HP Slate to rival iPad

Hewlett-Packard this week started leaking information about its upcoming tablet computer, apparently hoping to take advantage of the hype and buzz surrounding Apple's release of the iPad on Saturday, states Computerworld.

HP offered users a peek of its Slate device early this year at the CES trade show. Since then, the company has released short blog updates about the Slate and posted videos about it on YouTube.

Less than a week after the iPad became available, HP leaked information about the pricing and specs of its tablet to tech blog Engadget. The HP Slate tablet, which runs Windows 7, has a base price of $549, and a higher-end version costs $599.

Wayward drivers could soon be getting a nudge in the right direction thanks to a computer program created by researchers from North Carolina State University, writes Gizmag.

The program allows a computer to understand what a camera is looking at and makes decisions based on what it sees. If a car strays from its lane the program will detect the lane change and set the car back on course without human control.

The program uses algorithms to sort visual data and make decisions related to finding the lanes on a road, detecting how those lanes change as a car is moving, and controlling the car to stay in the correct lane. The researchers admit there are already vision systems that do lane finding, but say the program can maintain an awareness of multiple lanes and traffic in those lanes as well.

Hitachi says it has achieved a breakthrough in the design of lithium-ion batteries that will extend their lifespan for up to 10 years and lower production costs, according to V3.co.uk.

Researchers at the company report they have come up with a new design of cathode which combines manganese and cobalt with other substances to increase the lifespan of the battery and lower the cost of manufacture.

However, the company said laptop and phone users wouldn't be the first to see these improvements. Hitachi is concentrating its efforts initially on industrial-grade batteries and storage using the new technology.