, the Pebble Steel second generation smartwatch has been hailed as one the year's first exciting releases ahead of its 

 lot more exciting technologies on hand than this, as I've seen from other industry news and heard from colleague lot more exciting technologies on hand than this, as I've seen from other industry news and heard froa lot more exciting technologies on hand than this, as I've seen from other industry news and heard from colleagues attending the show.m colleagues attending the shows attending the show

Throw the Panomo camera ball into the air to take incredible 360 degree photographs from all angles. Possibly don't throw it too hard though 

and very easly work..

LaCie has announced several new products at CES 2014, including the LaCie Fuel--a mobile, wireless hard drive for the iPad, iPhone, and Mac that doesn’t require Internet access; the LaCie Sphère, which is a handcrafted hard drive enclosed in a spherical case of silver-plated steel; the LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2--one of the first storage solutions enabled by Thunderbolt 2 and the fastest portable storage solution on the market.

LaCie Fuel

The LaCie Fuel adds 1TB of external storage capacity with the ability to store up to 500 movies, 160,000 songs or 190,000 photos, and shares them with a maximum of five devices at a time. Additionally, AirPlay compatibility means users can easily stream movies on the big screen with Apple TV or music to compatible speakers.

The LaCie Fuel gives users access to their files even when they go off-the-grid. Its 10-hour battery allows users enjoy their media throughout the day without the need for Internet or cables. The LaCie fuel also creates its own Wi-Fi network--similar to a router--so that other devices can connect directly without Internet access. In addition, the LaCie Fuel acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot when connected to the Internet, allowing it to share Internet access with other connected devices.

AirPlay compatibility with the LaCie Fuel gives users the ability to mirror content playing on a mobile device to a TV with a single tap as well as listening to their favorite playlist on the Airplay-enabled speakers.

Fuel works virtually the same as an external drive on a computer, so users can wirelessly upload or download files without using battery power from their laptop. It also easily integrates Dropbox so users can automatically sync files between a computer and the LaCie Fuel. As a result, every time users add music, movies, or photos to the Dropbox folder on their Mac, the change is reflected on the LaCie Fuel – or vice versa. Additionally, the Lacie Fuel is compatible with USB 3.0 for fast transfer speeds.

LaCie Fuel is the first product collaboration between Seagate and LaCie. Seagate helps deliver seamless file access via their free app (Seagate Media) for iOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle, which automatically organizes files by type for easy to browsing. Users can also stream videos or music, open office documents, and enjoy full-screen navigation.

LaCie Sphère

Also announced is the LaCie Sphère, designed by silver craft specialist, Christofle. The Sphère is a handcrafted hard drive enclosed in a spherical case of silver-plated steel, which is stamped, silver-plated and polished in Christofle’s silversmith workshop in Yainville (Normandy), France. Its highly reflective finish makes the hard drive look like a decorative piece to accompany any home or office workstation.

The LaCie Sphère connects to a computer via USB 3.0, which also powers the hard drive, delivering fast performance so users can quickly back up business documents or media libraries. A blue LED illuminates the front of the LaCie Sphère to indicate hard drive status. Additionally, LaCie’s software suite is included with the 1TB hard drive: Backup Assistant for easy and automatic backup, Private-Public for password protection, and Eco Mode for energy savings.

LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2

The LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2 is one of the first storage solutions enabled by Thunderbolt 2 and the fastest portable storage solution on the market. It is several times faster than any mobile USB 3.0 hard drive, delivering speeds up to 1375Mb/s while sporting a sleek, black finish to its fully aluminium enclosure by designer Neil Poulton.

The new LaCie Little Big Disk is perfect for no-compromise video professionals, with the ability to stream and edit 4K or 3D video while in the field. It is also powered by a set of 500GB PCIe Gen 2 SSDs in RAID 0, which deliver a perfect blend of performance and capacity that accelerates in the most demanding workflow.

With the fastest SSDs on the market, the Little Big Disk’s interior is designed to improve cooling efficiency, all the while keeping it as silent as possible. With a thermoregulated fan, it only turns on when necessary and produces virtually no noise, delivering the best possible performance without disrupting users.

Additionally, LaCie demonstrated how the Little Big Disk lets videographers work directly from RAW files at CES, getting full quality from footage and seeing the edits in real time. LaCie will also show how professionals can capture 250 gigabytes of 4k footage on a Little Big Disk in the field, and then transfer the content to the post-production team in under 10 minutes.

Pricing and availability

The 1TB LaCie Fuel will be available in the near future through the LaCie Online Store and LaCie Resellers for $199.00 USD. The Seagate Media app is currently available. The LaCie Sphère starts at $490 and will be available in the first quarter of 2014 in a 1TB capacity through the LaCie Online Store, select concept stores, and Christofle retail stores. The Sphère comes with a 2-year limited warranty. The LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2 will be available in the first quarter of 2014 through LaCie’s resellers and LaCie.com with a Thunderbolt cable included. The LaCie Little Big Disk is backed by a 3-year limited warranty.

LaCie  Culbuto

Lastly, LaCie has announced the Culbuto, a decorative USB storage key designed by French designer Constance Guisset, which bobs side to side as it is pushed. The term Culbuto is French for a toy with a weighted base that keeps the object vertical even after it is knocked down.

The LaCie Culbuto has a spherical solid-metal base--which was molded from a cast--and is topped with a silicone rubber stem that ends with a USB 3.0 connector. Additionally, the removable cap that protects the Culbuto connector features a slit to hold a photo or business card.

The Culbuto ships with LaCie's Private-Public software to protect confidential data stored on the drive. Even when lost, stolen, or accessed by unwanted eyes, files are secure with password protection. The key also comes equipped with LaCie Backup Assistant for automatic backup

Originally floated as a concept back in and much, the Android-based Socialmatic could revive the beloved Polaroid as we know it. An inkless printing system enables users to print stickers of their sepia-tinted images, and customise them using the 4.5 inch touchscreen. Slated for release by the end of 2014, it may be hipster, but it's also incredibly cool and new technology coming soon tech types.

There has been much debate on how big China‘s solar market is going to be this year. As I have mentioned many times in this blog, China is the world’s largest solar market and the wild card.

China’s National Energy Administration released a press release announcing a national target of 14GW for solar capacity this year which will be eligible for incentives. According to a statement on NEA’s website, China has set quotas for individual provinces within the 14GW limit and projects exceeding a
region’s quota won’t get a subsidy. Eastern provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang received the highest quota of 1.2GW each. If grids are unable to absorb the power and solar panels stay idle, the agency may reduce the quotas. Furthermore, 6GW of capacity are targeted for utility scale, while 8GW
are targeted for distributed generation.

This announcement is consistent with our view that the NEA has been targeting 14GW for this year, despite previous contradictory reports over the last several weeks. While there are specific targets laid out for each province, it is still unclear how well the government is able to track installations given the localized permitting structure. We believe the tier 1 module suppliers are well positioned to capitalize on the domestic market and expand their installation business in the process. Given attractive IRR’s on most projects in the region, we believe the country can likely reach this target, which will put further upward pressure on pricing in the industry. Given several planned poly expansions coming online over the next 1-2 years and rising prices, we believe further long term agreements between poly and module suppliers are likely.

Reiterate Buy on Trina Solar (TSL), Yingli Green Energy (YGE).

This morning, Trina Solar lost 0.3%, Yingli Green Energy gained 0.7%, Canadian Solar(CSIQ) gained 0.4%, Rene Solar (SOL) lost 2.1%, and JA Solar (JASO) gained 0.1%.

I would like to thank David B. Smith at Gabelli & Partners for providing me with information on China’s new solar target.

The day's not too far off that a smartphone, instead of providing on-screen driving directions, could guide someone to her destination with a little nudge. Literally.

For about the past decade, Lynette Jones, a senior research scientist in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering has been developing touch-based  communication systems that convey information via small vibrating motors worn against the skin. Think of rescue workers wearing a belt that buzzes to alert them of danger from the left, or a visually impaired person receiving buzz-based, turn-by-turn directions through a new city.

Now Jones and her team has measured exactly how these motors interact with skin and how people perceive the vibrations, which could help develop more effective haptic devices in the fut

In terms of scientific discoveries, This year didn't offer anything quite as dramatic as the long-awaited discovery of the Higgs boson or another rover landing safely on Mars, but it still had its share of highlights, from see-through brains, to electronic sensors designed to work inside the body, to puzzling revelations about dark matter. Here are our picks for the top discoveries, advances and other developments that shook up science this year.