Facebook Games Help Science
More and more research groups are treading a new path to
process large volumes of data: they are making use of Facebook users. The
scientists have programmed games, in which the gamers would edit scientific
data. It all started in 2007 with the game Galaxy Zoo – an image of the solar
system is shown and the gamer is supposed to describe it with the help of
multiple choice answers. The result: 70,000 classifications of the stars per
hour. One of the latest games is called Fraxinus. From the scientific
perspective, it is about understanding the dying process of trees by decoding
gene sequences. This is implemented in the game in the form of small, colorful
leaf patterns, which have to be arranged in a specific sequence. This game is
played by over 10,000 gamers.
The scientists
have programmed games, in which the gamers would edit scientific data
Magnet Hard Disk For Tablets
Seagate has developed an “Ultra Mobile HDD”, which is just
five millimetres thick and thus suitable for use in tablets. When paired with
an 8GB SSD cache for the operating system, you get a memory space of up to
500GB. The HDD is connected to the gyroscope of the tablet so that it can turn
off automatically within 60 milliseconds in case of shocks. Devices with HDD
are yet to hit the market.
Seagate has
developed an “Ultra Mobile HDD”, which is just five millimetres thick and thus
suitable for use in tablets
Roaming Charges In Europe To Be Annulled
According to the plans of the EU commission, roaming charges
for calls, text messages and Internet use in EU states will be annulled in the
future. Come July 2014, providers would either need to offer roaming facilities
at domestic prices or allow the user to select a cheaper roaming provider
without having to switch his /her SIM card. Calls within the EU should then
cost a maximum of 19 cents per minute plus VAT. In response to these plans,
several providers have announced a hike in the domestic prices.
Steam Allows Lending Of Games
The game maker Valve recently announced that gamers now have
the option of lending games to up to ten people on its platform Steam. Using
the function Steam Family Sharing, gamers can authorize their friends’ or
relatives’ devices to make their own games library accessible to them.
Individual games and those that require an account cannot be lent. The shared
library can only be accessed by one player at a time.
Individual games
and those that require an account cannot be lent
Microsoft Acquires Nokia’s Mobile Phones Division
Nokia’s core business, the mobile phones division, has been
bought by Microsoft for around $7 billion; it has purchased the devices and
services for $5.1 billion while another $2.2 billion have been paid for patent
licenses. The consequences: Nokia is no longer allowed to make smartphones in
the future; even the right to the name of the prestige model Lumia will go to
Microsoft. Moreover, although Microsoft has licensed the brand Nokia, the
Finnish company can retain its name. In future, Nokia will focus on the network
business and on the development of card services. This sale was worthwhile for
Nokia’s shareholders: the rate increased by 64 percent in the first two weeks.
