Logitech Wireless Touchpad is a Magic Trackpad for Windows PCs
By Darren Quick
September 14, 2011
Apple released its Magic Trackpad in July 2010 but it wasn’t until the release of Lion
a year later with its support for multi-touch gestures borrowed from
iOS that the device really came into its own. With Windows 8 also set to
embrace touch in a big way Logitech has provided a way for Windows 7
users to get is some early Windows touch experience with the Logitech
Wireless Touchpad. Read More
GM uses active noise cancellation technology to improve fuel economy
By Darren Quick
September 14, 2011
Charged with the task of getting the fuel economy
of the 2011 Chevy Equinox down to 32 mpg on the highway and beat out
the 28 mpg-rated Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape, GM engineers
employed some rather unconventional fuel efficiency technology – active
noise cancellation (ANC). By using the same technique used in noise cancelling headphones,
the team was able to let the Equinox’s engine run at a more fuel
efficient rpm without the associated low frequency noise and achieve
what GM claims is segment-leading fuel economy. Read More
Intel data shows laptops getting more affordable in emerging markets
By Darren Quick
September 13, 2011
It wasn't that long ago that putting aside enough
cash for a laptop would entail an extended period of penny pinching for
most people. As is the nature of technological change, as the years
have gone by the computing power of the average laptop has increased
while their size and cost has decreased. Data released by Intel at its
2011 Investor Meeting shows just how much more affordable the average
laptop is these days for people in various parts of the world. Read More
Diamond Planets, good headlines, public opinion and the carbon lobby
By Mike Hanlon
September 13, 2011
Matthew Bailes is Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research)
of the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, and
was one of the scientists responsible for the discovery of the diamond planet which received widespread news coverage over the last few weeks. In a well-penned article,
Bailes discusses the reaction to the discovery and raises some very
interesting questions about the way the scientific method is used and
abused by the media. Read More
If you're one of the people who bemoan how
Volkswagen's "new" Beetle has strayed from the original's simple,
utilitarian nature ... well, you might want to stop reading now. The
German automaker is debuting its high-performance Beetle R Concept at
the Frankfurt Motor Show
this week. Currently still a design study, it was created at the
Volkswagen R GmbH facility, which in the past was the birthplace of R
versions of the Golf and Scirocco. The Beetle R is based on the existing
turbocharged Beetle 2.0 TSI and sports some unique design features. Read More
New polymer gel for cheaper, flexible lithium ion batteries
By Ben Coxworth
September 13, 2011
Lithium-ion batteries have certainly been a boon
to electronic devices, offering much longer run times than their
alkaline counterparts. There is still room for improvement, however.
Existing lithium batteries can short circuit, they don't stand up to
damage, and they can only be made in a limited variety of shapes. Now,
scientists from the University of Leeds have developed a polymer gel
that could be used to make lithium batteries with none of those
shortcomings - plus, they should be cheaper. Read More
Smartphones have become a large part of many
peoples' daily lives, while computer-based in-vehicle infotainment
systems are on their way to becoming standard equipment in all new
vehicles. While there are some smartphone apps that are able to interact
with some in-car systems,
for the most part the two have been leading separate existences. The
Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), however, wants to change that. The
group, which contains high-profile member companies from the automotive
and mobile communications industries, has established a new technical
standard for two-way communications between in-dash displays and
applications running on smartphones. It's named MirrorLink, and the
first products utilizing the standard will be unveiled this week at the
Frankfurt Motor Show. Read More
How to use a Japanese Capsule Hotel
September 13, 2011
A "capsule hotel" is Japan's solution for cheap
accommodation for guests primarily wanting to sleep and nothing else.
Though the idea sounds similar to a hostel, the sleeping quarters
consists of "capsules" measuring approximately 2m x 1m x 1.25m/6.5ft x
3.3ft x 4ft (that's not much bigger than a coffin) and stacked next to
and on top of one another. A separate section of the hotel houses the
public bathing facilities, lockers for personal belongings and if you
are lucky a restaurant or vending machine. It is also common to find
men- or women-only capsule hotels, however they are predominantly used
by men. Read More
Developed by the Teehan+Lax Labs team, the Touch
Vision Interface is an interesting idea that looks at using a
smartphone's camera to manipulate other screens such as LCD monitors,
laptops or TVs. Using the onboard camera, the system would send touch
input coordinates in real time from the smartphone's touchscreen to a
video feed displayed on the secondary screen. Read More
EXOCONCEPT takes a distinct position on personal watercraft
By Ben Coxworth
September 13, 2011
Of the various water toys for big boys that were
unveiled at last week’s Cannes Boat Show, one of the more intriguing was
the EXO, from French company EXOCONCEPT. Perhaps the best way of
describing it would be to say that it’s like an electric Jet Ski, but
the rider lies down on top of it in a prone position, instead of sitting
on it. Read More
We covered Maserati's new sport luxury SUV prior to the announcement at IAA in Frankfurt earlier this week, but there's bit more info plus a lot more pics available. Read More
If we're ever going to have robot butlers, then
they're going to have to learn how to figure things out for themselves.
After all, if you have to reprogram the robot for every slight variation
on a task, you might as well do it yourself. Scientists at Cornell
University's Personal Robotics Laboratory are tackling the formidable
challenges posed by "machine learning" by programing robots to observe
new situations and proceed accordingly, based on what they already know
from the past. Read More
Thunderbolt definitely seems to be gaining
momentum with another peripheral for the high-speed interface rearing
its head. Spotted by DailyTech at this week's 2011 Intel Developer Forum
(IDF) in San Francisco, the Thunderbolt Express Dock from Belkin
connects with a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac to provide the same docking
station capabilities found on Apple's recently announced Apple Thunderbolt Display (but without the 27-inch monitor). Read More
The Climate Reality Project (formerly known as
the Alliance for Climate Protection) has just kicked off its "24 Hours
of Reality" live streamed event. The presentation runs 24 hours, is
available live in 13 languages, and is the beginning of a worldwide
campaign to present the latest information about the climate crisis and
reject misinformation. Read More
When it comes to producing 3D TV content, the
more cameras that are used to simultaneously record one shot, the
better. At least two cameras (or one camera with two lenses)
are necessary to provide the depth information needed to produce the
left- and right-eye images for conventional 3D, but according to
researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, at
least four cameras will be needed if we ever want to achieve glasses-free
3D TV. Calibrating that many cameras to one another could ordinarily
take days, however ... which is why Fraunhofer has developed a system
that reportedly cuts that time down to 30 to 60 minutes. Read More
Sphero smartphone-controlled ball is ready to roll
By Ben Coxworth
September 14, 2011
Of all the products on display at CES 2011 in Las
Vegas, one that drew a particularly large number of spectators was ... a
ball. Not just any ball, mind you. Developed by Colorado-based tech
firm Orbotix, Sphero
is a self-propelled rolling ball that users remotely control via
Bluetooth, using an app on their smartphone. While it was still in the
prototype stage when we last saw it, Sphero has now been redesigned for
the retail market, and is available for preorder. Read More
HTC Sensation XE comes with faster CPU and a Beats Audio upgrade
By Pawel Piejko
September 14, 2011
Introduced back in May, HTC's 4.3-inch Sensation
flagship smartphone will soon be available in an upgraded version, in
the form of the Sensation XE. It comes as the first product from HTC to
be manufactured in partnership with Beats Electronics. Featuring Beats
Audio technology and a remote-equipped pair of Beats by Dr. Dre
earphones, the Sensation XE packs a faster dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and a
higher capacity 1730 mAh battery. Read More
NASA satellite set to crash back to Earth
September 14, 2011
NASA has recently announced that an
out-of-control, retired satellite will come crashing into the earth's
surface "sometime" towards the end of September. Furthermore, the
satellite, which is about the size of a school bus and weights over 6
tonnes (6.6 tons), will impact the earth in an unknown location between
Canada and South America. The exact time and location will remain a
mystery until two hours before the event, and that's with six thousand
miles (10,000 km) of uncertainty. Read More
Perhaps you’ve performed that old camping trick
before, where you created a lantern by shining a flashlight into a
water-filled bottle. While that may have helped you find your
marshmallows in the dark, imagine how much brighter that bottle would
have been if it were lit directly by the Sun. Bright enough, it turns
out, that it could brilliantly light up the interior of a one-room
house. That’s the idea behind the Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of
Light) project – it’s bringing daytime indoor lighting to the homes of
the poor in the Philippines, by installing water-filled plastic pop
bottles through holes in their roofs. Read More
The new Defender? Land Rover unveils DC-100 Concepts in Frankfurt
September 14, 2011
Land Rover has taken the wraps off its already controversial DC100 Concept
in Frankfurt ... and it has a stablemate - the convertible DC100 Sport.
The Concepts are intended to float new ideas and spark debate on the
design of the next-gen Defender which is slated for production 2015.
Land Rover has also tossed-up some interesting possibilities as to what
sort of high-tech kit might find a home in future models. Read More
Microsoft releases Windows 8 Developer Preview
By Darren Quick
September 15, 2011
Microsoft previewed the next version of its Windows OS in June at D9 and a few more details
leaked out shortly after that, but the biggest reveal came this week
with Microsoft giving a preview of Windows 8 to kick off its Build
conference, followed by the Developer Preview hitting Microsoft servers
for anyone to download. With the surge in popularity of touchscreen
devices over the past few years the new OS is designed to run on a wider
variety of devices and chipsets and embraces touch and apps in a big
way with the new "Metro style" interface. Read More
Volvo points to future designs with Concept You
By Gizmag Team
September 15, 2011
Among the huge list of Concept Cars
taking to the revolving stage in Frankfurt this week is Volvo's Concept
You. Put forward as a design study for the company's next large sedan,
the You takes on an elongated "fastback profile" and crams some
ambitious tech ideas into the cockpit while piling on the luxury
trimmings, from suede roof lining all the way down to wooden floors
covered in hand-tufted carpet. Read More
Oshkosh L-ATV put forward as Humvee replacement
By Ben Coxworth
September 15, 2011
Much as Hummer-owners may like to speak of their
vehicles' military pedigree, the fact is that the U.S. Army now wants to
replace its Humvees with vehicles that are better suited for use in war
zones, particularly when it comes to protecting occupants. One
potential Humvee-replacement has just been announced by Wisconsin-based
Oshkosh Defense - the Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle or
L-ATV. Read More
What do cars have that bicycles don’t? Lots and
lots of things, actually, but one of those is a rearview mirror. While
both cyclists and drivers have to shoulder check when changing lanes,
cyclists additionally have to twist all the way around in order to see
what’s directly behind them. Helmet- and handlebar-mounted side mirrors
are certainly one way to minimize that twisting, but for people who like
stuff, there’s another – mini rearview camera and monitor systems. Cerevellum has just started taking orders for one called the Hindsight, which now has a competitor known as the Owl 360. Read More
Dyson applies its Air Multiplier fan technology to a heater
By Ben Coxworth
September 15, 2011
Introduced in 2009, Dyson’s Air Multiplier bladeless fan
is still probably the trendiest, most unique device one can buy for
moving cooling air around a room. Today, the British company announced
that consumers will now be able to use that same bladeless technology
for heating a room, in the form of the Dyson Hot fan heater. Read More
Origami Cave puts a stylish spin on emergency shelter
September 15, 2011
Australian architecture firm LAVA exhibited its
inhabitable "Origami Cave" as part of The Emergency Shelter exhibition,
which was held in Sydney earlier this month. The exhibition featured
architects from around the globe including Ateliers Jean Nouvel, PTW Architects,
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Cox, Koichi Takada Architects, Sou Fujimoto and
Terunobu Fujimori. Each architect was asked to create a shelter that
would not only protect people from the elements during an emergency
situation, but would also provide a space that was secure and
comfortable in the aftermath of a disaster. Read More
Yamaha's 50th Anniversary R1 gets traction control
By Mike Hanlon
September 15, 2011
Yamaha's R1 will gain a six-mode MotoGP-developed
Traction Control System (TCS) for the 2012 model year, along with a new
ECU (Engine Control Unit) with new mapping. It's the only real change
to the R1 for next year though, and Yamaha's premier sports bike will
again be the heaviest of the liter bikes. Read More
With the curtain coming down on its Space Shuttle Program,
NASA has set its sights on the future with the announcement of a
heavy-lift launch vehicle that is designed to take man beyond the moon
to explore near-Earth asteroids, Mars and its moons, and beyond. Dubbed
the Space Launch System (SLS) its configuration harks back to the Saturn
V rocket-based systems employed to propel Apollo astronauts to the moon
but also incorporates technology developed in the Shuttle Program. Read More
The flow of Thunderbolt
peripherals onto the market definitely seems to be building steam with
this latest example from Sonnet bringing expanded connectivity options
to those with machines packing Apple's new I/O technology. Sonnet's
US$150 EchoExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter uses a PCIe interface to
link a range of existing peripherals such as USB 3.0, FireWire 800,
eSATA, Gigabit Ethernet and high speed memory cards through a single
Thunderbolt port. Read More
Fisker's new Surf - the 'eco station wagon'
By Jack Martin
September 18, 2011
Shown for the first time at IAA in Frankfurt last week, the Fisker Surf is a luxury/sports "shooting brake" or station wagon, built on the same base as the Fisker Karma
(electric drive with gas-engined range extender), though the Ferrari FF
look makes it a lot easier on the eye. The Surf can be expected in
showrooms in the first half of 2013 with a price tag in the low six
figures. Read More
'Subconscious mode' could boost smartphone run times by over 50 percent
By Ben Coxworth
September 18, 2011
University of Michigan researchers have proposed a
new power management system for smartphones that could dramatically
improve battery life. Working with doctoral student Xinyu Zhang,
computer science and engineering professor Kang Shin has created a
proof-of-concept system known as E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle
Listening, that addresses the energy waste that occurs when "sleeping"
phones are looking for incoming messages and clear communication
channels. For users on the busiest networks, it could extend battery
life by up to 54 percent. Read More
ARCHOS G9 tablets get release dates and pricing
By Paul Ridden
September 18, 2011
ARCHOS has confirmed release dates and pricing
for its new breed of G9 Android Tablets, which hold the promise of
satisfying mobile storage junkies thanks to spacious HDD options being
available. The only change to the specs announced in June is that the new ARCHOS tablets will launch with Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) instead of 3.1. Read More
Toyota is gearing up for a worldwide onslaught of
hybrid vehicles in 2012 - part of a strategy to put out no less than
ten new hybrids by 2015. The company has already begun launching hybrid
versions of the Yaris light platform, the Auris/Corolla hatch and the
medium Camry sedan in larger markets across the world - Japan, Europe
and the US. But the most prominent (and branding wise the most
important) is the expanded Prius family - Prius, Prius+ and Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Read More
PowerWheel is designed to make your race bike go ... slower?
By Ben Coxworth
September 16, 2011
... and why on Earth, you may ask, would you want
to go slower? Well, because it requires more effort to make a slow bike
go fast, and the more effort you put into your training rides, the
faster you’ll go when you swap in a regular front wheel on race day.
That’s the idea behind the new PowerWheel and SlowWheel, made by
TriSport Devices. Read More
Tiny Panasonic EVOLTA robots set to take on Ironman Triathlon
By Ben Coxworth
September 16, 2011
While the Energizer Bunny may get all the fame, Panasonic's "Mr. Evolta" robot actually gets out and does
things. In 2008, powered by two of the company's AA EVOLTA alkaline
batteries, the 17 centimeter (6.69 inch)-tall robot climbed up a 1,640
foot (500 meter) rope suspended in the Grand Canyon. The following year, pedaling a miniature tricycle, he completed the "24 Hours of Le Mans"
endurance challenge. Last year, he took a leisurely 500-kilometer
(311-mile) stroll along the highway from Tokyo to Kyoto. This year's
challenge is a little different - there will be three EVOLTA robots, and they will be teaming up to complete the 230-kilometer (143-mile) Ironman Triathlon circuit in Hawaii. Read More
Velella Research Project is raising fish in sea-drifting pods
By Ben Coxworth
September 16, 2011
There are a number of reasons that many people
are opposed to fish farming. Among other things, they claim that the
caged fish release too much concentrated waste into the surrounding
waters, too many antibiotics and anti-algal chemicals are used, the
ecological balance is upset when non-native fish escape from their pens,
and strain is put on populations of local fish that are captured for
use in feed for carnivorous farmed fish. Unfortunately,
wild-fish-capturing methods such as drift net fishing and bottom
trawling have big problems of their own. A new system that involves
raising fish in mesh spheres that float in the open ocean, however, is
claimed to sidestep many of the drawbacks of traditional marine
aquaculture. The Velella Research Project is pioneering the technology.
Read More
MIT researchers build a bridge to better energy harvesting MEMS device
By Darren Quick
September 16, 2011
The advantages of wireless sensors to monitor
equipment and structures in remote locales are obvious, but are lessened
significantly if their batteries need to be regularly changed. We’ve
seen a number of microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, that harvest
energy from the environment, such as ambient light and radio waves and vibrations.
Now MIT News is reporting the development of a new piezoelectric device
that is about the size of a U.S. quarter and can generate 100 times as
much power as similarly sized devices. Read More
Scientists make first step towards bringing life to inorganic matter
By Darren Quick
September 15, 2011
All life on Earth is carbon-based, which has led
to the widespread assumption that any other life that may exist in the
universe would also be carbon-based. Excluding the possibility of
elements other than carbon forming the basis of life is often referred
to as carbon chauvinism and researchers at the University of Glasgow are
looking to overcome this bias and provide new insights into evolution
by attempting to create “life” from carbon-free, inorganic chemicals.
They’ve now taken the first tentative steps towards this goal with the
creation of inorganic-chemical-cells, or iCHELLS. Read More
TUM's sporty MUTE electromobility vehicle concept
By Paul Ridden
September 19, 2011
Electric vehicle concepts, prototypes and
production models are everywhere at the moment. Enter into any
discussion on the subject and you're likely to come across a few common
threads, such as range anxiety, prohibitive cost and charging
inconvenience. A collaborative project involving 200 assistants and
students across 20 departments at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen
(TUM) is hoping to address many of those fears with its MUTE concept - a
lightweight, sporty two-seater electric coupé designed from the ground
up with three main factors in mind: efficiency, low overall cost and
safety. Read More
NASA employees are now holding their breath as
the 6.6 ton (6 tonne) out-of-control Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
(UARS) is falling faster than previously expected. Yesterday, NASA
announced that the decommissioned satellite is most likely to crash into
the earth's surface on Friday 23 September ... give or take a day. Read More
Study indicates that nanoparticles cause brain damage in fish
By Ben Coxworth
September 19, 2011
In just the past few years, nanotechnology has
brought technological advances in almost every field imaginable – patches that regenerate heart tissue, water-powered batteries and better biofuels are just a few examples. As with just about any new technology, however, concerns have been raised
regarding its safety. We’ve never experienced anything quite like it
before, so how far should we trust it? According to a recent study
conducted at the University of Plymouth, the answer to that question
might be “Not very far.” In tests on rainbow trout, titanium oxide
nanoparticles were found to cause damage to the brain and other parts of
the central nervous system. Read More
HeadsUp System keeps your car-topped gear from getting 'racked'
By Ben Coxworth
September 19, 2011
If you've just completed a three-hour bike ride
and an hour's drive home, it's entirely possible that once you're
finally pulling up into your driveway, the fact that your bike is
mounted on the roof of your car might not be the first thing on your
mind. If you don't have a garage, that's no big deal, but if you do
... well, you could just proceed to drive into it out of habit, and end
up smashing your bike against the bottom of its raised door. That's
what cyclist Tom Reiber did on one memorable occasion, and it prompted
him to invent the HeadsUp wireless gear alert system. Read More
Bose outs Bluetooth-enabled SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker
By Pawel Piejko
September 19, 2011
Bose has updated its wireless speaker lineup
with a new Bluetooth-enabled portable unit. Featuring an integrated
cover which doubles as a stand, the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile
Speaker is tailored for outdoor use with a built-in lithium-ion battery
delivering up to eight hours of playback (make that three hours if you
crank it to 11) and a shock-resistant shell/stand that's designed to
withstand salt-fog, sand, or moisture. Read More
Lamborghini Sesto Elemento to get (very) limited production run
By Darren Quick
September 19, 2011
At the worldwide preview of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann also announced the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento (Sixth
Element) will be going into production. But don’t bother counting your
pennies because the production run is limited to just 20 cars and all
have already been spoken for. Read More
Ca-Fi: Android-based car infotainment system
By Pawel Piejko
September 19, 2011
Hong-Kong-based Innotrends has unveiled its Ca-Fi
Android 2.3-based infotainment system for in-car use. Tailored for
2-DIN dashboards and running on a 1.2GHz Cortex A8 CPU and 512MB of RAM,
Ca-Fi features 6.2-inch 800 x 480 (resistive) touchscreen, a 3G modem
to surf the web, GPS to handle in-car navigation apps, Bluetooth support
for hands-free calling and 4x45W audio output. Read More
This futuristic design by Australian architects
Lacoste+Stevenson was submitted for the Busan Opera House competition.
Resembling an enormous pebble perched at the end of the promenade (or an
alien spaceship), the design dubbed "Open Suseok" hopes to resonate
with the Korean tradition by drawing inspiration from local stone art
(or Suseok). Read More
Kepler mission discovers first planet orbiting two stars
By Darren Quick
September 19, 2011
In news that conjures up visions of Luke
Skywalker looking wistfully at the twin sunset of Tatooine accompanied
by a stirring John Williams score, NASA's Kepler mission
has detected the first planet orbiting two stars. The circumbinary
planet, dubbed Kepler-16b, is some 200 light-years from Earth and,
though gaseous and not thought to harbor life, its discovery broadens
the opportunities for life in our galaxy according to Kepler principal
investigator William Boruckias, because most of the Milky Way's stars
are part of binary systems. Read More
Mercedes envisions the zero-emissions luxury sedan of 2025
By Darren Quick
September 18, 2011
To celebrate 125 years of the automobile,
Mercedes-Benz has provided a glimpse of where it sees things heading in
the future with its F 125! research vehicle. Although it isn't so
ambitious as to attempt to predict what cars will look like in another
125 years, the German automaker has decided to look a little further
afield than usual. Previous research vehicles have generally looked
ahead one vehicle generation, which is roughly seven to eight years, but
with a newly developed hydrogen fuel cell system, gesture controls, and
range of 1,000 km (621 miles), Mercedes says the F 125! looks forward
more than two generations to the year 2025 and beyond. Read More
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