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Telecoms

Researchers have found that there are sound frequencies that older adults are unable to distinguish, while to teenagers they are quite distinct. They have taken that little known fact and turned it into a ring tone for mobile phones that the young market is finding a new switch-on.

The high-pitched mosquito-like whine goes unnoticed by parents and teachers, but grabs the attentions of adolescents and young adults alike. The device in the cellphone is a small black box that emits a pulsating frequency at around 17kh, audible to relatively undamaged ears.

Brewing Have your chocolate and drink it too

If you enjoy a beer and a slab of chocolate, you can now have both in a bottle. Global brewer SABMiller has announced plans to launch an innovative chocolate beer, brewed with six different malts, including a dark chocolate one.

In line with the group's programme to develop a specialist beer portfolio, the company will soon unveil 'Frederick Miller Classic Chocolate Lager'. After years in the lab and field research, the beer will be launched in the US in time for Christmas.

The chocolaty taste comes from the infusion of cacao nibs in traditional brewing methods used by founder Frederick Miller in 1855. It marries this with the latest innovations in brewing to produce the most complex chocolate taste to date, says SABMiller.

The company's research chief, Dr David Ryder, notes: "Given that chocolate can have literally hundreds of flavour nuances, to develop a beer which bursts with chocolate flavour is incredibly difficult. We believe this lager has the most complex chocolate taste currently on the market. Its intense flavour, without the heaviness of other dark beers, is also a distinctive feature which will appeal to both men and women alike."

Automotive Lights of your life

The time is close at hand when you might never again have to change the bulbs in your car's lights. The Audi R8 and Toyota's Lexus have presented LED headlights that will last for the car's lifetime. LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are better, the manufacturers say, than other more conventional bulbs because the light is more intense, more energy-efficient and lights up 10 times faster than its competitors.

Wheeled out at the recent Paris car show, they caused a sensation because most motor car analysts had not expected to see them for another three years. So why have they taken so long to develop? A major problem to be overcome was overheating of the LED package that caused the device to fail. That was eventually overcome with the introduction of tiny cooling ventilators.

Other benefits of the LEDs is that they take up less space than conventional lights and can, at least theoretically, be creatively shaped and positioned. The LEDs are destined for a 36-month debut in prestige models, but will be introduced into standard models as production comes more efficient and the unit price drops.

Solar panels Sun shines on Kibera entrepreneurs

In one of Nairobi's poorest neighbourhoods, a group of disadvantaged young people are working together to turn the power of the sun into a wealth creating proposition. Using skills and equipment given to them by a young British volunteer, members of the Kibera Youth Club in Kenya's capital city have a tidy production line making solar panels that can power radios and recharge mobile phones.

The social and economic environment at Kibera is so bad that many of those now working on the panels have never previously had a job or seen anyone in their families with one.

Now the orders are coming in and things are looking up. Each day they slice the silicon sheets, wire connectors and calculate the correct voltages, making solar panels of different sizes - 6,9 and 12 volts. A single panel can bring in $5, compared with the average Kibera wage of $1 a day and for the budding entrepreneurs, prosperity could be just around the corner.

A few months after completing their first prototype radio solar panel, the group is now busy drawing up a business plan to turn the project into a self-sustaining enterprise.

Biofuels Pumpkin power

African pumpkins could become a source of energy if a pilot scheme to replace diesel with biofuels for mobile base stations located far from the electricity grid proves feasible.

Palm and pumpkin seed oil are the likely biofuel source in a joint project by Ericsson and cellular provider MTN. The idea is to replace fossil fuels with biofuels made from crops that can be grown by local farmers. Pumpkins fit the bill because they are easy to grow and flourish in arid areas. The companies are starting a pilot project in Lagos, Nigeria, to test the ubiquitous marrow's fuel-producing potential.

The advantages of using biofuel rather than diesel include lower transport costs and reduced environmental impact. The cleaner burning fuel helps extend the life of the generator and cuts down on the number of visits to the site, reducing operating costs. MTN says it spends $20m a month on fuel in Nigeria.

Animal behaviour