Israel Active

The prestigious Techcrunch voted Israel’s Any.DO the best android app of the year. Over 500,000 people downloaded the software in the first 30 days following its launch.

Israel’s Magisto has the hottest app for 2012 – the year of the mobile video. Magisto allows you to upload your home videos (from phone or camera) to youtube and edit them quickly and easily into the most exciting clips possible. It takes your home videos to a whole new level.

CJP’s Israel Advocacy of Boston went to visit Google’s Tel Aviv headquarters, which in 2005 was the first R&D centre that Google opened outside of the United States. If Google powers the Internet, that’s in no small part because Israeli innovation helps power Google.

An excellent article on Israel’s high tech future, in the UK magazine “Mindful Money”.

Tel Aviv University and Harvard have launched a joint research programme across all areas of astrophysics. The Department of Astronomy at TAU is internationally recognized with two of its faculty members recently awarded $2 million European Council Research grants each to support the studies of the physics of cosmic explosions and searches for extra-solar planets.

(Thanks to NoCamels) Israeli agro-biotechnology company, Rosetta Green, has developed a new technology to develop new varieties of crops that can be irrigated with salt water and are able to withstand prolonged periods of severe drought and harsh climatic conditions.

AORA Solar, an Israeli developer of applied ultra-high temperature concentrated solar power (CSP), will open its second-ever gas-turbine solar thermal power station in Almeria, Spain, on February 7. At night, the hybrid station runs on biofuel, natural gas or diesel. It will also power a desalination facility. See this CBN news report about AORA Solar’s first hybrid solar power station in Israel’s Arava desert.

(Thanks to NoCamels) Israeli start-up Intutula has developed intuNet, a specialized web browser for people who might be nervous of the information highway. When the mouse is hovered over different part of the menu, intuNET reads information out loud so that users get both audio and visual feedback.

(Thanks to NoCamels) Two Israeli-Arab scientists Dr. Sobhi Basheer and Dr. Ahmed Tafesh from TransBiodiesel have developed a biological enzyme that allows the transformation of any kind of oil into the much less pollutant bio-diesel suitable for diesel engines.

(Thanks to NoCamels) Israeli company WeFi has developed a system that allows mobile phone users to surf the Internet for free. WeFi’s unique technology automatically moves a user’s data connection from the 3G network to a local Wifi hotspot whenever it finds one.