The lights dimmed, the sold-out hall grew hushed and out walked the conductor — shiny, white, 4 feet 3 inches tall.

ASIMO, a robot designed by Honda Motor Co., met its latest challenge Tuesday evening: Conducting the Detroit Symphony in a performance of “The Impossible Dream” from “Man of La

Mancha.”

“Hello, everyone,” ASIMO said to the audience in a childlike voice, then waved to the orchestra.

As it conducted, it perfectly mimicked the actions of a conductor, nodding its head at various sections and gesturing with one or both hands. ASIMO took a final bow to enthusiastic shouts from the audience.

“It is absolutely thrilling to perform with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This is a magnificent concert hall,” ASIMO said.

Later, cellist Yo-Yo Ma joined ASIMO onstage to receive an award for his efforts in music education. Ma bent to ASIMO’s height and shook the robot’s hand. Ma performed later on the program but didn’t take questions from the media about ASIMO.

Honda spokeswoman Alicia Jones said it was the first time ASIMO has conducted an orchestra, and it may be the first time any robot has conducted a live performance. ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.

ASIMO has its limits. ASIMO’s engineers programmed the robot to mimic Charles Burke, the Detroit Symphony’s education director, as he conducted the piece in front of a pianist about six months ago. But it can’t respond to the musicians.

During the first rehearsal, the orchestra lost its place when ASIMO began to slow the tempo, something a human conductor would have sensed and corrected, said bassist Larry Hutchinson.

“It’s not a communicative device. It simply is programmed to do a sense of gestures,” said Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra’s musical director. “If the orchestra decides to go faster, there’s nothing the robot can do about it. Hopefully, I keep that under control.”

But several musicians also said ASIMO was more realistic than they expected.

“The movements are still a little stiff, but very humanlike, much more fluid than I thought,” Hutchinson said.

Honda has been developing walking robots since 1986. The latest version of ASIMO debuted last year. Honda eventually intends its robots to be companions for the elderly and others in need, such as schoolchildren navigating crosswalks. ASIMO can run, walk on uneven slopes and respond to simple voice commands. It can also recognize faces with its camera eyes.

Honda brought the robot to Detroit to highlight its recent $1 million gift to the orchestra for a music education fund.

Solar company Konarka wants to bring plastics to life with the sun.

Konarka has developed technology to create rolls of plastic that can convert light to electricity–a design that will result in solar power being embedded in everything from flashing Coke bottles to wireless sensors, the company claims.

Earlier this month, Konarka said that it has demonstrated the use of inkjet printing to manufacture its solar cells. And at a recent investor conference here, chairman and founder Howard Berke described Konarka’s longer-term plans to embed small solar plastic cells in hundreds of products.

In the second half of this year, Berke said, Konarka will make its first shipments to customers and will announce the location of a factory.

Initially the company intends to make portable solar chargers for gadgets as well as self-powered sensors, lights, and smart cards. Farther down the road, it plans to make solar windows and power-generating cloth.

In four years, Berke said, the company intends to have products for the building-integrated photovoltaics (PV) market with “bifacial cells,” for placement on windows, that can convert electricity from both sides.

It is also working on a project, sponsored by the Department of Defense, to make fibers that can be woven into clothing, he said.

“You’ll be able to wear, carry, integrate PV,” said Berke. “Wherever plastics occur, you’ll have PV.”

But some solar industry watchers have become skeptical about whether this technology will ever live up to its promise. Konarka, founded in 2001, has raised several rounds of capital and taken government grants but still doesn’t have a commercial product.

Plastic solar cells have the advantage of being flexible, unlike traditional silicon, but they’re not nearly as efficient as rooftop panels.

Konarka’s cells, which are made with a roll-to-roll manufacturing process, convert about 5 percent of the light that hits them into electricity, whereas typically solar panels with silicon cells are 16 percent to 20 percent efficient.

But its organic photovoltaic cells can convert low light, can be tuned for specific wavelengths, and can work even when the light hits at a low angle, Berke said.

“We see this as next-generation thin-film PV technology and not competing with silicon,” he said.

The HD DVD is now the Highly Dead DVD.

Toshiba Corp., creator of the HD DVD, dropped out of the battle Tuesday over the next generation of movie-disc technology and conceded to Sony’s rival Blu-ray format.

It was the biggest battle between two video formats since Betamax lost out to VHS in the 1980s.

In the long run, the end of the latest format war is expected to be good for consumers, who will no longer have to agonize over which technology to choose for high-definition movies, and won’t have to go to the trouble and expense of buying two players.

But in the short term, Toshiba’s defeat not only leaves 1 million HD DVD customers worldwide with dead-end hardware but also ends a rivalry that kept down prices for players and pushed the Blu-ray group to match the features available on HD DVD players.

Analysts say people interested in getting a Blu-ray player would do well to wait. For one thing, it will take 12 to 18 months for Blu-ray players to become as cheap and full-featured as HD DVD players, which have been selling for just over $100, according to ABI Research.

Many people who did buy HD DVD players did so recently. In fact, Toshiba said the holiday season was its best ever. The fact that the PlayStation 3 console included a Blu-ray drive is one reason the format eventually won out. Sony Corp. sold 10.5 million PS3 machines since its 2006 debut.

But the real death knell for HD DVD was the last month’s decision by Warner Bros. Entertainment to drop the format and release only Blu-ray discs and DVDs.?”That had tremendous impact,” Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida said Tuesday in Tokyo. “If we had continued, that would have created problems for consumers, and we simply had no chance to win.”

Warner joined Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Co. and News Corp.’s Twentieth Century Fox in shunning the HD DVD, leaving Universal and Paramount Studios in the HD DVD camp. Universal on Tuesday said it would “focus” on releasing Blu-ray discs, but did not say if it would cease putting out HD DVDs.

After Warner’s announcement, Toshiba was initially defiant. It cut player prices and kept touting the format’s benefits. But the bad news kept rolling in. Last week, Netflix Inc. said it would cease carrying rentals in HD DVD. On Friday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would stop selling HD DVD players and discs.

Even with the HD DVD out of its way, Blu-ray isn’t likely to be the success that the DVD was, given the many viewing options consumers have.

The big advantage of the DVD over broadcast and cable has been that the viewer can choose when to watch what. But that advantage has been eroded by video-on-demand from cable companies, many of which are now in high definition. Comcast Corp., the country’s largest cable company, plans to offer more than 1,000 high-def movies this year.

Just last week, Apple Inc. upgraded its Apple TV set-top device to enable downloads of high-definition rental movies from the Internet. Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 game console also shows downloaded HD rentals.

“Blu-ray Disc has passed its first real test by beating HD-DVD,” wrote David Mercer, an analyst at Strategy Analytics in London. “But a much bigger challenge now lies ahead if BD is to become as successful as DVD, and content owners, retailers and manufacturers must now demonstrate that they can work together to promote BD effectively.”

The new MOTO Z10 is a complete, pocket-sized, mobile film studio. This stylish kick slider makes it easy to capture high-quality video, edit clips, create transitions between scenes and add title slides and a soundtrack?. Then, budding filmmakers can upload their creation to share with friends and family through any number of Web sites such as YouTube, Google, Yahoo! and ShoZu.

?With MOTO Z10, we are turning movie making and spontaneous creativity into social activities. Now, anyone can capture and share life?s moments from almost anywhere in the world and make their unique perspective a part of popular culture,? said Stu Reed, president, Motorola Mobile Devices.

In addition to creating videos, MOTO Z10 features great media playback capabilities. With a crystal-clear 2.2? QVGA screen that displays video at 30 frames per second in millions of colors, consumers can watch their own films or downloaded content2. The external storage slot will support an external memory card with up to 32GB of capacity, when available.

MOTO Z10 also takes great pictures. One press of the dedicated camera key launches the 3.2 megapixel camera in only 1.5 seconds. The Superfast burst mode captures up to three images a second, so consumers will never miss a frame of the action. The smart auto focus keeps pictures sharp while intelligent auto-save automatically names and saves images directly to the on-board media gallery or favorite media-sharing Web sites.

MOTO Z10 looks as sleek and stylish on the outside as it is feature-packed inside. The ergonomic design is built with premium quality materials, including spun stainless steel, polished metallic finish and soft-feel textures. With 3.5G HSDPA, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and Symbian/UIQ software, MOTO Z10 represents the next generation of mobile device technology for on-the-go content consumers and creators.

The MOTO Z10 is expected to be available in Q1 2008.

The Apple TV is actually a digital recording device with a 40 or 160 gigabyte hard drive.? It will let users wirelessly take downloaded video and photo content and watch it on big-screen televisions.? The Apple TV requires a 802.11a/b/g/n wireless network or a 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet wired network? connected to a broadband Internet connection.? Apple TV works with widescreen, enhanced-definition, or high-definition TVs.

Apple has reduced the Apple TV to $229 for the 40 gigabyre version, down from the previous $300 price tag.? You can expect a very aggressive full marketing campaign to move fast and steal away customers from industry rivals such as Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft and Vudo.? Apple has been successful in taking new media and software technologies and putting them directly into the mainstream.

The Nano is more than half the price of the next cheapest car in the world the QQ3 manufactured by Chery Automobiles and sold exclusively in the domestic market of China.? In India the $5200 Suzuki Maruti has been the cheapest auto available to Indians whose percaita incomes are just under $1,000.

Tata Motors founder Ratan Tata has been promising the 100,000 rupee ($2,500) auto for some time in spite of industry ridicule that the goal was not realistic.? On Thursday Jan. 10, 2008 Company Chairman Ratan Tata, introduced the Nano at India’s main auto show in New Delhi and told the crowd that “a promise is a promise”.

With a snub nose and a sloping roof, the world’s cheapest car can hold up to five people.? In the no frills basic version there’s no radio, no air bags, no passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper.? If you want air conditioning to cope with India’s brutal summers, you need to get the deluxe version.

At 10 feet long, the Nano is about 2 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper. Its 623-cubic-centimeter two-cylinder engine is estimated to produce about 35 horsepower, good for a top speed of 75 mph.

Though the price has created a buzz, critics say the Nano could lead to possibly millions more automobiles hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution.

The company has said it expects the car to revolutionize the auto industry, and analysts believe the Nano may force other manufacturers to lower their own pricing. French automaker Renault and its Japanese partner, Nissan Motor, are trying to determine whether they could sell a compact car for less than $3,000.

For now, the car will be sold only in India, but Tata has said it eventually hopes to export it. The Nano could become the basis for other similar supercheap models in developing markets around the world.

The plasma panel features an 8.84 million pixel image resolution. Its screen is the equivalent of nine 50-inch sets, with an effective viewing area of 11 feet, the company said. It’s a step up from Panasonic’s 103-inch version, which cost $70,000 when it launched. The company did not say in a news release how much the 150-inch panel will cost.

Panasonic’s other prototypes introduced at CES include a 42-inch panel that uses half the energy but stays as bright as its predessor, and an ultra-thin 50-inch panel that is less than an inch thick.
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Both plasma and LCD TVs have been selling well in the U.S. as consumers are switching out their old tube sets so they can watch high-definition TV and movies.

Panasonic also said it plans to bring videos from Google Inc.’s YouTube directly to its line of Internet-enabled high-definition plasma TV sets. The new Viera HDTVs also provide access to Google’s photo sharing site, Picasa.

Panasonic is a unit of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.

?An MP3 player review is an important resource for any potential buyer. It provides information on the product, having been tested by a range of people including experts and in a range of environments. The whole point of a review is that it allows the reader to get a well rounded outlook on a product before purchasing. Any basic MP3 player review should, therefore, give the reader clear information, considering the variety of users that may purchase the item and also the ways in which they may use it. The review is that meant to provide the best possible consumer information, and so the best type of review should give the reader the opportunity to make an informed choice about their purchase, and with confidence.

MP3 player reviews come in various styles. Some are simply tables with ratings clearly next to the criteria that are being considered. Others will consist of explanations and considerations of the various features, and also provide clear realistic examples to back up the opinion expressed. The best type of MP3 player review will provide both. This makes the review both easy to understand, will make the plus and minus points stand out, and also provide more in depth information on the device that catches the consumers eye. It will also have a clear and functional search facility that will narrow down the criteria that is most important to the buyer. This saves time and energy, and prevents unnecessary information being read.

Any review should consider a range of MP3 players within a range of price categories. The price should be clearly displayed as this is often one of the first criteria that will affect the consumer`s initial decision when choosing a product. It would be unfair to produce a review that enticed the buyer, only to show a price outside of the budget afterwards. The descriptions should place the MP3 player in the top, bottom or lowest end in terms of quality for the price category it fits. Consumers know that the higher priced models are probably the best in terms of quality and special features, but it is only the products within their price range that truly interests them.

MP3 player reviews should provide detailed information on the performance of the product, and compare it to others similar in both type and price. The sound quality should be tested thoroughly, with a range of music considered as the quality of sound will differ, for instance, with additional bass or a faster beat. The sound quality should also be tested in a variety of scenarios to ensure that most possible uses are considered; for instance, the sound quality when jogging may differ from the sound quality in a busy street. The sound should be tested through both MP3 player compatible speakers and headphones, as both are realistic possibilities.

The portability of the MP3 player is another major consideration. Size and weight can vary, and often matters a great deal to the buyer. Exact measurements should be provided where possible to give the clearest possible picture. In addition to this, the usability should be a major consideration. Some are more functional and easy to navigate than others. The buyer that is an MP3 player veteran will want a different product to that of a first time buyer.

Another consideration in any review should also be the durability, as potential buyers want to know that their chosen product is not only the best possible quality, but that it will also last. The battery life and the time taken to recharge is another important factor, and exact or average figures should be provided.

Liquid Crystal Display is all about flat panel television technology. The technology of liquid crystal display has penetrated our everyday life in everyday things like wristwatches, mobile

phones, calculators, computer monitors and high definition television. The use is growing rapidly and sales of LCD TV are expected to exceed 4 million in America alone.

There are some distinct advantages of LCD panels over other kinds of display technologies. They are slimmer and hardly go beyond 3.5“ in depth. These are lighter also and best of all they

draw less power – only about 60% of the power consumed by plasma displays. LCD televisions do not spew electromagnetic waves that are harmful.

There are drawbacks of course – viewing angle is restricted, contrast ratio is limited and time of display response may cause concern. The biggest frown of all is caused by the price. Although

it is falling but still it is considerably higher than its plasma counterpart.

LCD displays comprises mainly of sheets of polarized glass sheets – two in number. A liquid crystal solution is sandwiched between these. These liquid crystals are very specific that causes

them to act as shutters that open or shut out entry of light as the need arises depending upon flow of electric current. This current passing through the liquid crystals is regulated by voltage that is

applied between the glass sheets through the electrodes that are transparent. These form a network having rows on one direction of the panel and columns on the other side representing the

pixels or picture elements.

What are these liquid crystals? Matter can be found in three states – solid, liquid and gas. Nevertheless there are substances that exist in a state that is neither liquid nor solid at any one point of

time. The behaviour of these molecules is also peculiar. They keep to their orientation like those in a solid and yet they shuffle around taking up various positions like the molecules of a liquid.

Thus these liquid crystals can be termed neither solid nor liquid though they have more of an affinity for the latter – that is the liquid state.

There are various types of liquid crystals with each having its distinct properties. Those used in LCD panels are termed nematic-phase liquid crystals. The molecules are arranged in a

particular fashion having distinctive pattern.

LCD display systems are of two types – passive and active matrix. The former is more complicated, produces the best pictures and consequently the price also goes up. During the

manufacturing stage bad-pixels pose a serious problem. Innumerable controlling transistors are required on the glass substrata to control each sub-pixel. A typical wide screen panel will

require 3.1 million transistors. Any one faulty transistor cannot be replaced and are known as dead or stuck pixels. If one is permanently off then a black spot will show and if it is on then a white

spot will show. If it crosses a certain number the whole unit will have to be discarded.

It was during the early 2000`s that LCD flat panels took over the television market from the typical CRT`s. The basis of the technology is founded on the characteristics of polarized light. The thin

semi liquid crystal gel trapped between two slim polarized sheets is divided into pixels.

There is hectic activity to overcome the technological difficulties to make the set affordable. So the LCD TV has to be made affordable to hit the headlines of success.