Tiny tech packs power punch

In future, cellphones and other devices could be powered by walking, or even by spraying a new battery on, writes CNN.

These concepts are being developed by two nanotechnology researchers who are developing cleaner, more efficient ways of delivering electrical power. In working toward making these ideas realities, they are making use of structures that are 100 nanometers or smaller, where one nanometer is a billionth of a meter.

"[The nanoscale] can make the components small, sensitive and high-performance," said Zhong Lin 'ZL' Wang, professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Engineering. "The toughness and the flexibility increase by orders of magnitude."

An innovative water system which mirrors cyclonic storm action to purify water for reuse is one of 14 Australian projects to each receive $70 400 in Commercialising Emerging Technologies (COMET) funding, reports Manufacturers Monthly.

Sustainable Freshwater Technologies, of NSW, uses a water purification system that injects compressed air into grey house water, an action which mirrors cyclonic storm action. This and the project's vortex system cause an environment which eliminates fungus and legionella and enables the reuse of valuable water.

Other projects to receive a grant include a process to reuse and recycle electronic equipment such as computers, printers and mobile phones. SBBM Enterprises, of Tasmania, has developed its post-consumer 'E-waste' process, with the innovation in its environmentally benign recycling of electronic waste.

Netbooks have gained huge amounts of popularity over the past two years, trumping notebook sales, states TechRadar UK.

What's new is the emergence of netbook operating systems that connect to the Web, including Moblin, JoliCloud, and the forthcoming Google Chrome OS.

These operating systems include links to Web apps, but are also more 'Web-aware' in that they provide a quick way to update one's Twitter status, share photos, hold an IM session, and access a more modern browser that is included with the netbook OS.