Acoustics & Audio Technology

Mobile computing in the cloud can have its pitfalls. For instance, what if you permanently lost all your addresses, calendar entries, e-mails, phone numbers, etc.? Undoubtedly, you would not be too happy about it, as a recent Business Week article relates. One obvious solution is backing up your data. While some back up services are free, many (businesses included) think it's a case of "You get what you pay for" and opt to pay for back up services they can control. What's your preference to saving your mobile data? Why?

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Some — the National Cancer Institute, U.S. Congress, and more — do think more studies should be conducted to determine whether cell phones are related to brain tumors, according to a recent Business Week article. Those of the opinion "better to err on the side of caution" limit cell phone use and take precautions like using headsets and speaker phones. Should longer term studies be done?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Acoustics & Audio Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Acoustics & Audio Technology today.

Depending on whether hearing loss is mild or profound, the non-profit Better Hearing Institute states that yearly income loss for American workers can be $1,000 to $12,000 if nothing is done about it. While new digital hearing aids can run from $1,000 to $4,000 apiece, an average 3-5 year product life comes out to a cost of $3/day, according to U.S. manufacturer Sonic Innovations. If you needed a hearing aid would you get one?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Acoustics & Audio Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Acoustics & Audio Technology today.

To get a better picture of how traffic pollution is being spread through the UK, scientists will be deploying mobile sensors in London and three other cities. Three kinds of sensors will be utilized to measure carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and other pollutants — all at the same time. The smallest of the sensors (with satellite positioning system functionality) will be carried by cyclists and pedestrians who connect them to their mobile phones. Resultant measurements are then transmitted into a real-time database. Overall, collecting data using such volunteers is less expensive but is it efficient? Where else can lay people contribute to technology?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Acoustics & Audio Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Acoustics & Audio Technology today.

Recent reports on NYC subways put average noise levels at 80 dB and sometimes as high as 102 dB on platforms. Given that the World Health Organization says daily average exposure should not exceed 70 dB, do you think riders of mass transit systems should be made aware of possible damage to their hearing? Should a government agency be monitoring such health affects?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Acoustics & Audio Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Acoustics & Audio Technology today.