Founded in 1984, TED is a conference established with the sole mission of spreading ideas. The annual conferences began since 1990 and they have sought to bring together experts in the field of Technology, Entertainment and Design to give talks and make them available to the world for free.

Embracing its slogan, ‘Ideas Worth Spreading‘, we’ve collected 5 of impressive TED Talks on technology developments. Some of these presentations are quite long (by our ‘attention span’ standards) but not to worry, we’ve shared the best moments of the videos so you can skip right into the action.

Indeed, these presentations by scientists, engineers and designers alike are some of the best we like to share with you and hope that you will spread the ideas among your friends too.

Recommended Reading: 10 Unmissable TED Videos For Designers

1. Wireless Electricity – Eric Giler

Wireless is in, wires are out. That’s the popular sentiment for the last couple of years. Who wants to handle all the messy tangled up wirings of their television set, personal computer and even the chargers for their smartphones? We want to minimize our reliance of wires because they’re an eyesore and they restrict our placement of our electronic devices.

And we want to stop fumbling around for the phone charger in the middle of the night because our phones can’t stop beeping for a recharge! Eric Giler has a solution: he’s telling us that we can charge our phone and electronic devices wirelessly.

In this video, he shows how wireless charging is made possible with electromagnetic technology. At 7:25 he plugs in the cord to the charging coil, and within 10 seconds the TV which is a distance away from the charging coil starts up (7:40).

To understand what is allowing this to happen, watch from 6:30 to see Giler explain how wireless charging works. Using electromagnetic induction, we can now beam electric power through the air and charge electronic devices like the TV or even smartphones (8:35).

2. Cooperative Flying Robots – Vijay Kumar

Artificial Intelligence is not a new concept but it is amazing how far scientists have taken the tecnology to heart. In this video demonstrated by Vijay Kumar, we see small, agile mini-robots that have been programmed to control its own flight movements, without human control.

What is amazing about this is that these robots can communicate with another robot and can actually figure out a plan to cooperate with one another to achieve their tasks, without human intervention.

Watch these robots fly in formation (10:02), maneuver through obstacles without breaking formation (10:20), build structures in co-operation and building in turn (11:20).

These robots can be used to be the first responders to search and rescue operations or exploratory missions, to enter collapsed buildings to search for survivors in areas struck by natural disasters and more. Lastly, there is no end in sight as to what these robots can do. We are limited only by our imagination.

As a special treat, go to (15:15) to watch a music performance of the mission impossible theme made entirely by these amazing flying robots.

3. Wii Remote Hacks – Johnny Lee

Be ready to be blown away by this 5-minute clip. Johnny Lee shows how he hacked into a $40 Nintendo Wii remote and turned it into a tool capable of serving as a multi-touch interactive whiteboard (2:00). The cheat? Using that high performing infra-red camera found on the tip of every Wii remote and another $10 hardware to get it to work.

Using a DIY infra-red pen the Wii Remote motion-sensor camera resting on the projector, and a special software (the ‘hack’ he created) installed, anyone can now use the pen on a projector like an interactive whiteboard.

The second demo shows Lee using a pair of safety glasses with two infrared dots. As a result of the coordination between the infrared dots and the camera, it now creates a 3D environment which responds to your head movement (3:50)!

Here’s a better (albeit earlier) video that shows the 3D head-tracking experiment in detail. He deserves a standing ovation for his work, which he does get at the end of his TED presentation.

4. Image Recognition That Triggers Augmented Reality – Matt Mills

Smartphones may get even smarter in future with its ability to recognize objects in real-life and provide additional information to create an augmented experience for users. We’re not talkign about merely scanning QR codes in order to extract texts, URLs, etc, but this presentation by Matt Mills will probably help you visualize it better.

Check out how pointing the smartphone’s camera on the sports section of the daily newspaper produces a video of the actual gameplay during a tennis match (2:10) or how you can get a visual guide on how to setup a device e.g. a router simply by pointing the camera at the router (3:00) and how a photo can seamlessly trigger an embedded video (3:30). This is done with the program called Aurasma.

You can attach any video clip to any image which when scanned by the program can trigger the video to play. It’s great as an educational tool, an advertising tool for a new movie, or as an inside view to your job just by tagging your company video presentation to your business name card.

5. Imaging at a Trillion Frames Per Second – Ramesh Raskar

High-speed cameras can measure over 1000 fps (frames per second), a normal motion picture, 24 fps but with Femto photography, you can capture a whooping one trillion frames per second! In fact, Ramesh Raskar has used it to capture a video of light in motion (2:00) as it passes through a1.5L plastic bottle of water (see below).

At 2:55 you get a detailed view of the path of travel the beam of light took in a nanosecond. In comparison, a bullet going through the same path at the same time frame, would take a year to watch at that replay rate.

The technology in itself is an amazing piece, but the crux of Ramesh Raskar’s presentation when he demonstrates how we can look around corners using the high-performance camera by capturing reflected photons fired from a laser pulse.

The idea is demonstrated in a mini-model of a mannequin placed behind a wall and not within the line of sight of the camera. The Femto camera attempts to capture a visual of the mannequin based on the photons that are reflected off it onto the door (far right).

Speed up to 6:25 for a visual explanation that won’t give you a headache. A 3D model of the object hidden around the corner (in this case the mannequin) will be generated based on the reflected photons of light coming from the door.

With this we could build sensors in cars that could prevent collisions around dangerous bends, detect the presence of survivors in burning or collapsed buildings, and produce better, non-invasive health-imaging diagnostic tools (say bye bye to X-rays).

Christmas is just around the corner and I’m sure you’ll be invited or planning for some parties, and if you’re going to a party with young kids or those with the young at heart, then maybe these few Android apps can help you entertain everyone. Bear in mind that there is no particular theme apart from ‘Christmas’ to this list.

So it’s a huge melting pot of pretty much every conceivable thing you can do on an app and which also has to do with Christmas. You’ll find apps that give you random Christmas facts, seasonal ringtones or songs to share with your family and friends, coloring books, gift-wrapping ideas, wallpaper apps, clock widgets and other Xmas-inspired apps for everyone to enjoy this holiday season.

Read Also: Top 20 Android Photography Apps

Christmas Facts

Learn quirky Christmas facts that you never knew, and amaze your family and friends with your knowledge this Christmas. [Free]

Christmas Hymnal

If you need a collection of lyrics for old but gold classic Christmas carols, then get the Christmas Hymnal. [Free]

Christmas Rink Live Wallpaper

You’ll love this Christmas-themed wallpaper which features a picturesque skating rink and several characters gliding gracefully on the ice. Look carefully, and you might even spot an interesting character. [Free]

Christmas Story Books

Christmas Story Books is a delightful collection of Christmas stories that will fascinate young and old with their lively illustrations. Read stories like ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’, ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ and many more to come. [Free]

Christmas HD

Customize your own realistic 3D wallpaper: you can put your own picture on the mantel with stockings and Christmas lights adorning the fireplace, or customize a Christmas tree with lights, garlands and gifts. Leave cookies and even a note for Santa to welcome his arrival, be fascinated by the snow-covered landscape out of the window. [$1.99]

Christmas Tree Live Wallpaper

If you’re not going to have a real Christmas tree this season, why not try decorating your own virtual version? Choose from the many settings to decorate your very own Christmas tree: snow, lights, quantity, speed and many other options. [Free]

Christmas’ Joy Ingredients

In Christmas’ Joy Ingredient, the main feature is the Christmas recipes for homemade Christmas traditions. The app also includes a countdown timer, wallpapers and customized greetings. [Free]

Free Christmas List

Never miss anyone’s Christmas gift again with this Christmas List app! You can track gifts by person, calculate gift cost and summarize total gift costsm all in this handy app. [Free]

PopOut! Night Before Christmas

A digital storybook for Android, PopOut! The Night Before Christmas lets you explore and discover many scenes within the story, and you can even listen to ‘O Christmas Tree’ gracefully performed on the piano. [$5.10]

The Nightmare Before Christmas

With more than 100 icons, 5 wallpapers and 4 dock bar wallpapers to select from, you’ll love this wallpaper if you’re a fan of ‘The Night Before Christmas’. [$1.45]

Christmas Coloring Book

Entertain the young kids with this Christmas coloring book on your Android device. There are many templates and colors to choose from to keep them occupied for a very long time.

Christmas Countdown Widget

If you’re the most excited person about Christmas where you get to open gifts, then get this Christmas countdown widget to remind you just how many days or hours are away from your favourite holiday. [Free]

Christmas Crystal Ball Live Wallpaper

This live wallpaper acts like a crystal ball; when you tilt your device, the snowflakes will move in that direction as well. There are other options for you to play around like adding more snow or a snow covered Christmas tree. [Free]

Christmas Pho.to Frames

Share your Christmas moments with family and friends through pictures but add an extra touch of the joyful season with this wide selection of photo frames. [Free]

Christmas Ringtones

If you can’t get enough of Christmas tunes being played in every shopping mall, then get this ringtone app that comes with a ton of jingles to brighten every notification, call or SMS you receive. [Free]

Christmas Snow Clock

Decorate your Android home screen with these snowflake clocks. There are many different designs to choose from and it will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit. [Free]

Christmas Tree Maker

If you’ve dreamt of a huge Christmas tree and how you would arrange the decorations or ornaments, then get this tree maker app to relive those dreams. [Free]

Gift Wrapping Ideas

If gift wrapping is not something you’re good at, then this app will help give you unique ideas and techniques on how to wrap a Christmas present creatively. [Free]

Pimp Santa’s Sleigh

Ever wanted to design your own Santa’s sleigh? Well now you can! This app comes with many decorations and goodies for you to create your own custom sleigh. [Free]

Talking Santa Free

Entertain the entire family with this funny talking Santa that mimics whatever you say but in the HoHoHo Santa fashion. [Free]

When you have multiple cloud storage accounts with on your smartphone or tablet, managing files between the different services would mean frequent switching among your cloud storage apps. Multitasking on a mobile device is still far less convenient than on a laptop or PC.

To solve your two #firstworldproblems, you need an app that supports different cloud storage services and also allows you to share and manage files and folders.

ES File Explorer on Android devices will do that for you. It supports Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive, Box, SugarSync, Amazon, Yandex and Ubuntu One. And we’re going to introduce you to your new best friend.

Cloud Storage File Explorer On Android

Head to the Play Store or click here to get ES File Explorer for free.

Upon starting the app, you’ll notice that you’re able to view files in your Android device’s internal and external storage. This is great as you can transfer files between your Android device and your cloud services. The app can also manage FTP servers.

To add a cloud storage service, navigate to the tab that shows Net, then tap on New and you’ll see a list of supported cloud services.

Tap on one of the cloud services, login to allow the app access and you’ll see the cloud service added to your screen – it’s that simple.

To add more cloud storage accounts you have, tap on New again.

Managing Files Between Cloud Services

If you want to transfer a file from one cloud service to another, you can do so by tapping and holding a file until the Operations menu appears, then tap on Copy to.

You can now select where you want to copy that file to and you can even copy files between the cloud storages and your internal or external storage of your device. After you’ve selected your destination, tap OK.

ES File Explorer Tips & Tricks

You can transfer multiple files at one go by tapping the Select button to ‘highlight’ multiple files.

Once you’ve made your selections, tap and hold any one of the highlighted files, then choose Copy To, to copy your files. This not only works for copying but for any other operations available.

It is also a decent file viewer which supports common files like Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint, media (audio, video, image) files, and other text document (PDF, TXT) files which can be opened with other apps on your device.

There is also the ability to share files on your cloud service through Bluethooth, email, messaging or other services like Blogger, Facebook, Google Plus, Picasa, Skype and YoutTube.

Overall, a great Android app for people who want to manage all their data and files on different cloud storage services from one central location.