India 'expanding its uranium enrichment programme'

Satellite photographs obtained by Institute for Science and International Security suggest India is expanding its uranium enrichment programme

India is expanding its uranium enrichment programme which could allow it to double the size of its nuclear arsenal, a leading US think tank has claimed.

The allegation will intensify fears of nuclear arms race in Asia between India, its neighbouring enemy Pakistan and regional rival China. It will also raise eyebrows ahead of next week's talks in Vienna to finalise an agreement to curb Iran's uranium enrichment programme.

But while Tehran's nuclear ambitions are being reined in, India's capability is undergoing an expansion, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has claimed.

Based on satellite photographs, the American think tank said it believes India is stepping up its production of gas centrifuges to enrich uranium to nuclear weapon grade.

The photographs, which were taken in April, show that a building at its secret Rare Metals Plant near Mysore in Karnataka has been extended, it said.

"Commercial satellite imagery shows that the construction is finishing of what appears to be a second gas centrifuge facility at the Rare Materials Plant (RMP), near Mysore. This new facility could significantly increase India's ability to produce highly enriched uranium for military purposes, including more powerful nuclear weapons," the report by David Albright and Serena Kelleher-Vergantini stated.

ISIS has been a long term critic of India's nuclear programme, which it believes was established with "illegal purchases of goods and technology abroad" in defiance of international sanctions.

Apple Iphone 5 Full Specifications

Nokia Lumia 920 - first impressions

Nokia is pinning its hopes on its new Lumia handsets with Windows Phone 8 but how good are they? Matt Warman tries out the Lumia 920.

The fresh Nokia Lumia 920 mobile phone is the most excellent the company has ever made – its 4.5” screen curves round a pleasantly solid body that surround a camera that’s so clever it can even work out when public walked in front of your shot, or add some moving fundamentals to still photographs. Its maps now flawlessly add content from the web to show the street you’re walking down in splendid ‘augmented reality’. Wireless charging means that even your bedside table or desk will look neater thanks to Nokia.

There is, of course, a ‘but’ – the operating system, Windows Phone, is struggling to attract users and Microsoft’s overall market share is still falling. Nokia couldn’t get its act together to release prices or release dates for its latest, lovely handset. That basic blunder is not one that Apple will make when it announces the iPhone 5 next week, or that Samsung makes when it launches important new products.

The Windows Phone 8 software remains excellent – its start screen has been upgraded to use space more effectively, live tiles continue to offer constant updates. Nokia itself has worked hard with partners to build apps that provide real enhancements for the camera, and the package comes together to make sure consumers feel that they’re always using one coherent device rather than a phone that is constantly having new apps bolted uncomfortably onto it.

Offline maps, too, work so well that the satnav is even more redundant than it was before, because they’re built in properly to the phone. In the short time I had hands-on with the phone, all the camera features worked effectively, and the wireless charging is a neat addition, but of course still relies on users being near to a charger, albeit one that is now wireless in its connection to the phone.

The biggest challenge Nokia faces in the UK is not that there aren’t many users who will soon be buying their first smartphone and could be tempted by a Windows Phone. In an objective world, it would probably be the most tempting on the market. The real problem is that to attain the critical mass Windows Phone needs, it must, led by Nokia, steal users from Android and Apple. While that ought to be perfectly possible, it’s hard to see anybody managing, even with pockets as deep as Microsoft’s. The Windows maker can’t afford to fail, but it will need many more devices at least as good as the 920 to reach its goal.

Smartphones 2012: the big players

As a frantic round of smartphone launches begins, Matt Warman and Shane Richmond assess the runners and riders.

Last week, at IFA in Berlin, Samsung dominated with a string of announcements, including a new and improved Galaxy Note. In the weeks that follow, many of the Korean firm's competitors are expected to announce their latest entrants into a mobile market that is increasingly competitive. How will the Smartphone landscape look when the dust settles? We can make a few guesses. At the top of the market, it is a three-horse race - for the time being at least. Here are the big three.

Samsung
Korean electronics giant Samsung was once a manufacturer that simply made products that were cheaper than its rivals, such as Sony and Panasonic. Now, however, the manufacturer is reaping the rewards of a serious focus on much higher quality. While it continues to make some 60 phones each year, it now has the flagship models to cater for every market and the scale to make sure that innovative features quickly show up in cheaper models.

Its success has seen it quickly embroiled in a host of lawsuits over patents, most famously last month when it lost a $1bn case to Apple. But Samsung is also Apple’s supplier for many of its chips, and it makes televisions, excellent audio equipment and much more besides. In that sense it’s an example of the mega-corporations that we are seeing more and more of – it’s grown rapidly while Sony, Panasonic and HTC have struggled and often failed to stay profitable. For now, Samsung is Apple’s biggest rival.

Galaxy S3
The Galaxy S3 is the best phone on the market to use the most popular operating system, Google’s Android. It’s also the first phone to come close to generating the level of excitement that Apple enjoys.

Key to the S3’s appeal is a combination of lovely design, a beautiful 4.8” screen and a fast processor. Highlights include ‘Smart Stay’, which uses the front-facing camera to track your eyes as you look at the phone - as long as you're looking, the display won't go to sleep. As yet, it’s not quite consistent, but this seems like a feature that will be standard soon.

The camera offers decent quality, a burst mode and integrates with Facebook to automatically recognize the people in your pictures. And the huge battery (2,100mAh) will get most users easily through the day.

Fans of the iPhone dislike the size of the S3 – the screen is enormous, even if the device is thin – and for feeling plasticky compared to the iPhone’s glass-and-steel solidity. But the sales figures speak for themselves. Though when the new iPhone comes out users will have a proper point of comparison

Samsung Galaxy Note 2
It’s hard to say quite whether that Samsung Galaxy Note is a big phone or a small tablet – either way this unusual device has carved out a niche of loyal users despite considerable press skepticism at its debut. The idea is that this is a highly portable device, with a 5” screen that is better for web browsing, games or watching films than a mobile phone, but also very portable.

Uniquely, however, Samsung has focused on how to make the Note a useable substituter for pen and paper; its Pen allows users to annotate web pages easily then send their thoughts to other users, as well as to write notes directly on the screen and use handwriting recognition software to convert them into text.

A new version of the note, announced at the end of August, provides substantial improvements – users will still need to get used to writing on the very smooth glass surface, but it is probably a glimpse of the future.

Apple
Critics of Apple will be quick to tell you that the company did not invent the Smartphone or the touchscreen but there is little doubt that the iPhone set a standard that the competition has been trying to reach ever since. If you want evidence of Apple's influence, just take a look at the flagship handsets of the mobile manufacturers in early 2007, before the release of the iPhone, and compare them with today's handsets. Then, physical keyboards took up half the device or slid-out from underneath, and now all of the top handsets are touch screens, with minimal buttons on the face.

Apple has innovated plenty of smartphone features but they've borrowed some, too. The addition of Notification Centre to iOS last year was seen by many as a lift from Android. The operating system is acquiring a degree of tweeness, too, with fake leather and 'torn' pages adorning almost every new official app. In industrial design, however, the company remains light years beyond Samsung in delivering handsets that feel meticulously crafted, with enormous attention to detail. Their biggest threat in this area is not Samsung, but Nokia.

The new iPhone
It won't be called the iPhone 5 because, among other reasons, it isn't the fifth iPhone. Apple's sixth iPhone model, which we expect to be called simply 'the new iPhone', is likely to be significantly redesigned, with a thinner, metal, case and a taller, but not wider, screen. Part of the reason the phone is expected to be thinner is a new screen design that integrates the touch layer of the phone with the display itself. In a move that is likely to exasperate those with a lot of docks, chargers and other accessories, Apple is also thought to be ditching the familiar dock connector from this handset, in favour of a smaller version.

Of course, none of this is official because Apple does not announce specifications for its new iPhone outside of its special events. We don't even know when the launch is happening but the smart money is on a September 12 announcement with the release of the new handset following a week or two later.

Nokia
For years Nokia was the largest phone manufacturer in the world. Even as it slipped behind the technological curve, customer loyalty and huge sales of cheap devices, especially in the developing world, sustained it and even saw it grow. But no longer. The company is struggling as never before, with its title as largest manufacturer snatched by Samsung and its reputation for innovation in tatters.

New chief executive Stephen Elop, however, has a strategy that nails Nokia’s future to Microsoft’s Windows operating system and it may just work. The idea of the Nokia-Microsoft tie-up is that it gives the Finnish mobile phone giant access to Windows Phone ahead of other manufacturers, and they also benefit from Microsoft’s huge marketing budget for the operating system overall. Microsoft has begun to use mapping technology that Nokia developed, too, so it’s a two way thing.

Nokia 920 and 820
Eager to get out ahead of Apple, Nokia and Microsoft are holding an event in New York tomorrow to announce their new handsets. It is expected that we will see two new Lumia handsets - a larger, more powerful 920 and a smaller, cheaper 820. The Lumia handsets are arguably the most impressive pieces of pure mobile phone design on the market, and the Windows mobile operating system is innovative, intuitive and original.

In terms of the devices themselves, Nokia’s Lumia line runs from the budget 610 to the premium 800 and 900 models. The 820 and 920 are expected to move the series on - bringing the Windows Phone 8 operating system for the first time - and adding new features such as wireless charging.

Nokia also adds its own touches to the software, such as improving the standard mapping services in Widnows Phone with its own, allowing users to get much-improved driving directions. There’s also an attempt to encourage users into listening to music on their phone by providing what are effectively genre-based exclusive radio stations.

Windows Phone
Windows Phone is an operating system that looks like no other; rather than a series of icons or widgets, like Apple or Google, it offers a neatly arranged set of what Microsoft calls ‘Live Tiles’. The idea of these is that they show more information than a simple icon – so the Live Tile for mail shows your latest message, or at least who it is from, while the one for your pictures cycles through your own images and those from social networks. It means that as soon as you log on to your existing services, such as Facebook and Gmail, with a Windows Phone, it instantly feels more personal.

Sales have not been sufficient to really yet turn this into the third ecosystem, but Microsoft’s backing ensures a degree of success. As phones, tablets and laptops increasingly become a way of accessing the same information, the Windows-maker cannot afford to fail in mobile computing.

Samsung Galaxy S3 review

The day before its official announcement, Matt Warman got some time with the new Samsung Galaxy S3. Here are his first impressions.

Specifications:

Screen:
4.8” Super Amoled HD display

Storage:
16/32/64GB depending on model, plus expandable MicroSD card

Cloud storage:
50GB Dropbox for two years

Colour:
Pebble blue or marble white

Battery:
2,100mAh (wireless charging optional extra)

Camera:
8MP rear; 1.9 MP front

Resolution:
720 x 1280 px (306ppi)

RAM:
1GB

Dimensions:
136.6 x 70.6 x 8.55 mm

Weight:
133g

Operating System:
Android 4.0.4

Processor: 

Exynos 4 Quad (1.4GHz)

There’s a lot riding on the Samsung Galaxy S3 – it’s the successor to the 20 million selling S2, it’s the Android phone best-placed to take on Apple’s iPhone, and it’s the device that Samsung hopes will cement its reputation as an innovator.

I had less than an hour with the S3, but that’s a lot longer than people were able to grab easily with the device when Samsung announced it at London’s Earl’s Court tonight.

The first impression I came away with was not that the screen was the best on the market, although it has a depth, responsiveness and sharpness that bests, to my mind the HTC One X, although I wasn’t able to compare the two directly. Nor that the huge 4.8” screen was too big, although it’s heading that way. The compelling thing about the S3 is the package it offers. Like the iPhone 4S after the 4, it offers iterative improvements over its predecessor, but the total effect is to create a radically innovative new device.

In among those things is a new sensor that tracks your eyes – so long as you’re looking at the S3’s screen, it won’t dim or lock itself. Yes, you could just set the screen timer to longer, but “Smart Stay” means you don’t have to. In use, the feature seemed to work very well, with a little icon indicating the phone is watching your eyes.

On a similar note, if you’re looking at a contact, or a message from a contact, the S3 automatically dials that person when you put the phone to your face. It’s one less button to press.

An improvement to voice control, called S-Voice, that lets users control their phone using normal, natural language. So it’s like Siri, only it does more – you can say volume up, for instance, and the phone will filter out the noise of the song it’s playing so it can hear you. The S, we assume, stands for Samsung.

Elsewhere, the phone adds useful features that, for instance, can automatically share a photograph you take with people whose faces are recognised, called 'Buddy Photo Share', or display social media profiles directly on a photograph when those face are recognised. These are features that are useful rather than revolutionary, but they feel like they will be obvious standards in the near future. Tagging groups and offering an automatic slideshow zooming into the faces in a picture are also useful additions. Samsung, unless the patent wars cause further upset, is setting new standards.

When it comes to features such as S-Beam, which transfers files quickly between devices by touching them together, or sharing the phone’s screen content with other devices, these are increasingly becoming more widespread industry standards, as indicated on the new Motorola Razr, which offers similar concepts. The Samsung processor is fast enough to allow crystal clear video to play in a window on your homescreens, which again is nifty, but not vital.

Are there areas where the phone disappoints? The camera is just 8MP – good, but not market leading – although it has been upgraded to offer a 20-shot burst mode and the automatic selection of a best picture. The firm insists on pre-loading apps which I don’t see much use for – while Dropbox (including a remarkable 50GB of storage for two years) and Flipboard are useful, the Music, Game and Video Hubs will have to offer remarkable content to outplay the entirety of the app store, Google Play.

I didn’t get long enough with the phone to talk about the battery life – a 2,100mAh battery is big, but this is a demanding phone that users will have on more than ever before, not only thanks to the screen that stays on because you’re looking at it. Samsung assures me that the performance will be better than the SII; it needs to be much better. It’s good to see, however, that one of the range of optional accessories will be wireless charging, via a special back and charging pad ideal for the bedside table.

Overall, the device is in many ways much like its predecessor: does it feel as solid or heavy in the hand as the iPhone? No, although it’s certainly a lot bigger. Is it a different, superb product in its own right? Absolutely. On spending just a short time with the S3, I’m confident in saying that it’s a worthy successor to the globally popular S2. But I also want to see how much all those new features make a real difference in everyday use to form a fuller opinion.

Samsung may sue Apple over LTE technology

Samsung executives plan to sue Apple if it releases any devices with LTE technology, according to reports.

Samsung's continuing argument with Apple shows no signal of reduction with the company reportedly bullying to take lawful action over long-term evolutionary technology (LTE)

According to a report from the Korea Times, Samsung executives plan to instantly sue Apple if it releases products that use the advanced technology, more commonly referred to as 4G.

Nokia holds the greatest amount of the world's LTE patents at 18.9 per cent but Samsung holds more than 12 per cent of the world's LTE patents, according to data from Thomson Reuters.

Apple has already released a 4G capable device, the iPad 3 but there has been rumor that Samsung could be waiting for the company to release a 4G-capable iPhone before proceeding with a legal fight.

Apple's new iPhone is expected to be released within the next few weeks and is predicted to be a 4G device.

There have been reports that Apple has been in talks with Korean carriers about putting the new iPhone in the country on 4G LTE networks.

Samsung, a South Korean based company, may try to place an injunction on the iPhone 5 which could be one of Apple's most successful devices.

This latest development follows Apple's considerable legal victory over Samsung last week in California when a US jury found that Samsung had violated patents used in the iPhone.

Samsung was ordered by the jury to pay $1.05bn (£664m) damages and Apple immediately announced that it wanted to ban eight Samsung devices in the United States.

A court date to decide the outcome of the case has been set for December 6.

Samsung secured a minor legal victory last night when a Tokyo court ruled that Samsung had not infringed on Apple's patent in Japan.

The case addressed only the synchronizing technology that allows media players to share data with personal computers so was not comparable in scope to the California ruling.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 launches at IFA 2012

Popular phone and tablet the Samsung Galaxy Note has been updated with an improved screen and performance, as well as a better stylus.

The original Galaxy Note was launched last year at IFA 2011, and despite muted critical reaction the 5” phone and tablet went on to sell surprisingly well.

Comparison Of Akash Tablet and Pantel Tpad Models

Comparison Of Akash Tablet and Pantel Tpad Models like IS701R, WS704C,  WS802C

Features & Specifications of BSNL's Penta IS701R tablet

New Delhi:  BSNL recently launched the tremendously low cost tablet packaged with its connection. BSNL tablet, Penta IS701R, is contrived by Noida based Pantel Technologies, is a 

Wifi model, and is valued at Rs 3,499.

The Mobile Indian got hold of BSNL's entry level model, Penta IS701R which appears with a packaged data plan of 5 GB for 60 days, after which consumers can renew the same plan for Rs 750.

Secret link to check your UBISLATE 7+ Shipment status…!!!

 Tired of waiting for a responses from Government or Datawind representatives ?

Or for knowing when will your Ubislate 7+ will be delivered?

Your wait is over click on the below link, enter your booking ID and you will get your tablet shipment status.

Please also note that this link is still not officially available on Datawind’s website.

So don’t forget to give your valuable comments.

UBISLATE 7+ Shipment status check

Angry Birds coming in 3D

The top-selling game Angry Birds will be available in 3D to owners of a new LG phone, the Optimus 3D

Solar-powered laptop launched by Samsung

A new laptop to be launched in Russia by Samsung will use solar panels that are directly integrated into the unit’s lid. The NC215S will be available in August and run Windows 7 and Samsung claims that it will be able to offer a battery life of up to 14.5 hours.

Initially unveiled at the Africa Regional Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, the new device has now been confirmed for the Russian market. It is also likely to be popular in African markets, where permanent sources of power are often not available. Samsung Electronics Africa hopes to reach $10 billion in sales by 2015.

Samsung has an established interest in solar power, launching a mobile phone using the technology in 2009 at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona. Although the ‘Blue Earth’ device did not mark a breakthrough for the technology, it has increasingly also been used by other manufacturers - Fujitsu has also been examining the technology as part of a recent computing design competition.

The new netbook offers a conventional netbook configuration with a 10.1in, 1024 x 600-pixel display and a weight of 1.3kg. An Intel Atom N570 (1.66 GHz) dual-core processor, 1GB of Ram and a 250GB or 320GB drive are the device’s main features. Prices have not yet been announced and there are currently no UK release plans.

Now, T-shirts to charge your cellphones

LONDON: Imagine plugging your mobile into your T-shirt to charge its battery. It may sound a bit utopian but it's now a reality, thanks to scientists who've developed such a garment which uses loud music to power up a cell phone.

A team at telecoms giant Orange has unveiled the new T-shirt that charges mobiles while one watches musical bands in action; users just have to plug their phones into the T- shirt for a quick top-up charge whenever they need it.

The futuristic garment works by using noise-responsive technology -- simply, the louder the music, then the quicker the phone charges, say its developers.

How To Solar Power An Indian House ?

Now what annoying, since we all were pursuing primary level, we have been bored by going through the mere discussions of monotonous methods of implementing solar energy into day to-days application…

Now its we have been such far that all the other fellow mates have discussed about all kind of methods & applications of using solar radiations, Now we are really going to work upon the method & apparently apply in daily life…

Yes, Now its much of mere discussing about science of solar energy, Now its time to apply,

by

                         Solar Powering An Indian House…

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Here, v r gng 2 disqs abt,

1.      Th materials wit whc v r provided by our scientist.

2.     By usng thm caln  th net usabl enrgy.

3.     Caln th enrgy requrd 2 run an indian hous

4.     Caln th material requird to fulfil th req. enrgy

5.     Hw 2 cut th cost by compromysin

6.     & othr facktors nided 2 b disqsd…

This alternative includes to connect our house to the utility grid, we have to buy  power when we the produced quantity is lagging and selling it back when we produce more than you use. 

This way, the utility acts as a practically infinite storage system. Though we should keep in mind that  government regulations keeps on varying depending on location and are subject to change.  

Our local utility company may or may not be required to participate, and the buyback price can differ to a great extent. We'll also probably need special equipment to make sure the regular availability of power. But safety is an issue as well.

The other problem besides energy storage is that the electricity generated by your solar panels, and extracted from your batteries if you choose to use them, is not in the form that's supplied by your utility or used by the electrical appliances in your house. The electricity generated by a solar system is direct current, so you'll need an inverter to convert it into alternating current. And like we discussed on the last page, apart from switching DC to AC, some inverters are also designed to protect against islanding if your system is hooked up to the power grid. 

Most large inverters will allow you to automatically control how your system works. Some PV modules, called AC modules, actually have an inverter already built into each module, eliminating the need for a large, central inverter, and simplifying wiring issues. 

The thinking of existing at the self-belief of the weatherman probably doesn't delight most people, but three main options can ensure us still have power even if the sun isn't cooperating. If you want to live completely off the grid, but don't trust your solar panels to supply all the electricity. We can use a backup generator when solar supplies run low. The second stand-alone system involves energy storage in the form of batteries. Unfortunately, batteries can add a lot of cost and maintenance to a solar energy system, but it's currently a necessity if you want to be completely independent.

Appliances Which Are Independent Of Solar Energy Generation:

A "typical home" in India can use either electricity or gas to provide heat –

heat for the house, heat water, and the stove/oven. If you were to power a house

with solar electricity, we would certainly use gas fuel for gas

appliances such as,

·        stove/oven,  

·        gas geyser,  

·        etc.  

because solar electricity is too expensive.

Appliances Which Are Dependent Of Solar Energy Generation: 

This means that what we would be powering with solar electricity only appliances like

1.      The refrigerator,  

2.     Lights, Computer, TV,  

3.     Stereo equipment,  

4.     Motors for fan & water supply and  

5.     Washing machine,  

6.     Etc.  

Apparatus:

A Simple & multipurpose solar panel contains 4 cells each producing 0.45 volts and 100 milliamps, or 70 milliwatts. Size of each cell is 2 inches X 0.5 inches.

Means with these solar cells we can generate 45 milliwatts in one square inch (6.45 square cm). For the sake of discussion, let's assume that a panel can generate 70 milliwatts per square inch.

Material    -   Energy Produced

1 cell        -      18 mW

4 cells      -       70 mW

1 solar panel    -      70 mW

(1 inch2)      -    70 mW

Data Requirements For Calculations:

To calculate how many square inches of solar panel you need for a house, following things should be known:

How much power the house consumes on average per day.

Where the house is located (so you can calculate average solar days, average rainfall, etc.). This question is

impossible to answer unless you have a specific location in mind.

We'll assume that on an average day sunlight on a particular Indian house falls for 5 hours.

Calculations For Required Money:

Let's say that all the above appliances consumes on an average 600 watts per hour cumulatively. Over the

period of 24 hours, you need

600 watts X 24 hours = 14,400 watt-hours per day.

From our calculations and assumptions abo­ve, we know that a solar panel can generate

70 milliwatts per square inch X 5 hours = 350 milliwatt hours per day

Energy Required -    Required Area    

Of Panel

350 mW/ day        -      1 panel (1 inch2)

14,400 W/day       -     ? panel (? inch2)

Therefore we need about 41,000 inches2 of solar panel for the house. That's a solar panel that measures about 285 feet2 (about 26 meters2). That would cost around Rs. 7, 20,000/- ONLY right now.

Required Accessories:

The company of Sun on a part of land is not for 24 hours so we would need to purchase

–a battery bank,

–an inverter,

–and other supplementary material.

and it almost doubles the cost of the installation.

2 X [Rs. (7, 20,000)/- ONLY]

Inclusion Of Luxury Items:

If we want to have a small room air conditioner in our bedroom, the cost will get doubled the original cost.

3 X [Rs. (7, 20,000)/- ONLY] =  Rs. 21, 60,000/- ONLY

Compromises to be done to reduce such sky touching expenses:

·        Because solar electricity is so expensive, you would normally go to great lengths to reduce your electricity consumption.

·        Instead of a desktop computer and a monitor we would use a laptop computer.

·        We would use fluorescent lights instead of incandescent.

·        We would use a small B&W TV instead of a large color set.

·        We would get a small, extremely efficient refrigerator­.

·        By doing these things we might be able to reduce our average power consumption to 100 watts. This would cut

·        the size of your solar panel and its cost by a factor of 6, and this might bring it into the realm of possibility.

Techniques To Increase Efficiency

Another strategy for increasing efficiency is to use two or more layers of different materials with different band gaps. Remember that depending on the substance, photons of varying energies are absorbed. So by stacking higher band gap material on the surface to absorb high-energy photons (while allowing lower-energy photons to be absorbed by the lower band gap material beneath), much higher efficiencies can result. Such cells, called multi-junction cells, can have more than one electric field.

Concentrating photovoltaic technology is another promising field of development. Instead of simply collecting and converting a portion of whatever sunlight just happens to shine down and be converted into electricity, concentrating PV systems use the addition of optical equipment like lenses and mirrors to focus greater amounts of solar energy onto highly efficient solar cells. Although these systems are generally pricier to manufacture, they have a number of advantages over conventional solar panel setups and encourage further research and development efforts.

All these different versions of solar cell technology have companies dreaming up applications and products that run the gamut, from solar powered planes and space-based power stations to more everyday items like PV-powered curtains, clothes and laptop cases. Not even the miniature world of nanoparticles is being left out, and researchers are even exploring the potential for organically produced solar cells.

The thing to remember, however, is that 100 watts per hour purchased from

the power grid would only cost about Rs. 10.8 (24 cents) a day right now, or Rs. 4095 ($91) a year.

That's why we don't see many solar houses unless they are in very remote locations. When it only costs about Rs. 4500 a year to purchase power from the grid, it is hard to justify spending Rs. 21, 60,000 a year on a solar

system.

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