This 3D Printed Violin Costs Around Rs. 5 Lakh

HIGHLIGHTS

• The 3Dvarius is based on the design of the famed Stradivarius violins.
• The backer price for one 3Dvarius is around Rs. 5 lakh.
• The Kickstarter project is accepting funds till June 16.

Methods for making violins are hundreds of years old. 3D printing on the other hand, is still someyears from being ready for the mainstream. The recently launched 3Dvarious crowdfunded project brings these two technologies together - the result of which, is a 3D-printed, single-piece (no seams or joints to interfere with the sound), electric violin based on the model of a real Stradivarius violin.

The result is as beautiful as it is outlandish. Made out of a clear plastic resin, the 3Dvarius looks more like an alien octopus or a ray-gun of sorts, than a musical instrument.

The unique look has apparently been chosen for optimal sound-wave flow throughout its body. That combined with the fact that the entire unit is a single piece, allows for a richer, more natural sound, according to the Kickstarter page. The device can be played like an electric violin or as a traditional violin, and boasts of a number of small tweaks that make it - according to its creators - superior to a traditional violin.

There's no head on the 3Dvarius. Instead, it uses guitar tuning pegs to reduce the weight and simplify tuning the instrument. It's designed to feel like a regular violin though, and fits with any violin shoulder rest so any violinist should be able to pick up the 3Dvarius and play.

The pegs are also shifted close to the the base instead of at the neck to reduce the weight, and also shifts the balance closer to the violinist, making the 3Dvarius less tiring to play for extended periods.

Looking at the 3Dvarius page, it looks like an interesting blend of old and new technology, bringing together the fabled Stradivarius design and updating it with various small updates through 3D printing. The whole thing can practically be put together in just about 24 hours.

Here's a video that explains how the 3Dvarius works:

The Kickstarter has so far raised EUR 28,000 (roughly Rs. 21 lakh) against a target of EUR 50,000 (roughly Rs. 38 lakh), with 22 days to go before the project ends.

It's worth noting that most of the backer pledges are only for things like lessons from French violinist Laurent Bernadac, the creator of 3Dvarius. A EUR 49 (roughly Rs. 3,700) will get you a dummy model of the 3Dvarius, but you'll have to put in at least EUR 6,299 (roughly Rs. 4.75 lakh) to get the violin itself. That's a lot higher than you would pay for even a professional electric violin so this one is obviously just for the collectors. That said, it's certainly an amazing looking piece of technology, and most of the reviews of prototypes we found online are hugely positive, so if you're a movie star or tech millionaire looking for something futuristic to add to your shelves, take a look at the Kickstarter page.

Google Maps Directions Will Soon Lead You to... More Ads

HIGHLIGHTS

• Google Maps will now show ads called 'promoted pins' in its app.
• Google Maps is used by over 1 billion people worldwide.
• This is an effort to make more money for Google's parent Alphabet.

You might start seeing more ads when getting directions from Google's popular mapping service.

The ads, called "promoted pins," will highlight restaurants and other merchants located along your way. They'll show up inside the directions map as Google routes you to your destination.

Google has displayed text ads alongside its online maps for several years. But the change announced Tuesday marks the first time the Internet company has inserted the equivalent of a digital billboard into the directions map itself.

Google is importing the concept to its Maps app from Waze, a smaller traffic-navigation service that the company also runs.

Google Maps boasts more than 1 billion users worldwide, but not everyone will see the new ads right away.

The promoted pins will initially appear for a small group of people as the company tests how they're received and whether the marketing pitches distract drivers.

Google says it will tailor the new ads to your interests based on what it's learned from past search requests and other activities on its services.

If the targeting works as intended, coffee lovers might see a promoted pin offering a discounted drink from a Starbucks along their route. Google aims to provide "tasteful commercial experiences," said Jerry Dischler, a Google product manager who oversees the company's search-driven advertising.

The new ads are part of Google's effort to make more money for its parent company, Alphabet Inc. People increasingly rely on their smartphones instead of their desktop computers to inform and entertain themselves, pushing Google to invent new "mobile friendly" ads that work on small screens.

Google is also adding tools advertisers can use to measure the effectiveness of their mobile campaigns. Google is also giving advertisers slightly more space to make their pitches on mobile devices.

Merchants traditionally haven't been willing to pay as much for mobile ads, one factor behind a decline in Google's average ad prices over the past four years.

But the value of mobile ads is rising in tandem with the increasing amount of time people spend on their smartphones. Google, however, doesn't disclose the current gap between mobile and PC ad prices.

Still, Google runs what is by far the world's largest digital ad network. It generated $67 billion in revenue last year.

Nokia in Talks With Indian Telcos for 5G Network Trials

HIGHLIGHTS

• Nokia is in talks to deploy 5G services in India.
• 5G can deliver speeds up to 100 megabits per second.
• 5G will operate globally by 2019, says Nokia's Vela.

Nokia Networks is in talks with Indian telecom operators to start trials of next generation 5G networks even as the country is yet to see full-scale roll out of 4G technology based mobile voice and data services.

The Finnish telecom equipment maker is already testing the fifth-generation networks with global telecom giants like US-based Verizon, Korean SK Telecom and Japan's NTT DoCoMo. The 5G technology will guarantee delivery of 100 megabit per second speed at homes and will be capable of handling 1000 times more data traffic when it will be commercialised by 2020, Nokia Networks Head of Mobile Broadband Milivoj Vela said on the sidelines of an event Tuesday.

In India, Nokia Networks is part of Telecommunications Standards Development Society which is working on 5G, and is in discussion with telecom operators to start 5G trials.

However, Indian telcos are still investing in 4G technology to roll out the fourth generation networks and large parts of the country are yet to be covered under the high-speed data and voice services.

Talking about 5G networks, Vela said that 5G will focus on data services while voice calls will be facilitated through 4G technology.

"It will be used for purposes beyond voice and data communications carried by people today. It will has less than 1 millisecond latency that will be used by machines for quick action like for to stop in case it identifies any obstacle, surgery from remote location etc."

"Discussion about spectrum (at global level) in which 5G will operate will finish by 2019. Commercial 5G deployment will start in 2020. Then you will see 100Mbps guaranteed speed everywhere," Vela said.

He said that 5G will operate in spectrum band above 6000MHz and the technology will be launched in phases. "One cell (mobile antenna) in 5G will be able to handle 1000 times more data traffic in 2020 compared to data traffic in 2010. We have already achieved 1 million devices connected to single cell site and 30Gbps speed on 73GHz band in lab," Vela said.

At present spectrum band between 700MHz and 2.6GHz are available for mobile services in India. Wifi services are generally used between 2.4GHz to 5.9GHz.

"Already 4G is taking voice calling to high definition voice calls and voice call cannot be better than this. 5G will about high quality data experience. It will enhance telepresence (web conferencing) to a level where one will not feel the difference if a person is in room or on telepresence," Vela said.