BlackBerry's last stand: fashionably late, or too late to matter?

Welcome to the newsletter for Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine. These are the headlines for January the 31st, 2013. BlackBerry's last stand: fashionably late, or too late to matter? "Better late than never." We've all uttered the phrase at some point. But, in the ultra-fast-moving smartphone market – where last year's model is considered a relic – "late" is practically synonymous with "dead." Will that hold true for BlackBerry? Or does the Canadian company have a glimmer of hope? We'll soon find out. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile IBM's Watson supercomputer goes to university IBM has announced that it will provide a Watson supercomputer system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for a three year period, the first time that a complete Watson system has been provided to a university. Faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates will have opportunities to work directly with the Watson system. Not only will Watson be the object of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, but it will also (virtually) attend courses in English and math to hone its analytic skills. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Mercedes-Benz provides closer look at its Intelligence Drive System When we looked at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class last year, one of the highlights was the vehicle's "Intelligent Drive System." This assisted driving system is designed to avoid or mitigate collisions through a suite of sensors and computer-assisted steering and braking. The company has now released four videos that explain how each feature works. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Blackberry Z10 vs. iPhone 5 Pre-2007, "BlackBerry" was practically synonymous with "smartphone." Then the iPhone came along ... then Android came along ... and eventually "Blackberry" became synonymous with an inability to adapt. Now, in 2013, the company is finally doing something new. Does its first serious multitouch handset, the BlackBerry Z10, have what it takes to take on the iPhone 5? Let's see how their specs – and harder-to-define intangibles – compare. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile SMARTwobble objectively measures improvements in balance With the notable exception of the Wii Balance Board introduced with Wii Fit in 2007, balance and wobble boards generally aren't the most technological pieces of equipment. Dr Jonathan Williams, a physiotherapy lecturer at Bournemouth University in the U.K. has added sensors and wireless technology to the humble wobbleboard to objectively measure improvements in patients' balance. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Apple confirms 128 GB iPad, while Microsoft admits Surface Pro's storage issues When the first iPad launched, it was only a consumption device. Storage capacity of 16 GB or 32 GB is plenty for reading apps, a few movies, and a collection of games. As the iPad evolves, though, so does its capacity for productivity. Perhaps that explains Apple's decision to release a 128 GB model several months into the 4th-gen. iPad's lifespan. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Anti-microbial hydrogel offers new weapon against drug-resistant bacteria Whether it's in hospitals, restaurant kitchens or our homes, harmful bacteria such as E.coli are a constant concern. Making matters worse is the fact that such bacteria are increasingly developing a resistance to antibiotics. This has led to a number of research projects, which have utilized things such as blue light, cold plasma and ozone to kill germs. One of the latest non-antibiotic bacteria-slayers is a hydrogel developed by IBM Research and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Camelbak designs ski lift-specific hydration pack Hydration backpacks have made carrying water during many sports much easier. For some other sports, however, the hydration pack isn't that much more convenient than a water bottle. When it comes to skiing, hydration packs freeze easily and can be uncomfortable on a chairlift. Camelbak has a new design that promises to make hydration more ski-friendly. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Lamborghini's GT3 Gallardo to be ready for 2013 and 2014 racing seasons Lamborghini has announced it is developing a new Gallardo race car with GT3 partner Reiter Engineering that will be finished in time for the 2013 and 2014 racing season. Reiter Engineering has been building race-spec Lamborghinis since 2000, but the GT3 FL2 marks the first time that it is working directly with Lamborghini on developing a GT3 race car. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Canon unveils WiFi-toting IXUS 255 HS and PowerShot A2500 compacts Canon has revealed a selection of new compact cameras ranging from the simple to the Wi-Fi-toting feature-filled. The PowerShot A2500 pairs a 16-megapixel sensor with Face Detection and minimal controls, while the IXUS 255 HS (or ELPH 330 HS depending on where in the world you live) boasts Wi-Fi sharing and GPS via your smartphone. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Cage-less Koala Bottle sticks to the bike using magnets The standard bicycle water-bottle-and-cage system is pretty tried and trusted. That said, at one time or another, just about every cyclist has dropped their bottle on the road when they didn't put it back in the cage properly ... or perhaps they've even wiped out, because they were distracted by trying to remove or replace the bottle. That's why Anthony Goldman created the Koala Bottle system, which uses magnets to keep the bottle attached to the bike. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Nikon's COOLPIX AW110 and S31 can take a beating from an action lifestyle … or your kids Nikon has revealed a pair of cameras which have been designed to withstand anything your action-loving lifestyle, or your children, can throw at them. The family-friendly COOLPIX S31 can survive being dropped on the floor (or in a swimming pool) by your accident-prone children, while the even tougher COOLPIX AW110 is waterproof to an impressive 59 feet and shockproof to 6.6 feet. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile DLR Robotic Motion Simulator cuts costs by re-purposing industrial robot arm Computer simulations designed to teach people how to operate a vehicle can reproduce a reasonable facsimile of real-world conditions, but they lack one key ingredient: a realisic sense of motion. That's why companies like Toyota has spent millions developing motion simulators that typically move on six hydraulic arms to recreate the sensation of actual driving. Now, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has built a cost-effective motion simulator powered by a single industrial robot arm that can handle extreme scenarios, such as spin maneuvers and even flight take-off and landing. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile iRobot receives FDA approval for physician avatar RP-VITA iRobot has announced that its RP-VITA autonomous remote presence robot, co-developed by InTouch Health, has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in hospitals. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile FinePix F900EXR and S6800 join Fujifilm's 2013 range Fujifilm has revealed a March release date for five new cameras, including the Wi-Fi-enabled FinePix F900EXR compact ultra-zoom – which also features a new Intelligent Hybrid AF system that's claimed to give it the world's fastest autofocus of 0.05 seconds – and the S8600 long-zoom bridge camera. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Fuel cell-powered H-ROVER puts you in the NASA tech's seat It's probably safe to say that most of us will never get the chance to operate a Mars rover. While it is now possible to purchase remote-control miniature buggies with onboard cameras, most of them still seem like ... well, like toys. The H-ROVER, however, is a little different. Looking like it would be right at home trundling across the Martian topsoil, the little tracked vehicle is powered by a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and super-capacitor system. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Hardcore Minecrafters build immaculate clone of Game of Thrones' King's Landing A dedicated band of Minecraft and Game of Thrones enthusiasts has lovingly recreated the fictional King's Landing locale in incredible detail. The setting will be familiar to fans of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels and its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones, as the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Kenya kickstarts multi-billion-dollar Konza Tech City The Kenyan government intends to spend a reported US$14.5 billion on the creation of Konza Technology City or "Silicon Savanna," which Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki hopes will become Africa's answer to Silicon Valley. Recently underway, the ambitious venture will see the construction of a brand new city on 20 sq km (7.7 sq miles) of what is currently natural savanna, 70 km (43 miles) southeast of Nairobi. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Brolly: The text-friendly umbrella It's a cliche, but sometimes the simple ideas really can be the best, and a new umbrella dubbed "Brolly" reinforces this notion once again by offering an umbrella design which allows the user to keep a firm grip on the handle, while still leaving both thumbs free for texting. Read on Desktop or Read on Mobile Special promotion for Gizmag readers Coding classes suck. However, there is a better and easier way to learn coding. The demand for top-tier web development talent outweighs the supply in almost everywhere. While companies are desperately looking for development talent, the average web developer salary continues to climb. Luckily for you, the folks at Udemy have kindly offered their "Become a Certified Web Developer" online course to Gizmag subscribers for $99 instead of $199 -- (50% OFF) In this course you will learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and MySQL from master trainer Mark Lassoff, and upon completing the course, you will receive a certification signed by him. Don't miss this great offer, click here to get started. Read More You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at http://www.gizmag.com. If you would like to switch to our weekly newsletter, click here If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please click here to unsubscribe. COPYRIGHT GIZMAG (C) 2013