‘Intelligent’ smoke alarm from iPod creator
The inventor of the Apple iPod, Tony Fadell, has createdan intelligent smoke alarm that can differentiate between types of smoke, and can give a heads-up warning if there is just a small amount of smoke, perhaps caused by a toaster.
The alarm can be silenced by waving at it, which is picked up by gesture detectors and saves the need for hitting it with a broom or flicking with a tea towel.
The Nest Protect combines a traditional smoke alarm, which is triggered when it detects the poor visibility caused by smoke, with a host of other sensors including heat, light, activity and ultrasonic detectors and a detector for deadly carbon monoxide gas.
If the problem escalates, Nest Protect moves to a 85 decibel horn and instructions to leave the building immediately and to call the fire brigade.
The manufacturer has designed Nest Protect fire alarms to be wirelessly interconnected, which means a problem in one room would sound an alert throughout the house.
The BBC wants to get the nation coding
The BBC’s director general, Tony Hall, has announced plans to "bring coding into every home, business and school in the UK".
It comes 30 years on from a BBC push to make computing mainstream by putting BBC Micro computers in the majority of schools.
In a speech to staff, Mr Hall said that the initiative would launch in 2015.
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"We want to inspire a new generation to get creative with coding, programming and digital technology," he said.
Government and technology experts are becoming increasingly worried that vital computing skills are no longer being taught in schools.
Yesterday saw the millionth Raspberry Pi microcomputer made in Britain. The small, hackable units aim to help children and newcomers learn the basics of coding.
Google unveils lightweight Chromebook 11
Google has released a new featherweight laptop that will cost just £174.
The HP Chromebook 11, the latest in Google’s Chromebook series, will weight just two pounds and be powered by micro-USB charge.
In an attempt to differentiate from Apple Macs, which tend to be all white or grey, the Chromebook 11 will come in a variety of colours.
Caesar Sengupta, an executive at Google, said the new laptop was "really thin with no extra fluff" and called it "one of the lightest laptops on the market".
He also said the model was part of the company’s drive to make "computers that are simpler, more secure and more affordable, for everyone".
The Chromebook 11, released today in the UK, features a 11.6-inch IPS display, a Samsung Exynos 5250 processor and a battery life that is expected to last six hours.
