At its E3 press conference Sony finally revealed
that its next generation handheld - previously codenamed the NGP - will
carry the official moniker of the "PlayStation Vita". Most of the
details of the Vita - which is Latin for "life" - have already been revealed,
leaving the price and name as the only real new information, along with
the announcement of some of the upcoming titles heading to the device
when it is released from the end of the year. Read More
As expected following Apple’s purchase of the
iCloud domain from Sweden-based Xcerion earlier this year and the
construction of a US$500 million iDataCenter in Maiden, North Carolina,
the company has revealed details at WWDC of exactly what its iCloud
service will offer. By storing user’s content in the cloud so it can be
automatically pushed to various devices, iCloud will let users sync
apps, media, documents, calendars and more between their various mobile
iOS devices and a Mac or PC wirelessly. Read More
Happily, the days of painfully slow dial-up
internet speeds are now but a distant memory to many city and town
dwelling broadband users throughout Europe. But for the estimated 13
million households living beyond the reach of ADSL or the even greater
number who suffer from slow broadband connection speeds, waiting a good
while for web pages and media to load into a browser is still the source
of daily angst. One solution for surfers eager to grab more bandwidth
is to install a satellite service and Eutelsat has just announced that
its new KA-SAT high throughput broadband satellite launched in December
of last year has just gone into service. Read More
The keynote address from Steve Jobs at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference
today has revealed 250 new features for the next version of its
operating system - OS X Lion. Highlights include multi-touch gesturing,
system-wide support for full-screen apps, a new way of viewing
everything on your Mac called Mission Control, an overhauled Mail app, a
new Launchpad home for apps and the inclusion of the Mac App Store
directly in the OS. Read More
At its Worldwide Developers Conference
today, Apple officially unveiled iOS 5, the latest version of its
mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The new system
reportedly includes over 200 new features, one of the more noteworthy of
which is the iCloud online data storage service. iCloud includes 5GB of
internet-based memory space, and it automatically syncs all of a user's
iDevices whenever new files are added to any one of them. iOS 5 will be
available to consumers as of this Fall. Read More
Amongst countless other announcements in Apple's
WWDC keynote today came official details on the long expected
cloudification of iTunes. The famous "one last thing" this year was
iTunes Match, which finally utilizes the scan and match technology Apple
gained with its acquisition of Lala in late 2009. Read More
Researchers involved in the ALPHA experiment at
Switzerland’s CERN complex announced yesterday (June 5) that they have
succeeded in using the facility's antiproton decelerator to trap
antimatter atoms for 1,000 seconds – or just over 16 minutes. This was
reportedly enough time to begin studying their properties in detail,
which has been the goal of ALPHA since the project began in 2005. Read More
Sending a man to outer space in a homebuilt
spacecraft worth US$70,000 may seem like a crazy idea to most of us, but
not for a Danish group of enthusiasts who call themselves Copenhagen
Suborbitals. Their shoestring-budget single-person flying bullet might
have come one step closer to an actual manned flight, thanks to a
partially successful test flight last Friday (June 3). Read More
It’s a sign of the times that Ford is gearing up
to launch the smallest capacity engine, with less cylinders than any it
has previously produced. The new 1.0-liter EcoBoost will be launched
globally in all small Ford cars, and in addition to recognized
technologies employed by Ford in its EcoBoost engines, such as
turbocharging, direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft
timing (Ti-VCT), the new three-cylinder engine will have an offset
crankshaft for improved fuel economy, a split cooling system that allows
the cylinder block to warm up before the cylinder head, and the exhaust
manifold is cast into the cylinder head to lower exhaust gas
temperatures and save weight. Read More
The world’s most poorly organized technology tradeshow, Computex Taipei,
finished on the weekend, and one of the many wonderful products lost
amongst the clutter caused by the dysfunctional organization was the
Kingston Wi-Drive, a rugged Flash-based portable storage solution with
built-in wifi that allows three Apple device users to stream different
file types simultaneously without any performance disruption. The
additional 16GB (US$130) or 32GB (US$175) storage and convenient file
sharing make it a perfect companion device for the iPad, iPhone or iPod
touch. Read More
By now most people have heard the first
installment of the remarkable rise to prominence of Spanish
virtual-to-real racing driver Lucas Ordonez. Four years ago, Lucas was
an MBA student who liked playing Gran Turismo on his Playstation. He
entered a contest among Gran Turismo's 60 million players, won the
opportunity amongst 20 others to drive a real race car and try out for a
spot in the Dubai 24 Hour race. He won the challenge, and he's been on
the podium in almost every race since, leveraged his opportunity into a
full-time racing career. As I write this, they're warming up his car for
the first practice session of the world's most famous race - the Le
Mans 24 Hour. Whatsmore, based on his recent results, he stands a good
chance of winning! That's him in the centre, with the big trophy. Geeks
interested in following the fortunes of one of their own can follow the
links to track Lucas in the weekend's big race. Read More
To the continued annoyance of his father Pierce,
twelve-year old Nash Hoover was forever leaving his bedroom light on
when he wasn't in the house. Determined to teach him the real value of
wasted energy, Nash's journalist father popped the young wastrel on an
exercise bike that displayed the amount of energy being produced and
told him to pedal away until he managed to produce enough watts to power
a standard incandescent light bulb. Then the pair had the notion of
spreading the now fully-learned lesson by traveling across America in a
vehicle that uses no more energy than a light bulb left on each day.
Read More
When most golfers hit a ball into the middle of a
water trap, they probably just assume that the ball is destined to
remain underwater for all eternity. Various enterprising individuals,
however, regularly ply the depths of such ponds and lakes to retrieve
those lost balls, for resale to golfers. While some of these
entrepreneurs reach out into the water as far as they can with rake-like
contraptions, most of them don scuba gear and go treasure-hunting. A
new invention, the Golf Ball Wrangler, can now be added to their arsenal
– and it has advantages over both rakes and diving. Read More
Nintendo took the wraps off its new Wii U console
at E3 today, sporting a controller as unique as we've come to expect
from the company that brought us the Wii and the DS. With a 6.2"
touchscreen, dual-analog sticks, D-pad, four face buttons, four
triggers, front-facing camera, microphone, and motion controls
(gyroscope and accelerometer), it's safe to say we'll see some
innovative game mechanics invented to make full use of this thing. Read More
Voice interface has been on the market for some
time, but probably never on such a large scale as announced by Microsoft
on Monday during its E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference
in Los Angeles. Improvements soon to be brought to Xbox Live include
much more live TV and full YouTube access, all easily voice searched via
Kinect and the Bing search engine. There's also something for mixed martial arts fans. Read More
It may look like one of the most outrageous
automotive concepts seen in many a year, but the Unimog 4WD Cabrio Truck
concept created to celebrate 60 years of Mercedes Benz Unimog
production actually has some basis in history - the very first Mercedes
Unimog which rolled off the production line back on June 3, 1951 was
also a cabrio, and it was also green, as has been almost every other
Unimog in the intervening years. Based on the current Unimog U 5000 with
its exceptional off-road capabilities, the Unimog Cabrio is apparently
designed to bridge current and future Unimog design. Read More
Over the years, Creative has expanded its
business into media players, headphones and webcams but is perhaps best
regarded for its Sound Blaster computer audio products. The X-Fi audio
processing chip was added to its PCI cards in 2005 and now the company
has announced the new Sound Core3D multi-core sound and voice processor.
The low-power, high performance chip will come in a HD audio
configuration for computer products and an embedded format for consumer
electronics. Read More
I named Instapaper a killer app in my review of the first-gen iPad last year, and I was but one of many. So how did its developer Marco Arment feel when the Instapaper-inspired Reading List function in iOS 5 was announced at WWDC? This one word tweet says it all. Read More
While details of Sony’s PlayStation Vita
came as no surprise at Sony’s E3 press conference, the announcement of a
PlayStation branded display raised a few eyebrows. At 24-inches, the
full HD 1080p, edge-lit LED LCD 3D display is aimed specifically as PS3
owners without the space or cash to go with a big screen 3D-capable TV.
In addition to 3D, the display also comes with a two-player feature that
allows two different images to be sent to two different players at the
same time. Read More
A promising new birth control method for men
that's more easily reversible than vasectomy has been developed in
India. Called RISUG (Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance or
Vasalgel in the U.S) the method is claimed to be 100 percent effective
in trials, doesn't contain controversial hormone therapy and it lasts a
minimum of 10 years. Read More
According to a recent report on Sky News, Chinese
scientists have created a herd of 300 transgenic dairy cattle, all of
which have been genetically modified to produce human breast milk. While
the milk is still undergoing government testing, the researchers
reportedly hope to be selling it in supermarkets within three years.
Read More
Sony has announced a smaller and lighter replacement for the NEX-3
interchangeable lens camera announced last year, and a new member of
its innovative translucent mirror Alpha camera range. The NEX-C3 gets
more megapixels, has been given a new user interface with redefined
photographic terminology and battery life - a weak spot on the first NEX
models - is said to be up to a fifth longer. The A35 replaces the A33
and has also been given an image quality boost, gains some new
live-shot effects and offer seven frames per second burst shooting
(although at the expense of some resolution). Read More
Two years ago, we had a look at the Scarpar
- a twin-tracked, high speed all terrain powerboard that seemed like a
promising power toy. Well, we've just spoken to Scarpar CEO Andrew Fern,
who has confirmed that this unique vehicle is going into production
later this year, and he's taking deposits as of now. Basically
everything on the board has been changed since the last prototype we saw
- it now runs an independent electric motor in each of the two
articulating tracks, and the hand-held throttle and brake unit is now
wireless. And as Fern describes after the jump, getting it to a
production-ready point has been a herculean effort; his design team more
or less had to create their own realm of engineering theory to deal
with such an unprecedented set of vehicle dynamics. The following
interview is a fascinating look into the development cycle of a new
product. Most importantly though, the Scarpar still looks like extreme
fun, and a remarkable way to launch yourself into the foliage. Read More
The update to version 2.1 of NXP Software's popular CineXPlayer movie viewing iPad app
sees an improved interface that now offers a thumbnail view instead of
just a text list and lets users start transferring and watching an
unconverted movie straight away. One of the most interesting additions,
however, is the ability to watch 3D movies - either with anaglyph
(red/blue) glasses, or glasses-free with the use of GRilli3D's overlay
film. Read More
The evolution of the human body as measured by
how fast we can run or how high we can jump is glacially slow, despite
vastly improved knowledge of human physiology, diet, and training
techniques. By contrast, the rapid evolution of extreme sports has seen
regular quantum progress as barrier after barrier falls. Indeed, in the
world of stunts, things not thought possible quickly become commonplace
once they are achieved. Yet another such "four minute mile" fell
recently when Jed Mildon performed the first triple backflip on a BMX
bike. Jed wore a ContourHD
helmetcam for the stunt, so if you want to know what it's like to watch
the world swirl 1080 degrees in 1080p in two seconds ... Read More
Serious - or simply spoilt - gamers looking to
enjoy motion-based gaming on all three current-generation consoles from
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have no doubt discovered that finding room
for the various motion sensing peripherals on or around the TV can be a
bit of a problem. The TriMount from videogame accessory company
dreamGEAR addresses this by providing a home for the Xbox 360's Kinect
sensor, the PlayStation Eye, and the Wii's sensor bar. Read More
When trying to see objects that are too small for
optical microscopes to image, scientists often turn to scanning probe
microscopes. Instead of a lens, these instruments have a tiny suspended
tip, that moves up and down as it makes contact with the object’s
surface. An image, which can reveal details as small as one millionth of
a millimeter, is obtained by scanning that probe back and forth across
the object. Scientists from Germany’s Universitaet Tübingen have now
taken scanning probe microscopy a step farther, by creating a probe made
not from a solid material, but from a gas of atoms – this “quantum tip”
is said to increase the resolution of images beyond what has so far
been possible. Read More
We may not yet have the liquid metal depicted in the Terminator
movies, but scientists have now developed something that’s vaguely
along the same lines. German materials scientist Dr. Jörg Weißmüller and
Chinese research scientist Hai-Jun Jin have created a metallic material
that can change back and forth between being strong but brittle and
soft but malleable, via electrical signals. Read More
A new GPS module designed for use with the latest
digital SLR cameras from Pentax could help photographers who like to
capture shots of the heavens avoid annoying star trails on long exposure
shots. As well as adding earth-bound location information to images,
the weather-resistant O-GPS1 unit also tracks the location and movement
of celestial bodies and, with the help of the shake reduction system
within the camera, shifts the image sensor in sync with the movement of
the stars and planets. Read More
Every year, approximately 1.7 million people in
the U.S. and Europe tear a meniscus – children and athletes are
especially prone to such injuries. But first, just what is a meniscus?
It’s one of two pieces of cartilage located inside each knee, that
provide a cushion between the tibia and the femur. While smaller tears
can heal on their own, larger tears often require a partial or complete
removal of the meniscus. Within several years, this can result in the
early onset of osteoarthritis. Recently, a new type of stem cell-seeded
bandage, developed at the University of Bristol, has been approved for a
clinical trial on meniscal tears. It may greatly reduce the need for
menisectomies. Read More
ZionEyez are a Seattle based company bringing to
market a Ray-Ban-like pair of sunglasses equipped with a micro video
camera that delivers first person video recording in 720p. There's 8GB
of flash memory inside the frame, a micro USB charging and data transfer
port and the Eyesz can also connect to a computer via Bluetooth. If
only Don Johnson had a pair of these ... those Miami drug lords would
have had no chance. Read More
Following this week's coverage of the reversible male contraception method,
it appears that a birth control pill for men is also in the works.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center are developing what
may be the first non-steroidal, oral contraceptive for men. The team of
scientists, led by Dr. Debra J. Wolgemuth, discovered that low doses of a
compound that interferes with retinoic acid receptors (RARs), stopped
sperm production with no apparent side effects. In addition, just like
the birth control pill for women, normal levels of fertility could be
restored almost immediately after the dose has been ceased. Read More
Anyone who regularly works on a laptop will
testify to that its name is somewhat misleading. These mobile computing
power-houses can generate an awful lot of heat and make it very
uncomfortable - and even painful - to lay one across your legs. What you
need is something that's placed between your thighs and your laptop to
help keep the heat away. Logitech has unveiled a new addition to its
Lapdesk range that features a retractable multi-touch surface for those
who like to swipe or scroll their way around the screen. Read More
Adventurous motorcyclists might be familiar with
the thrill of getting airborne at the top of a rise, but the Hoverbike
is set to take catching some air to a whole new level. With a 1170 cc
4-stroke engine delivering 80 kW driving two ducted propellers, the
inventor of the Hoverbike, Chris Malloy, says with its high thrust to
weight ratio, the Hoverbike should be able to reach an estimated height
of more than 10,000 feet and reach an indicated airspeed of 150 knots
(278 km/h or 173 mph). At the moment these are only theoretical figures
as the Hoverbike hasn't been put through its paces yet, but Malloy has
constructed a prototype Hoverbike and plans to conduct real world flight
tests in a couple of months. Read More
On the 7th September 1997, 60 Minutes broadcast an alarming news item featuring the allegations
of former Russian National Security Advisor, General Aleksander Lebed.
Lebed claimed that the former Soviet Union had not only manufactured but had lost track of perhaps 100
of a very frightening weapon: a nuclear bomb in a casing which made it
appear to be a small suitcase. The claim was hotly denied and none of
these weapons have never surfaced, but that hasn't stopped the idea of
"suitcase nukes" gaining a grip on the public imagination through
popular fiction and TV shows. So is it even possible to fabricate a
nuclear weapon so small? If so, is it likely that such devices exist and
are even missing? Read More
When it comes to “painless” bandages, many of us
might assume that they’re designed mainly for children, who simply don’t
like the sting that comes with the removal of conventional products.
The fact is, however, that approximately 1.5 million patients in U.S.
health care facilities receive skin injuries caused by bandage removal
every year. Many of these patients are elderly, require repeated tapings
in the same area, or have fragile skin for other reasons. It’s for
people like these that 3M designed its new Kind Removal Silicone Tape.
Read More
Designed and built by a team of students from
Australia's University of Adelaide, EDWARD is a futuristic, purely
electric dicycle – also known as a diwheel. Although it looks like
transportation from the realm of science fiction, the vehicle is fully
operational and can be controlled with surprising precision. Read More
Not long ago, we reported on a prototype thin, flexible smartphone known as the Paperphone.
While it isn’t actually made out of paper, the success of a research
project at North Carolina State University indicates that phones in the
future could be. Scientists there have been able to deposit
conductive nanocoatings onto textiles, meaning that items such as pieces
of paper or clothing could ultimately be used as electronic devices.
Read More
Although you might have a big grin on your face as you're blowing away your opponents when playing Halo, you would actually be happier if you were playing a game like Endless Ocean,
in which you interact with marine life - at least, that's what Ohio
State University's Brad Bushman will tell you. The professor of
communication and psychology conducted two studies, each with over 100
subjects, and has concluded that playing relaxing, nonviolent video
games leaves people in a happier, more sociable mood than if they had
played fast, violent games. Read More
One of the most frequently aired concerns when
discussing electric vehicles (EV) is what happens when you run out of
juice. Of course the obvious answer is that you break down, just like
with a normal car - but with some forethought, you're not
likely to let that happen. Should the unthinkable happen, however, some
news from Japan may bring a little comfort to existing and prospective
EV owners. The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and Nissan have just
started testing a roadside service vehicle that's equipped with a
charger to assist EVs. Read More
Architectural firm CPG Consultants has fulfilled
its "green" brief by incorporating a grassed rooftop into the flowing
lines of the 5-storey School of Art, Design & Media at Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore. The 18,000 sqm building maintains
the fluidity of the surrounding valley from the entrance to the main
foyer and up into the external turfed roofs. Featured internal glass
walls serve to enhance this visual connectivity with the lush
surrounding, whilst also allowing light to flood through the classrooms.
Read More
Researchers have developed a fiber that changes
color in response to temperature with the aim of creating a smart
bandage that can indicate the state of underlying wounds and warn of
infection. With the ability to show temperature changes of less than 0.5
of a degree Celsius, the smart bandage would allow for easier and
faster identification of healing problems that are typically accompanied
by an increase or decrease in local temperature, such as infection or
interruptions to blood supply. Read More
We've all heard about old metal car bodies being
melted down for recycling, but what happens to the composite hulls and
superstructures of past-their-prime recreational boats? Well, not much.
Generally, they just end being sunk, burned, or put in a scrapyard.
Sometimes, the composites are ground up and added as filler to virgin
material. An alternative may be on the way, however, as researchers have
discovered a new method for separating the composite components for
future reuse. Read More
Ricoh has announced the first in a new PX Series
of compact digital cameras. Benefiting from some rugged, go-anywhere
qualities, the new camera also features technology capable of doubling
the available optical zoom, is quick to start up, and has a good
selection of scene-based setting optimization options. If you're not
happy with the choice of three colors, Ricoh has also created some
brightly colored protective jackets to slip over the top. Read More
Overly-viscous blood can damage blood vessels and
lead to heart attacks. Therefore, people who are at risk of heart
attacks take medications such as Aspirin, in order to thin their blood.
Such drugs can have unpleasant side effects, however, and can only be
taken a certain number of times per day. Prof. Rongjia Tao, a physicist
from Philadelphia's Temple University, now thinks he might have come up
with a better way of thinning human blood - he subjects it to magnetic
fields. Read More
A promising new innovation in geothermal technology,
that offers a novel solution to climate change, has been created by two
researchers from the University of Minnesota's Department of Earth
Sciences. The technology focuses on tapping heat from beneath the
Earth's surface. By using high-pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of
water to extract the heat, the system has the potential to produce
significantly more efficient renewable energy. At the same time, by
sequestering CO2 deep underground, it actively reduces atmospheric CO2.
It's being hailed as a two in one solution for climate change. Read More
There’s something a little disturbing about the
thought of jamming something that looks like a bullet into your ears,
but then again, MUNITO’s SITi (Standard Issue Titanium) Nine Millimeter
Earphones clearly aren’t your grandma’s earbuds. Not only are their
metal bodies modeled after 9 mm shell casings, but their flexible tips
are actually trademarked as SiliconeHollowPoints. Lest you think that
these earphones are all novelty and no substance, however, they do have some half-decent specs. Read More
Perhaps Microsoft's employees responsible for
product naming don't drive very often, given that they call this
cordless gaming accessory a "wheel". For racing fans who own an Xbox
360, however, the arrival of the Wireless Speed Wheel is good news, as
there aren't many driving controllers for the Microsoft console on the
market. This one's price tag is pretty decent, too. Read More
While I've been lucky never to have actually
misplaced a lens cap for my digital SLR, there have been times when I've
been lost for somewhere to put it between shots (no suggestions
please). Chicago's Mark Stevenson has designed a simple solution to
allow photographers to secure the wandering lens cap to a camera strap
or camera bag. Read More
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