AMD just latest step in Abu Dhabi's tech plans

What does Abu Dhabi want out of Advanced Micro Devices? A way to make money that doesn't involve an oil well.

On Friday, Abu Dhabi's Mubdala Development announced it was buying an 8.1 percent stake in chipmaker AMD for around $700 million. Mubdala is a separate organization but its funded by the government. The emirate, part of the United Arab Emirates, is awash with money thanks to escalating oil prices so it needs to put the money somewhere. But there is also more going on in the deal.

Abu Dhabi, like nearby Dubai and Qatar, has been rapidly increasing its investments in the technology industry as a way to diversify its economic base. Oil is still gushing out of the ground in Abu Dhabi but leaders have acknowledged that fossil fuel supplies will inevitably dwindle. So rather than squander they money on cars and luxury goods, the government (and the investment trusts it owns) is effectively trying to create a version of the white collar economy that exists in North America, Europe and Japan.

The amazing part is the speed with which the emirate is acting. Last year, it set up Masdar, a $250 million clean tech VC fund. It has already invested heavily in HelioVolt, which wants to make copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar cells, as well as Texas LED manufacturer AgiLight.

MIT is getting involved too. America's storied technology university has agreed to help Masdar build an alternative energy graduate school in Abu Dhabi. The school hopes to start admitting students in 2009.

The graduate school in turn will then encourage students and professors to incubate start-ups in the country. Abu Dhabi has a tiny population. Like Qatar, which has set up a university and incubator complex with help of institutions like Cornell and Rolls Royce, Abu Dhabi will likely recruit students and professors from across North Africa and Central Asia as well as from the immigrant communities in the U.S. and Europe.

The large investment in AMD will give investment managers and others in the country a way to study the high tech industry up-close. The country may not go out and build fabs after this one, but clearly there will be people in the country better educated on how things work in Silicon Valley. One of the major complaints among business people and even government officials in the Middle East is that many of the college graduates who come from these countries don't have much practical experience.

Will it work? It's hard to say. Dubai, which has created an Internet business park and opened its doors to chip makers, has only made a small dent in high tech. But like China, these countries aren't exactly democracies, so they can conduct long range planning. And the money is going to continue to flow there for the next several decades.

Chinese LionKing800 cellphone claims 1-year standby

We have no way to confirm the claim, nevertheless the LionKing800 boasts a remarkable 365 days standby or 3-5 days talk. The source of that power is a 16,800mAh lithium battery -- that's about 10x the juice of a standard cellphone battery. Take that Philips! As to the rest of the specs, the GSM900 / DCS1800 dual-SIM phone costs $145 and packs a 3.5-inch, 320 x 240 pixel display, 256MB of microSD memory, Bluetooth 2.0, and a pair of rear and front-facing cameras into a 120 x 65 x 20-mm shell. Picture of the battery after the break.

Guitar Hero goes Mini with Guitar Hero Caribiner

I guess if you wait around long enough, all technology shrinks. Even things that probably shouldn’t be shrunk get shrank.

Take Guitar Hero, for example. I’ve recently purchased this game for the Wii and it has quickly become my newest addiction. There is something about strumming and hitting those frets while those streaming spots go by that make me feel like a legit rock star.

A company known as Basic Fun has created a portable version of this fun with the Guitar Hero Caribiner, a Guitar Hero that fits in your pocket. It is only 3 x 7.5 inches in measurement, and the chord buttons or “frets” are not located on the neck of this contraption, but the body itself.

Beyond that, the gameplay is the same the regular version as the LCD screen displays the notes the player needs to play. There is even a miniature version of the whammy bar, and some of the more popular songs from Guitar Hero I and II are included.

I guess if you wait around long enough, all technology shrinks. Even things that probably shouldn’t be shrunk get shrank.

Take Guitar Hero, for example. I’ve recently purchased this game for the Wii and it has quickly become my newest addiction. There is something about strumming and hitting those frets while those streaming spots go by that make me feel like a legit rock star.

A company known as Basic Fun has created a portable version of this fun with the Guitar Hero Caribiner, a Guitar Hero that fits in your pocket. It is only 3 x 7.5 inches in measurement, and the chord buttons or “frets” are not located on the neck of this contraption, but the body itself.

Beyond that, the gameplay is the same the regular version as the LCD screen displays the notes the player needs to play. There is even a miniature version of the whammy bar, and some of the more popular songs from Guitar Hero I and II are included.

Macbook air-World`s most thinnest notebook

Apple unveiled the world's thinnest notebook, MacBook Air, in India on Wednesday.

Angeline Tan, product marketing manager of Apple, introduced the notebook here, which measures 4 mm at its thinnest point.

The MacBook Air was first launched at the MacWorld expo in San Francisco on January 15.

In India, it will ship in two weeks through Apple authorised resellers and authorised dealers for a suggested retail price of Rs.96,100 ($2,421).

The features of the MacBook Air include a 13.3-inch liquid crystal display, a full-size backlit keyboard and a built-in video camera.

MacBook Air delivers up to five hours of battery life and includes Wi-Fi networking.

With an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 1.6 or 1.8 GHz of processing power, Apple's standard model contains a 1.8-inch hard drive offering 80 GB of storage.

http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2778499.cms

Radar car collision system

So far three of the car industry’s most hyped collision prevention technologies have been put to the test by British Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre Thatcham, and I am happy to say that the trio were successful when it came to mitigating and preventing low speed collisions. These new technologies are the Volvo City Safety, Mercedes Distronic Plus, and Honda CMBS that utilize radar systems when it comes to performing their functions. They’ll be extremely important where saving lives are concerned since statistics show that 75% of all motor accidents are low speed collisions.

Phone watches banned from Thai exams

I had my good share of ways to cheat on exams when needed to, but it didn’t include any kind of “top-notch” technology, like it happened in Thailand. According to someone on the Ministry of Education, a student was caught cheating during an exam by using his phone watch - can you blame him?

The cheating system while using this kind of gadgets is pretty simple: take a discrete photo of the exam questions, send it via MMS to a friend that has the knowledge or knows how to look for the answers, and wait for a SMS with all the goodies.

The only problem is being discrete, and in this case, the student was caught while receiving/reading the text messages that were displayed on the watch. Thanks to this student, all normal watches are banned from exams, and the next step is to take a look at wall clocks.

22 Websites that can change your life

The internet has changed all of our lives, hopefully in a more positive direction. You can use these sites just for entertainment or you can use them to change your life. Many of them you visit all the time but it’s time to look at them another way and harness their power.

*These are in no particular order.

1 - Facebook - Facebook allows you to reconnect with old and new friends. In the case of Lori Haas, facebook helped Lori reunite with her son that she gave up for adoption when she was just 17. (Full Story)

2 - Myspace - This is the most popular social network on the web, even though it has the most spam. Some absolutely hate myspace, but others have used it to launch their careers. Many singers and musicians have achieved “overnight” success using the network. Like facebook you can connect with friends but myspace makes it easier for networking with people you don’t know and create new business contacts.

3 - Digg - many will agree with this choice, while others will strongly disagree. But Digg can open you up to a whole new realm of news. You can visit the homepage once a day and instantly become up to date on what’s going on in the world. You can use Digg to your advantage, find the latest trends in business or find articles on improving your life.

4 - Kiva - Kiva is a lending site that helps entrepreneurs in developing countries finance their ventures. It doesn’t take much to help someone out. By changing others you can change yourself.

5 - Lifehack.org - Lifehack can help you get things done. This blog has in depth articles on all things that do with productivity.

6 - YouTube - If you want to work in the entertainment industry, YouTube is a great way to get your feet wet and at a very low cost. You have an audience of millions of people at your disposal.

7 - Google - This is an obvious one. I really don’t know how we lived without Google in the early days of the internet.

8 - Twitter - Twitter may someday save lives by people quickly alerting others of dangerous situations to avoid. During the California fires, people used Twitter to let friends know that they were safe. You can also use Twitter as a way to help with your business networking by knowing where your business contacts are at.

9 - eBay - eBay can save you a lot of money but can also bring you immense opportunities. You can easily create an online business that reaches millions of buyers. Many people have very successful million dollar enterprises using ebay.

10 - Ancestry.com - This website can help you piece together your family history. By understanding the past your can change the future. * Many readers have expressed concerns about the business practices of Ancestry.com. Please read comments below and be sure to check any complaints about Ancestry.com or any other business before working with them.*

11 - Zen Habits - This blog is similar to Lifehack.org by offering simple productivity to get the most of your life.

12 - Craigslist - You can find almost anything on Craigslist. It’s a simple site but can simply change your life.

13 - Post Secret - The Post Secret project shows you that we’re all very much the same. It can also show you that others may have worse problems than the ones your facing.

14 - LinkedIn - You can use LinkedIn to network with professionals from all areas of business including Fortune 500 companies.

15 - TED.com - This website is full of various videos from TED conferences and has biographies on some of the greatest thinkers of present time. Presentations from successful people such as Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Bono, Seth Godin, and Jane Goodall. Most videos are a few minutes long but can empower you for years to come.

16 - Wikipedia - Not everything on Wikipedia is accurate but there is so much information on almost every topic possible. Don’t know about something, just look it up on Wikipedia and within a few minutes you can be informed.

17 - The Fastlane to Millions - This is a relatively new and small forum for those who are or aspire to be entrepreneurs and millionaires. The members are very positive and want to help each other get the most out of life.

18 - Second Life - This virtual world may seem like a virtual waste of time but some people such as Anshe Chung have found opportunities limitless on Second Life. Anshe has become a millionaire by buying and selling virtual real estate.

19 - Quoteland - You can visit Quoteland and read hundreds of quotes that will give you a fresh perspective and change your life in minutes. If you have an open mind.

20 - 43 Things - 43 Things can be a great way to achieve your goals. You can post your dreams and aspirations for all to see. Having that type of pressure can be very positive for you, helping you continue till you reach your goals.

* 21 - Stumble Upon - This has been requested by readers to be added to the list. Stumble Upon can change your life and help you discover so many new websites you would never be able to otherwise.

* 22 - del.icio.us - This site has also been demanded to be added to the list. So since many have found Lyved via del.icio.us, it must be an addition. Maybe someone from del.icio.us can change their life after visiting Lyved.

What sites have been most beneficial to you or changed your life? Leave a comment below.