A small digital camera developed by scientists at Microsoft Research in Cambridge could help treat short-term memory loss.

The idea is the Sensecam allows people to recall events while they view the pictures captured by the camera. An entire day’s events can be captured on a memory card and the images downloaded to a PC.

Software developed by Microsoft Research’s Sensor and Devices group convert the pictures into a short movie that displays the images at up to 10 frames per second, allowing a day’s events to be viewed in a few minutes.

In one trial, a woman with memory loss caused by an infection could recall 80 per cent of events six weeks after they happened.

Emma Berry, a neurophysiologist who works as a consultant to Microsoft, said: “Not only does Sensecam allow people to recall memories while they are looking at the images, which in itself is wonderful, but after an initial period of consolidation, it appears to lead to long-term retention of memories over many months, without the need to view the images repeatedly.”

Originally developed as a memory aid for healthy people, it is now in clinical testing for those with memory impairment, such as dementia. It could even provide some hope for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Sensecam is worn around the neck and automatically takes a wide-angle, low-resolution photograph every 30 seconds. It contains an accelerometer to stabilise the image and reduce blurriness, and it can be configured to take pictures in response to changes in movement, temperature, or lighting.

Steve Hodges, manager of the Sensor and Devices group at Microsoft Research UK said that the wide-angled lens means users don’t have to point the camera at anything and it captures most of what the wearer can see.

Ofcom has announced its plans to auction off more of the radio spectrum to make way for more digital services.

Airwaves that will be freed up by turning off the analogue TV signal in 2012 is expected to result in providers offering more digital TV channels and ultra-fast wireless broadband over the next decade.

A consortium that includes the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sony and the Dixon’s retail group lobbied regulator Ofcom to reserve the freed-up spectrum for free high-definition TV services over Freeview, have been disappointed.

Although Ofcom has packaged the available spectrum into key uses, it said it will ultimately be up to the market to decide what services it wants to deliver.

The regulator said this approach was likely to generate greater value for the public. It also said advances in digital compression technology and a new transmission standard, called DVB-T2, means HD channels could be delivered over digital terrestrial TV without the need for allocated spectrum.

Ofcom’s chief executive Ed Richards said “We believe [this] is the fairest, most transparent and most efficient way of assigning this spectrum, in the face of many, many conflicting demands for its use.

“It maximises flexibility in a fast changing media environment; It promotes awarding spectrum to those that will make the most of it and value it most, allowing them to trade their licences and deliver benefits to society, and will create new opportunities for new technologies and services… leading to the potential for… greater choice and lower prices.”

The auction will start in 2009, with key areas of use tentatively earmarked for national digital terrestrial TV in high or standard definition, cognitive radio - a new wireless technology which can deliver broadband - high-speed mobile broadband and mobile TV. Ofcom also plans for part of the spectrum to be used for 25 new local TV stations across the UK.

An anti-piracy feature in Windows Vista is to be removed by Microsoft following consumer complaints.

The so-called ” kill switch” was designed to prevent users with illegal copies of Vista or people who do not validate genuine copies from using certain features. But users claimed that glitches meant some legal copies of Vista had been disabled.

Currently, if Vista users do not activate their operating system within 30 days, or three days after a major hardware configuration change, (which means Windows Vista determines that it is running on a different computer or is a counterfeit copy), or if an activated system fails a validation check, the built-in feature imposes tough restrictions.

There is either a “non-genuine reduced functionality mode” or the more restrictive “out of grace reduced functionality mode”. Users will, however, continue to have access to their files via safe mode.

With the out of grace mode, the time a person can remain logged onto their PC with Vista is limited to one hour, and they have access only to their browser and options for resolving their system’s non-genuine status; in addition, their data is preserved but they are denied access to all other features of Vista.

The non-genuine mode restricts access to premium content from the Microsoft Download Center. Both modes restrict premium features such as Aero Glass, and Readyboost from working.

The aim of “kill switch” was to clamp down on pirate copies of Vista, which Microsoft say are down. It said efforts to tackle piracy had seen numbers of fake copies of Vista at half the level of XP, the previous Windows operating system.

So instead of disabling non verified or fake copies, Microsoft will revert to its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program. This online authenticity verification system introduced in 2006 checks that the user’s version of Windows is genuine. For XP users it was a voluntary option but became mandatory for Vista users.

All copies of Vista will still require activation and the system will continue to validate from time to time to verify that systems are activated properly. But while users of non-genuine versions will have access to all Vista features, they will have to tolerate constant nagging messages and screens telling users they are using counterfeit copies; the notifications will include a link to buy a genuine copy.

However, Microsoft said it plans to close a loophole that lets pirates mimic activation and will also clamp down on a loophole used to extend the “grace period” time between installation and activation.

The changes come into force with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, the first major update to the operating system, which is expected in the first quarter of next year.

Already satisfied with your 3G or HSDPA (3.5G) cell phone? Well, wait until you get your hand on WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). This enhanced technology offers data access rate wayyyyy faster than HSDPA. The good news, you won’t have to wait very long until such WiMAX-ready handset exist, as KDDI Japan already developed one. Recently showcased during CEATEC 2007, the phone is called “AU” and it’s slated to be the first WiMAX-ready phone in the world. Or at least in Japan.

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Samsung once again shown off its “Sens X22” laptop. This time during the recent KES 2007 event in Korea. The company is expected to release it in Korea market next month, with a suggested price between 1,800,000 (KRW) and 1,900,000 (KRW). I’ve posted all the detail about Sens X22 before, so check out this post for detail information about this HSDPA/WiBro-ready machine. You can also see a few more pics after the jump.

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Sony showcased an interesting yet innovative egg-shaped digital audio player during KES 2007 event. It’s called “Rolly SEP-10BT” and it can dance! I mean, this thing can dynamically move back and forth, left to right, and even spin with two rubber wheel; based on the rhythm of the currently playing track. About the track, this 300g-weight device supports MP3, AAC, and Sony’s exclusive media formats, ATRAC3 and ATRAC3+. Moreover, measures 65 x 104mm, Rolly also features a 1GB of onboard storage, Bluetooth connectivity, interactive user interface, and a 1560mAh Lithium battery that provides up to 5 hours of music.

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Haier showcased a cool laptop with Transformer logo on its front cover during KES 2007 event. The 17-inch (WXGA) notebook is called “Haier G70″ or dubbed as “Trasnformer”. Build on Intel Santa Rosa platform, the machine sports an Intel 965PM + ICH8M chipset, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX graphics card with 256MB of DDR3 memory, a 2.5-inch SATA HDD, and up to 4GB of main memory. Weighs 3.95kg and measures 397 x 282 x 22 ~ 44mm, it is also equipped with an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera module, a biometric fingerprint reader, optional Bluetooth connectivity, and an 8-cell battery.

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Sharp once again shows off its prototype of next-generation LCD TV, “Pop Up“. This time during CEATEC 2007 event. As mentioned before, the television is hidden inside a cabinet. It’ll automatically pop-up if you turn it on. Vice versa, the TV will go inside the cabinet once it turned off. Weighs 25kg, the slim TV (at just 20~29mm thickness) itself features a contrast ratio of 100,000:1, a 150% of NTSC color gamut, and an annual power consumption of 140kWh. Still no words on pricing and availability though.

One more pic after the jump.

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Toshiba showcased “Gigabeat V401″ portable media player during CEATEC 2007 event. This PMP device features a 4-inch display, built-in 1-Seg TV tuner for watching your favourite TV programme everywhere, music and movie player (WAV, WMA, WMA 9 Lossless, MP3, WMV, JPEG), build-in games, and karaoke software. It comes with 40GB of HDD, enough for storing hundreds, even thousand, of media contents. Moreover, a built-in stereo speaker and compact stand are included as well.

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PRIMA showcased “LC-52R36″, its new 52-inch full HD LCD TV, during SINOCES 2007 event in China. The HDTV adopted Sharp’s panel and features a resolution of 1920 x 1080, a brightness of 800cd/m2, a response time of 4ms, and a viewing angle of 178-degree. Sounds good, but unfortunately, no words on pricing and availability at the moment.

More pics after the jump.

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Lenovo showcased “K42A” laptop during SINOCES (China International Consumer Electronics Show) in Qingdao, China. This 14.1-inch notebook offers an Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, an Intel 965PM Express chipset, an nVidia GeForce 8400M G graphics engine, and Lenovo Trust Technology (LTT), the company’s proprietary enhancing stability system. No words on pricing and availability at the moment

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What’s the similarities between a glass wine and a wing? Both has a sexy chick in silver bikini next to them! Well, seriously, both are the new speaker dock for iPod from iLuv which currently being displayed at SEK 2007 event. The difference is that the wine glass dock is still in a concept stage, but I’m sure everyone would definitely want it hit the production line as soon as possible. As for the second one, the “Wing”, it is compatible with both Samsung’s Yepp T9 and Apple’s iPod. The nice thing about it is that you can turn the docking part horizontally so you’d be able to view multimedia content in a wide screen. Regarding output, it supports a maximum of 20W output.

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