Lay Techs: Tech for Laypeople

Highlights
BitWall builds for BitCoins, Tesco Sells Own Tablets, Real Light Sabers, Ubuntu Touch OS

BitWall is Micropayments through Bitcoins

Traditionally online publishers find it almost impossible to charge readers small amount of fee for accessing their articles and works because the transaction fees would have already cost something substantial. BitWall is now making micropayments for as low as USD 1 cent in Bitcoins so publishers do not need to rely solely on advertisements as revenue generators for their work.

Tesco Builds Android Tablet Hudl

It has begun: Tesco is becoming a little more like Amazon by launching their very own 7-inch Android tablet. It may not translate to anything beyond the "If I'm gonna sell tablets in my store they might as well be my own" on the surface, but what if these tablets will come with special Apps that will allow consumers to shop from home? Even better if they will come with specialized product scanners that will let users walk around the store, scan everything they want to buy, and these items will be ready for them when they reach the checkout counter.

The latter is pretty radical, but so are dragons.

Light Saber Is Now Real!

Well, sort of. CNET reported that researches at MIT managed to find a way to group photon (fancy name for light particles) to group together and interact with each other. This specific form of interaction we're talking about is collections of photons being able to push each other away, kind of like how light sabers go *bzzzzt* and deflect.

Manufacturing light sabers may not be the goal of this research, although it could be an added advantage. People at the MIT are saying this can spearhead the quest for quantum computers by converting light into electric signals, using it to transfer information. Amazing! Now start practicing your stances. 

Ubuntu Edge Fails, but Touch OS On Time

The recent USD 32-million Indiegogo crowd sourcing by Ubuntu missed the mark by more than half. Although they raised a record-breaking USD 12 Million, the Edge project will not move ahead as they do not have enough support.

That being said, people who before this funding didn't know of Ubuntu's existence are now paying attention to them. Out comes the announcement for Ubuntu Touch OS. Oct 17. Mark the date.