I have an idea- was wondering if it is possible and what are its pros and cons.
The idea is that of a vehicle navigation system without GPS. The system will use the digitized map of the area (city, state) for guidance, which it will store in non-volatile memory. Before starting the journey, the route-to-be-taken-map will be selected from the total map and stored in memory. There will be an angle-of-steering-rotation sensor connected to the steering wheel, that will monitor the angle of rotation of the wheel all through the journey. The speed will also be monitored continuously. Both these variables will be monitored with respect to time. By using these variables, i.e. instantaneous speed, instantaneous angle-of-steering-rotation, a route-traveled plot can be prepared, which is to be updated every second. This will show the present position of the vehicle in the area, superimposed on the area map, on a monitor fitted on the dashboard.
If by any chance, the contact of the tyres with the road is lost, the driver has to go to the nearest town/village and then feed the location name into the system. The system will then start re-plotting the route-traveled map by taking that location as a reference. The screen will again start showing the correct position of the vehicle in the area.
This route-travelled can will be compared to the stored digitized map in real time. Thus, if there are any excursions from the desired path in either direction, an aural or pictorial alert can also be given to keep the driver on course.
This can be a boon to those areas, which don't have access to satellite based GPS. It will also be helpful in wartime situations, when the satellites are either blocked or knocked out.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Retro Gaming - Again!
Remember the good old Super Mario Bros - the jumping plumber, or Super Contra - the fighting machine or the world of Aladdin. Most of us grew up playing these games. But like any other era, that era also passed, leaving us in a world of tension filled graphically intensive games, which are too hard to play, let alone master. Sometime we long for those simple days when all we had to do was to leisurely press some buttons.
Those simple, fun-filled days can come back again with emulators like Nestopia. You can download Nestopia from here or you can just do a Google search for the same. You can play any of your all time favorite classic games by just opening the desired game ROM with Nestopia. Numerous nes ROMs are, freely available at freeroms or from other sites such as romhustler, emulatorworld as .nes or archived files. For example download Super Mario Bros from here. Just extract Nestopia137bin downloaded above, run nestopia.exe and through File>Open open the nes ROM of the game you want to play (just like you open a file with any other program) and there you go!
For control, you have the option of using any input device either the keyboard or a gamepad - just like old days. You can configure the Input device from Option>Input, then selecting Pad1 and assigning keys from your input device (shown in "Mapping") to the action expected (shown in "Key").
Who says the simple good old days are gone forever?
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
My Apple iPod 5G Video 30GB
There are mp3 players and then there is iPod. When a new 5th generation Apple iPod Video comes into your hand your first instinct is to handle it carefully so that no scratch befalls its beautiful, smooth, shiny body.
As is the case with all the Apple products, the iPod Video is also superbly crafted and aesthetically pleasing, though at 4.1"X2.4"X0.43" and weighing about 4.8oz, it is not strictly a joggers companion. Its 2.5" (diagonally) screen is great for watching videos when on the move or at a remote place.
With a 30GB hard disk, you can be sure that your favorites songs and movies/videos are with you in case you drift towards boredom. Add to that the top-notch audio quality with deep bass and great fidelity, and you would not want to be too far away from this gadget. The videos look great at 30fps, 320X240 pixels screen resolution and stereophonic sound.
Another great feature that I personally like is the ability to connect to a Television using a separately available iPod Audio/Video cable. This way, you can watch your favorite movie as soon as you get near a TV set - great for remaining entertained in remote areas where there is no access to any Cable channel or video library (But for this, you have to keep it connected to a USB travel charger-sold separately- as battery depletes fast in Video mode). I myself took mine to my village and entertained my cousins there with ICE-AGE and SHREK. How tiny the good-old VCR has become!
Photos can also be uploaded and watched on TV with accompanying with one your iPod songs as soundtrack. You can either choose from 12 transitions on board or no transition between photos. Time per slide is also adjustable from manual change to 2,3,5,10 or 20 seconds.
Notable accessories that are a must have are Audio/Video Cable, Fm radio, Fm transmitter and remote control.
The icing on the cake is that it can be used as a hard disk to store and transfer your files.
A great multipurpose product.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Some Tips for Buying a Mobile Phone
Hearing about the various features of Nokia N-95, I brought it home just to be amazed by its multitude of functions and great sliding design. I could not fathom how so many features like DVD quality VGA camera, GPS, MP3 Player, 5 MP still camera and a host of other features could fit into such a small cabinet. It indeed is a great achievement.
But as I continued using it, I found out that the MP3 player was lacking in bass and not of a quality that an avid music lover like me would approve of. When using the Video camera, I was astonished to see that battery doesn't last for a decent amount of shooting time.
For these two major (at-least for me) flaws, I was forced to sell it at a throwaway price and suffered good amount of loss.
Having had such an experience, I have some tips for prospective mobile-phone buyers:
1)Check All Functions
First of all, if you want a multitude of functions in a mobile phone, personally check whether those are up-to your taste or not. You would want to listen to the music quality offered (or at-least read reviews on the internet), see the still camera and movie camera quality-if that's what you are interested in or have details about the internet browsing-for which you will need a larger screen. Personally I feel that a mobile cannot be a master of all trades- unless it is the size of a brick.
2) Battery Life
A second most important of feature to look for is that how long the battery lasts with your typical usage. The more the mAh of the battery the more powerful it is. However it is generally seen that the phones which are more feature packed have less space for battery and hence have low power batteries. If you are very much impressed with the phone's features minus the battery, you can consider buying a spare battery and keeping it on cold standby.
3) Network Support
Thirdly, the mobile should be able to support the network choices offered in your area/by your network provider.GSM, CDMA are the usual options. If you want it future proof, you should also include 3G compatibility. GPRS/EDGE are also required for internet support.
4) Other Features
Other usual features like Bluetooth, Infrared, fm-radio, headset may also be checked for if required.
5) Research
Before buying any mobile phone, a thorough research in the forums on the internet is always advisable-more than the reviews, which can be biased. Or if an acquaintance has such a phone, you can have hands on experience and his/her experiences.
Finally, I would like to suggest that ou should choose a device keeping your needs and usage in mind- not going by the flashy ads.
Moreover, if you want a device with top quality video and still camera, top quality music player and other top quality features, with a good battery life and which should also work as a mobile phone, you'd better wait untill such a phone appears. In the meantime, you would be better off buying a mid-range mobile phone (with internet browsing, decent camera, mp3 player etc), a separate good quality mp3 player, a separate digital camera and other individual gadgets-unless you want to splurge your money into some trendy, technologically packed device which is of little practical use.
But as I continued using it, I found out that the MP3 player was lacking in bass and not of a quality that an avid music lover like me would approve of. When using the Video camera, I was astonished to see that battery doesn't last for a decent amount of shooting time.
For these two major (at-least for me) flaws, I was forced to sell it at a throwaway price and suffered good amount of loss.
Having had such an experience, I have some tips for prospective mobile-phone buyers:
1)Check All Functions
First of all, if you want a multitude of functions in a mobile phone, personally check whether those are up-to your taste or not. You would want to listen to the music quality offered (or at-least read reviews on the internet), see the still camera and movie camera quality-if that's what you are interested in or have details about the internet browsing-for which you will need a larger screen. Personally I feel that a mobile cannot be a master of all trades- unless it is the size of a brick.
2) Battery Life
A second most important of feature to look for is that how long the battery lasts with your typical usage. The more the mAh of the battery the more powerful it is. However it is generally seen that the phones which are more feature packed have less space for battery and hence have low power batteries. If you are very much impressed with the phone's features minus the battery, you can consider buying a spare battery and keeping it on cold standby.
3) Network Support
Thirdly, the mobile should be able to support the network choices offered in your area/by your network provider.GSM, CDMA are the usual options. If you want it future proof, you should also include 3G compatibility. GPRS/EDGE are also required for internet support.
4) Other Features
Other usual features like Bluetooth, Infrared, fm-radio, headset may also be checked for if required.
5) Research
Before buying any mobile phone, a thorough research in the forums on the internet is always advisable-more than the reviews, which can be biased. Or if an acquaintance has such a phone, you can have hands on experience and his/her experiences.
Finally, I would like to suggest that ou should choose a device keeping your needs and usage in mind- not going by the flashy ads.
Moreover, if you want a device with top quality video and still camera, top quality music player and other top quality features, with a good battery life and which should also work as a mobile phone, you'd better wait untill such a phone appears. In the meantime, you would be better off buying a mid-range mobile phone (with internet browsing, decent camera, mp3 player etc), a separate good quality mp3 player, a separate digital camera and other individual gadgets-unless you want to splurge your money into some trendy, technologically packed device which is of little practical use.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)