Scientists use laser beams to turn simple crystals into transparent electronics

Why it matters to you

Optically drawn electronics could make for some innovative new circuit designs, potentially allowing them to be rewritten in the future.

Giving us further hope for a future without silicon circuitry, researchers have shown that transparent, photoconductive crystals can become conductors in when exposed to light. So much so in fact, that one test saw researchers use a laser to ‘draw’ an electrical pathway on a crystal that made it capable of electrical conductivity, potentially leading to the creation of transparent electronics in the future.

Although it has been previously shown that photoconductive materials saw an increase in their electrical conductivity following the exposure to light, conditions required to create a viable use for it weren’t exactly pleasant. Tests with simple memory storage devices only worked under extreme cooling, suggesting the practical applications were limited.

This latest breakthrough by Washington State University suddenly makes the technology look more viable.

In the test, researchers took an annealed crystal of strontium titanate (STO) and noted that when exposed to light at room temperature, its resistance decreased by three orders of magnitude, and free electron concentration increased by a factor of several hundred (via Nature). In short, it became conductive enough use in electronics.

That improved conductivity was maintained for several days afterwards, even when the crystal was stored in a dark environment.

Taking the experiment a step further, researchers were able to ‘draw’ a path of low resistance on the crystal using a laser beam. That improved conductivity along the ‘circuit’ on the crystal, opens up the possibility for the creation of transparent electronic circuits that could be erased through heating.

Although there was some increase in resistance over successive days, it was marginal, and the light exposure appeared to have a long-term effect on the crystal’s conductivity.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-07090-2/figures/6

What’s most impressive about this test, is that resistance could be gradually reduced between two points. Exposing the first point to the laser created a noticeable reduction in resistance between the two, but it was only in exposing both of them that resistance really fell. While exposing the path between them had a dramatic effect itself, it was not as effective as exposing the two contact points.

Although this sort of research is still in its very early stages, it shows potential and those behind it believe that it could one day lead to the creation of transparent electronics that could be erased and re-written. If possible, it would offer a rare alternative to silicon.

Scientists use laser beams to turn simple crystals into transparent electronics

Why it matters to you

Optically drawn electronics could make for some innovative new circuit designs, potentially allowing them to be rewritten in the future.

Giving us further hope for a future without silicon circuitry, researchers have shown that transparent, photoconductive crystals can become conductors in when exposed to light. So much so in fact, that one test saw researchers use a laser to ‘draw’ an electrical pathway on a crystal that made it capable of electrical conductivity, potentially leading to the creation of transparent electronics in the future.

Although it has been previously shown that photoconductive materials saw an increase in their electrical conductivity following the exposure to light, conditions required to create a viable use for it weren’t exactly pleasant. Tests with simple memory storage devices only worked under extreme cooling, suggesting the practical applications were limited.

This latest breakthrough by Washington State University suddenly makes the technology look more viable.

In the test, researchers took an annealed crystal of strontium titanate (STO) and noted that when exposed to light at room temperature, its resistance decreased by three orders of magnitude, and free electron concentration increased by a factor of several hundred (via Nature). In short, it became conductive enough use in electronics.

That improved conductivity was maintained for several days afterwards, even when the crystal was stored in a dark environment.

Taking the experiment a step further, researchers were able to ‘draw’ a path of low resistance on the crystal using a laser beam. That improved conductivity along the ‘circuit’ on the crystal, opens up the possibility for the creation of transparent electronic circuits that could be erased through heating.

Although there was some increase in resistance over successive days, it was marginal, and the light exposure appeared to have a long-term effect on the crystal’s conductivity.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-07090-2/figures/6

What’s most impressive about this test, is that resistance could be gradually reduced between two points. Exposing the first point to the laser created a noticeable reduction in resistance between the two, but it was only in exposing both of them that resistance really fell. While exposing the path between them had a dramatic effect itself, it was not as effective as exposing the two contact points.

Although this sort of research is still in its very early stages, it shows potential and those behind it believe that it could one day lead to the creation of transparent electronics that could be erased and re-written. If possible, it would offer a rare alternative to silicon.

During the eclipse, researchers will study the potential for life on Mars

Why it matters to you

The 2017 solar eclipse offers a scientists a chance to study the environmental limits for terrestrial life.

This August 21, during the Great American Eclipse, most sky-gazers will have their eyes set on the moon and the sun. At the same time, researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center will focus their attention on life on Mars.

On the big day, the research team will conduct MicroSat, an inexpensive experiment using 34 high-altitude balloons to simulate a Mars-like environment and test how well life can survive there.

“The August solar eclipse gives us a rare opportunity to study the stratosphere when it’s even more Mars-like than usual,” Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA, said in a statement. “With student teams flying balloon payloads from dozens of points along the path of totality, we’ll study effects on microorganisms that are coming along for the ride.”

At the surface of Mars, the atmosphere is 100 times thinner than that on Earth. As such, it’s also cooler and subject to more radiation. The upper part of Earth’s stratosphere, where the balloons will be floating, is just above the protective ozone layer and subsequently has similar features. The balloons will be met with temperatures of at least minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit and pressure about 100 times less than that found at sea level.

For the research, NASA will offer the teams two small metal cards with harmless but resilient bacteria dried onto their surface. One card will hitch a ride with a balloon and the other will remain on Earth. By comparing the bacteria on the two cards, the scientists will be able to assess what exposure to a Mars-like atmosphere does to similar organisms.

The Mars study will be made possible thanks to a group led by Montana State University’s Angela Des Jardins. Des Jardins and her team will launch over 50 high-altitude balloons across the United States. As a part of NASA’s Eclipse Balloon Project, the balloons will beam back live-streamed footage from the edge of space.

“Total solar eclipses are rare and awe-inspiring events. Nobody has ever live-streamed aerial video footage of a total solar eclipse before,” Des Jardins said in a statement. “By live-streaming it on the internet, we are providing people across the world an opportunity to experience the eclipse in a unique way, even if they are not able to see the eclipse directly.”

Newly discovered exploit can move malware between devices over the air

Why it matters to you

An exploit like this one — carried out remotely, that moves from device to device regardless of platform — could pose a catastrophic risk to security.

Despite Apple’s and Google’s best efforts to keep our smartphones safe, new vulnerabilities always crop up. Traditionally, they are exclusive to a device, or maybe several versions of a device’s firmware — and hopefully, they are dealt with swiftly. Unfortunately, a new gap has been discovered that transcends operating systems, delivering malware in a way we have not seen before.

The exploit attacks a phone’s Wi-Fi chip and because multiple manufacturers source their wireless equipment from the same company, it can be carried out across devices. Broadcom produces the tech used in some of the market’s top devices, like the Galaxy, Nexus, and iPhone brands. Appropriately, the scheme has been named “Broadpwn,” according to The Guardian.

Researcher Nitay Artenstein revealed the flaw at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas on Thursday. Fortunately, it has just been patched. If you have updated to the recently released iOS 10.3.3 or Android’s July security fix, your phone is no longer susceptible to the attack.

As for how it works, hackers have been able to take advantage of common flaws found in a number of Broadcom’s chips to write and push code that can directly inhibit a phone’s Wi-Fi capabilities. Through this, they gain full control over the component and can even engineer the malware to self-replicate and automatically move to the next-closest device all on its own.

According to Artenstein, the method requires very little intervention on the part of the hacker. Everything can be carried out remotely, without knowledge of the specific device being targeted. It is so discreet, there is no sign to tip the owner off that they have been infected.

It sounds like a doomsday scenario — especially the self-replicating part — though thankfully the exploit only concerns the Wi-Fi chip and cannot be used to gain access to the device at this time.

While the vulnerability has been patched for users of the newest devices receiving the latest security updates, owners of older hardware will regrettably be left out in the cold. Under Google’s current policy for its own products, like the Pixel, system updates are no longer issued two years after release, while security updates wrap up after three. That is standard practice in the Android industry and unfortunately, the best owners can really hope for. Most manufacturers struggle to get crucial updates out in a timely manner and some never even get around to it.

PC Guardians unite! ‘Destiny 2’ PC beta opens up on August 28

Why it matters to you

Destiny 2’s PC beta is only a few weeks away, check the specifications to make sure your system is up to snuff.

PC gamers, it is time to ditch your warehouses full of useless Destiny guns for good, as the first chance for you to play Destiny 2 starts August 28. The beta will offer a glimpse of the full game’s new and expansive gameplay in both cooperative and competitive multiplayer.

A much-hyped title for some time now, Destiny 2 is set to debut on consoles first before its eventual launch on the PC. Its pre-release testing period has been much the same, with PS4 and Xbox One gamers given a chance to dive into the beta ahead of their PC counterparts between July 18 and 25, following an extension.

Bungie has not released any stats about that beta yet, but it does give us an idea of what we can expect in the PC version. It will give gamers a taste of the final game experience, letting players take on Destiny 2‘s first campaign mission called Homecoming, a three-player strike called The Inverted Spire, and a pair of additional competitive multiplayer modes, Control and Countdown, according to Polygon.

To make sure everyone is ready to dive into the beta, Bungie also released recommended and minimum specifications for it. It did clarify that these are beta only specifications and may not be reflective of requirements for the final game.

Minimum specifications

CPU
Intel Core i3-3250, AMD FX-4350 or better
Graphics
Nvidia GTX 660 2GB, AMD HD 7850 2GB or better
Memory
6GB or more

Recommended specifications

CPU
Intel Core i5-2400, AMD Ryzen R6 1600X or better
Graphics
Nvidia GTX 970, AMD R9 390 or better
Memory
8GB or more

If you want to run Destiny 2 at its best, Bungie also offered a few upgrade recommendations for players looking to get themselves ready, though it appears to have some brand loyalty in its suggestions. Among recommendations for Nvidia GTX 1060s and Intel Core-i5 7400s, there was not an AMD CPU or graphics card to be found.

Whether your PC easily outstrips these recommendations though, or you are languishing toward the minimum end of the spectrum, you can look forward to enjoying the Destiny 2 beta in a month. It launches for those with pre-orders on August 28, opening up to all players on the 29th and comes to a close on August 31.

If that still seems a long way away, consider reading through Bungie’s guide on setting up clans in Destiny 2. They will play a major part in the game and there will be plenty of new tools to help manage yours in the future.

Destiny 2 launches on consoles on September 6 and on PC on October 24.

De-lidded Threadripper processors look a lot like AMD’s Epyc chips

Why it matters to you

Now that Threadripper processors are out in the wild, we’re about to learn plenty more about how they fit into AMD’s range of high-end components.

This week saw the release of AMD’s Ryzen 3 chips, with the affordable 1200 and 1300X models hitting the scene. Alongside that expansion of the Ryzen family, AMD is also starting to field its Threadripper processors in pre-built systems, ahead of a standalone release for the components scheduled for early August.

That’s too long to wait for PC builders who are curious about what the Threadripper line has to offer, and so noted overclocking specialist der8auer set about de-lidding one of the processors to see what’s under the hood. Thanks to his efforts, we now know a little bit more about what to expect from these components.

Der8auer had to work outside of his comfort zone to gain access to the inner workings of the chip, according to a report from Hexus. He was on the road when he managed to get his hands on the processor, so rather than his standard set of tools, he was forced to make use of several razor blades and a pair of hot air soldering guns.

The lid didn’t come away as easily as expected when 180-degree heat was applied, despite the temperature being slightly higher than the melting point of indium solder. There were some concerns about damaging the chip itself, but in the end a combination of pressure from above and several razor blades did the job.

Inside the component, der8auer found something rather surprising — rather than the two dies he was anticipating, there were four, resembling the layout of AMD’s Epyc chips. He attempted to use temperature probes to figure out which dies were active when the chip was in use, but unfortunately it failed shortly after being powered on, likely as a result of the de-lidding process.

AMD did provide some more details on the construction to Hexus. Apparently, two of the four dies in the 16-core 32-thread chip are completely unused.

We’ll know more about the specifics of the Threadripper line when the high-end CPU is made available next month. At present, the parts are only available as part of pre-assembled PCs offered by companies like Dell and CyberPowerPC, as documented by Tech Report.

Become a full stack coder for only $15

The online industry has got to be one of, if not the biggest in the world. So many companies are moving to completely online models, and that means that fine websites abound. There is so much work in web development that everyone and his brother can build a site, but can they build a good site and maintain it well? If you want to get a foot in the interweb development door, you’ll need great fundamentals and solid knowledge of coding so that you can create websites that stand out among the billion.

Become a full stack coder for only $15 Learn more

Sure, you could go to a university or college and take a computer course, but you might need to take a multi-year program, and the short courses offered likely don’t cover everything you need to truly succeed. You would also have to abide by the schedule of whichever institution. But if you have a full-time job, how can you go to school during the week?

Through Android Digital Offers, you can learn to be a full stack coder with the Complete Web Developer Course. This course, which provides 28 hours of instruction, regularly retails for $199, but you can enroll at Android Central Digital Offers for only $14.99, a savings of 92%.

Through the Complete Web Developer Course, you’ll learn to build 14 websites, starting with the fundamentals of HTML and then moving on to CSS, Javascript, jQuery, Twitter Bootstrap, WordPress, PHP, MySQL, APIs, Mobile apps, and more. If you’re ever had an interest in coding and web development, now’s your chance to test the waters and learn everything you need to know for only $14.99.

Become a full stack coder for only $15 Learn more

Unlocked BlackBerry KEYone now available in Canada from Walmart

Grab a KEYone while you grab a rotisserie chicken.

When the BlackBerry KEYone was initially announced as coming in an unlocked version in Canada, BlackBerry Mobile planned to have the device available starting in June but that release eventually got pushed to ‘later this summer’ due carrier partner demand. It’s now later this summer, and Walmart has begun selling the KEYone unlocked in Canada.

Through the Walmart site, unlocked versions of the BlackBerry KEYone are available for $650 with free shipping and can be received in as little as two days depending on where you live, and while there’s no indication of how many Walmart has available, right now, the site does state they are ‘in stock’. For how long? Not sure, but probably best to not wait if you’ve been holding out for an unlocked version to be available in Canada.

Folks in the CrackBerry Forums have already got their shipping notices.

See at Walmart

Users are reporting that DTEK60 devices were being shipped rather than KEYone units due to what looks like a UPC listing error on Walmarts end. BlackBerry Mobile’s last update made clear that KEYone would be available unlocked in Canada later this summer. There is a new listing on Walmart CA that has KEYone at $729 and is currently out of stock… Developing.

Deal: Grab the LG Watch Style for just $140

Excellent Style at a stylish price.

The LG Watch Style has seen another price cut, and it should put the simple-yet-satisfying watch back on a lot of folks’ radar at this price. eBay has a vendor selling the LG Watch Style in Silver for $140.

The LG Watch Style isn’t the most future-proofed Android 2.0 watch on the market, but it’s small, comfortable, and runs Wear 2.0 smoothly for your entire day. There’s regrettably no NFC, heart-rate monitoring, or GPS, but the Style is sleek and easily blends into both business casual and everyday outfits easily. It also quite easily adapts to a large variety of bands and wardrobes to fit in whether you’re dressed for business or pleaure.

In short, it’s not ugly as sin and will get the job done for most of us who don’t have wrists the size of coffee mugs. With this sale, it’s finally down to a price that most of us are willing to pay for one. $140 isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but for a watch without all the bells and whistles that’s still pretty new and quite spry, it’s more than reasonable.

See at eBay

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

What are you looking forward to with Android O? [Roundtable]

Changes big and small are coming to Android and these are our favorites.

Android O will soon be here, though it will take a while for most of us to see it.

With it comes more of the tweaks under the hood with each release: changes to make batteries last longer, apps run better, and to keep our information safer. But there is also a lot of other cool stuff there! Things that sound small but will make a big difference like better ways to manage fonts and emojis, as well as bigger changes like new ways to show notifications.

Everyone has a favorite feature from the list of changes, and that’s what we’re going around the table with this week. See what we’re most looking forward to when Android O arrives.

Jerry Hildenbrand

I have two things, but they kind of go together so it’s not cheating. The new window controls like picture-in-picture combined with new ways to use the keyboard mean developers can build apps that work even better on Chromebooks.

It’s great that Android works on Chrome OS. But it would be even greater-er if a few changes in the way you can position multiple apps on the big screen were to happen, and we had some dedicated keyboard shortcuts to flip through them or bring one into focus. To do that, we needed both of these changes.

Of course, it’s going to depend on more than just the changes being in the code. Developers will have to do their part and Google will need to integrate everything in a way that doesn’t break everything else. I’m looking forward to it, and think both parties will step up to the plate.

Alex Dobie

We’ve had windowed mode for a while on Android — going back to 2014 in the Samsung world — but proper picture-in-picture capability is going to be far more useful for me, particularly on larger phones. Rather than using clunky long-presses and gestures to shrink down an app into a portion of the screen, picture-in-picture lets you take the bits of apps you really care about — the video window — and display them in the foreground while doing other things in the background.

Sure, on your average 5-inch (or even 5.5-inch) phone, it’s not going to make a huge difference. But as handsets continue to grow bigger (and taller), being able to easily reclaim a portion of that screen space for the kind of multitasking most of us do on our phones is a big deal.

I just hope app developers are quicker to take advantage of picture-in-picture in Android O than some were with the adoption of multi-window.

Daniel Bader

Notifications are deadly. They are distracting and addictive and mostly terrible. They are a scourge on our ability to pay attention to what’s in front of us. And worst of all, they’re mostly poor quality — who cares whether your friend has returned to Words With Friends for the ninth time?

That’s why Notification Channels appear to be a salve for our beleaguered attention spans; they allow you, the user, to specify the type of notification you’ll receive within an app. So instead of banning an app from sending you notifications entirely, you can easily design a situation that makes sense for your workflow while staying insane and not murderous.

I’m also a big fan of how Google is making notifications more attractive, especially in the media space. Increasingly, “headless apps” are those we don’t open but just interact with through the notification shade, and the updates in Android O allow for even greater differentiation and customization. Of course, there’s room for abuse in such an environment, but let’s hope the bad actors will be few and far between.

Andrew Martonik

I’m excited to see the whole new slate of notification features come together. I am definitely not a fan of the current Dev Preview’s media notification styling (let’s hope that changes) but everything else as an improvement. Notification channels will give users more control, the notification shade is surfacing more information and I’m even starting to enjoy the notification dots just a little bit. One of Android’s core strengths is how it handles notifications, and O makes it even better.

Though it may not make a big difference right away, I’m also equally excited about Project Treble and how it will potentially speed up software updates going forward. Creating an abstraction layer between the core firmware and top-level software is a really great idea, and will theoretically give manufacturers a better shot at keeping phones and tablets up to date. This one will take several months (or a couple years) to play out, but Android O is the starting point.

Ara Wagoner

There’s a lot to like in Android O, and a lot that I don’t like (give me back my dark quick settings!), but the one I’m most looking forward to seems quite small, but will mean huge things if it is actually implemented properly: Android O’s emoji solution. Since emoji on Android have required system updates till now, it means that unless you had a Pixel or Nexus, chances were it’d be months between new emoji being announced and new emoji finding their way to your phone, assuming they came to your phone at all.

Android O is looking to fix that with the new EmojiCompat support library, which will be back-compatible all the way back to Android KitKat… but it’ll rely on application developers actually implementing EmojiCompat in their apps to ensure their users can see the emoji they’re being sent. Look for social media and messaging app developers to update their apps quickly, as this feature will help them stand out.

But how many manufacturers are going to add it to their system apps? Will Samsung Messages ever see EmojiCompat, or will users have to jump ship to third-party SMS apps to see that all-important mindblown emoji? And how will third-party emoji keyboards like Disney Emoji Blitz handle the changes in Android O that would allow them to be set and sent as actual emoji rather than stickers?

Only time will tell, and that makes me nervous.

Harish Jonnalagadda

The feature I’m looking forward to the most is the Autofill API. There aren’t a lot of apps that sync passwords and settings across to a new device, and I end up signing into the same services over and over again whenever I’m setting up a new phone.

With Android O, that won’t be as big a hassle, as password managers will be able to store and autofill data system-wide.

Your favorite?

Even if you know it will be a while before the folks who made your phone get the update out to you, it’s still fun to think about changes that are fun, will make you more productive or are just plain cool. Which one are you looking forward to the most?