Category: News

YouTube is plowing ahead with video rentals, despite initial results being less than encouraging. The Google-owned video site has now opened up a rental store to house all of the available material. The range of videos offered has grown considerably since the January tests, but it’s not exactly exhaustive. Videos rent for $0.99 to $3.99 and range from f… (read more)

Wade Roush wrote:

What the heck is Xconomy doing opening a bureau in Detroit?

The same thing we’ve been doing all along: seeking out technology innovators in key cities and chronicling the work they’re doing to turn their ideas into businesses that will drive the economy forward, both regionally and nationally.

There’s no question that Detroit falls short on many of the ingredients that propel tech-company growth in Xconomy’s other home cities of Boston, San Diego, and Seattle—things like an existing network of experienced serial entrepreneurs, a deep-rooted ecosystem of venture and angel investors, a menagerie of big high-tech anchor companies, and multiple top-level universities and research institutions churning out highly trained graduates and new technology concepts.

But in Detroit, the need for innovation is far more urgent than in any of those other places. So it’s going to have to make do with, and build upon, the resources it does have. And there’s nothing about the character of Detroiters or the automotive industry’s current woes to convince me that the city can’t bounce back.

For one thing, there’s no choice. The stakes are too high. If a way can’t be found to restart entrepreneurship and risk-taking in the region’s manufacturing, services, and technology industries, the city’s population, tax base, and infrastructure will continue to erode.

But more importantly, Detroit is a city of big ideas and big accomplishments. It’s the home of world-changing inventions such as the refrigerated railroad car, the automatic traffic light (the first one was installed at the corner of Woodward and Michigan in downtown Detroit in 1920), the mechanical clamping mop, and, of course, the assembly line—which became the key not just to unprecedented middle-class prosperity, but to the Allies’ victory in World War II. And that’s not even counting Vernors ginger ale (which was always in abundant supply around my grandparents’ house in Charlotte, MI), guerilla marketing, techno and rap music, and the Last Word (a cocktail combining gin, maraschino liqueur, lime and green Chartreuse).

And let’s not forget that Detroit is also home to two of the country’s largest corporations. Ford is currently America’s eighth largest company, and GM is No. 15, according to Fortune magazine. None of Xconomy’s other home cities can claim even a single company in the top 30, as measured by revenues. (Seattle-born Boeing is No. 28 but is now headquartered in Chicago, and Microsoft is No. 36.)

With such a powerful history of innovation behind it—much of it showcased at Dearborn’s Henry Ford Museum, whose collection of technological artifacts is rivaled only by the Smithsonian’s—Detroit is a city that no one should write off. Time Inc. certainly isn’t: last fall, the media giant bought a house in Detroit and is spending a year …Next Page »

Comments | Reprints | Share:  

 
 
 

UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

TTN Lubricators are ideally suited for both on-road transport vehicles and off-road mobile machinery such as loaders, excavators, articulated trucks, graders, etc.

These lubricators are designed to work in hostile conditions found on remote sections of highways and in industries, such as construction, mining and forestry.

A unique reservoir design keeps out contamination and prevents condensation from forming, thus assuring reliable automatic lubrication of critical wear points such as bearings, bushings and pins.

Features:
Large reservoir capacities allow for extended times between refills
Low grease level and system monitoring capabilities
Designed to handle a wide range of lubricants
Unique reservoir design keeps grease free from contaminants
Integral controller option facilitates quick install

Primary industries: Mobile, Wind Power

AFC-Holcroft of Wixom, Michigan announces the dates for the 14th Aluminum Brazing Invitational Seminar. The dates for the event will be October 27 to 29, 2010, and will be held at the Sheraton in Novi, Michigan (metropolitan Detroit, USA.

Previous seminars have had up to 185 attendees from 55 locations in 10 countries.

As in the past, the seminar will focus on controlled atmosphere brazing of aluminum heat exchangers with non-corrosive flux. This invitational seminar is useful for users or prospective users of the non-corrosive flux brazing process.

Day 1 will teach the fundamentals of each step of controlled atmosphere brazing of aluminum heat exchangers with non-corrosive flux, as well as the basics of aluminum alloy metallurgy and corrosion resistance. Day 1 is ideal for those who need to be trained on controlled atmosphere aluminum brazing or need a refresher course. The course is also useful for those who wish to broaden their knowledge of other aspects of process, equipment or materials. Prior attendees have included process and product engineers, production and maintenance personnel, operations managers and corporate staff.

Day 2 and 3 will feature invited speakers who will review state-of-the-art technology in their specialized field on materials, processes and equipment.

More information about the seminar will be posted on the company website, and we invite nterested parties to place their names on a mailing list by sending an email to the organizers at [email protected].

A full program and agenda is expected to be available mid-Summer 2010, and will be sent by email to those on the mailing list. Updates will be posted to the company website. Cost for the seminar will be $325 for Day 1, $550 for Days 2 and 3, or $550 for the entire 3 days of program.

About AFC-Holcroft

AFC-Holcroft has more than 90 years of thermal processing experience. The company manufactures turn-key heat treating systems for applications including commercial heat treating, bearings, automotive, aerospace, military, aluminum heat treatment, gear manufacturing, fastener manufacturing, and alternative energy industries.

AFC-Holcroft is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heat treating furnaces. The company has a global reach, with organizations in the United States, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Spain and Turkey, and including manufacturing means in many of these countries.

Custom engineered abrasive nylon brushes are designed to optimize your productivity. Tanis Incorporated technical sales and engineering staff will help design and manufacture the abrasive nylon product best suited to meet your objective. Abrasive nylon products manufactured by Tanis Incorporated will exceed your expectations to enhance production by reducing cycle times and eliminating secondary labor operations.

Tanis Abrasive Brush Benefits & Uses
Abrasive nylon brushes for cleaning, deburring and polishing
Silicon carbide, aluminum oxide and alumina silicate impregnated nylon brushes
Twisted-in-wire miniature and internal tube brushes
Disc brushes for deburring, finishing and polishing
Ferrule End brushes for deburring and finishing.

Wheel and stem-mounted brushes for industrial deburring and finishing applications Cylinder and metal back coils custom manufactured for internal and external applications Engineered products custom designed

The module PW0049 is a stand-alone measuring device which is conceived for the absolute measurement of self-illuminating objects.

Its function is to reproduce the CIE 1931 2° CMF’s as precisely as possible. The resulting Tristimulus measuring values X, Y, Z form the basis of most of the common color spaces used today.

By means of the integrated three-sector color sensor and additional procedures, the visional sensation of the human eye is imitated with an accuracy that can be compared to decidedly more elaborate spectrometric procedures.

The scope of delivery contains a comfortable and intuitive software tool for setup, parameterization and output of color values in different modes.

Special optimizations for the following light sources are contained in the scope of delivery:

CCFL LED white LED colored Rot optimized LED´s
RGB Backlight White LED Backlight RGB light source RGB and white

Omega Engineering introduces the New DRTB Series thermocouple terminal blocks. They are designed and manufactured by Omega using thermocouple alloys to guarantee accurate readings. The terminal block has a built-in female socket to accept a miniature thermocouple connector. This novel feature enables the user to insert a plug for easy connection to a handheld device allowing installation testing, quality assurance compliance, troubleshooting or repairs without interrupting the signal or circuit.

The terminal blocks are fully enclosed and require no end plates. The screws and clamps are zinc plated and together they provide an excellent vibration, maintenance free and corrosion resistant connection.

DRTB terminal blocks mount on standard 35 mm DIN rails or 32 mm G-type rails and are identified with calibration type and positive (+) and negative (-) connections. Wire entry is funnelled to allow quick wire insertion even with stranded wire.

General Monitors is pleased to announce that the Gassonic Observer is now FM and CSA certified.

FM and CSA certification assures customers that the Gassonic Observer has been evaluated through independent scientific testing and found safe and reliable. FM Approvals and CSA International are leading providers of product testing and certification that test products for compliance with hazardous locations and product performance standards.

Ultrasonic gas leak detection adds an important layer of protection to General Monitors’ gas and flame detectors. The detection technology enhances gas detection efficiency by producing sensors that quickly respond to the ultrasonic noise generated by escaping gas. Ultrasonic gas leak detectors can detect gas leaks regardless of ventilation rate, gas dilution, or the direction of the leak — and without the gas having to make physical contact with a sensor element. The instruments are the ideal choice for rapid detection of pressurized gas leaks in open and ventilated areas.

The Gassonic Observer features a robust microphone and a detection radius of up to 20 meters at a leak rate of 0.1 kg/s. In addition, the detector offers the Senssonic™ integrated acoustic self-test, which periodically verifies the integrity of the electronic circuitry and the operation of the acoustic sensor. The detector is FM certified to IEC 61508 as SIL 2 suitable and is also approved under ATEX, C-UL and IECEx norms.

The smallest amounts of free water can cause acidification in oils and corrose component surfaces. An increase in water content can dramatically alter the characteristics of the oil. The consequences include reduced load capacity, lower temperature resistance and, ultimately, rapid oil oxidation (aging), which all result in economic damage.
Free water can be detected by the milky clouding of the oil irrespective of the oil’s color.

Some of the causes of water in hydraulic and lubricating oil:
ambient moisture splash water cooler breakage

With the new COPS mobile dewatering unit large quantities of free water can be removed economically.
The oil is heated and channeled into a vacuum chamber. The water is removed quickly, long before the saturation limit is reached, thanks to the reduced steam pressure.

A fine filter is installed downstream from the drying process to ensure that the oil is dry and filtered when it flows back into the machine or tank.

Water content is constantly monitored with the ARGO-HYTOS “LubCos H2O+” oil condition sensor. A digital display reading relative humidity and indicator lights showing the current state of the dewatering process.

Thanks to its compact design, low weight, high efficiency, and ease of use, COPS can operate in places where space is limited.

In determining the best choice of coupling for your robotics applications, there are several key factors to consider. Backlash is the clearance between mating components and is sometimes described as the amount of lost motion. Backlash is not acceptable in robotics or other motion-control applications because as it interrupts the transfer of power, it dramatically decreases positioning accuracy. It also presents timing problems which cause unnecessary coupling movement and stresses which contribute to early failure. In selecting a coupling for robotics applications, choose one with zero-backlash.

The coupling selected should not contribute to vibration in robotics applications and ought to deliver the required damping. Vibration wastes energy and stresses system components. Damping would help minimize the transfer of shock and vibration across a coupling.

Robotics and other motion-control applications are typically designed with intermittent starts and stops. Couplings with a low moment of inertia do not have as much of an effect on the natural frequency of the system and thus allow engineers to fine-tune their systems for optimized performance.

Quick failure is in store when safe operating speed of the chosen coupling has not been taken into consideration. A coupling’s stiffness and its ability to accommodate shaft misalignment are two sometimes overlooked factors to consider when determining the coupling’s safe operating speed.

Electrical and mechanical isolation are two more selection constraints to consider. Using nonmetallic or polymer inserts will maintain mechanical energy transfer while also preventing the flow of electrical current between functional components. Deciding whether to use a coupling that acts as a mechanical fuse versus fail-safe coupling is dependent upon issues such as whether the interruption of material flow would cause safety concerns.

Choosing the correct coupling for robotics and motion-control applications is simplified when you consider OEP Couplings’ exclusive line of high performance Oldham/Universal couplings, which are precision machined from high strength materials. Each of OEP’s Oldham/Universal variations (types UA, UI and UC) deliver the low rotational inertia and zero-backlash necessary in precision positioning applications. OEP’s Oldham/Universal couplings can be customized on-site to meet your exact requirements.

Ham-Let is proud to introduce its new High Performance Needle Valve for Easy Mounting – H-99M and H-99HPM (Patent Pending No. 61/259,175).

The H-99HPM was designed for high performance applications up to 10,000 psi (690 bar), where easy panel mounting is needed. Compact packing bolt allows easy removal of the panel nuts, with no need of packing load release. Two panel nuts enable easy and “adjustable height” installation of the valve to the system.

Features
• Safety blow-out proof stem
• Back-seal stem-tip protects stem
threads in open position.
• Easy panel mounting design.
• Flexible mounting with 2 panel nuts.
• Robust Valve for severe applications up
to 10,000 psi (690 bar) and 600°C (1112°F)

Benefits

1. Safety – Compact packing bolt design guarantees high safety after
installation.

2. Factory assembly and testing guarantee – All valve components remain
intact as mounting the valve requires handle removal only.

3. Time-saving – Significantly reduced mounting time due to simplicity of
assembly process.

The Impeller is one of the most important parts of slurry pump. When impeller is rotating, the slurry pump could meet the requirements of the equipment. However, it is a component, which is worn out very easily. Therefore, for long service life of the impeller, the material plays an important role here.

Excellence pump offers the two solutions for this problem. We choose the white iron, high chrome (27%) for the strong abrasive slurries, also with the sharp particles. For the corrsive slurries with blunt particles, we recommend the natural rubber.

Excellent mechanical properties – high shear and compression strength. Especially recommended for application with high temperatures. Excellent chemical resistance against dissolvent, benzene, light acids under regular environmental
circumstances.Closed cell structure indicated a low resin uptake.

No water absorption Good thermal insulation Thermo formable
Available 5-24 mm ( 3/16”-1”) thicknesses, cell diameter 26mm(about 1”). Sheet size 11”X47” (depending on precursor material)
Multiple layers can be stacked for greater thicknesses.

Designed for infusion, can be hand laid with NidaBond Core Bedding compound (CBC) with vacuum bagging the core or rolling the core into NidaBond. 10 mm cell side wall length 0.35 mm kerf width. Available precursors include NidaFoam PET, Polyurethane and Polyisocyanurate foams.

Sherborne Sensors (www.sherbornesensors.com), an AS9100B and ISO9001:2008 global leader in the design and manufacture of inclinometers, accelerometers, force transducers, load cells, rotary encoders, instrumentation and accessories for industrial, military and aerospace customers, has introduced the T640 series, a range of high-reliability solid state tilt sensors, offering precision measurement accuracy for data acquisition systems, road bed analysis, platform and pipeline leveling, structural monitoring, ship ballast transfer systems, and other applications.

Available in ranges of ±30°, ±60° and ±90°, the Sherborne Sensors T640 series range features an advanced solid-state MEMS sensor, incorporating integral air damping. Unlike fluid-damped devices, air damping is essentially independent of temperature, which enables the tilt sensor to reliably perform over a very wide temperature range (-40° to +100°C), with essentially zero temperature coefficient of damping ratio. Units are compensated for effects of temperature on both sensitivity and zero, and incorporate positive mechanical stops, conferring excellent shock resistance.

The Sherborne Sensors T640 series range is designed to operate from an unregulated DC power source (DC-input, DC-output), and offers a high useable frequency response. A 5Hz low-pass filter is standard, with units offering simultaneous filtered and unfiltered outputs. Signal ground is isolated from power ground. Electrical terminations are either via military-style, Bayonet connector or solder pins, with optional mating connector. In addition, Sherborne Sensors can custom design and manufacture variations of these tilt sensors to conform to specific customer requirements.

The T640 series range is 100% tested and calibrated at the factory prior to shipment, and is accompanied by a two-year comprehensive warranty. Units are also included under the new Sherborne Sensors Guaranteed On-Time Delivery program. For additional details, drawings and specifications, please contact Sherborne Sensors toll-free (in the US & Canada) at 1-877-486-1766 [email protected] or on +44 (0) 870 444 0728 [email protected] (worldwide), or by visiting www.sherbornesensors.com.

Designed to Specification

Any size Heavy or light loads Modular design Portable or fixed Non-conductive or metal Variable speed High precision Cost effective

Sunol Sciences

Manufacturers of Positioning Equipment and Antennas for
EMC and Wireless Testing

Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for maximizing programming efficiency of CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, announced today the availability of GibbsCAM VoluMillTM Solids, a new option for the high-speed- machining (HSM) of solid models directly within GibbsCAM. The VoluMill Solids option, an incremental enhancement to the GibbsCAM VoluMill Wireframe option, is fully integrated within GibbsCAM. As such, it allows GibbsCAM users to select solids, surfaces and facet bodies, to quickly and easily generate HSM toolpaths with ultra-high performance and efficiency. Typically, traditional roughing toolpaths are generated as parallel offsets (with sharp corners and transitions), which require stops, starts and variable speeds for optimizing motion to reduce tool wear and excessive tool loading. In contrast, VoluMill develops toolpaths optimized for volumetric material removal, based upon desirable material removal rates, by using continuous tangential motion, specialized contour ramping and adaptive feed rates to achieve the highest feeds and speeds possible. By leveling tool load, maintaining constant machine-tool motion and using high-speed-repositioning, the software produces more efficient toolpaths, extends tool life and significantly reduces cycle times. The GibbsCAM VoluMill Solids option provides users the ability to directly machine solid models, whether they are created in GibbsCAM, SolidWorks, Inventor, CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, Siemens NX or almost any other CAD system. VoluMill Solids is available immediately for the GibbsCAM 2010 and subsequent releases.

“We are quite pleased to be adding yet another tool to help our users increase efficiency and profits,” said Bill Gibbs, Gibbs and Associates company founder and president. “This new option is a testament to our commitment to our customers and their productivity.”

The GibbsCAM VoluMill Wireframe and Solids Package provides users volumetric material removal on solid, surface and wireframe models, and on any combination of part and stock boundaries. It supports an unlimited number of islands, tapered walls, variable pocket depths and variable island heights.

Additional key features that contribute to faster material removal, extended tool life and much shorter cycle times include:

• Programmed rate of material removal to keep tool and work piece temperature consistent, and to dissipate heat with chips

• Automatic feed rate adjustment and automatic depth of cut to maintain programmed material removal rate, eliminate excessive material conditions, and minimize tool wear, heat build-up and vibration

• Intelligent side milling and slot milling (with programmer override) to provide the fastest possible cycle time, with feed rates and Z-depth automatically adjusted in slot milling for constant material removal

• Smoothing radius to maximize tool utilization, minimize cycle time and extend programming flexibility

• Contour ramping to maximize material removal in tight areas, with safe access, while minimizing cycle time

• Up to 100% step-over to ensure complete cleanup without leaving any material standing

• Automatically applied special tool motion when tight spaces are detected to ensure fast clearing of small pockets

• Clean-up milling to allow a smaller tool to clean up material left by a larger tool in a previous operation

• High-speed-repositioning, with minimal clearance and no tool drag across machined floor, to maximize machine utilization and minimize cycle time

If you’re looking for the Justin Smoak(notes) party, please click here and have your photo ID ready.

We’ve been waiting for Clay Buchholz(notes) to become a reliable fantasy starter, if not an ace, for a couple of years now. Based on what he showed us Thursday against the Rangers, he’s pretty close to putting it all together.

Buchholz didn’t get a victory against Texas – the Rangers scratched three runs across in the top of the seventh while Boston was never able to solve C.J. Wilson(notes) and friends – but let’s not get hung up on the decision right now. The exciting thing is that Buchholz had his full arsenal working in this turn and it led to a dazzling 10-strikeout performance. Here, have a look. When Elvis Andrus(notes) heads to the bench shaking his head, he’s speaking for most of the Texas batters. Buchholz has some nasty stuff. "You can’t do too much better than that," said impressed catcher Victor Martinez. "He threw the ball great."

Buchholz now has 17 whiffs in his last two turns and he picked a nice time to find his best form – the Red Sox have a logjam in the rotation now that Daisuke Matsuzaka(notes) is ready to pitch again. Buchholz probably had a spot secured before his Thursday start but this effort solidifies things (Tim Wakefield(notes) is headed to the bullpen). And who knows, maybe a strong push to the 2010 season will make Buchholz a hot trade chip again if the Red Sox decide to make another run at Adrian Gonzalez(notes).

The AL East is a hellish place for a pitcher to make his living, but if Buchholz can keep his head on straight, he’s got enough stuff to keep the ERA under 4 and make a run at 170 or more strikeouts. And if he were to get traded out of the division (or out of the league), we’re looking at a must-start pitcher in any format, even in shallow mixed groups. He’s a recommended play at Toronto next week, a team that he beat three times in four starts last season.

• Carlos Guillen(notes) ran into some bad luck Thursday night – he injured his hamstring while on the way home with what should have been an easy run – and he’s headed for the disabled list. It’s not a gigantic loss for mixed leaguers, but Miguel Cabrera(notes) might feel the sting a little bit, losing some protection in the lineup. Brennan Boesch is coming up from Triple-A and will likely fall into a left-field platoon with Ryan Rayburn (Boesch gets the heavy side, Rayburn the lighter side).

Justin Verlander(notes) didn’t break out of his April slump but at least he got a victory for his mediocre effort in Orange County (5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 4 K). Verlander struggled with command for the entire night, which lead to a ton of foul balls (about a quarter of his pitches were fouled off) and a whopping 128 pitches for his short stint. The velocity is still in play and Verlander showed the same problems last April, so we’ll give him a pass for the moment. A home date with Minnesota comes next week.

• Anyone got a theory on Jake Peavy(notes)? We knew the move to the American League was going to be an added challenge for him, but he’s been anything but dominant through four starts (7.66 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 15 K, 15 BB). Peavy blames his early struggles on mechanical issues (doesn’t everybody?) and he thought he made some mild improvements in his Thursday turn, but they don’t show up in the summary. I’ll watch every one of his pitches in Texas next week and try to come up with a diagnosis for you.

• There’s not a lot to say about Milwaukee’s 20-0 tap dance at Pittsburgh; have fun with the box score if you’re tied to some Brewer bats. Pirates starting pitcher Daniel McCutchen(notes) shouldn’t be in the majors right now, obviously, though the Brewers laid the wood to four of the six guys they faced. Octavio Dotel(notes) was pressed into the dreaded "non-leverage inning of work" and made a mess (5 H, 4 R, 30 pitches).

• Mitch Talbot(notes) keeps doing his thing, shutting down the Twins over six innings Thursday (6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). He keeps the ball on the ground and had respectable strikeout numbers back when he was in the Tampa Bay system, but it’s been a little bit of a Houdini act so far in 2010 (eight walks against six strikeouts over 20 innings). I’m not making a mixed-league pickup here, and I’m not recommending him for Tuesday’s turn at Anaheim, either. If you’re on board with Talbot, please make your best case in the comments.

• We’ve seen four starts from Scott Baker(notes) thus far; two steps forward, two steps back. The Indians kicked him around for 10 hits and six runs Thursday afternoon, pushing his ERA up to 4.81. The strikeout-to-walk rate is in place, as it always is with Baker (15 whiffs, 5 walks), but opponents are squaring up too many of his hittable pitches (line drive rate of 24.1 percent). Unfortunately he misses the Royals this weekend; he’ll work at Detroit next week.

• Dallas Braden(notes) isn’t the easiest pitcher to peg right now; he won his third game Thursday with a strong effort against the Yanks and his ERA and WHIP get your attention (2.77, 0.85), but he hasn’t struck many batters out since that 10-spot in his first turn and he’s allowed four homers in his last three outings. At his best this is probably a poor man’s Mark Buehrle(notes), not a bad place to be but not an automatic addition in every mixed league.

• Another homer and two hits for Miguel Olivo(notes), who’s off to a peppy .303 start. From an offensive standpoint, there’s not much for a reason for the Rockies to waste at-bats on Chris Iannetta(notes) (4-for-27, eight strikeouts) right now.

Not an Injury Blog: Ryan Zimmerman(notes) (calf) didn’t play Thursday and has already been ruled out for Friday. … Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) had a CT scan Thursday and it was discovered that he has hairline fractures in four of his ribs. It’s not clear what this does to his return timetable. … Brad Hawpe(notes) has a sore quad and didn’t play Thursday. Jim Tracy never seems to mind injuries in the outfield, he likes shaping things up anyway. … Manny Ramirez(notes) still has plenty of oomph in his bat but his body looks all of 38 years old. He tweaked his calf injury Thursday and had to leave early; consider him day-to-day through the weekend. Reed Johnson(notes) might be needed for 250-300 at-bats this year as the Dodgers deal with the constant need for a Manny Caddy.

Speed Round: Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) mowed down the Nationals, as you’d expect (7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K), running his record to 4-0. … Does anyone believe that Livan Hernandez(notes) is only 35? Does anyone believe how well he’s pitched through three starts (0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP)? It’s been mostly a pitch-to-contact miracle, the type of thing you don’t bet on long term, but for the moment, it’s a cute story. … Another hitless day for Clint Barmes(notes), pushing his average down to .205. He should be thankful that Eric Young is off to an even worse start in Triple-A (.163/.255/.245). … Ike Davis(notes) led the way for the Mets (3-for-4, two runs) helping Johan Santana(notes) secure his second win. Tom Gorzelanny(notes) picked up seven strikeouts on the other side, but he also ran up the pitches quickly and couldn’t get out of the sixth (two unearned runs didn’t help. … Anibal Sanchez(notes) got through 6.2 innings at Houston with just one run, but with only one strikeout for the night, I’m not overly impressed. The free-swinging Astros did their best to help (another zero-walk game for those hackers). … Two more steals for Nelson Cruz(notes), who’s starting to have that 30-30 glow about him. … Neftali Feliz(notes) needed the night off for the Rangers so Darren Oliver(notes) got a working man’s save. No need to react to it, gamers . . . If triple plays are your thing, the Yankees defense made your day Thursday. They’re no big deal to me, just an example of what happens when some bad timing hits for the offense.

Click here to follow Roto Arcade on Facebook.

Just as Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein tells people they’re going to go it alone, and will survive just fine thankyouverymuch, we discover HTC has pulled out of the bidding race. How very convenient. Now, it’s up to Lenovo, claims Reuters. More »

With the launch of the new iPhone 4.0 Operating System (OS) scheduled for release, there is already excited speculation. IPhone manufacturer, Apple, is keeping tight-lipped about many of the alleged new features and has only gone into detail about a few, but they have claimed recently that the new 4.0 version will contain over 100 new end-user features. So what are these new features that Apple has disclosed?

What Apple has revealed about the iPhone 4.0 OS

This will not come as a shock, but Apple has boldly claimed that this new upgrade will be a big deal. A few months before the proposed release, it is time to bash the promotion drum and start dangling the carrot.

Apple is stating that the new 4.0 OS will offer more that 1500 new APIs for developers. The most interesting of these seems to be a new ability from the iPhone 4.0, for some apps to allow multitasking – albeit for specific purposes.

Multitasking with the iPhone 4.0 OS

Double-tapping the home button on the iPhone 4.0 will bring up an application switching tray. This tray shows active programs – like a dock for multitasking applications.

So you can now switch quickly between apps and not have to close one first, before opening another. The old app is simply suspended and waits silently in the background, ready to be used again. It is essentially frozen and therefore does not consume any valuable CPU power.

Other new features from the 4.0

• The new OS will now include folders, allowing a user to arrange applications into ordered files, by means of a simple drag-and-drop operation.
• Support for Bluetooth keyboards.
• Apple is making the e-reader application and iPad online bookstore available to the iPhone via the 4.0 OS. This will be scaled to fit the smaller screens.
• The ability to have mail from different email accounts dropped into one universal inbox.

As mentioned, Apple is not revealing too much right now but expect more “feature-leaks” as the release date approaches.

Some features that may not be so popular

• Adverts in applications – Apple has stated that the new OS will feature adverts in applications. These will be similar to those found in various web pages and search engine results. The likelihood is that they will take the form of apps within apps. This is great news for developers, who can agree to include these adverts within their apps and receive 60% of the revenue, but not necessarily good news for users.
• Backwards compatibility issues – If you own an iPhone 3G that was produced in 2009 and later then you will be fine. The iPhone 3G from 2008 can run the new 4.0 OS but will not be able to harness the new multitasking features. As of yet, there has been no official declaration as to whether non-3G, or previous, iPhones will be able to run the new OS, but it is doubtful.

More news to follow…

There are pros and cons to the new features of the 4.0 OS. Apple has so far only hinted at great things, but revealed very little. There is likely to be more announcements as the new OS nears its implementation date and though that has not been officially specified, it is thought to be in the coming months, as Apple usually brings out any new OS in June.

Related posts:

1. 7 Great Applications for Your iPhone 3GS Apple has done it again with the new iPhone 3GS….
2. Tutorial: jailbreak your iphone Jailbreak? First of all, what exactly is this jealbreak thing?…
3. iPhone OS 3.0 available NOW! As of now, you can download the latest version of…

The Flax Council of Canada Selects Cibus Global to Develop Non-Transgenic, Value-Added Crops | Business Wire