Carrying around all the various equipment needed
for studio recording, rehearsals or live performance, you'd be forgiven
for not noticing all the extra bulk caused by laptops and associated
peripherals needed to record, play, store or reload Musical Instrument
Digital Interface (MIDI) settings, sequences and song data. But if
you're on the lookout for something more portable then Line 6 has just
announced the MIDI Mobilizer, a hardware interface designed to work with
any iPhone or iPod Touch. Read More
The Foxl v2 is instantly impressive by its
weight, it’s not made of plastic and it delivers impressive bass sounds
through technology that combines the unit’s rechargeable Lithium-ion
battery with a Flatmagic acoustic bass radiator. The unit's mid and
high-range come at you via two patented dual voice coil 25mm (1 inch)
Linear Magnetic Drive Twoofers (tweeters that also woof – tuned to
100Hz) and on-board amplification is supplied by four ultra
high-efficiency digital amplifiers delivery total power up to 8W at
<0.1%THD. Add in Bluetooth capabilities and this unit ticks a lot of
boxes. Read More
BlueAnt Wireless is about to release a Bluetooth
headset which promises to deliver clear audio even in winds of up to 22
mph. The T1 headset also benefits from a durable design and protective
silicon covers, a text-to-speech engine which announces incoming callers
and audio setup guides. Read More
Motorola has announced details of its i1, the
world’s first Android-powered smartphone with push-to-talk. Headed for
Sprint Nextel’s iDEN network in the U.S. the i1 features a 3.1-inch 320 x
480 HVGA touch screen, 5-megapixel camera and Wi-Fi. It includes the
mobile phone equivalent of cursive writing – the Swype
on-screen QWERTY keyboard entry system – and boasts a solid body
construction that meets military specs for protection against dust,
shock, vibration and blowing rain. Read More
Virgin Galactic continues to rack-up the
milestones in its quest to get sub-orbital space tourism up and running,
this time with its inaugural “captive carry” test flight. VSS Enterprise
spent 2 hours 54 minutes attached to the WhiteKnightTwo carrier
aircraft in the skies above the Mojave Air and Spaceport, California.
The spaceship will be cut loose from its carrier for independent glide
and then powered flight testing as the program continues through 2010
and 2011, then it's all-aboard for paying customers. Read More
If companies and individuals still need an
example of the economic and environmental benefits of switching off
electrical equipment when not in use, here it is. Ford estimates it will
save US$1.2 million annually on power costs alone and reduce its carbon
footprint by an estimated 16,000 to 25,000 metric tons annually by
implementing a new PC Power Management program. The new program will
centrally control the power settings on Windows laptops and desktop PCs
to enable a managed shutdown of computer systems not in use, especially
overnight and on weekends. Read More
Knee ligament damage is an injury all to common
to sportsmen and women. The solution usually involves replacing the torn
ligament with a piece of tendon from the leg, which is fixed to the
bone by means of a titanium or stainless steel screw. Unfortunately,
after a certain time another surgery is required to remove them. Now
researchers have developed a screw that is bio-compatible and also
biodegradable over time, making this second surgery unnecessary. Read More
A couple of months ago, as part of our coverage of the 2010 Detroit International Motor Show, we showed you an all-electric version of the venerable Fiat 500
that was on display at the event. At that time, Fiat said that the
electric 500 was a technology test bed for future models, but was
staying tight-lipped about any other details. This Monday, Fiat-owned
Chrysler Group announced that it will be producing the 500EV for the US
market, starting in 2012. Read More
It looks like the coast is clear for owners of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II to upgrade their firmware. The newly released 2.0.4 firmware includes all of the improvements we saw in version 2.0.3
that was released last week, but without the side effect of rendering
the camera unable to record audio in certain circumstances. The new
update also fixes the malfunction for those that had already upgraded to
version 2.0.3 before it was pulled, so Canon is encouraging all users
to update to version 2.0.4. Read More
Let’s say you’re the proud parent of a budding
Michael Schumacher – he rips up the track in his go-kart, leaving others
in his wake, and you know it’s only a matter of time before he
progresses through to the F1 circus and makes everyone in the family
filthy rich. But what does he drive to school? Can't take the kart, and
certainly not a Prius. No! The only vehicle junior would feel
comfortable in is a Ferrari – and this F40 fits the bill perfectly …
small size, small engine, small price tag (relatively). Read More
Point the Piano and Violin Learning Pen from
Gigiway at notation in a music book and it will either play the piece
through its built-in speaker or repeat and re-repeat a chosen passage
and tell you what all those complicated-looking symbols mean. Budding
musicians can slow down the playback speed until they are ready to play
at full pelt, activate the digital metronome and even compare tones to
make sure their chosen instrument is in tune. Read More
A performance evaluation undertaken by Exponent
Inc has revealed that EcoloCap’s Nano Lithium X Battery offers over 98
percent efficiency and has "the world’s highest energy density output
per mass". Outperforming company expectations, the battery was also
found to have the "fastest recharge time of any comparable commercial
battery" together with the "lowest cost per energy output". Read More
Korg has been a big player in the democratization of music production in recent years, with the mini Kaoss Pad effects device, the Kaossilator phrase synthesizer and the incredibly affordable nanoSeries
USB MIDI controllers finding their way into the kit bags of countless
budding rockstars (and many actual rockstars). Its latest noise maker is
the monotron, a dead simple analog synthesizer featuring a ribbon
controller (essentially a touch panel instead of keys, which is
incredibly "playable" even for amateurs) and the same filter used in the
classic MS-10 and MS-20 analog synthesizers which are still some of the
most sought-after vintage synths on the planet. Read More
According to the American Chemical Society, seven
gallons of crude oil go into each one of approximately a billion car
tires that are produced every year worldwide. Today, however, scientists
announced a development that could drastically reduce oil usage in
tires. It involves isoprene, a hydrocarbon that is currently obtained as
a by-product from refining crude oil, and that is a key ingredient in
the production of synthetic rubber. Using sugars from renewable sources
such as sugar cane, corn or switchgrass, the scientists have been able
to create a “green” isoprene, trademarked as BioIsoprene. They expect it
could start being used to produce tires within five years. Read More
The ease with which computers can be hooked up to
a HDTV has seen many people doing just that - whether it be to enjoy
media stored on a PC or to surf the web while kicking back on the couch.
Doing the latter can often be less than ideal, however, with input
devices that can be difficult to use while reclining and browsers that
have been designed specifically for up close and personal use on a
computer screen. Last year Hillcrest Labs released its Loop pointer to tackle the first problem, and have now unveiled the Kylo web browser to address the second. Read More
Following its release in Korea late last year LG’s entry into the OLED TV market, the EL9500,
is apparently now shipping in the UK. Without any fanfare (or even a
picture of the unit) a listing for the 15-inch TV has appeared on
Amazon.co.uk with a price of UK£1,970.25 (approx. US$2,962 at time of
publication). The listing comes as a bit of a surprise as LG had
previously announced that it would start shipping the 15-inch TV in
Europe in May 2010. Read More
After a gradual build-up throughout 2009 the
roll-out of Android mobile phone handsets is really starting to snowball
- and that means more choice for consumers. If the iDEN Motorola i1 and the WiMAX HTC EVO 4G aren't your thing (or your network), you might want to take a look at the multimedia-savvy Samsung Galaxy S, the Dell Aero and the budget-friendly Kyocera Zio. If the waiting game isn't your thing, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and the HTC Desire are just about to drop in the UK and will arrive shortly in the US. Read More
No matter how good the paper mache volcano that
you built at school was, your effort will most likely pale in comparison
to the school project being undertaken by a group of Spanish students.
These students are designing a ball-shaped mini-robot named PicoRover
that they plan to send to the Moon as their entry in the Google Lunar X PRIZE. To claim the US$30 million prize the robot will need to travel 500m and transmit video, images and data back to Earth. Read More
Researchers at the University of Florida have
found they can use low-power lasers as a cheap and efficient way to
light and ignite nanoparticles. The discovery could lead to important
advancements in the medical, computing and automotive fields. Read More
Putting aside jet packs, the other science fiction dream to perpetually elude us is the flying car. Gizmag is littered with stories on flying car inventions
and yet my Toyota Camry is mournfully clipped, fused to the road while
my dreams of zooming to work in the 21st century remain unrealized. But
this is not a story about a new-fangled invention, this is a story about
the pioneering forerunner to these zippy young upstarts; the ancient
grandfather of flying automobiles, Frank Skroback's Flying Car, which
recently went to auction in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More
The rumor mill has started again. Does it ever
stop? But this time (for once) Apple is not at the center of it - this
time it's the turn of Nintendo to bathe in the blinding light of
speculation and is, to a large extent, the company's own doing. In what
has to be amongst the shortest releases I have ever seen, Nintendo has
announced the forthcoming availability of a new portable gaming device
where users will be able to enjoy 3D effects without glasses. Read More
While it’s not quite to the level of the Esper Machine in Blade Runner,
the integration of the ImmerVision 360 degree Panamorph lens into
Feeling Software’s Omnipresence 3D Security System is as close as we’ve
seen. Designed to serve as a visual platform for complex, critical
security systems such as airports, nuclear facilities, and universities
the marriage of the two technologies eliminates blind spots to provide a
system that can apparently see it all. Read More
Known as Turtle, the world's first military
submarine appeared during the American War of Independence. It was 10
feet long, constructed of two wooden shells covered with tar, propelled
by a one-person crew using hand-cranked propellers, had enough air for a
30 minute dive and its weapons were a drill, a keg of gunpowder and a
time fuse. Fast forward 230-odd years to the British Navy's Astute class
submarine, which is currently undergoing sea trials, and you get a very
different picture. Made up of a million individual components and
capable of carrying 93 crew and an array of weapons including Tomahawk
cruise missiles, the nuclear-powered Astute class is 97m long, weighs
7,800 tons, is coated in 39,000 sonar masking acoustic tiles and doesn't
need refueling throughout its expected 25 year service life. Read More
It is estimated that by 2030, urban areas will be
home to more than 60 percent of the world’s eight billion people. That
doesn’t bode well for cities with public infrastructure that is already
struggling to meet the growing demand for transportation. General Motors
(GM) and its strategic partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.
Group (SAIC) have come up with a concept two-wheeled vehicle to address
the need for personal urban transportation in the cities of the future -
the Electric Networked-Vehicle. Read More
New York-based scientists believe that materials
closely resembling ingredients found in hair-conditioning shampoos and
fabric softeners might be used to “scrub” carbon dioxide (CO2) from
coal-burning emissions. These aminosilicones show potential as a less
expensive and more efficient alternative to current technologies with
tests resulting in removal of up more than 90 percent of CO2 from
simulated flue gas. Read More
If you to watch movies or listen to music without
ambient noise, but don't want to fork out huge amounts of hard-earned
cash on expensive loudspeakers (only to be told to turn them down so the
rest of the household can talk to each other), wireless headphones make
a great solution. Sony's latest offering - the MDR-RF4000K digital
cordless headphones - include a unique new storage and charging dock and
an impressive wireless range of 30m (100ft). Read More
The first of Chevrolet's recently announced 2011
Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition coupes will go under the hammer at
the Barrett-Jackson in Florida next month. Billed as the "best balanced
Corvette yet" on the track, the carbon-flavored Z06 marries the
naturally-aspirated Z06 engine with the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes
introduced on the 2009 ZR1. Read More
AllThingsDigital brings news of yet another patent issued for technology we've been using for years. The patent, Method and apparatus for controlling a computer system,
which was filed in June 2006 and granted last week, is shockingly broad
- essentially describing any means of using an accelerometer to control
a computer. Read More
InVisage Technologies has announced a mini image
sensor capable of four times the performance and twice the dynamic range
of conventional CCD and CMOS sensors. The company has harnessed the
unique properties of a quantum-dot based material which can be placed on
conventional circuitry to dramatically improve picture quality and
sensor performance. Read More
To take full advantage of stereo sound, many
consumers will install their AV equipment to suit the room’s furniture –
sound and vision pointing to the best seat in the house so you can take
full advantage of that stereo “sweetspot”. That’s fine when you’re
sitting watching a movie, but what happens you start playing the latest
active games on Nintendo’s Wii, Sony’s PlayStation3 and Microsoft’s Project Natal? Researchers at the Technology University of Dresden, Germany, have the answer. Read More
Producing an artificial leaf capable of
harnessing Mother Nature’s ability to produce energy from sunlight and
water via photosynthesis has been a long-sought goal for researchers
aspiring to provide an environmentally-friendly way to free to world of
its dependence on coal, oil, and other carbon-producing fuel sources.
Now a group of Chinese scientists has presented a design strategy based
on the chemistry and biology of natural leaves that could lead to
working prototypes of an artificial leaf that captures solar energy and
uses it efficiently to change water into hydrogen fuel. Read More
Putting aside ugly flying cars,
no one should fail to be moved by the gorgeous warm-colored wood,
hammered copper trims and time-worn patina of this gorgeous piece of
antiquity. One of the last known Curtiss MF Seagull Flying Boats is to
be sold at auction on Tuesday April 13 at Bonhams in New York. Rich in
history, this beautiful vintage sea plane was designed and created by
engineer and aviator Glenn H. Curtiss, otherwise known as "the Father of
Naval Aviation." Read More
NASA’s Opportunity is a Mars Rover that just won’t die. In fact, Opportunity
is just getting better – and smarter – with age. Originally slated for a
90-sol (that’s 90 Mars days) mission when it landed at Meridiani Planum
on Mars on January 25, 2004, Opportunity is still turning up
for work and functioning effectively in its seventh year on the red
planet. And unlike some of us who are losing our faculties as we age, Opportunity
has been given a new capability to make its own choices about whether
to conduct additional observations of rocks that it spots on arrival at a
new location. Read More
Tour + Bus + Hotel = Rotel, the hotel on wheels
By Jeff Salton
March 25, 2010
If you fancy getting amongst nature in some of
the world’s wildest and most remote locations, but don’t really want to
sleep in a tent, you might want to consider boarding a Rotel (rolling
hotel) for your next holiday destination. The Rotel rolls a coach and
hotel into one unit (or for larger groups, a bus and tag-along sleeping
quarters). By day passengers sit in the front of the coach and take in
all the sights, and by night they adjourn to the rear of the vehicle to
enjoy their semi-private sleeping quarters. Read More
Following the release of the GigaPan EPIC
and EPIC 100, GigaPan Systems has upped the ante with the introduction
of the EPIC Pro. As the Pro of its title suggests, the latest robotic
camera mount to help take panoramic gigapixel composite pictures is
designed to work with most DSLR cameras with its ability to hold a
camera and lens combination up to 10lbs. Read More
LG has unveiled what is the sure to be the first of many LED TVs to get the 3D
treatment. The LX9500 is illuminated by panels of LEDs directly behind
the screen for local dimming, with the 55-inch model alone boasting
1,200 of the semiconductor light sources. The LEDs help the TV achieve a
10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio while sporting an ultra-thin 22.3mm
(less than 1 inch) deep body with a stylish 16mm super-narrow bezel.
Read More
Most small watercraft need anchors just like
bigger boats, but many down-sized anchors struggle to hold these vessels
in place, even breaking apart. If you ride a personal watercraft (PWC),
like a Jet Ski, stowing a metal or aluminum anchor in the craft’s
onboard storage containers can wreak havoc, sometimes almost punching
through in rough conditions. That’s no good aboard an inflatable,
either. Australian-based Cooper Anchors has designed a world-first
lightweight, plastic anchor with a weighted tip, straight streamline
shank and small blade that work harmoniously to drive deep into the sea
bed and hold your craft in place. What’s more, it’s flexible, tough,
won’t scratch or puncture your PWC or inflatable and weighs less than
1kg. Read More
Most of us are now familiar with 5.1 surround
sound systems that allow us to enjoy (almost) cinematic audio
experiences in our living rooms when watching movies or playing games.
The Psyko 5.1 gaming headset aims to offer a similar experience by using
air tubes to direct sounds to the ears from five speakers fitted in the
bridge and subwoofers within each ear cup. Read More
The same process that illuminates big-screen
plasma TV’s can now create ultra-clean fuels, according to a scientific
report presented earlier this week. According to Prof. Albin
Czernichowski from France’s University of Orleans, a device called a
GlidArc reactor has successfully been used to create clean fuels from
waste materials, utilizing electrically-charged clouds of gas called
“plasmas.” One of the fuels is a form of diesel that reportedly releases
ten times less air pollution than conventional diesel. Read More
Not too dissimilar to the Rollator we featured late last year on Gizmag is the Treadmill Bike, which leaves as much to the imagination as the movie Snakes on a Plane.
Unlike the Rollator, the Treadmill Bike has only two wheels, looks a
little more robust and lets you take it “off road” according to its
designers, though why you wouldn’t just go for a jog has got us puzzled.
Read More
Whenever Apple is set to release a new product, a
significant chunk of the web becomes a firehose of rumors, buzz,
cheerleading, vitriol, and the occasional piece of actual news. We've
scoured the web and assembled a roundup of all the significant iPad news
from the last week, so you don't have to. Read More
Developed by Kyosemi Corporation, Sphelar solar cells are one of the most intriguing solar
solutions that we have seen in a while. On display at the recent PV
Expo 2010 in Tokyo, these tiny spherical cells gave us a glimpse of how
windows in buildings might be used to collect solar power in the not-so-distant future. Read More
Shortly available for consumer beta, LookTel is a
smartphone object recognition package which is intended to help the
visually impaired correctly identify such things as money, CD titles,
landmarks and so on. An image captured by the phone's camera is sent to a
PC which then quickly scans through a database and when a match is
made, the result is returned to the phone and spoken to the user.
Sighted user assist, a handy text-to-speech function and guided
interface control also feature. Read More
Sony has announced the development of a highly
efficient RGB laser light source module that, thanks to its high
scalability, is suitable for use with projectors of all sizes and
promises outstanding performance as well as power efficiency. The module
incorporates high-power lasers with a combined output power of 21W in a
single, small package. Read More
Not content with being the purveyor of the likes of gold and diamond encrusted mobile phones and USB flash drives,
luxury manufacturer Gresso has announced what it claims to be the
world’s first mobile phone customization experience. By way of an online
“boutique”, the company offers its clientele the choice of almost 40
combinations of titanium, steel and leather – with a starting price of
US$2200. Read More
Belkin includes apps with new 802.11n wireless routers
By Paul Ridden
March 28, 2010
The world is going app crazy and it's not
restricted to the domain of mobile phones. Routers too, it seems, are
not being left out. As well as embracing the 802.11n wireless protocol
and simple three step setup, Belkin's latest router offerings also break
into the world of applications with software that automatically detects
and resolves network issues, a playlist music generator and an
automated data backup program all leading the charge. Read More
Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for
Production Technology have devised a carbon fiber fabrication process
that they say is considerably quicker and easier than the conventional
method. Traditionally, carbon fiber products are made by lining a form
with carbon fiber matting, saturating the matting with liquid resin,
repeating this process for several layers, plastic-bagging the whole
works and pumping all the air out, then baking it in an oven. The
Fraunhofer process does away with the matting, liquid resin,
vacuum-bagging and oven, and will hopefully make carbon fiber more
abundant and thus more affordable. Read More
It’s no secret that a distracted driver is a
hazardous one. In-car mobile phone safety technology manufacturer
Zoomsafer has announced an extension of its existing software named
VoiceMate that allows drivers to audibly send and receive emails and
text messages while keeping their attention focused on the road ahead.
Read More
We've spent plenty of time looking at the spec sheets for Aprilia's barnstorming new superbike, the 180-horsepower RSV4 - and marvelling at the potential of what has to be the most race-focused roadbike ever to hit the market.
Now it's time to take this beast out on the road and see how it goes.
Sit back and enjoy our most in-depth video review yet - it's white
knuckles and brown underpants as we road test the 2010 Aprilia RSV4-R.
Read More
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