AirAsia flight from Indonesia to Singapore missing

An AirAsia Indonesia airliner flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board has gone missing.



Flight QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control at around 06:20 local time (23:20 GMT) over the Java Sea.

The plane, an Airbus A320-200, disappeared midway into the flight of more than two hours from the city of Surabaya. No distress call was made.

Bad weather was reported in the area, and an air search operation has now been suspended for the night.

Planes from Indonesia and Singapore had been scouring an area of sea between Kalimantan (Borneo) and Java. Some boats are reported to be continuing to search as night falls.

No wreckage has been found, an Indonesian official told the BBC.

The flight left the Indonesian city of Surabaya in eastern Java at 05:20 local time (22:20 GMT) and was due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30 (00:30 GMT).

The missing jet had requested a "deviation" from the flight path due to storm clouds, AirAsia said.

Indonesia's transport ministry said the pilot had asked permission to climb to 38,000 ft (11,000m) to avoid thick cloud.

AirAsia, a budget airline which owns 49% of AirAsia Indonesia, is based in Malaysia and has never lost a plane.

However, 2014 has been a difficult year for aviation in Asia: Malaysia's national carrier Malaysia Airlines has suffered two losses - flights MH370 and MH17.

Flight MH370 disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March with 239 passengers and crew. The wreckage, thought to be in southern Indian Ocean, has still not been located.

MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in July, killing all 298 on board.
At the scene: Saira Asher, Changi Airport, Singapore


Flight QZ8501 was supposed to arrive early this morning. Hours later the families of the passengers gathered here have very little information.

Airport officials are keeping them well away from the media and trying to make them comfortable.

The AirAsia incident comes at the end of a difficult year for air travellers in the region, and the scenes at Changi airport today are reminiscent of those in Kuala Lumpur immediately after MH370 went missing in March: anxious relatives waiting for any news on their loves ones, a media frenzy, but no answers.

The Airbus, pictured here on an earlier flight, disappeared about an hour after takeoff
Anxious family members have been arriving at the airport in Surabaya
There was a similar scene at the flight's intended destination in Singapore
The flight arrivals board at Changi Airport in Singapore, where the AirAsia flight was dueEmergency contact

There were 155 passengers on board, the company said in a statement:
138 adults, 16 children and one infant
Most on board were Indonesian
Several were from other countries: one UK national, a Malaysian, a Singaporean and three South Koreans
Two pilots and five crew were also on board - one French, the others Indonesian

AirAsia has set up an emergency line for family or friends of those who may be on board. The number is +622 129 850 801.

Dozens of passengers' relatives have been gathering at Juanda airport in Surabaya and Singapore's Changi airport to hear news.

Changi airport authorities have set up a holding area for relatives. It said 47 had arrived and care officers and counsellors were on hand to provide support.


AirAsia's Chief Executive Tony Fernandes tweeted: "Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We must stay strong."

AirAsia Indonesia operates domestic flights round the Indonesian archipelago as well as international services to Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Thailand.

AirAsia Indonesia, along with other Indonesian airlines, was banned from flying to the European Union in 2007 due to safety concerns but this was lifted in July 2010

Volvo claims XC90 T8 hybrid is the world's most powerful and cleanest SUV

Volvo claims the new XC90 can run for 40 km in electric only mode.

Volvo has finally revealed the full details of the high-tech T8 powertrain that will power the plug-in hybrid version of its XC90 SUV. The XC90 T8 combines an electric motor with Volvo's supercharged and turbocharged Drive-E four cylinder engine, for a hybrid system that can run in electric-only mode for zero-emissions driving or combined with the ICE for increased power.

The four-cylinder Drive-E petrol engine beneath the XC90 T8's hood produces 318 hp (237 kW) and 400 Nm (295 ft lb) of torque on its own, and powers the front wheels. Volvo claims the Drive-E produces as much power as engines twice its size, thanks to the supercharger and turbocharger that bolster its outputs.

Providing electric power is a high voltage (270-400 V) battery that produces 65 kW (87 hp), and is centrally-mounted in a tunnel that runs down the middle of the car's chassis. Volvo claims this position doesn't impact on interior space, allowing the XC90 T8 to seat seven people with space for their luggage. The battery is hooked up to the XC90's electric motor, which is able to deliver 60 kW (82 hp) to the rear wheels, either on its own or in tandem with the petrol engine working up front.



In between the the XC90 T8's engine and transmission, Volvo has fitted the car with a crankshaft mounted starter-generator (CISG), which allows the petrol and electric motors to work seamlessly behind the scenes. As well as acting as a starter motor, the 34 kW unit can provide an extra 150 Nm (11 ft lb) of torque when combined with the petrol engine.

To maximize the battery's charge, the new XC90 T8 is fitted with regenerative braking, allowing it to harvest energy when drivers lift off the throttle. The amount of energy that is actually regenerated is controlled by a stability function to stop the car slowing too aggressively when you lift off the throttle, and to stop the way the brake pedal responds from feeling unnatural.

Keeping all this electric hardware cool is a challenge that Volvo has attacked by fitting the XC90 T8 with a two-circuit system. The first circuit cools the CISG and electric motor, while the second keeps the battery cool both passively and, if necessary, actively by using the car's climate control system.



This complicated combination of electric and petrol power allows drivers to use their car in five separate modes. As you'd expect, Pure electric mode uses only the rear-mounted motor to power the car, and Volvo claims that a range of over 40 km (25 mi) is achievable. Moving into Power mode, which can take the car from 0 to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds, combines the instant response of the electric motor with the petrol engine's more powerful top end performance for, according to Volvo, power and response to rival a V8.

Manually selecting all-wheel drive (AWD) mode also takes advantage of both motors, to provide more traction for drivers on demand, while Save mode allows drivers to hold the battery's charge for later use. Finally, the engine defaults to Hybrid mode, where the car will automatically alternate between petrol and electric power for maximum fuel efficiency. This complex combination of systems allow the T8 to emit just 59 g/km on the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) with fuel economy of 2.5 L/100km, and a U.S. driving cycle fuel economy figure of 59 MPGe.

Source: Volvo

Wireless sensor alerts your smartphone as food begins to spoil

MIT researchers modified an NFC tag to function as a gas detecting sensor (Photo: Melanie Gonick)


While the stench of rotting food would cause you to stop from chowing down, chances are it became unfit for consumption some time before those funky aromas wafted through your nostrils. Chemists at MIT have been working on a wireless, inexpensive sensor that, among other things, identifies spoiled food early by detecting gases in the air. It then shares its data with a smartphone, potentially alerting users to that soon-to-be moldy fruit in the bottom of the fridge.

“The beauty of these sensors is that they are really cheap," says Timothy Swager, Professor of Chemistry at MIT. "You put them up, they sit there, and then you come around and read them. There’s no wiring involved. There’s no power. You can get quite imaginative as to what you might want to do with a technology like this.”

Swager has something of a history in developing gas-detecting sensors. In 2007, his amplified chemical sensors designed to detect vapors from explosives such as TNT saw him awarded the prestigious US$500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. In 2012 he produced ethylene sensors to gauge the ripeness of fruit, a tool that could help grocers arrange their stock to minimize waste and maximize sales of fresh produce. His latest creation could be seen as a culmination of these earlier achievements.

The new sensors are modified near-field communication (NFC) tags, which are often used as proximity sensors. The team punched a whole in the tag's electronic circuit and then replaced the missing link with carbon nanotubes designed to detect particular gases. The nanotubes were drawn on usingmechanical pencils, which were also developed in Swager's lab back in 2012.

These sensors require little power, which comes courtesy of short pulses of magnetic fields emitted by the smartphone used to read them. Normally, these pulses induce an electric current in the tag's circuit that keeps it running. But in the modified tags, once the carbon nanotubes smell a targeted gas in the air the radio frequencies at which it receives these pulses is shifted. The sensor will only respond to the reading smartphone if the frequencies are unchanged, therefore indicating whether or not a targeted gas is present.

At the moment, each sensor is only able to detect one gas, and the smartphone must be held within 5 cm (2 in) to pick up a reading. The chemicals successfully sniffed out in testing include gaseous ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and cyclohexanone. While revealing rotting food is one potential use for the sensors, the minimal amount of energy required could see them deployed just about anywhere, possibly detecting everything from explosives to environmental pollutants to dangerous gas levels in manufacturing plants.

We have seen other devices emerge recently that are aimed at letting you know when food is unsafe to eat, such Peres and color-coded smart tags, though they don't quite promise the same versatility as MIT's newest creation.

The researchers have filed a patent for the technology and are now further exploring its potential applications. They are also seeking to integrate Bluetooth technology to expand its range beyond 5 cm (2 in).

You can hear from some of the researchers in the video below.

Source: MIT

QR codes could generate 3D images on phones – no internet required

Using a smartphone, users could scan QR codes to see encrypted 3D images


Whether they're on product packaging, promotional materials or in magazines, most QR codes do the same thing – when a smartphone scans them with its camera, they trigger that phone's web browser to navigate to a given website. In the near future, however, they may be used to securely display 3D images on the user's phone, without even involving the often-untrustworthy internet.

The system is being developed by a team from the University of Connecticut led by Bahram Javidi, a professor of electrical engineering. Here's how it works ...

First, a physical object or scene is photographed using an image sensor. Instead of a single lens, that sensor is equipped with an array of mini "lenslets," making it similar to an insect's compound eye. Each of those lenslets contributes its own 2D "elemental image" of the complete object, taken from a slightly different angle than any of the others.

Every one of those images is electronically broken down into two information packets – one is a record of the unique angle of the object in the image, and the other contains the intensity data of all the image's pixels. That information is subsequently compressed, encrypted, and stored as a QR code. A series of such codes collectively contain the data from all of the elemental images.



Using a smartphone equipped with a decryption app and a unique security key, users then sequentially scan those codes to obtain their combined data. In order to see the resulting 3D image of the object – an amalgamation of all the elemental images – another lenslet array is placed over the phone's screen.

Javidi and his team are now refining the technology, with an eye towards commercial applications.

A paper on the research was published this week in the journal Optica.

Source: The Optical Society

iPad Air 2 vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 3

compares the features and specs of the iPad Air 2 and Surface Pro 3

The iPad Air 2 is the best iPad yet (as the latest iPad always should be), but how does it compare to one of the leading laptop/tablet hybrids?

Laptop mode


If you aren't familiar with the Surface, it's a transforming 2-in-1. Its detachable keyboard cover and built-in kickstand let you quickly and easily switch between tablet and laptop modes.

That X under the iPad isn't entirely fair, since there are some great third-party keyboards that can transform the iPad into a faux laptop. Unlike the Surface's physical connection, though, iPad keyboards connect via Bluetooth.

And since the iPad doesn't have a kickstand (the mere mention must have Steve Jobs rolling in his grave), iPad keyboards also have to supply some means of standing the tablet up.
Size


The Surface Pro 3 is big enough to make the iPad Air look like an iPad mini. At 22 percent longer and 18 percent wider, the Surface makes for an enormous tablet. On the flip side, though, it works much better as a laptop than any previous Surface.

The Surface is very thin for a desktop PC, but it's still 49 percent thicker than the razor-thin iPad Air 2.
Weight


The Surface is also 83 percent heavier than the iPad. Add its keyboard cover, and it weighs 2.5x as much as the iPad.
Build


We're looking at an aluminum body for the iPad, and a magnesium construction for the Surface. Both have high-end aesthetics.
Colors


You only have one color option for the Surface, next to three for the iPad.
Display (size)


The Surface gives you 47 percent more screen than the iPad does. Again, this is great for laptop mode, but it might feel oversized for a tablet.
Display (resolution)


The iPad has a 22 percent sharper screen.
Display (type)


Both devices have IPS panels.
Anti-reflective display


Apple says that the iPad Air 2's display can cut down on glare by 56 percent.
Stylus


Microsoft's aluminum Surface Pen is included with the Pro 3. In addition to the things that styluses always do (more precision and control), it also lets you quickly launch Microsoft's OneNote app by clicking its back end.

You can buy iPad-friendly styluses, but they're passive styluses that merely simulate finger touches. The Surface's is a more sophisticated active-digitizer stylus, including hover pointing.
Fingerprint sensor


Apple's terrific Touch ID sensor makes its way to the iPad Air 2. It lets you easily secure your tablet, and skip a password in Touch ID-friendly apps.

The online portion of Apple Pay (the company's new in-store and online payment service) also works with the iPad Air 2.
Storage


The Surface is basically a laptop trapped in a tablet's body, so it naturally offers more laptop-like storage options.
MicroSD card


The Surface also has a microSD slot that lets you expand its internal storage.
Processor


Mobile processors are getting more and more like desktop processors, and Apple's blazing-fast 64-bit A8 and A8X chips are leading the charge.

Microsoft offers three different Intel Core (Haswell) processor tiers for the Surface.
RAM


Depending on which storage/processor configuration you choose, you'll get either 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM from the Surface.

The iPad Air 2 is the first (and so far only) iPad with 2 GB of RAM.
Battery


Apple estimates 10 hours of web use over Wi-Fi for the iPad. Microsoft says you'll get about an hour less than that on the Surface.
Cellular (LTE) option


You can pay an extra US$130 over the Wi-Fi only version to get an iPad that can use cellular data. No such luck for the Surface.
Cameras


The iPad Air 2 has an improved rear camera over last year's iPad Air.
Split-screen multitasking


Apple has yet to add side-by-side multitasking to the iPad. Windows supports this, both in desktop apps and using the Snap feature in Modern (Start Screen) apps.
Software


Speaking of software, we're looking at iOS 8.1 on the iPad Air and Windows 8.1 Pro on the Surface. And yes, this Surface runs legacy desktop apps.
Release


The Surface Pro 3 is already four months old. The iPad Air 2 is rolling out this week.
Starting price


If you want a device that's strictly a tablet, then you're much better off with the iPad. Not only is it lighter and thinner, with a much better selection of touch apps – but it's also $430 cheaper (there's no point in buying the Surface without also throwing in its keyboard cover).

But if you want a device that can serve as both laptop and tablet – and do a pretty damn good job at both – then you might find that the Surface is worth the extra cash. iPad apps are having more overlap than ever with desktop apps, but I still couldn't use an iPad for my main work machine ... even with a keyboard cover.

iPhone 6 Plus vs. Nexus 6

Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Google/Motorola Nexus 6 (left) and Apple iPhone 6 Plus.

The Motorola/Google Nexus 6 is just one of several huge phones that could be worth a look this holiday season. Let's line it up next to Apple Iphone 6 Plus , to see how their features and specs compare.

Size


Both phones are huge, but, as we'll see in a minute, the Nexus 6 makes more economical use of its front face with a much larger screen.

The Nexus measures 1 percent taller, 6 percent wider and 42 percent thicker than the iPhone 6 Plus. As many great things as Motorola did with the new Nexus, it didn't make a particularly thin phone.
Weight


The iPhone 6 Plus is 7 percent lighter than the Nexus. Considering the screen size difference (we're getting there, I promise), that's a pretty minor discrepancy on the scales.
Build


The Nexus 6 should feel more premium than all-plastic phones, as it has a metal band running around its edge. That might not sound like a big deal, but a similar approach in the Galaxy Note 4 did wonders for making the phone feel more high-end.
Colors


You have two color options to choose from for the Nexus 6, and three choices for the iPhone.
Display (size)


See what I mean about a more economical front face? Despite only being a hair taller and a little wider, the Nexus gives you 18 percent more screen area.

If you don't care about thinness, and want not just a huge screen – but the biggest damn screen you can possibly put on something that isn't a tablet – then the Nexus could be just the phone you're looking for.
Display (resolution)


The Nexus 6's Quad HD display has it coming out 23 percent sharper than the iPhone.

The iPhone's screen excels in other ways, though: terrific color range and accuracy, excellent contrast and viewing angles ... it's hard to find anything to fault there.
Display (type)


The Nexus 6 has an AMOLED screen, which has blacker blacks and (often) higher contrast and richer colors. Again, though, the iPhone is already doing quite well in those areas.
Fingerprint sensor


Apple's Touch ID sensor is the best in the business. And with iOS 8, it doesn't just let you easily secure your phone – it also plays nicely with third-party apps. Password managers are an especially great fit for the sensor.
NFC payments


Google gave it the old college try with Google Wallet, but it never came remotely close to taking off.

Apple has the best chance of putting NFC-based ("tap and pay") payments on the map with Apple Pay (branded as Pay). It integrates with Touch ID to make the checkout process as simple as holding your finger over the sensor while holding your iPhone near the terminal.

The biggest obstacle to Pay taking off may be getting retailers onboard. It launched this week with a solid list (including McDonald's, Subway and the Apple Store), but you won't be able to leave your wallet at home until that list gets much longer.
One-handed mode


Most likely, you'll use either phablet with two hands most of the time. But for those times when you need to do something with only one hand free, the iPhone 6 Plus has a big advantage. Apple's Reachability lets you slide top-level content to the bottom half of the screen, by lightly double-tapping the Touch ID sensor.
Camera (megapixels)


We haven't yet put the Nexus 6 through the paces, but the iPhone's camera is going to be tough to beat. It takes excellent shots, and is even great in low-lit conditions. Consider its (240 fps at 720p) slow-motion video the icing on the cake.
Camera (aperture)


This could bode well for the Nexus' main camera, though, as it has a slightly wider aperture than the iPhone does.
OIS


Both handsets have Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) onboard, which can help to offset the effects of shaky hands. This is one of the few differences between the iPhones 6 and 6 Plus (well, apart from size).
Dual LED flash


Both phones also have dual LED flashes, which help you to take better (more colorful and evenly-lit) flash shots.
Battery


This is another incomplete for the Nexus 6. The iPhone had very good (but not quite the best) battery life when we ran it through our battery benchmark.
Fast charging


Google says that you can get the Nexus 6 up to a level with "hours of battery life" after just 15 minutes of charging. This only applies when its battery is almost dead, though.

Though it isn't something Apple is advertising, you can charge the iPhone 6 Plus faster by plugging it into an iPad charger.
Storage


The Nexus doubles the iPhone's storage in the entry-level tier, but once you get to the second tier, they level out.
MicroSD


Neither phone supports microSD cards.
Processor


Apple's A8 chip is a beast, matching up with the Apple-made phone to deliver some of the smoothest performance I've seen on a mobile device.
RAM


On paper, the iPhone is looking pretty dated here, but in experience, I've yet to notice any problems on this front.
Front-facing speakers


They probably won't be as wall-shaking as HTC's BoomSound speakers, but the Nexus 6 has a pair of front-facing speakers nonetheless.
Software


The iPhone 6 Plus currently runs iOS 8.1, while the Nexus 6 is launching with the new Android 5.0 "Lollipop."
Release


The iPhone 6 Plus has been around since September, but supplies are still constrained. The online US Apple Store is currently showing 3-4 week shipping estimates, and physical Apple Stores have been tight – if not completely depleted – on supplies since launch.
Starting price (full retail)


The Nexuses 4 and 5 both delivered fairly high-end specs for very aggressive prices, but Google is trying something new with the Nexus 6. It has flagship pricing, starting at the same US$650 as the iPhone 6 (4.7-in),HTC One (M8) and Galaxy S5.
Starting price (on-contract)


We still don't know what the Nexus 6 will retail for on-contract, but we do know that it will be sold on all of the big four US carriers.