Engineering students develop a two-wheeler JCB

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finding labourers for road and repair works has become a Herculean task in Kerala which is why the State depends on migrant labourers for the job. Digging the cable trench is one such sector where workers are in short supply. The final-year Mechanical Engineering students of Pathanamthitta Carmel Engineering College have come up with an alternative as part of their semester project for overcoming this difficulty.

They have developed a 'Bycivator', which is a JCB-like apparatus attached to a motor bike which could do the earthwork in narrow roads to lay cable or pipe. It could be used to clean drains and canals and could be used in the building construction and agricultural purposes too.

The boom attached to the lower end of the Bycivator could be adjusted to dig trenches in different widths and breadths. It will only consume one litre of petrol for one hour of work, the students said in a statement.

The bycivator costs Rs 30,000 and could be built at lower costs too. The students who were part of the project are Solomon Joseph, Shameersha, Nikhil, Sanju Varghese, Sooraj Ravikumar and Sudhish Kumar. Project guides were Pradeep George, Pramod George, Shiju Philipose and Anoop Joseph.  They can be contacted at 8089392827.

Windows 8 Screenshots & New Features

Windows 8 will include a hard reset option to reset the operating system to factory settings in two minutes. This feature alone is pretty interesting for users who want to start anew. A possible scenario is to reset Windows 8 every time it has been used to always start with default settings.

The installation time of Windows 8 has been reduced by a factor of 2.5 from 25 minutes to 8 minutes. Microsoft is using a fast system (24 Gigabytes RAM, 8-core cpu, 2 TB hard drive to measure the time).

What else? Windows 8 will feature an app store that is directly accessible from within the operating system.

Especially the improved installation time and the hard reset are features that many users will benefit from. The main concern is that Microsoft may deliver a thin client on disc to achieve the installation speed, and that additional programs and features need to be downloaded from the cloud on first use. This would be similar to how Windows Live applications are now handled in Windows 7.

LG Optimus X2 in India for Rs. 30,000

"Dual-core technology is the next leap forward in mobile technology so this is no small achievement to be the first to offer a smartphone utilizing this technology," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, CEO and President of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "With unique features such as HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) mirroring and exceptional graphics performance, the LG Optimus 2X is proof of LG's commitment to high-end smartphones in 2011."

Developed by graphics processor powerhouse NVIDIA, the dual-core Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip found in the LG Optimus 2X runs at a clock speed of 1GHz and boasts low power consumption and high performance for playing video and audio. Users will experience faster web browsing and smoother gameplay compared with single-core processors running at the same speed as well as instantaneous touch response and seamless multitasking between applications.

The LG Optimus 2X offers 1080p HD video playback and recording with HDMI mirroring that expands content on external displays to full HD quality. The LG Optimus 2X can connect wirelessly to any DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) compatible digital device such as HD TVs for a console-like gaming experience taking full advantage of the phone's HDMI mirroring, accelerometer and gyro sensor. The smartphone also includes both rear- and front-facing cameras, microSD memory expandability, Micro-USB port and a hefty 1500mAh battery.

The LG Optimus 2X will be available in Korea next month with countries in Europe and Asia to follow. The phone will initially be released with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and will be upgradeable to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The upgrade schedule will be announced in local markets in due course.

Key Features of LG Optimus 2X

• NVIDIA Tegra 2 Processor with 1GHz Dual-core Processor
• 1080p MPEG-4/H.264 Recording and Playback
• HDMI mirroring
• 4-inch WVGA screen
• 8-megapixel rear camera / 1.3-megapixel front camera
• 7.1 multi-channel virtual surround sound
• 8GB memory
• microSD memory expandability (up to 32GB)
• Micro-USB connectivity
• 1,500 mAh battery
• Supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1

LG Optimus X2 Dual Core Tegra 2 Super Phone Demo at CES 2011

Motorola Milestone 2 for Rs. 20,999

The Motorola Milestone 2 is Android 2.2 based touch screen phone with a sliding QWERTY keypad. It comes as a successor to the original Milestone, which was launched in India last year. The Milestone 2 was announced last year and launched worldwide about a few weeks back.

Specifications of Motorola Milestone 2:

• 3.7 inch capacitive touch screen
• Android 2.2 Froyo OS
• 1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor, PowerVR SGX530 GPU, TI OMAP3630 chipset
• MOTOBLUR UI 1.5 with SNS integration
• Sliding QWERTY keypad
• Gorilla glass(scratch resistant)
• 5MP camera with dual LED flash
• Internal memory of 8GB with 512MB RAM
• Expandable via MicroSD card up to 32GB and bundled with a  free 8GB card
• GPRS/EDGE/3G/Wi-Fi
• Web browser with Adobe Flash 10.1 support
• HD video support
• Li-Po 1400 mAh battery
• Integration with social networking apps

The Milestone 2 costs Rs. 20,999 on Letsbuy and it seems like a good bet.