excited about what laid in store for them. Recent estimates from market research group NPD reported by MobiHealthNews informed that Nike’s fitness tracker accounted for only ten percent of $330 million in fitness tracker sales for the year 2013 and in a price tag of $150, Nike had sold last year around 220,000 Fuelbands.

Nike and Apple had collaborated on Nike + iPod projects, the most recent being Nike + app integration and Apple CEO had participated in Nike’s board for nine years which played a role in the brand’s ability to be on the cutting edge of fitness software which was incorporated in Apple products.

Apple’s Renewable Energy Sources for Data Farm

NBC’s News `Today’, recently, revealed a segment covered by the network’s chief environmental correspondent, Anne Thompson, on Apple’s push for environmental friendliness, an all renewable energy sources for its data farm. The report, a two and a half minute long, showcased the solar energy and fuel cells which were used at the iPhone maker’s Maiden, North Carolina centre and seems to be the main resource for iCloud and Siri among various internet related services.

It highlighted on the special segment known as a new kind of Apple farm with focus on its data centre along with solar array. Apple’s NC data centre is entirely powered by reusable energy which includes the massive solar farm and on site biogas cells.

According to Thompson, she states that `all the cool convenience of smartphones and tablet will now come with a hidden price – power, where downloading apps and information in the cloud would no longer mean polluting the air’.

Apple Reducing Footprint

While walking the huge solar panel farm, Thompson interviewed Lisa Jackson, Apple Vice President of Environmental Initiatives, where the former EPA administrator informed that with clean energy such as the nation’s largest end user owned solar farm, Apple would now be capable of growing a variety of connected devices and simultaneously be reducing its carbon footprint thereby making its contribution on a cleaner environment.

Jackson has also been heard commenting that they should take this opportunity to help people to convert to a cleaner energy without even knowing they are doing it. She has also noted that Apple at times had been generating more solar power than needed enabling the excess power towards supplying energy to the city’s power grid.

Saving on Power Usage and Expenses

This facility creates additional power than needed and returns the excess back to the grid for use by other consumers, though usually by law, energy companies should be paying individuals and companies that return more power than their consumption but the money incurred would not be significant when compared to the initial cost.

In the long run, Apple would be able to save on power usage as well as expenses connected with environmental offsets and generate additional jobs in the maintenance and management of combination of solar arrays and biogas fuel cells

Expanded Global Recycling Program

The interview provided an insight into Apple’s data centre which consists of servers and telecommunication equipment which were responsible for iCloud, Siri as well as other online assets. Moreover a major part of the energy provided by the on-site solar farm and biogas generators was used in cooling the machines.

Thompson has stated that while other tech companies like Facebook, Yahoo and Google used clean energy at their own data centres, it was only Apple who were using hundred percent of renewable energy and who had been announcing it environmental initiatives with the launch of `Better’ campaign on an eco-friendly tear recently.

Apple has been promoting its environmental effort more forcefully as the ambitious project of its Maiden plant are on its way to success. Moreover it has also recently launched an expanded global recycling program putting pressure on suppliers to adhere to earth friendly practises, with their plans in making its retail stores that will be running on renewable power wherever possible.