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Patents - something about

The different types of patents are provisional patents, utility patents, plant patents and design patents.

Provisional Patents (PP)

A provisional patent application (PPA) allows filing without a formal patent claim. It establishes a filing date for you. So, if you have an idea, and if you do not have the time and resources needed for filing a patent, you can go for a provisional patent. This will establish your date of application. Beware though - the actual patent should not differ significantly from the provisional patent description.

Utility Patents

Utility patents are the most common types of patents. They are usually valid for around twenty years, except in the case of drugs, medical devices, etc.

Plant Patents

Plant patents can be taken for the plant varieties which have been asexually reproduced. These patents may include mutants, hybrids, seedlings, etc. They are also valid for around 20 years.

Design Patents

Design patents refer to new original ornamental design for an article to be manufactured. The USPTO definition follows:

“A design consists of the visual ornamental characteristics embodied in, or applied to, an article of manufacture. Since a design is manifested in appearance, the subject matter of a design patent application may relate to the configuration or shape of an article, to the surface ornamentation applied to an article, or to the combination of configuration and surface ornamentation. A design for surface ornamentation is inseparable from the article to which it is applied and cannot exist alone. It must be a definite pattern of surface ornamentation, applied to an article of manufacture.”

SEO optimization

Search engine optimization was one of the nets most important methods of marketing in recent years, although its popularity has been declining due to the large amounts of scam SEO’s that have been running on the internet. In order to make your site more visible online and move it to the front of the lines on search engine result pages, there are many companies that offer services for quick search engine optimization. It is useful for you to use a quick search engine optimization service, as an SEO can provide much valuable aid, but below are a few tips as to how to select an SEO to make sure you get what you pay for, rather than a scam:

1. Do a little research. Take a look around and don’t go with the first SEO on the market. It is important for you to know the services that are out there and to shop around. Ask your selected SEO’s a few questions before hiring, ask what other popular sites they’ve worked with, and ask exactly what means they will use to improve your quick search engine optimization.

2. Know what your money is paying for. There are some actions that SEO’s have been taking in recent times that are not viable and in fact can get your site kicked off of popular search engines. Make sure your selected SEO is not going to use these practices, because you are responsible for any actions an SEO takes on your behalf for quick search engine optimization.

Ask around. Don’t pay too much. Ask one of your chosen SEO’s if they would recommend one of the others to you. Ask them what price they think you should be paying. Then ask the others the same questions. You are bound to get lower prices and useful answers, helping you immensely.

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About iPHONE - general

The iPhone is a multimedia and internet-enabled mobile phone announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs during the keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo on 9 January 2007.

The iPhone's functions include those of a camera phone, a multimedia player, mobile phone, and Internet services like e-mail, text messaging, web browsing and wireless connectivity. iPhone input is accomplished via touchscreen with virtual keyboard and buttons. The iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone, though Jobs mentioned in his keynote that Apple has a "plan to make 3G phones" in the future.[3] Apple has filed more than 200 patents related to the technology behind the iPhone.

The iPhone is scheduled to be released in the United States in June 2007.It will be available from the Apple Store and from Cingular Wireless, with a price of US$499 for the 4 GB model and US$599 for the 8 GB model, based on a two-year service contract. Apple has also announced plans to make the iPhone available in Europe and Japan at a later date.

About iPHONE - Specifications

The specifications as listed on Apple's website are:

* Screen size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
* Screen resolution: 320×480 pixels at 160 ppi
* Input method: Multi-touch screen interface (the "Home" button is the iPhone's only physical front panel button)
* Operating System: OS X
* Storage: 4 or 8 GB Flash memory
* Quad band GSM (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900)
* WiFi (802.11b/802.11g), EDGE and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
* 2 megapixel camera
* Built-in rechargeable, non-removable battery with up to 5 hours of talk/video/browsing or up to 16 hours of audio playback
* Size: 115×61×11.6 mm (4.5×2.4×0.46 in)
* Weight: 4.8 oz (135 g)

About iPHONE - Pricing & availability

In a deal concluded through secretive discussions which began in February 2005, Cingular Wireless will be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States and will remain so until 2009. The iPhone may be purchased only with a two-year service plan with Cingular. Jobs announced that the iPhone will first be available on June 11, 2007 in the U.S., during the fourth quarter 2007 in Europe, and in 2008 for Asia. However, in a press relase April 12, Apple stated that the iPhone will be available at the end of June in the U.S. Also, the Mac OS X v10.5, which was originally planned to be released June 11 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, is now delayed until October 2007, as part of the Mac OS X team was diverted to work on the iPhone.

The initial U.S. release will be offered in two configurations with two different prices, based on a 2-year phone service contract with Cingular Wireless: a 4 GB model for US$499 and an 8 GB model for US$599.

Apple also announced that its goal is to capture 1% of the global mobile phone market, which would be approximately 10 million units being sold in the first full calendar year of iPhone availability. For comparison, Jobs announced that the Apple iPod commands 62% of the U.S. market share for MP3 players

About iPHONE - Other Features

iPOD

The layout of the music library differs from previous iPods, with the sections divided more clearly alphabetically, and with a larger font. The Cover Flow, like that on iTunes, shows the different album covers in a scroll-through photo library. Scrolling is achieved by swiping a finger across the screen.

Like the fifth generation iPods introduced in 2005, the iPhone can play video, allowing users to watch TV shows and films. Unlike other image-related content, video on the iPhone plays only in the landscape orientation, when the phone is turned sideways. A two-fingered tap is used to switch between wide-screen and full-screen aspect ratios.

Internet


The iPhone has built-in WiFi, with which it will be able to access the Internet (through a wireless network) via the Safari browser. The iPhone will also be able to connect to the Internet through Cingular's EDGE network but will not be able to utilize Cingular's 3G/HSDPA network at launch. The web browser displays full web pages as opposed to simplified pages as on most other phones. Web pages may be viewed in portrait or landscape mode and support automatic zooming by "pinching" or double-tapping images or text. The iPhone also has Bluetooth built in and works with wireless earpieces that use Bluetooth 2.0 technology and for file transfer.

An agreement between Apple and Google provides for access to a specially modified version of Google Maps — in map, local list, or satellite form, optimized for the iPhone. During the launch of the product, Jobs demonstrated this feature by searching for nearby coffee shops and then placing a call to one with a single tap.

E-mail

The iPhone also features an HTML e-mail program, which enables the user to embed photos in an e-mail message. Yahoo! will be providing a free Push-IMAP e-mail service similar to that on a BlackBerry; IMAP and POP3 mail standards are also supported, including Microsoft Exchange. The e-mail program Outlook for Windows cannot be synchronized with the iPhone for the time being. There is no enterprise email connectivity other than IMAP and POP3.

OS X

Apple has confirmed an optimized, full version of the Mac OS X operating system (without unnecessary components) will run on the iPhone, although differences between the operating system (OS X) running on Macs and the iPhone have not been officially explained.

It is expected to take up considerably less than 500 mb It will be capable of supporting as-yet undetermined bundled and future 1st and 3rd-party applications, which are currently limited to a "controlled environment".

Apple intends to offer a smooth method for updating the iPhone's operating system, in a similar fashion to the way that Mac OS X and iPods are updated, and touts this as an advantage compared to other cell phones.

Widgets, similar to the ones available in Mac OS X v10.4's Dashboard, are included on the iPhone. The examples given in the Macworld 2007 keynote were Stocks and Weather widgets.

The iPhone's version of OS X includes the software component "Core Animation" which is responsible for the smooth animations used in its user interface. Core Animation has not yet been released for Macs, but will be part of Mac OS X v10.5.

About iPHONE - Camera

The iPhone features a 2 megapixel camera with video and software that allows the user to upload, view, and e-mail photos. The user zooms in and out of photos by "unpinching" and "pinching" them through the Multi-touch interface. The software will interact with iPhoto on the Mac.

About iPHONE - Phone

The iPhone allows conferencing, call holding, call merging, caller ID, and integration with other cellular network features and iPhone functions. For example, a playing song fades out when the user receives a call. Once the call is ended the music fades back in.

The iPhone will include a Visual Voicemail feature in conjunction with Cingular which allows users to view a list of current voicemail messages onscreen, without having to call into their voicemail. Unlike most other systems, messages can be listened to in a non-chronological order, by choosing messages from a list. Cingular completely reworked their voicemail infrastructure to accommodate this new feature designed by Apple.

E-mail messages are presented chronologically in a mailbox format similar to Mail, which places all text from recipients together with replies. Text messages are displayed in speech bubbles (similar to iChat) under each recipient's name.

About iPHONE - other Inputs

The display responds to three sensors: a proximity sensor that shuts off the display and touchscreen when the iPhone is brought near your face to save battery power and to prevent spurious inputs from the user's face and ears, an ambient light sensor that adjusts the display brightness and saves battery power, and an accelerometer, which senses the orientation of the phone and changes the screen accordingly, albeit in only one 90 degree direction.

A single frontal hardware button brings up the main menu. Subselections are made via the touchscreen. The iPhone utilizes a full-paged display, with context-specific submenus at the top and/or bottom of each page, sometimes depending on screen orientation. Detail pages display the equivalent of a "Back" button to go up one menu.

The iPhone has three hardware switches on its sides: sleep/wake, volume up/down, ringer on/off. All other multimedia and phone operations are done via the touch screen.

About iPHONE - Touch Screen

The 3.5 inch (8.9 cm) liquid crystal display (320×480 px at 160 ppi) touch screen is specifically created for use with a finger, or multiple fingers for multi-touch sensing. No stylus is needed, nor can one be used, as the touch screen requires bare skin to operate.

For text input, the device implements a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen. It has automatic spell checking, predictive word capabilities, and a dynamic dictionary that learns new words. Notably, the predictive word capabilities have been integrated with the dynamic virtual keyboard so that users will not have to be extremely accurate when typing — i.e. touching the edges of the desired letter or nearby letters on the keyboard will be predictively corrected when possible. Additionally, an optional landscape mode for text entry with the virtual keyboard has been mentioned by Apple executives as a possibility for iPhone, but Apple has not yet come to a final decision as to its inclusion in the shipping version of iPhone. A possible advantage of landscape text entry would be the availability of larger keys to ease text entry, especially for individuals with larger fingers.

The iPhone varies from common desktop interfaces by using a direct manipulation model of scrolling. Where a typical desktop GUI achieves scrolling by using a scroll-arrow to push a view-window down and thus the content itself up (or the reverse, clicking up to move content down), the iPhone interface enables the user to move the content itself up or down by a simple and natural touch-drag-lift motion, much as one would slide a playing card across a table. Additionally, the speed desired for scrolling is computed based on the speed and acceleration with which the drag motion is performed.

Scrolling through a long list works as if the list is pasted on the surface of a wheel: the wheel can be "spun" by sliding a finger over the display. After the finger is lifted from the display the "wheel continues spinning" for a short moment before coasting down. In this way, the iPhone seems to simulate the physics of a real object, which, it is thought, should give a very natural feel to the whole process.

The UI also features other visual effects, such as horizontally sliding sub-selections and co-selections from right and left, vertically sliding system menus from the bottom (e.g. favorites, keyboard), and menus and widgets that turn around to allow settings to be configured on their back sides.

The photo album and web page magnifications are examples of multi-touch sensing. It is possible to zoom in and out of objects such as web pages and photos by respectively "unpinching" and "pinching" them, that is, placing two fingers (usually thumb and forefinger) on the screen and moving them farther apart or closer together as if stretching or squeezing the image. This scaling is done uniformly and proportionally based on the image in question so there is no distortion of the image itself, as would be the case if the image were actually stretched or squeezed.

About iPHONE - History

The genesis of the iPhone was Jobs' direction that Apple engineers investigate touch-screens. At the time he had been considering having Apple work on tablet PCs. Many have noted the device's similarities to Apple's previous touch-screen portable device, the Newton MessagePad.Like the Newton, the iPhone is nearly all screen, and likewise its form-factor is credited as well by Apple to their head of design, Jonathan Ive. Comments made by Jobs in April 2003 at the "D: All Things Digital" executive conference expressed his belief that tablet PCs and traditional PDAs were not good choices as high-demand markets for Apple to enter, despite many requests made to him that Apple create another PDA. He did believe that cell phones were going to become important devices for portable information access, and that what cell phones needed to have was excellent synchronization software. At the time, instead of focusing on a follow-up to their Newton PDA, Jobs had Apple put its energies into the iPod, and the iTunes software (which can be used to synchronize content with iPod devices), released January 2001. On September 7, 2005, Apple and Motorola released the ROKR E1, the first mobile phone to use iTunes. However Jobs was unhappy with the ROKR, feeling that having to compromise with a non-Apple designer (Motorola) prevented Apple from designing the phone he wanted to make. In September 2006, Apple discontinued support for the ROKR and released a version of iTunes that included references to an as-yet unknown mobile phone that could display pictures and video.On January 9, 2007, Jobs announced the iPhone at the Macworld convention, receiving substantial media attention.

Bose TriPort

Bose^® TriPort™ Around Ear Headphones Details

Choosing headphones used to be a compromising game of "either/or." Either you picked the bulky pair with good sound or the stylish pair with weak sound. And comfortable fit? Most of the time that option wasn't even on the table. Until now.

TriPort headphone technology enables deep, full bass not commonly found in headphones.

Acoustic equalization delivers rich, impressive sound for music on the go.

Lightweight design and soft ear cushions create a comfortable, portable experience.

Plug in to your portable CD player, MP3 player, computer or other audio source for superior sound.

Stylish TriPort® headphones answer the call for smooth, high-performance sound in a very lightweight package. Hear the full spectrum of your music whether you're plugged into a computer or on the go with a portable media device. Their ergonomic design keeps them remarkably comfortable and lightweight, even as proprietary Bose headphone technology reveals the rich acoustical landscape of your music.

Bose® sound. To go.
With Bose technology, you don’t have to compromise the quality of your audio just because you’re listening through a pair of headphones. Our acoustic equalization techniques deliver the rich nuances of your music that conventional headphones often lose. You hear the intricate notes of an acoustic guitar, the full range of vocals and even the beat of a drum with greater clarity and impact. Our unique TriPort® acoustic headphone structure faithfully reproduces deep, full low notes without requiring the artificial bass boost function found on many portable players.

Comfortable fit included
Advanced ergonomics and lightweight design define the stylish TriPort headphones. Soft ear cushions gently fit around your ear for hours of comfortable listening. A thin, adjustable headband has several head size settings and the earcups swivel for a better fit. An additional benefit of Bose TriPort headphone technology is that it helps reduce headphone size without sacrificing performance, resulting in a total weight of only five ounces.

TriPort headphones put it all together: high-performance sound, comfortable fit and stylish design for an eye-catching, ear-pleasing audio experience.

Sony Camera T-50 the best camera i've used ever

Take your best shot with the super-slim Cybershot DSC-T50. Powerful, yet small enough to carry in your pocket, this ultra-compact 7.2-megapixel camera is doubly effective at reducing blur. Share your photos as slide shows set to music with family and friends on the huge 3.0-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus screen. Featuring Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilization and high ISO sensitivity, the DSC-T50 captures beautiful shots without a flash where a flash is not permitted or might disrupt the mood. The DSC-T50 also comes equipped with a precision Carl Zeiss 3x optical/2x digital zoom lens and 56MB internal memory for capturing images without a flash memory card. The Sony Cybershot DSC-T50 is available in three fashionable colors: black, silver, and red.

High-Tech, Super-Slim Styling
The DSC-T50 comes in an ultra-compact case that expresses your personal style in a choice of three designer colors, matte silver, sleek black, or blazing red. It's also small enough to stay close at hand anywhere you roam.

7.2-Megapixel Super HAD CCD
Another step up in megapixel performance gives you greater detail for making large prints or cropping in tightly on your subject. With the advanced Sony Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design, more light passes to each pixel for increased sensitivity and reduced noise.

Huge 3.0-Inch Clear Photo LCD Plus Screen
It's an amazingly big screen for such a small, slim-line camera--styled to fit flush against the camera back for a clean-line look, with bright Clear Photo LCD Plus design and touch-screen operation that make it easier to adjust camera menus, set up shots, and share results even in bright sunlight.

Slide Show with Select Music Playback
The DSC-T50 lets you view in-camera images in Slide Show sequence, with one-button operation, selectable transition effects, and up to four music background tracks that make it more entertaining to share your memories with family and friends. You can even use supplied Picture Package Music Transfer software to add your own favorite music.

Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilization
The Sony Super SteadyShot system detects camera movement and sends correcting signals to a stabilization lens to prevent image blur and reduce the effect of camera shake--an advantage when shooting with such a small camera.

Higher Sensitivity
Because flash can sometimes change the mood, the DSC-T50 provides high sensitivity (ISO 1000) for excellent low-light shots at higher shutter speed and for capturing images in museums or religious sites where flash may not be permitted. The Sony Clear RAW Noise Reduction system also counters the picture noise traditionally associated with high ISO.

Carl Zeiss 3x Optical/2x Precision Digital Zoom
With 56MB internal memory, the DSC-T50 allows you to shoot photos without a flash memory card so you can always get your shot even if you forgot your card. You can easily transfer your images from camera memory to optional Memory Stick Duo media, upload shots to your computer, or make prints on your digital printer.

Stamina Power
A supplied NP-FR1 InfoLithium rechargeable battery lets you shoot up to 400 pictures on a full charge, recharges quickly and easily, and shows you about how much shooting time remains.

14x Smart Zoom Feature (at VGA Resolution)
The CybershotDSC-T50 intelligently "crops into" the central portion of interest in your photo without sacrificing full CCD resolution--avoiding the image degradation of other digital zooms.

Real Imaging Processor LSI
To improve camera response and extend battery life, the Sony Real Imaging Processor LSI (Large Scale Integrated) circuit decreases shutter lag, improves picture quality, and clarity, and increases battery stamina.

MPEG Movie VX Fine Mode
The DSC-T50 can capture VGA (640 x 480) audio-video clips at high frame rate (up to 30 frames per second), with length limited only by the capacity of your media.

Picture Motion Browser Software
Supplied software makes it easier to upload, organize, and search photos on your PC, and provides a convenient map view function to sort photos by location and display their origin on a world map by using an optional GPS unit.

What's in the Box
Sony Cybershot T50 digital camera, rechargeable InfoLithium battery (NPFR1), battery charger (BC-CS3), AV/USB, DC-in multi-connector cable, wrist strap, paint pen stylus, software CD-ROM (NOTE: No Memory Stick media or adapters are included.)

Product Description
Take your best shot with the super-slim Cyber-shot DSC-T50. Powerful, yet small enough to carry in your pocket, this ultra-compact 7.2 megapixel camera is doubly effective at reducing blur. Share your photos as slide shows set to music with family and friends on the huge 3.0"1 Clear Photo LCD Plus screen. Featuring Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilization and high ISO sensitivity, the DSC-T50 captures beautiful shots without a flash where a flash is not permitted or might disrupt the mood. The DSC-T50 also comes equipped with a precision Carl Zeiss 3X Optical/2X Digital zoom lens and 56 MB internal memory for capturing images without a flash memory card. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 is available in three fashionable colors: black, silver and red.

Soon...

... details about A3... and some pics of my A3 S-line...

Audi R8

Audi R8
Audi RS8
Manufacturer Audi
Parent company Volkswagen Group
Production 2006–present
Class Sports car
Body style 2-door coupé
Engine 4.2 L V8
Transmission 6-speed manual
6-speed semi-automatic
Length 4431 mm (174.4 in)
Width 1904 mm (74.9 in)
Height 1249 mm (49.2 in)
Curb weight 1560 kg (3439 lb)
Similar Lamborghini Gallardo
Porsche 911 Carrera 4
Ferrari F430

The Audi R8 is a mid-engined sports car released by the German automaker Audi in 2006. Audi announced in 2005 that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans Quattro concept car, which appeared at the 2003 Geneva Auto Show and 2003 International Motor Show. The R8 was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There is some confusion with the name which the car shares with the Le Mans winning R8 LMP. Originally, many thought the car would be called the R9 (as there is a gap in numbering left when Audi announced the R8's successor, the diesel-powered R10).
Contents

1 Technical Details
2 Future upgrades
3 References
4 External links

Technical Details

The Audi R8 will be available in mid-2007 with a 4.2 L V8 making 420 hp, as seen in the Audi RS4. Pricing for the 420 bhp model starts from €104,400 or £77,000. The base price in the US is $109,000.[1] The R8 has a dry weight of 1560 kg (3439 lb). A 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of about 4.2 seconds is possible with a top speed of about 301 km/h (187 mph).

The quarter mile time for the R8 is 12.6 seconds and roadhandling on the 300 ft skidpad is 0.98g.[2]

As Audi owns Lamborghini, the R8's architecture such as layout and chassis is based on that of the Lamborghini Gallardo and the two vehicles share transmissions. The R8 is made distinct by its exterior styling, cabin, engine options, and pricing.

The Audi R8 will also be the first production vehicle to feature all-LED headlights.[3]

Future upgrades

The 2-seat coupe will be made available to the U.S. in the summer of 2007. In addition, an open-top, Porsche Carrera GT-like model will follow in 2008.

For 2009 a second, more powerful engine variant that uses a 520-hp 5.2 L V10, an enlarged version of the Lamborghini Gallardo's engine and already seen in the Audi S8, is rumoured but not confirmed by Audi. Audi is currently in the process of developing a new turbocharged 5.2 L V10 engine for the future Audi RS6, and there is a possibility that this engine will make its way into the R8, dependent on marketing decisions. Test mules of this vehicle are developing well in excess of 600 bhp with the turbocharged 5.2 L V10. If this were to happen it is almost certain that this would create an RS8.

According to some sources[4] the 6.0 liter V12 TDI diesel engine from Audi Q7 has been confirmed to Audi R8 as well. This would make Audi R8 by far the fastest diesel powered car in the world with 0 - 100 km/h acceleration in less than 4 seconds. However the V12 diesel found in the Q7 is unlikely to make it in due to the fact that the engine will only fit under the Q7's hood.

The Smart Building

Smart buildings or intelligent homes were futuristic ideas from science fiction books and films depicting the time when our sanctuary would be like a living machine, making decisions and adjustments, even to the point of prediction, in our living and working space in order to meet our needs. The Jetsons cartoon show we all know and love typically comes to mind when we speak of the intelligent home and quite recently the television series Eureka shows how an intelligent home would look like in a more realistic (non-cartoon) scenario.

The definition of a smart building has continuously changed, depending on the current technology of the times. From the 70s to the present, smart buildings or intelligent homes have had several evolutions - first was just incorporating energy efficiency in building designs, then to using personal computers in controlling the various systems inside and finally the emphasis on the building making occupants more efficient.

Early on, building intelligence was limited to its economic viability and the existing technology where customized devices were needed to implement a smart building. In contrast, a lot of today's commercial information technology is now useable in a smart building. Like wireless technology, which is used in computer, networks are also found in security cameras, various sensors and controls. Modern appliances too already come with network interfaces, which can easily be hooked up to the smart building's network backbone - from refrigerators and air conditioners to elevators are only some of these smart appliances already in the market.

Another of today's current technologies incorporated into a smart building and intelligent home is the Internet. With the Internet, remote controlling or monitoring of a structure is easily implemented without having to rely on proprietary systems. This again allows the use of commercially available products and even free software solutions. Any computer with a browser that has an internet connection can be used to monitor a web enabled smart building system. It has also enabled online access to "live" data like weather forecasts, which helps the smart building determine internal environment temperature as well as future power usage. The term "convergence" describes this blending of building systems with information technology and the Internet.

Today's technology has also produced not only devices and appliances but also smart materials. Where standard materials are static, these smart materials are dynamic and responsive. Some of these smart materials are:

. Smart windows. There are smart windows that can control the amount of light that passes through it. When electricity is applied to its special coating, the properties of the window will change varying from either more or less light coming through.

There are also other smart window technologies with special coatings that let light in but keep the heat out.

. Photovoltaic roofing materials or "Solar Shingles". Early adoption of solar power was to replace water heaters. But today, Solar Shingles are now commercially available to generate power from sunlight for the building or the home. And these are designed to look like regular shingles instead of those unsightly solar panels.

. Smart bricks. Just like regular bricks but with wireless sensors and battery packed inside it which helps to monitor the building's temperature, vibration and movement, wirelessly.

. Smart cement. As concrete gets deformed or stressed, these can be detected and monitored to help assess the structural integrity of a building. This is most helpful especially following an earthquake.

This dream of an intelligent building that offers the utmost comfort and cost efficiency by managing temperature, indoor air quality, lighting, security, structural integrity and appliances is slowly becoming a reality. And it also helps save our environment as well.

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BOSE - sound of perfection

Bose develops and manufactures audio equipment including speakers, amplifiers, headphones, automotive sound systems for high-end cars, and most recently, automotive suspension systems and performing research into cold fusion. The company was founded in 1964 by Amar G. BOSE, a professor of eletrical engineering (retired in 2005) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. As of 2005, the company employed about 8,000 people worldwide (2,000 in Massachusetts) and had revenues of over $1.8 billion. Bose has contracts with the US military (Navy, Airforce & Army) and NASA for audio products, particualy high-end headphones. Amar Bose is still the Chairman and primary stockholder, and also holds the title of Technical Director.

History of Bose Corporation presidents

1. William (Bill) Zackowitz (1964-66)
2. Charles "Chuck" Hieken (1966-69)
3. Frank E. Ferguson (1969-76)
4. Amar G. Bose (1976-80)
5. Sherwin Greenblatt (1980-2000)
6. John Coleman (2000-2005)
7. Bob Maresca (Since 2005)

The company spends at least $100 million a year in research and engineering, employing a 6500 square meter (70,000 sq. ft.) building in Framingham reserved for that purpose.^[13] In 2004, Bose purchased an additional site from HP in Stow, Massachusetts to house growing automotive and marketing divisions.

Early years

In 1956, while a graduate student at MIT, Amar Bose purchased a high-end stereo system and was disappointed when it failed to meet his expectations. He later began extensive audio research aimed at fixing what he saw as key weaknesses plaguing such high-end systems. The principal weakness, as he saw it, was how the overall design of the loudspeakers and electronics failed to take into account psychoacoustics (the human perception of sound). Eight years later, he founded the company, charging it with a mission to achieve Better Sound Through Research (which is also the company's slogan).

Research history

During the company's first year in business Bose Corporation engaged in sponsored research. Its first loudspeaker product, the model 2201, dispersed 22 small mid-range speakers over an eighth of a sphere. It was designed to fit in the corner of a room, reflecting the speaker's sound as a mirror would for light in a corner cube and giving rise to an acoustical image of a sphere in a vastly larger room. Amar Bose used an electronic equailizer to adjust the acoustical output for flat total radiated power.

Although these speaker systems accurately emulated the characteristics of an ideal spherical membrane, the listening results were disappointing (some of the reasons for which are listed in a later publication from Bose's research department), leading Bose to further research into psychoacoustics that eventually clarified the importance of a dominance of reflected sound arriving at the head of the listener, a listening condition that is characteristic of live performances. This finding led to a revised speaker design in which eight of nine identical small mid-range drivers (with electronic equalization) were aimed at the wall behind the speaker while one driver was aimed forward, thus ensuring a dominance of reflected over direct sound in home listening spaces, replicating the dominant reflected sound fields listeners experience in live performances.

Before hearing his new design for the first time, although confident that his new design would produce a more faithful replication of the "live" listening experience, Amar Bose was unsure as to whether his new "direct/reflected" design would be a small audible improvement or a large one over his earlier design and the best commercially available loudspeakers. The new pentagonal design, named the Model 901, was a very unconventional design for speakers at the time (which were generally either full-size florstanding units or bookshelf type speakers accompanied by a subwoofer that handled only the very lowest frequencies). The Model 901 premiered in 1968 and was an immediate commercial success, and the Bose Corporation grew rapidly during the 1970s.

Amar Bose believes that our imperfect knowledge of psychoacoustics limits our ability to adequately characterize quantitatively any two arbitrary sounds that are perceived differently, and to adequately characterize and quantify all aspects of perceived quality. He believes, for example, that distortion is much over-rated as a factor in perceived quality in the complex sounds that comprise music, noting, for example, that a square wave (a hugely distorted sine wave) and a sine wave are audibly indistinguishable above 7 k Hz. Similarly, he does not find measurable relevance to perceived quality in other easily measured parameters of loudspeakers and electronics, and therefore does not publish those specifications for Bose products. The ultimate test, Bose insists, is your perception of audible quality (or lack of it) and your preferences. Unlike other major speaker manufacturers, Bose does not publish specifications relating to the measured electrical and objective acoustic performance of its products. This reluctance to publish information is due to Bose's rejection of these measurements in favour of "more meaningful measurement and evaluation procedures".

Additionally, the company researches portable audio within the fields of Circumaural and Supra-aural headphones, centering within the lines of Acoustic Noise Cancellation

Automotive Suspension System

Another area of research and development at Bose Corporation is two-state, non-linear power processing and conditioning. Several early patents were awarded to Amar Bose and other Bose engineers and this technology is one of the key elements in an innovative project that the company disclosed in 2004 after more than 20 years of research, an automobile suspension system that uses electomagnetic principles instead of the hydraulics that are common today. This system uses electromagnetic linear motors to raise or lower the wheels of an automobile in response to un-even bumps or potholes on the road. The wheels are raised when approaching a bump, or extended into a pothole, within milliseconds, thus keeping the vehicle steady. This technology is another application of Bose's active noise reduction technology for speakers and earphones. The unevenness of the road is sensed, processed much like a soundwave. A cancelling wave is generated, which is applied to the wheels through the linear motors. Amar Bose expects the system to be available commercially on high-end luxury cars by 2009. In a French interview Bose even shows off the car jumping over an obstacle.

Pro Speaker Systems

Pro speaker systems like the 102, 402, 802, 25SE, 32SE, 32, 8, 16, 3, and 6 are made for musicians and pro applications. See more on their website at pro.bose.com

Bose-Electroforce

In 2004 Bose acquired company assets related to the development, manufacture and sales of materials testing equipment, founding the ElectroForce System Group The ElectroForce Systems Group provides materials testing and durability simulation instruments to research institutions, universities, medical device companies and engineering organizations worldwide.

Lines of products

Proprietary technologies

• Tri-Port Earcup Drivers
• Acoustic Noise Cancellation
• Acoustimass Technology
• Acoustic Waveguide Technology
• Direct/Reflecting Technology
• Psychoacoustic Equalization
• TrueSpace Technology
• Electromagnetic Suspension System for Automobiles

Products

Multimedia systems

• Bose computer speakers
• Bose headphones
• Bose SoundDock

Speaker systems

• Bose wave systems
• Bose stereo speakers
• Professional Speaker Systems for Commercial Applications

Home entertainment systems

• Bose Lifestyle Home Entertainment Systems
• Bose 3-2-1 Home Entertainment Systems
• Bose Acoustimass Home Entertainment Systems

Aviation Headsets

• Bose Aviation Headset X

This headset is used in the Space Shuttle (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0880451.html)

Live Music and DJ systems

• Bose Personalized Amplification System™ products for Musicians

Opinions about Bose

A market study published in March 2006 by the independent market research firm Forrester Research reported that Bose's brand name was among the most trusted (by the US population) of consumer-electronics or computer brand names.^[25]

In 1968, Amar Bose presented a classic paper to the Audio Engineering Society entitled: "On the Design, Measurement and Evaluation of Loudspeakers" available from the AES at a small charge. (See: Audio Engineering Society site ). Following the logic in this paper, Bose Corporation has endeavored to strike an economic balance between cost and performance to provide high quality as judged by the average listener whose criteria of quality include faithful reproduction of the listener's experience in a live performance, i.e. a dominance of the reverberant sound field in the listening space, ie. a typical home enviornment. (see audiophile beleifs) Those whose main listening experience has been reproduced sound as opposed to live performances, i.e. loudspeaker-sound, often find the sound produced by Bose systems lacking, in particular in the directional high freqencies produced by many expensive speaker systems with tweeters mounted in forward-facing baffles that assure considerable directionality of the higher frequencies. For those listeners, Bose systems will not appeal and they should not, and largely do not, own them.

Bose is widely regarded as a producer of high-end audio systems . It has been reported by at least one reviewer, however, that some people do not hold the opinion that Bose is a producer of high-end audio systems, because in his opinion it dosn't fufill their expectations of what a high-end system should be.

Market share

In 2006 Bose ranked second in Home Audio retail, behind Sony (based on retail point-of-sale data for the period of January through October, 2006).^[35]

Bose directly competes against the following companies in the consumer speaker and home theatre market:

• Bang & Olufsen
• Boston Acoustics
• Cerwin-Vega
• Harman/Kardon
• JBL
• Klipsch
• Polk Audio
• Infinity
• Wharfedale
• Definitive Technology

Bose directly competes against the following companies in the consumer headphone market:

• Altec Lansing
• Koss
• Sennheiser
• Sony

Locations

Headquarters

• Framingham, MA

Automotive division

• Stow, MA

Plants

• Framingham, MA
• Carrickmacross, Republic of Ireland
• Columbia, SC
• San Luis, Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
• Tijuana B.C., Mexico

First generation (8L): 1996–2003

The original A3 (or Typ 8L) was introduced in the European market in 1996, marking Audi's return to the lower market segments since the demise of the Audi 50,.This was the first model to use the PQ34 or "A4" platform, bearing a natural close resemblance to its contemporary, the Golf Mk. IV. The car was initially available only with a three-door Hatchback body, in order to present a more sporty image than the Golf, in both front- and four-wheel drive. All engines had a four-cylinder configuration and were transversally mounted. After the A4, the Audi A3 was the second model in the Audi lineup to use five valves per cylinder.

In 1999, Audi expanded the range with the introduction of an entry level model (1.6 L), a sporty version (1.8 Turbo with 180 PS (132 kW)) and a more powerful Diesel (1.9 TDI with pumpe-düse technology and variable geometry turbocharger). The four-wheel-drive A3 1.8T Quattro used either the 150 hp (110 kW) and 180 PS (132 kW) and the same Haldex-based all-wheel drive system as the Audi S3 and the original Audi TT, 1999 was also the year Audi was forced to bow to market demands and introduced a hastily conceived five-door body, that the company had never intended to produce.

In late 2000, the A3 range was revised with new light clusters, an improved interior, and the introduction of a six-speed manual gearbox, on the 180 PS 1.8 Turbo and the brand new 130 PS (96 kW) 1.9 TDI. Audi's ESP (Electronic Stability Program) traction-control and brakeforce distribution computer became standard equipment.

Although the Audi A3 was replaced in Europe during 2003, the first generation model continues to be sold in developing countries. After production of the first generation model stopped in Brazil, the retail price increased from R$60,000(US$30,000) to R$100,000 (US$50,000).

Engines

• 1.6 L (1595 cc/97 in³) petrol, 75 kW (102 PS)
• 1.8 L (1781 cc/108 in³) petrol, 92 kW (125 PS)
• 1.8 L (1781 cc/108 in³) light-pressure turbocharger petrol, 110 kW (150 PS)
• 1.8 L (1781 cc/108 in³) turbocharger petrol, 132 kW (180 PS)
• 1.8 L (1781 cc/108 in³) turbocharger petrol, 154–165 kW (210–225 PS) (S3)
• 1.9 L (1896 cc/115 in³) VGT turbodiesel, 66 kW (90 PS)
• 1.9 L (1896 cc/115 in³) VGT turbodiesel, 74 kW (101 PS)
• 1.9 L (1896 cc/115 in³) VGT turbodiesel, 81 kW (110 PS)
• 1.9 L (1896 cc/115 in³) VGT turbodiesel, 96 kW (130 PS)

Second generation (8P): 2003–present

In the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, Audi launched the second-generation of the A3, the Typ 8P, designed by Walter de'Silva. Originally launched as a three-door Hatchbach only with four cylinder engines, it featured a new mechanical platform (the PQ35 platform), a redesigned and more spacious interior, new petrol engines with Fuel Startified Injection and standard six-speed gearboxes (except on the base 1.6).

In mid 2003, the line was updated with two sports models, a 2.0 Turbo FSI version with 200 PS (147 kW) and a 3.2 VR6 engine (for the first time) with 250 PS (184 kW). Quattro four wheel drive and the S-Tronic semi-auto gearbox were introduced as optionals (quattro is standard on the V6) on every model 140 PS and over.

A new five-door body, dubbed Sportback, was introduced in June 2004. Unlike the previous generation, the new A3 Sportback is 8 cm (3 in) longer than the base three-door body, and includes improved rear cabin space and a larger luggage compartment (370 litres). It also received the new front grille originally introduced in the A8 W12.

In 2005, the S-Line trim level, with new sporty decorative elements, became available in certain models, and the 3-door received the same frontend as the Sportback. For the first time, the A3 became available in the North American market, exclusively with the Sportback body, with the base 2.0 TFSI introduced in 2005 and the 3.2 V6 quattro following in 2006.

In April 2006, the lineup was expanded with the introduction of a more powerful 2.0 TDI with 170 PS (125 kW). In August 2006, Audi announced the arrival of the S3 version, which became the new range topper. The 2.0 TFSI engine was uprated to 265 PS (195 kW), thanks to a higher turbo pressure of 1.2 bar, and is available with a standard 6-speed manual and Quattro. The second generation S3 is capable of accelerating to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds. The springs and dampers were tuned for a harder setting, and ride height lowered by 25 mm (1 inch). 225/40 R18 tyres are standard.

In January 2007, the normally aspirated 2.0 FSI was replaced by a new turbocharged 1.8 TFSI engine, with 160 PS (118 kW). It is available in front-wheel drive only.

Engines

• 1.6 L (1595 cc), 75 kW (102 PS)
• 1.6 L (1598 cc) FSI, 85 kW (115 PS)
• 2.0 L (1984 cc) FSI, 110 kW (150 PS)
• 2.0 L (1984 cc) FSI turbocarger, 147 kW (200 PS)
• 3.2 L (3189 cc) V6, 184 kW (250 PS)
• 2.0 L (1984 cc) FSI turbocharger, 195 kW (265 PS) (S3)
• 1.9 L (1896 cc) VGT turbodiesel, 77 kW (105 PS)
• 2.0 L (1968 cc) VGT turbodiesel, 103 kW (140 PS)
• 2.0 L (1968 cc) VGT turbodiesel, 125 kW (170 PS)