With a new patent awarded to Apple, the Company hints at the possibility of the building its mobile devices from Liquidmetals. This material is already being used in all kinds of industries, from defense to medical to sports to space—like NASA's Genesis spacecraft.

Dr. Ataka Peker who is one of the original inventors of the alloy tells business insider “Liquidmetal is the trade name for a new class of metallic alloys. The alloys have a unique atomic structure, more like glass, and are commonly known as “bulk metallic glasses” or “bulk amorphous alloys."

“Liquidmetal is super strong, scratch and corrosion resistant, resilient and can be precision cast into complex shapes. The benefits will be in the form of strong and aesthetic structural components, such as casing and frames,” he adds.

A recent SEC filing provides fresh evidence that Apple seems to be very interested in dealing with a company that makes such “Liquidmetal.”

A small company named Liquidmetal Technologies (LQMT).  The company has developed a series of amorphous metal alloys that are sold under the commercial name Liquidmetal. These alloys were originally developedb (CALTECH).

Apple holds the exclusive license for the development and sale of the material in the consumer market.

 “Plastics are low cost to manufacture into complex shapes but not strong enough. Metals are strong but difficult to produce into complex shapes. And glass feels and looks beautiful but is highly fragile. Liquidmetal can combine these advantages and remedy some of these shortcomings,” says Mr. Peker.

Reading about its properties and uses, it's clear that Apple thinks they have found a Philosopher's stone.

The prime mover in getting Liquidmetal in use at Apple was none other than Jonathan Ive himself.

Liquidmetal has been used by other Companies including Samsung and Nokia but only for smaller components. Even Apple has so far has used it only for the iPhone SIM card ejector pin.

Mr. Peker said that it was unlikely that Apple would be able to make an entire product casing from Liquidmetal "in the near term".

He said: "It's more likely in the form of a small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement."

Mr Peker also said Liquidmetal was not yet perfected and Apple would need to "spend on the order of $300 million to $500 million - and three to five years - to mature the technology before it can be used in large scale."

"I expect Apple to use this technology in a breakthrough product. Such product will likely bring an innovative user interface and industrial design together, and will also be very difficult to copy or duplicate with other material technologies,” he added.

Reports from a Korean news outlet last month suggest that a new breakthrough in 'superspeed pulse mould technology' had shown the use the material for phone casings.

Sony Circle Sound Speakers offer you unique visual appearance that allows it to deliver 360-degree circle sound. Fill the room with music using your gadgets such as smartphone, iPhone, or iPod in stylish way. Sony Circle Sound Speakers feature audio diffusion technology that delivers circle sound, thus enabling the music always sound great no matter where you are. Sony releases 2 versions of these speakers: SRS-BTV25 and RDP-V20iP.-BTV25 features 360-degree circle sound technology and Bluetooth wireless music streaming to provide easy connection between the speakers and your devices. Once you establish a connection, play the music! Wireless means no cables; this unit can go in any room and be moved easily without any hassle. If you love throwing a party, this should be the perfect music machine to spice up the party. The special bass-boost function ensures party-perfect beats that will not be drowned out by the crowd. If you have other devices with no Bluetooth technology, you can use the Audio in Port and the mini-jack to connect your device to these speakers. For optimum experience, Sony Circle Sound Speakers can also charge your gadget up while you’re listening the music via its USB charging port.

Sony Circle Sound Speakers SRS-BTV25 have been designed in technically sophisticated yet very stylish, making it blends perfectly at any home décor. You will also be still presented with two color choices: black or white.Sony Circle Sound Speakers RDP-V20iP uses the same 360-degree CircleSound technology but acts as a charger and speaker dock for iPhone and iPod models and is controlled via the supplied remote.

It’s truly mobile thanks to an internal, rechargeable battery good for approximately 5 hours of playback. It’s perfect to move around – enjoy music anywhere in the house. Since this unit shares the same DNA as SRS-BTV25, the sophisticated bass boost offers the same power as SRS-BTV25. Available in a choice of black, white or red finish.

One of the innovations at the touchscreen gaming market is the wireless Ringbow Game Controller. It is an unusual gaming peripheral device that puts your gaming controls on your finger and can be worn like a ring. The Ringbow is fitted up with Bluetooth, it comes with its own 9-direction D Pad controller button and a 5 hour battery life. Of course, it might take some time to get accustomed to using it, but a gaming controller for portable mobile is really worth much!

Is there any place for innovation when it comes to the design of remote controls? Apparently, there is. This Sony’s”apple” allows users to perform basic functions likechanging channels, volume etc. with simple motion gestures (see image below). Once “apples” are placed on the bowl, the remote control is being recharged. Neither price nor production dates are known.

Despite Sony's reputation for producing simple (bland) VAIO-branded electronics, this Apple-inspired remote is very sleek. Allowing users to perform basic functions like changing channels/volume/etc. with simple motion gestures. No word yet on if this concept will go into production

Advances in technology suggest that some day soon classroom instruction powered by low cost computing devices could be a real possibility. When Nicholas Negroponte, founder/chairman of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), announced his vision of a computer so inexpensive that every child on the planet could own one, many of us wished that such a vision could come true quickly if the benefits to education were real. Just after the first low cost XO Laptops were coming off the assembly line at a cost that was under $180 a unit, other large computer manufacturers announced that they too would be developing competing low cost computers. The race for the student laptop had begun. However, to date, no other computer manufacturer has yet been able to beat the XO laptop price. What the world had failed to appreciate by the OLPC initiative, was that a new age of computing is upon us.

A place where many technology enthusiasts go to watch the future of computing unveil itself is on a Website called Gizmodo. It’s a favorite to inventors, technologists, and even toy manufacturers. Just this past March, a new learning product for classroom use was announced and claimed a low price tag of a mere $50. This handheld device that looks like it might be a distant cousin to the Game Boy is called the TeacherMate. Could this be the next low cost classroom innovation to keep an eye on?

The company that developed the TeacherMate is called Innovations for Learning and is located in the education rich surroundings of Evanston, IL. This not-for-profit company was founded over 15 years ago by former technology lawyer Seth Weinberger. Seth started his company out of a frustration for trying to find meaningful and effective educational software to use with young children. Since he couldn’t find what he wanted from the marketplace, he decided to start developing reading and math software on his own with a small team of talented educators. But developing effective software for classroom use was only part of the problem. The larger issue was that schools had ineffective technology solutions in place; PCs that were outdated or not working at all, varying degrees of Internet connectivity, and many other commonly heard complaints about technology that was just not ready to be used at any moment’s notice by teachers.

Innovations for Learning began the search for low cost, hassle free, ready to use technology solutions to bring into the classroom. After an exhaustive search that spanned many years and included a number of complicated licensing and development agreements with multi-million dollar businesses, the company made a bold decision; it decided to make its own educational hardware platform.

When I received a TeacherMate to evaluate, a few things stood out immediately. In addition, its small size, the backlit color screen, and game like interface, it had a USB slot for transferring files and information as well as an SD slot for additional file storage. When I looked under the hood I was amazed. The device had a 500 MB hard drive and used a GNash player on a Linux system to play back Adobe Flash files. This meant that the platform was an open system, something almost all other portable computing devices are not. This speaks volumes about its possibilities for developers and publishers.

Once the TeacherMate was off the drawing table, Innovations for Learning began to port its learning software to the device, and this past March began a two-month pilot program in 15 schools with 450 students from the Chicago area. In addition, an education research heavy, The Spencer Foundation, also expressed interest in the TeacherMate and funded its own research effort alongside the rollout. This study is reported to be close to completion and should be available on the Innovations for Learning Website soon. Today, the TeacherMate is being used by over 8,000 kindergarten and first grade students across 250 schools on the west and south sides of Chicago. By the end of the year a second grade software product will be ready for use as will other grades in future years.

The current business model of the TeacherMate is to offer a subscription package, complete with all the hardware and software necessary to use in a classroom setting, at a cost of $50 per student per school year. Included in that price is all the training and support necessary for teachers to succeed. It also comes with a TeacherMate docking station and simplified Learning Management System so when teachers collect TeacherMates from students at the end of a classroom period, they can dock the devices in one location, download all of the student progress data to their computer, and review the results. Teachers can also review audio recordings made by students on the device from reading software and even define the next lesson for students through the LMS. Currently the only software available on the device is by Innovations for Learning, but founder Seth Weinberger states that publishers are exploring the device as a solution to their own learning software problems.

Here’s the bottom line for forward thinking publishers, administrators, and teachers: We’re currently at a place where it’s now possible to conceive, create and manufacture low-cost, powerful and engaging technology products. We can pick and choose a-la-carte features of such technologies, and do so for a price that is below that of traditional PC workstations. The dreams of yesterday for low-cost and reliable technology products for classroom use are the realities of today. The TeacherMate is evidence of this new computing age. While the XO Laptop was the first step in this new era, the TeacherMate is the next step. The promise of what’s possible with technology in the classroom is at our doorstep and yet, there are more businesses, innovators, and devices still to be imagined to finally bring ed tech into the 21st century.

The Samsung wearable mobile device concept, by designer Erik Campbell, is a next generation smart phone that can be worn in style. The mobile features innovative technology along with futuristic imagination, aimed for athletes, adventure lovers and tech savvy consumers. This device includes a touch screen OLED display with a tactile keypad and memory alloy articulation, offering the user convenience when riding a mountain bike or surfing the sea. This compact device with stylish split pad design allows for increased airflow, preventing sweat build up. The smart mobile eliminates the need of carrying bulky communication devices, while offering an all-in-one solution for taking and making calls, capturing wildlife, and making tweets.

The “Immersed Senses” that changes the way the diver sees, hears, and breathes underwater, allowing them to become a part of their surrounding environment. Immersed Senses is the future of underwater diving and exploration. Featuring a LED flashlight to let the diver to observe the dark depths of the ocean, the mask also includes a large OLED glass display to offer a panoramic view of the surroundings. The OLED enclosed helmet also allows the extracted oxygen to flow freely throughout the helmet, as if you are breathing on land without any breathing apparatus.

While an interactive OLED display gives access to underwater GPS maps, therefore allowing the diver to navigate efficiently throughout the ocean’s landscapes. The OLED also offers software that can identify all species of fish, coral and other ocean dwelling creatures that diver is currently viewing. With Immersed Senses, experiencing the underwater world is now fully interactive. In addition, the OLED screen depicts important info such as oxygen toxicity, nitrogen levels and even body heat to keep the diver well informed and safe.

While an interactive OLED display gives access to underwater GPS maps, therefore allowing the diver to navigate efficiently throughout the ocean’s landscapes. The OLED also offers software that can identify all species of fish, coral and other ocean dwelling creatures that diver is currently viewing. With Immersed Senses, experiencing the underwater world is now fully interactive. In addition, the OLED screen depicts important info such as oxygen toxicity, nitrogen levels and even body heat to keep the diver well informed and safe.Water leakage is eliminated with the use of a silicone lining that seals the helmet to the skin. The silicone’s flexibility affords the diver to explore with comfortable movements. The orange side panels assist in internal circulation of the extracted oxygen. The rear of the helmet contains an electrolysis reactor that extracts oxygen from saltwater. The breathable oxygen is circulated throughout the helmet, creating a revolutionary underwater breathing experience.Immersed Senses operates by a battery that utilizes a centrifuge mechanism to pull oxygen from seawater that begins the electrolysis reaction. Saltwater is extracted into the bottom reservoir that reacts with hydrogen gas. The saltwater is then charged by a positive and negative anode/cathode that generates breathable oxygen. Two internal devices help to circulate the oxygen to the diver’s mouth and nose.

The diver then breathes in the oxygen and out carbon dioxide, which exits the helmet. The battery and stored hydrogen can keep a diver submersed for up to 8 hours. The Immersed Senses revolutionizes how a human can breathe underwater, as well as interact with the OLED display offering a panoramic view of the deep sea.