Glass
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Octogenarian suing Apple after walking into glass door at Apple Store
Those glass walls and doors at Apple Stores can be a hazard. Although the company installed white "crash graphics" (see photo above) on the glass walls and doors of many stores last year to prevent such an occurrence, 83 year-old Evelyn Paswell walked into the doors of the Apple Store Manhasset on Long Island and broke her nose. The octogenarian is now suing Apple for US$75,000 for medical expenses plus $1 million in punitive damages for negligence. The crash graphics were installed after several similar incidents. A video taken on St. Patrick's Day, 2010 at an undisclosed store shows a person walking right into a glass wall and falling to the ground, and a similar event happened the night before the opening of the Lincoln Park (Chicago) Apple Store in 2010. Paswall's lawsuit claims that "the defendant was negligent ... in allowing a clear, see-through glass wall and/or door to exist without proper warning." If the Manhasset store was equipped with crash graphics on the glass, that might be seen as "proper warning." We'll keep an eye on this story as it develops.
Apple patent app portends gadgets made of glass
Thought all those shattered screens and iPhone 4 backplates would push Apple towards making mobile devices machined from aluminum like its laptops and tablets? Think again, friends, because a newly published patent application from Cupertino indicates the company is considering crafting portable computing devices out of glass. The app claims a "substantially seamless enclosure . . . extruded in its entirety with glass material" so that wireless signals can freely flow to and fro, along with a method for manufacturing such a device. Naturally, this is only an application, and it doesn't say exactly what kind of super-durable glass would make this a desirous design change. So, who knows if we'll ever see an all-glass exterior on an iPhone or iPod, but you can get a more in-depth peek at that potential future at the source link below. You can also get a glance at what'll be Android's new anthem should that glass-filled future come to pass after the break.
Apple, Steve Jobs win patents for Shanghai Apple Store design
Apple is constantly adding patents to its portfolio of intellectual property, many of which are not directly associated with the design or operation of the consumer electronics products the company makes. Patently Apple reported today on a patent awarded to the company and late founder and CEO Steve Jobs for the design of the Apple Store, Pudong in Shanghai, China. Like the 5th Avenue store in Manhattan, the Shanghai store is primarily underground, with a clear glass structure above ground. Instead of a giant glass cube a la 5th Avenue, the Shanghai store features a large glass cylinder. The store was designed by architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects, but Apple and specifically Steve Jobs were singled out for the idea of the giant curved glass panels that make up the cylinder. Other Apple notables listed as inventors on the patent include senior director of Real Estate and Development Benjamin Fay and ex-VP of Retail Operations Ron Johnson. Steve's fascination with large curved glass panels in architecture is also reflected in the design of the still-to-be-constructed world headquarters in Cupertino.
Tamron and Kenko bring third-party glass to the Micro Four Thirds bash
The fresh trend of Micro Four Thirds shooters is on the rise, thus it shouldn't come as a surprise that more glass-makers are jumping on the MFT bandwagon. Joining the likes of Panasonic, Olympus and Kodak as part of the Micro Four Thirds Group, is a trifecta of third-party lens manufacturers: Tamron, Kenko Tokina and ASTRODESIGN. Following closely behind rival Sigma, the newcomers are looking to make a dent in the four-thirds universe. Better late than never, right? There's still no sign of these optics being available for you to stack in your camera bag, but the news just came in, so it shouldn't be too long before you can get some extra glass for your shiny new GX1.
Corning Gorilla Glass 2 hands-on (video)
Corning's got some new Gorilla Glass on display here at CES, and it's really, really durable. How durable? Durable enough to stonewall our best attempts to crack it. And we lift weights. We got the chance to test out the latest Gorilla Glass 2 during a demonstration at Pepcom this evening, and found out that the company's fresh glass is about 20 percent stronger than its predecessor. In fact, it didn't even crack under 120 pounds of pressure, which is like, a third of what we bench. Do yourself a solid and check out the gallery below, followed by the olympic video, after the break.
Tamron unveils 18-200mm E-mount lens, ups your NEX glass selections
With a whopping total of eight official lens choices (and two wide angle converters), saying that Sony's NEX cameras could use a few more options in the decent glass category would be putting it lightly. Thankfully, Tamron today announced its latest zoom lens, the BO11 18-200MM F/3.5-6.3 DI III VC, which is made specifically for E-mount shooters. The BO11 weighs in at just over a pound and features a built-in stepping autofocus motor, along with Tamron's moving coil-equipped Vibration Compensation technology -- a must given that Sony's NEX shooters rely on their lenses for image stabilization. While there's no mention of price, the lens will be shipping to dealers starting December 15th and you'll have your choice of either black or silver. Of course, we'd be remiss not to point out the option of lens mount adapters, but if you're set on dedicated solutions you'll the full press release just past the break. Update: Tamron has announced pricing at $739.
German researchers create smudge repellent coating from candle soot
While they're working on the lack of feedback, and need for exposed skin problems for touch screens, that other gripe -- dirty smudges -- could soon be wiped-out permanently. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz obviously had enough of sleeve-cleaning their devices and created a coating that could usher in a smudge-free world. The discovery comes after the team applied candle soot to glass and then coated it in silica to keep it in place. The glass is then heated to a bratwurst-baking 600 ºC for calcination, which makes the soot transparent -- somewhat handy for screens. To test, different oils and solvents were applied, but the glass' superamphiphobic properties soon fended them off. A resilient coating sounds a little more straight-forward than what Apple recently applied to patent, but until either of these see the light of day, you'd better keep that Brasso close by.
Insert Coin: Prototype peripherals incorporate no moving parts, multitouch functionality and freaking lasers
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. When in doubt, strip out the moving parts and see what you wind up with. This is the idea inventor Jason Giddings is following as he turns to Kickstarter to help fund the prototype creation for a glass keyboard and mouse, both sporting multitouch functionality. The design uses the same biometric systems that currently capture fingerprints on assorted trackpads and keyboards, and uses a technique known as Frustrated Total Internal Reflection -- which incorporates a series of LEDs on the bottom of a device -- to bounce infrared light beams around the inside of the glass. This process is interrupted when a finger touches the glass, wherein a simple embedded camera captures the event, processes where the keystroke, mouse click or gesture took place and relays the signal to the computer.
Apple patent application aims to keep iPhones shatter-proof with shock mounted glass
From 'smart' pens to a smarter Siri, Apple's always attempting to find new ways to improve the iPhone, and the company's latest patent application wants to keep its crack-prone glass blemish free. Aptly named a "shock mounting cover glass in consumer electronic devices," the invention claims a tunable shock mount sandwiched between the phone's glass and other hardware. There's also plans for a sensor that can distinguish a "drop event" from normal phone movements and an actuator to prepare the shock mount for impact. Given that it's only at the application stage, we won't be seeing bombproof iPhone displays any time soon, but here's hoping it'll become a product reality someday. Mostly so we can see just how much of a beating it can take.
Apple reveals new glass cube at 5th Avenue Apple Store
The revamped glass cube entrance of New York City's 5th Avenue Apple Store has been revealed. While the store didn't officially open until 10:00 AM Eastern time, work was finished on the cube earlier this morning, revealing the new, streamlined structure. According to the store's web page, it closed at 10:00 PM last night so that final renovations could be completed. MacRumors has published pictures of the new cube that were taken this morning. The new structure is made of 15 large panes of glass (the original cube used 90 panes of glass) and offers a stunning, streamlined appearance. The reconstruction began in June, 2010 and is reported to have cost US$6 million. The original cube (below) cost $7 million to construct.
'Invisible glass' could reduce display glare, fails as food-in-teeth mirror
There's nothing worse (seriously, it's scientifically proven) than catching some serious glare on your smartphone, unless you're checking for spinach in your teeth -- but thanks to Nippon Electric Glass' new "invisible glass," an overly reflective surface may be a problem of the past. According to our friends at Tech-On, the company has developed a new type of vitrine that reduces glare by using a special film on each side of the substrate, which allows more light to pass through the layers rather than bounce off the surface. Normal glass reflects around eight percent of light, while the new variety only rebounds 0.5 percent, dramatically reducing the luminous reflectance to around 0.1 percent or lower. Looks like your yearning to purchase this thing is finally justified.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus confirmed to have 'fortified glass,' not Gorilla Glass
For all the talk of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in recent days, there's still quite a few questions surrounding the flagship Ice Cream Sandwich phone. Last week we learned that the phone's 4.65-inch screen was a standard Super AMOLED display and not a Super AMOLED Plus variation (as seen on the Galaxy S II), and now Corning has confirmed that the device doesn't use its trademark Gorilla Glass as you may have assumed given its high-end status. According to Samsung, however, it does use a type of "fortified glass," but the company isn't getting any more specific than that. We guess we'll have to wait for some stress tests (or clumsy hands) to see just how well it holds up.
Corning peels back the petals on Lotus Glass, promises low-power, high performance
The glass masters over at Corning are at it again. The same company that unleashed Gorilla Glass upon the world has now come out with a brand new, albeit less ferocious-sounding material, known as Corning Lotus Glass. Designed with LCD and OLED displays in mind, this substrate promises to deliver pristine picture quality without sucking up too much power. According to Corning, this performance is largely due to Lotus' thermal and dimensional stability, which allows for greater resolution and speedier response times. These thermal properties also allow it to maintain its form during especially hot processing, thereby avoiding any nasty warping effects. Corning Lotus Glass has already launched into production, but there's no word yet on when we can expect to see it pop up in commercial products. Head past the break for a rather florid press release.
5th Avenue Apple Store new glass unloading: Video and pics
As astute TUAW readers know, the flagship 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City is being renovated. The glass cube is being rebuilt, this time out of 15 huge panes of glass instead of the 90 that were in place. While construction is going on, the store is still open 24/7. One of our readers, Justin Parmer, was in the Big Apple and on hand as construction crews began unloading the huge glass panels. He took several photos of the process, and then shot some video as well (the video has been sped up by Parmer). Apple and the architects working on designing the Apple Stores have been making great use of large expanses of glass. The cylindrical store in Shanghai, China uses curved glass panels that are thought to be some of the largest manufactured to date, and the new Apple Headquarters campus in Cupertino, California will make good use of the same manufacturing process. A close-up look at the glass being held by the workers shows that it is about two inches thick, and it certainly can't be lightweight. Many thanks to Justin for providing the photos and video.
Nano-structured glass creates new type of computer memory
We've sure come a long way since frying ants with a magnifying glass. Researchers at the University of Southampton used nano-structures to create millimeter-sized "monolithic glass space-variant polarization converters," which ultimately changes the way light travels through and is stored in glass. These "whirlpools" of light data can be read like information stored in optical fibers -- allowing for "more precise laser material processing, optical manipulation of atom-sized objects, ultra-high resolution imaging and potentially, table-top particle accelerators." (Does that mean we all get one of these on our desks?) This new five dimensional approach is reusable, twenty times cheaper and more compact compared to old methods of microscopy using a spatial light modulator, making it a win-win. Check out the full PR after the fold. [Thanks, Adam]
Solar Sinter solar-powered 3D printer turns sand into glass, renews our faith in higher education (video)
Where would we be without the world's graduate art projects? In the case of Markus Kayser's Solar Sinter, we might never have seen the day when a solar-powered 3D printer would turn Saharan sand into a perfectly suitable glass bowl. Well, lucky for us (we suppose) we live in a world overflowing with MA students, and awash in their often confusing, sometimes inspiring projects. Solar Sinter, now on display at the Royal College of Art, falls into the latter category, taking the Earth's natural elements, and turning them into functioning pieces of a burgeoning technology. Solar Sinter uses the sun's rays in place of a laser and sand in place of resin, in a process that is perhaps more visually stunning than the results. See for yourself in the video after the break.
Gecko-inspired water-powered robot scales glass, washes windows (sort of)
We've seen some pretty impressive Spidey-like robots in our time, but honestly, crawling walls isn't always enough to pique or interest. A robot that can scale buildings and wash windows -- now that's something to get excited about. Like this little wall climber, the gecko-inspired machine enlists the Bernoulli principle, using the flow of water through fluidic vacuum generators that allow the reptilian robot to get a grip on smooth surfaces. Next, the water is directed through a solenoid valve to a piston in the robot's spine, and finally, the excess liquid is expelled and used to get glass gleaming. Currently, the little machine is capable of carrying twice its weight, and uses a small battery to power a "wireless communication system" and the servos used to control its direction. We're definitely intrigued, but judging from the video (after the break), we're pretty sure it's no match for flesh and blood window washers.
Climbing robot can scale walls on a supersonic stream of air, won't leave fingerprints behind
There are plenty of wall climbing robots roaming the Earth, but few can scale heights as gracefully as this little guy can. Developed by researchers at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, this bot can wind its way across any glass, metal or cloth terrain, without even touching its pods to the surface. The secret lies in Bernoulli's Principle, which states that as the speed of a fluid increases, its pressure decreases. This phenomenon also applies to streams of air, which, when moving at high speeds around of a circular gripper, can create a vacuum strong enough to hold things without actually touching them. In this case, air shoots out of the robot's feet at more than 2,000 miles per hour, creating enough pressure to lift the craft, while holding it close to the wall. The technology isn't new, but rarely can it support the weight of an entire device -- let alone the extra cargo that this climber's non-contact adhesive pads can hold. Researchers say the supersonic grippers will be available in "some months" and will probably cost "a few hundred dollars." As for the bot itself, Canterbury's engineers envision it being used for industrial inspections -- though the more we think about it, the more we realize just how dirty our windows are. Video after the break.
iPhone 5 may feature curved glass screen, continue iPod nano legacy
DigiTimes has been canvassing its manufacturing industry sources again, and today it's managed to extract some intel regarding Apple's typically secretive supply chain. Steve Jobs' team are said to have purchased between 200 and 300 glass-cutting machines, specifically in order to use them to slice up curved glass display covers for the iPhone 5. This move has apparently been in an effort to accelerate production, with glass makers reportedly showing a reluctance to buy the machinery themselves due to its prohibitive cost. Lest you think this sense of urgency might accelerate the iPhone 5 from its earlier-rumored September launch, DigiTimes also reports that yields of curved glass are not yet good enough to start using said fancy machines. So the iPhone may be headed for the same curvacious look as we've already seen on Dell's Venue and HTC's Sensation (or maybe even the concavity of the Nexus S), but as is Apple's wont, it looks like that will be done with a tailor-made, custom solution. At least those Cupertino designers have a couple of generations of curved iPod nano screens under their belt, giving them a good idea of how to handle the atypical glass frontage. Now if we could just have a good idea of when this phone will actually be on sale...
Dutchman integrates a 4.5GHz water-cooled rig into his d3sk
Cooler Master's 2011 Case Mod Competition looks to be the gift that keeps on giving. After serving up a Tron lightcycle and an architectural marvel, it's now playing host to a mod that redefines the idea of an all-in-one PC. Peter from the Netherlands has managed to fit a pretty bombastic set of components -- 4.5GHz Core i7-980X, two ASUS GeForce GTX 580 graphics cards in SLI, over 12TB of storage with an SSD boot disk, and two PSUs providing 1,500W of power in total -- together with a water-cooling setup and the inevitable glowing lights inside one enclosure, which just so happens to also serve as his desk. The three-piece monitor setup is also a custom arrangement, with a 27-inch U2711 IPS panel being flanked by two 17-inchers. Admittedly, this isn't the first water-cooled and over-powered desk we've laid eyes on, but that shouldn't prevent you from giving the links below a bash and checking out the amazingly neat design of Peter's l3p d3sk.
