Facebook Opens Sports Stadium

Facebook on Thursday announced its new Sports Stadium -- built with no taxpayer dollars or city leases required. About 650 million sports fans already make Facebook the world's largest stadium, the company reasoned. The new hub will compile and chronologize game-related content in real time so that "you can get the feeling you're watching the game with your friends even when you aren't together," said Steve Kafka, a product manager at Facebook. The hub itself is organized by tabs labeled "Matchup," "Friends," "Experts" and "Stats."  Matchup offers an overview of the action, highlighting the latest big plays and fan reactions to go with them. Novel here is the ability to share plays from the hub to a timeline. Remarks from paid and unpaid experts are funneled into either the Friends or Experts categories. The Experts tab is reserved for individuals discussing the game from verified accounts -- people such as sports analysts, journalists and chatty celebrities. As for the Stats tab, it's dedicated to the facts and statistics related to a given game. The Facebook Sports Hub is available via iOS, but it isn't a standalone app. It's a feature that lives inside the core Facebook app, and it will be available on other platforms in the coming weeks, according to Facebook. While starting with U.S. football, Facebook plans to add other sports soon. The 12th Man With just two more NFL games left before its season finale, Facebook Sports Stadium has arrived at a good time to interest people in trying out the new hub, suggested Justin Garrity, President of Postano. "The Super Bowl is one of the most watched global sporting events, so it will be a great first introduction for Sports Stadium to a huge audience that will hopefully use it again watching their local sports teams," he told TechNewsWorld. While the timing may help with adoption, Facebook will have to battle user behavior to get people to break away from what they relied on before Sports Stadium was a thing, said Ben Hordell, a partner at DXagency. "That being said, I think the stadium will be visited by those who are already on Facebook while watching the game," he told TechNewsWorld. "Facebook has been integrating an 'I'm watching' feature based on your tastes, to start the process leading up to the stadium reveal." A Sporting Chance For the most part, social networks have been timid in plunging into sports, because leagues tend to try to control their online media, observed Andy Abramson, CEO of Comunicano. Facebook Sports Stadium takes on a news role and avoids royalties, while the voice of the fans get stronger and more compelling, he told TechNewsWorld. "The ease with which content can be put onto the Facebook platform, the speed with which fans and journalists alike can publish and share in an era of declining metropolitan media, and the rise of social media and influencer led journalism, means sports properties have to view influencers and what they are covering with a much wider view of the impact a local blogger could have on team, league or event news," Abramson explained. Twitter stepped up its sports presence in 2014, when it launched the NFL on Twitter. The ongoing campaign has brought fans unique insights into the NFL, but it now faces serious competition on another front. "I think Facebook's gain will be Twitter's loss," said Hordell, "as Facebook steals some [share of voice] in being the preferred social second screen to accompany live sports viewing."

New Little iPhone will takeover market.

rget your news today! An iPhone with a 4-inch display and some features found in Apple's latest models will launch in March or April, 9to5Mac reported last week.  The model reportedly will be called the "iPhone 5se" -- for "special edition" -- and will be offered at the same price point as the iPhone 5s. The iPhone 5se will have design features similar to the 5s, which was released in 2013, but it will have internal, hardware and software features gleaned from more recent models, according to the report, which cited unnamed Apple sources. Those features include the following: Curved glass edges like the iPhone 6 and 6s; 8-megapixel rear and 1.2-MP front cameras; Support for panorama photos and for autofocus in video mode; A barometer to track elevation in the Health app; An NFC chip for use with Apple Pay; The iPhone 6's A8 and M8 processors; Support for Bluetooth 4.2, VoLTE and 802.11ac WiFi, all found in the iPhone 6s; Live Photos from the 6s; A headphone jack; and 6s color offerings in silver, space gray, gold and rose gold. Can't Wrap Hands Around Phone Release of the rumored iPhone 5se could be a winning strategy for Apple. "It seems very likely that Apple has demand for a 4-inch iPhone, and that they will accommodate the market with one some time this year," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. "It's a very likely and viable product. It won't be their best-selling phone, but it will offer an option for folks who are interested in that size screen, said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst with Technalysis Research. Apple's newer models with larger screens are not pocketable, noted Ramon T. Llamas, a senior research analyst for mobile devices technology and trends at IDC. "There are lots of Apple users out there who like Apple's products but can't wrap their hands around some of these larger phones, even if they're only 4.7 inches," he told TechNewsWorld. "The [iPhone 5se] is an acknowledgement of what some customers have been asking for some time now." Balancing Price and Features A number of Apple users are sticking with older iPhone models like the iPhone 5 and 5s because of the size issue, Llamas pointed out. "On the other hand, people don't want to skimp out on every feature," he said. "They may not get 3D touch with the [iPhone 5se], but they're going to get Apple Pay, Siri and FaceTime." "The 'se' stands for 'special edition,' but maybe they should call it the 'ge' for 'good enough,'" he noted. "You're not getting all the latest, greatest features," Llamas continued, "but you're getting the features that most people can get by on." A number of factors would be needed for the iPhone 5se to be successful, said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. They include a price tag lower than other iPhone models, features that drive user engagement and monetization for Apple, and enough differentiation that consumers who can afford to buy a more expensive model will do so. "I feel that Apple has learned from the 5c, and if all the rumors about the [5se] are true, they would hit all my points," she told TechNewsWorld. "What I feel people should not count on is a drastically cheaper iPhone, as this is still not Apple's business," Milanesi said. Breaking Cadence If Apple were to introduce an iPhone with a 4-inch display, it would expand the screen options for customers looking to upgrade their phones. "Many people, especially with smaller hands, prefer the 4-inch models, while others like the 5-inch and 5.5-inch versions," Creative Strategies' Bajarin told TechNewsWorld. "Apple would just be giving customers more options," he added. The iPhone 5se also could open up a worthwhile revenue channel for Apple. "If you're Apple and you see how much of your revenue is driven by the iPhone, you'll want to take a look at some adjacent markets where you can reap incremental revenues, while at the same time leverage what you already have in place," IDC's Llamas said. Although a release of a new iPhone in the spring would break the cadence for phone introductions -- they're usually released in September -- Apple has been known to break cadence now and again. "Every once in a while Apple will do something like that -- just slip a product out all of sudden," Technalysis' O'Donnell told TechNewsWorld. "It tends to be a modestly iterative version of a previous product. I think that's how they're going to treat this one." 

Researchers use neutrons to gain insight into battery inefficiency

Rechargeable batteries power everything from electric vehicles to wearable gadgets, but obstacles limit the creation of sleeker, longer-lasting and more efficient power sources. Batteries produce electricity when charged atoms, known as ions, move in a circuit from a positive end (anode) to a negative end (cathode) through a facilitating mix of molecules called an electrolyte. Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are improving the lifetimes of rechargeable batteries that run on lithium, a small atom that can pack tightly into graphite anode materials. The valuable ions are depleted as a battery charges, and they are also lost to the formation of a thin coating on a battery's anode during initial charging. ORNL researchers used two of the most powerful neutron science facilities in the world to try to understand the dynamics behind this phenomenon. In a paper published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C, the ORNL researchers focused on the spontaneous growth of the thin coating, called the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). This nanoscale coating protects and stabilizes the new battery, but it comes at a cost. The electrolyte, a mixture of molecules composed of hydrogen, carbon, lithium and oxygen, is forced to break down to form this film. "The big picture is to increase the amount of lithium we can put into a battery," said Robert Sacci, lead author and Materials Science and Technology Division scientist. "When you develop a battery, you put in excess lithium because a lot of that lithium gets eaten up or taken away from usability to form this thin film." Sacci and colleagues used beams of subatomic particles called neutrons to delve into a battery's atomic reactivity during its first charging cycle. Neutrons were necessary because they can easily enter three-dimensional structures and are sensitive to changes in hydrogen concentration, a major component of electrolytes. ORNL researchers targeted anode samples with neutrons from the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world's most intense pulsed beam, and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), the highest continuous-beam research reactor in the United States. They tracked the scattered paths of the neutrons after the beams penetrated the material, creating a constantly updating map of the sample's molecular dynamics. Neutron scattering is key to understanding battery activity on the atomic scale. While the diffracted beams of neutrons would appear to be a jumbled mess to most -- like lights dancing off a disco ball in all directions -- skilled scientists use these scattering signals to calculate chemical and structural changes while the SEI layer develops. Is battery film friend or foe? Once the SEI layer forms, it buffers degradation of the electrolyte and prevents a dangerous buildup of metal deposits on the lithiated-graphite anode, increasing a battery's life cycle. Sacci and his team wondered if a pre-made film could protect the anode while minimizing the consumption of lithium ions. The ORNL scientists incorporated lithium atoms into vacancies within graphite through grinding at high force. The result was a powdery, charged anode material that they then dipped into an electrolyte solution. A thin film formed around each lithiated-graphite particle, encapsulating it. At this point, the scientists were ready to subject samples to neutron scattering tests to gain a fresh perspective into how an SEI layer generates during initial charging of a lithium-ion battery. Researchers used SNS's vibrational spectrometer, VISION, to gain chemical information about the SEI layer. HFIR allowed the ORNL scientists to use small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques to map the thin film's structure and chart new information about its formation. "With VISION, we can measure the vibrations of atoms, which tell us how they are bound within molecules, and with SANS, a scattering instrument at HFIR, you're looking more or less at how big the particles are and how they are arranged," Sacci said. After exploring the lithiated-graphite anode material, Sacci and his fellow energy researchers now understand the chemical process by which the thin protective layer generates on the anode. "We were able to definitely say, yes a polymer formed, the particles appeared bigger -- which means a layer grew on them -- and they were more interconnected," said Sacci. "The advantage of forming this polymeric solid-electrolyte interface prior to battery assembly is that the battery would last longer, and that it's a good stepping stone to giving us clues into how to design these artificial interfaces." This research was supported as part of the Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures and Transport (FIRST) Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Work was performed at the Spallation Neutron Source and the High Flux Isotope Reactor, DOE Office of Science User Facilities at ORNL

New battery shuts down at high temperatures, restarts when it cools

The first lithium-ion battery has been developed that shuts down before overheating, then restarts immediately when the temperature cools. The new technology could prevent the kind of fires that have prompted recalls and bans on a wide range of battery-powered devices, from computers to hoverboards.

Stanford researchers have developed the first lithium-ion battery that shuts down before overheating, then restarts immediately when the temperature cools.

The new technology could prevent the kind of fires that have prompted recalls and bans on a wide range of battery-powered devices, from recliners and computers to navigation systems and hoverboards.

"People have tried different strategies to solve the problem of accidental fires in lithium-ion batteries," said Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford. "We've designed the first battery that can be shut down and revived over repeated heating and cooling cycles without compromising performance."

Bao and her colleagues describe the new battery in a study published in the Jan. 11, 2016 issue of the new journal Nature Energy.

A typical lithium-ion battery consists of two electrodes and a liquid or gel electrolyte that carries charged particles between them. Puncturing, shorting or overcharging the battery generates heat. If the temperature reaches about 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius), the electrolyte could catch fire and trigger an explosion.

Several techniques have been used to prevent battery fires, such as adding flame retardants to the electrolyte. In 2014, Stanford engineer Yi Cui created a 'smart' battery that provides ample warning before it gets too hot.

"Unfortunately, these techniques are irreversible, so the battery is no longer functional after it overheats," said study co-author Cui, an associate professor of materials science and engineering and of photon science. "Clearly, in spite of the many efforts made thus far, battery safety remains an important concern and requires a new approach."

Nanospikes

To address the problem Cui, Bao and postdoctoral scholar Zheng Chen turned to nanotechnology. Bao recently invented a wearable sensor to monitor human body temperature. The sensor is made of a plastic material embedded with tiny particles of nickel with nanoscale spikes protruding from their surface.

For the battery experiment, the researchers coated the spiky nickel particles with graphene, an atom-thick layer of carbon, and embedded the particles in a thin film of elastic polyethylene.

"We attached the polyethylene film to one of the battery electrodes so that an electric current could flow through it," said Chen, lead author of the study. "To conduct electricity, the spiky particles have to physically touch one another. But during thermal expansion, polyethylene stretches. That causes the particles to spread apart, making the film nonconductive so that electricity can no longer flow through the battery."

When the researchers heated the battery above 160 F (70 C), the polyethylene film quickly expanded like a balloon, causing the spiky particles to separate and the battery to shut down. But when the temperature dropped back down to 160 F (70 C), the polyethylene shrunk, the particles came back into contact, and the battery started generating electricity again.

"We can even tune the temperature higher or lower depending on how many particles we put in or what type of polymer materials we choose," said Bao, who is also a professor, by courtesy, of chemistry and of materials science and engineering. "For example, we might want the battery to shut down at 50 C or 100 C."

Reversible strategy

To test the stability of new material, the researchers repeatedly applied heat to the battery with a hot-air gun. Each time, the battery shut down when it got too hot and quickly resumed operating when the temperature cooled.

"Compared with previous approaches, our design provides a reliable, fast, reversible strategy that can achieve both high battery performance and improved safety," Cui said. "This strategy holds great promise for practical battery applications."

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materialsprovided by Stanford University. The original item was written by Mark Shwartz. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Zheng Chen, Po-Chun Hsu, Jeffrey Lopez, Yuzhang Li, John W. F. To, Nan Liu, Chao Wang, Sean C. Andrews, Jia Liu, Yi Cui, Zhenan Bao. Fast and reversible thermoresponsive polymer switching materials for safer batteries. Nature Energy, 2016; 1 (1): 15009 DOI: 10.1038/NENERGY.2015.9