“This is the iPad with Retina Display,” begins
the ad. “And this is the new Kindle Fire HD with an 8.9-inch display.”
We then see two “stunning HD” screens, with the narrator telling us that
we may not be able to tell the difference. Then he drops the bomb: “
... but your wallet can.” See, the iPad starts at US$500, and
this Kindle Fire starts at $270. But is it really the great deal that
Amazon says it is? Let’s find out, as we review Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD
8.9” tablet. Read More
NASA has announced that the Kepler
space probe has discovered two planetary systems that include the
smallest planets yet found that lie in the "habitable zone." The systems
include three super-Earth size planets, with one of them being a
habitable-zone exoplanet that is the closest in size to Earth yet
discovered. Read More
For people without internet access,
telephone-based services can still be an invaluable tool for things like
finding jobs. Unfortunately, many poor and illiterate citizens of
Pakistan simply don’t know how to use such services. In an effort to
introduce them to the concepts involved, researchers from Carnegie
Mellon University and Pakistan's Lahore University have launched a
“silly phone game” known as Polly. Read More
Where so-called robot tuning was once the exclusive domain of Gibson's higher end models like the gorgeous Firebird X,
the introduction of its Min-ETune system at this year's Musikmesse in
Frankfurt, Germany sees the iconic guitar maker widening the field a
little. The folks behind the technology were also at the trade fair,
showing off a retrofit auto tuning system called TronicalTune.
Essentially the same as Gibson's new mechanical tuner, the Tronical kit
comes in a number of different configurations to cater for
do-it-yourself installation on various guitar makes and models. Read More
A lot of time and energy is currently going into developing technologies that give robots a sense of touch. In particular, scientists are developing things like artificial skin
that lets robots know how much pressure they’re exerting on an object –
this allows them to firmly grip rugged objects, while being more
delicate with fragile items. Although most such technologies are fairly
complex and expensive, researchers have now developed a cheap tactile
sensor that could bring touch sensitivity to consumer and hobbyist
applications. Read More
Pavegen harvests energy from Paris Marathon runners
By Paul Ridden
April 18, 2013
While the term "electrifying" can sometimes be
used to describe breathtaking performance in sports, it's not often
you'll find it used for marathon runners. Yet, that's precisely the word
I'd use to describe this year's Paris Marathon, which took place on
Sunday April 7. You see, as the feet of almost 40,000 runners hit a
25-meter (82-foot) installation of special tiles at the beginning of the
26-mile (42-km) course, kinetic energy was harvested and turned into
usable electricity. Read More
We’ve seen alarm clocks that you turn off by chasing them across the room, sticking a toothbrush in them or punching in a code in another room, but Lexon’s new Flip offers yet another alternative – you just turn the thing over. Read More Ricoh squeezes an APS-C sensor into new GR camera
By Simon Crisp
April 18, 2013
The Ricoh GR series of cameras has been a cult
classic with street photographers since the release of the GR1 in 1996,
thanks in part to their understated styling, quality glass and durable
build. However, in recent years digital versions of the GR have suffered
the curse of relatively small format sensors
and their image quality has been surpassed by rival shooters. Now Ricoh
is fighting back by re-launching the GR with a large DSLR-like APS-C
sensor. Read More
Over the course of the past several years, German manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen has introduced 8-
and 9-speed transmissions. Vehicle models from the likes of Chrysler
and Land Rover have made use of the new hardware, touting fuel economy
gains and other advantages. Now, the other two major Detroit auto
manufacturers are teaming up to develop 9-speed transmissions of their
own, and they're taking it one step further: 10-speed transmissions.
Read More
Rolls-Royce has designed a bespoke
special edition Ghost to commemorate its successful completion of the
Austrian Alpine Trials 100 years ago. At the Shanghai Auto Show, the
company will pull the silken cloth off the Alpine Trial Centenary
Collection. Read More
TomTom is a name that sometimes gets lost in the
GPS market amidst the Garmins and Magellans. The company is hoping that
it will stand out against those names in a new segment of the market:
fitness watches. Its new range of GPS-powered fitness monitors is
designed to provide a sleeker look and fit while giving athletes all the
information they need to perfect their training. Read More
Archos is a company known primarily for its range of wallet-friendly tablets,
and its first entries into the smartphone market are aimed firmly at
the low to mid-end of the spectrum. Though the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum
and 53 Platinum might not stand up to market-leading devices from the
likes of HTC, Samsung and Apple, they do boast some nice features for their price category. Read More
In a rare and brilliant move, Akihiro Hino
(president of Japanese game developer Level-5) somehow convinced Studio
Ghibli – Japan's most respected animation studio – to collaborate on a
new video game. Even if Studio Ghibli's Oscar-winning director Hayao
Miyazaki has been a vocal critic of the medium (nixing the possibility
of his films being adapted to game consoles), and was not directly
involved with Level-5's Ni no Kuni, it seems some of his magic still managed to rub off on it. Read More
Israel's CompuLab, makers of small form factor fanless desktop computer systems such as the Intense PC,
is now pushing its way into the industrial server market with the
launch of the uSVR. Available in configurations packing Intel's 3rd
generation Core i7 processors and 32 GB of system memory, the high
performance, ruggedized, fanless server is capable of modular expansion,
too, courtesy of the company's Function And Connectivity Extension
Module (FACE) system. Read More
Whether sulfur is a by-product or a waste product
of oil refinement and coal combustion depends on how you slice it.
Certainly, some of that sulfur can be put to use producing sulfuric
acid, fertilizer and other chemicals, but much of it is accumulating
into stockpiles that are expensive to maintain (due to the need to
neutralize acidic run-off). Researchers at the University of Arizona
think more of that sulfur could be put to use thanks to a new chemical
process that uses sulfur to make plastics that may one day be used to
make a new generation of lighter, more efficient lithium-sulfur
batteries. Read More
3D printers have been a hit with consumers for
several years now, but designing anything for them still requires some
basic knowledge of 3D modeling software. Otherwise, you're stuck just
building whatever designs you can find online. With Doodle3D, you can
draw simple 2D sketches on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and then
send them to a 3D printer to turn them into physical objects. Read More
Rolls-Royce has designed a bespoke
special edition Ghost to commemorate its successful completion of the
Austrian Alpine Trials 100 years ago. At the Shanghai Auto Show, the
company will pull the silken cloth off the Alpine Trial Centenary
Collection. Read More
The team at Edison2 has not been idle since winning the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize
with its Very Light Car (VLC) back in 2010. An electric version of the
VLC was unveiled in 2011 and this month saw the new architecture that
will form the basis of the company's consumer prototype unveiled at the
The Henry Ford museum. Read More
With their ability to pick out humans by their
heat signatures, long-wave infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging cameras are a
valuable asset for soldiers – and alien predators. Unfortunately,
non-alien built ones are expensive and so large that they need to be
mounted on vehicles. In an effort to make a LWIR camera cheap and small
enough for an individual soldier to carry, DARPA is working on a
five-micron camera that offers a reduced size without sacrificing
performance. Read More
World’s largest OTEC power plant planned for China
By Darren Quick
April 18, 2013
Lockheed Martin has been getting its feet wet in
the renewable energy game for some time. In the 1970s it helped build
the world’s first successful floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
(OTEC) system that generated net power, and in 2009 it was awarded a
contract to develop an OTEC pilot plant in Hawaii.
That project has apparently been canceled but the company has now
shifted its OTEC sights westward by teaming up with Hong Kong-based
Reignwood Group to co-develop a pilot plant that will be built off the
coast of southern China. Read More
Chinese auto maker Chery likes to
keep things local. It chose last year's Beijing Auto Show as the place
to unveil its original (in more than one sense) Ant concept, and it's taken to Shanghai to show off the iAuto Ant 2.0. Read More
With integrated Wi-Fi, various slo-mo modes and a waterproof casing, the Sony Action Cam
is a worthy opponent to the GoPro. What's clearly lacking, however, is a
harness allowing owners to mount the Action Cam to their dogs. Until
now. Read More
With baristas able to draw masterpieces in a
macchiato, the days when going out for a coffee meant a cup of something
scorched in an urn seem long gone. Unfortunately, if your tastes run
more toward brewed coffee rather than a double decaf or skinny latte,
you’re still likely to be pointed to a vacuum-flask at the end of the
counter. Alpha Dominche’s Steampunk Coffee and Tea Brewer aims to
redress the balance of power by asking the espresso machine to make room
for a computerized coffee maker that gives baristas the power to
replicate a wide variety of brewing methods. Read More
Chinese auto maker Chery likes to
keep things local. It chose last year's Beijing Auto Show as the place
to unveil its original (in more than one sense) Ant concept, and it's taken to Shanghai to show off the iAuto Ant 2.0. Read More
Detroit Electric clearly isn't coy when it comes to its SP:01, the world's fastest production electric car, publicly revealed for the first time at the Shanghai Auto Show
today. The company made no attempt to cover up its high-performance EV
ahead of its press conference, and our man on the ground didn't hesitate
in wiring these pictures in to Fortress Gizmag. The SP:01 tops out at
249 km/h (155 mph) and can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in a
fleet 3.7 seconds. Read More
The makers of the Pebble smartwatch have released
a "proof-of-concept" watchface SDK that allows third party developers
to create custom watch faces and very basic apps. Shortly after the
release there was already various watchface designs, a stopwatch app and
a Tetris game (Pebblis) available for download in the Pebble forums.
Read More
The fourth global concept car developed by the
Shanghai GM and Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) joint
ventures, the Buick Riviera emulates the form of moving water. The
concept designed for the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show is powered by a plug-in hybrid system that can be recharged wirelessly. Read More
Whichever marketing genius came up with the Apple
catchphrase, "There's an app for that," has a lot to answer for – or
brag about. It's heard so often these days that it’s become a cliché.
Touch Bionic’s i-limb
ultra revolution robotic artificial hand gives yet another reason to
repeat the phrase. It’s linked to a smartphone app, which allows for
greater control of the hand, including the ability to program it to suit
the wearer’s personal needs. Read More
With integrated Wi-Fi, various slo-mo modes and a waterproof casing, the Sony Action Cam
is a worthy opponent to the GoPro. What's clearly lacking, however, is a
harness allowing owners to mount the Action Cam to their dogs. Until
now. Read More
Data center efficiency is quite the hot topic
these days, and companies are keen to emphasize their green credentials.
Rather than releasing their stats on a quarterly basis like most other
companies, Facebook has launched a new live dashboard showing the
efficiency of its Oregon and North Carolina facilities, and the numbers
speak for themselves. Read More
It’s an unfortunate fact that prescription
painkiller abuse is on the rise. In some cases people are taking the
drugs to get high, while in others, patients simply want more relief
than their prescription allows. In either scenario, the results are
often fatal. That’s why a group of engineering students from Brigham
Young University have created a lockable medication-dispensing device
known as the Med Vault. Read More
Although the causes of world hunger are numerous,
it certainly doesn’t help that factors such as arid conditions and
limited land space make it difficult to grow food crops in certain
places. If people in those areas could eat foods derived from plants
that are hardy to the region, but that aren’t considered nutritious, it
would go a long way towards addressing the problem. Well, that may soon
be a reality, thanks to a newly-developed process that allows cellulose
to be converted into starch. Read More
Honda is determined to secure a
slice of the growing Chinese motoring market with no less than three
concept vehicles set to go into production in the near future. While
details are scant, the company used Auto Shanghai 2013 to showcase its “Concept M” Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV), which is due to go on sale in China starting next year. Read More
Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Antares rocket
lifted off Sunday at 5:00 PM EDT (21:00 GMT) from the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA”s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The launch was the first from the pad at Wallops and also the first
flight of Antares, which carried a "mass simulated payload" equivalent
to the mass of a spacecraft into Earth orbit. Read More
The arrest of one of the Boston Marathon bombing
suspects was carried out, in part, with the help of a remote controlled
robot. Such an operation highlights the growing uses of unmanned ground
vehicles (UGV) in anti-terrorist and other operations. Northrop Grumman
Corporation’s CUTLASS robot, developed by its division in Coventry, U.K.
is designed to provide remote handling and surveillance of hazardous
threats and is intended to replace British Army’s Wheelbarrow robot for
bomb disposal. Read More
Attempts to combine the vertical take-off and
landing (VTOL) capabilities of a helicopter with the high-speed flight
and long range capabilities of a fixed-wing aircraft have been tackled
in a number of different ways – from tiltrotor designs, such as the V-280 Valor and Project Zero, to fixed rotor aircraft that transition from vertical to horizontal flight, such as the SkyTote and Flexrotor.
Australian company StopRotor Technology has taken a different approach
with its Hybrid RotorWing design concept which features a main rotor
that switches from fixed rotor to fixed wing in mid air. Read More
If you look up at a power line in a few years and
see something skittering along the wires, it (hopefully) won't be a
mutant crab monster, but a powerline inspection robot costing less than
US$1,000. A prototype of such a robot, called SkySweeper, was presented
this month at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Jacobs
School of Engineering's Research Expo. The robot was built with
off-the-shelf electronics and plastic parts printed on an inexpensive 3D
printer. Read More
With government encouragement, London is seeing
more cyclists taking to the road, which is great for the environment and
public health. Unfortunately, London’s roads were built for oxcarts,
not bicycles, and certainly not cyclists and lorries at the same time.
Sat nav company Navevo, in association with Transport for London (TLC),
is trying to make this combination a bit safer with Navevo’s ProNav HGV
Cyclist Alert software, which provides visual and audible warnings of
junctions and stretches of road with heavy cycle traffic. Read More
Third-party lenses are sometimes looked down upon
by the sort of photographers who insist you can only take a good photo
if your lens says Canon or Nikon on it. But, not only do some outperform
their branded counterparts, others do something which mean they don't
even have first-party rivals. The new Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art, for
example, is the world's only zoom lens to achieve a maximum aperture
F1.8 throughout the entire range. Read More
As part of Lamborghini’s 50th Anniversary
celebrations the company has set aside some special editions for a
select few. First off came the outrageous, fire spitting Veneno.
Given only three Venenos were made at US$4 million a piece, your
disappointment in not acquiring one is understandable. But with the
release of the Aventador LP 720-4 50° Anniversario, the company from
Sant’Agata hopes to change your odds. Gizmag's Mike Hanlon was on hand
to lay eyes and pixels upon the limited edition beast as revealed at the
Shanghai Auto Show. Read More
The spring has come, and the onset of mild
weather in most of the northern hemisphere brings forth a hunger for new
celestial objects to observe. Following on from our top picks for winter stargazing, here's our selection of the best targets for spring viewing. Read More
Honda is determined to secure a
slice of the growing Chinese motoring market with no less than three
concept vehicles set to go into production in the near future. While
details are scant, the company used Auto Shanghai 2013 to showcase its “Concept M” Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV), which is due to go on sale in China starting next year. Read More
China's already huge automotive market is
predicted to triple in size by the end of the decade and it's a scenario
that has the world's car makers scrambling for a foothold. Nissan is
among those, and its efforts to appeal to the youthful Chinese market
were revealed in Shanghai this weekend in the shape of the Friend-ME
concept car. Read More
Japan's Zoom has released a few
details about a new addition to its excellent handy recorder line. The
H6 is claimed to be the world's first portable recorder with
interchangeable microphone heads, giving it a versatility lacking in its
closest competitors. There's not too much by way of available
information, but here's what we do know. Read More
Ford's new Escort concept, unveiled
over the weekend at the Shanghai Auto Show, may be intended to
demonstrate Ford's dedication to China's flourishing compact car market,
but it's likely to spark a glimmer of nostalgia in the West, especially
in those parts that remember the iconic mark Is and IIs of the late 60s
and 70s. Read More
Toyota is certainly looking to make an impact at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show.
More than 50 production models and concept cars are on display in the
company's massive 4,600 square meter booth and among them is the FT-HT
Yuejia, a six-seater concept aimed at young Chinese consumers that's
making its world premiere at the show. Read More
While there are already a number of solar-powered model cars on the market, Toylabs’ new Volta Racer
is unique in a couple of ways – you put it together yourself, and it
incorporates a flexible polycrystalline silicon solar panel. Although my
days of playing with toy cars are behind me (sort of), my days of
tinkering with things aren’t, so I decided to check out one of the
sun-powered autos for myself. Read More
Japan's Zoom has released a few
details about a new addition to its excellent handy recorder line. The
H6 is claimed to be the world's first portable recorder with
interchangeable microphone heads, giving it a versatility lacking in its
closest competitors. There's not too much by way of available
information, but here's what we do know. Read More Control Google Earth like a Jedi with Leap Motion
April 22, 2013
It seems like the last few years were all about
watching smartphones and tablets get better and faster. But how much of
that was really new? 2013, though, could give us some truly breakthrough products. Google Glass, Apple’s rumored iWatch, and Leap Motion
could all be big-time game-changers. One of those just teamed up with
another big partner, as the new version of Google Earth plays nicely
with Leap Motion. Read More
Ford's new Escort concept, unveiled
over the weekend at the Shanghai Auto Show, may be intended to
demonstrate Ford's dedication to China's flourishing compact car market,
but it's likely to spark a glimmer of nostalgia in the West, especially
in those parts that remember the iconic mark Is and IIs of the late 60s
and 70s. Read More Porsche ups the ante with new Panamera S E-Hybrid
By Gizmag Team
April 22, 2013
Making its debut at the Shanghai Auto Show,
Porsche's new Panamera S E-Hybrid stood front and center, metaphorically
at least, among its Panamera siblings: a now nine-strong lineup,
refreshed for 2014. The Panamera S E-Hybrid differentiates itself from
its predecessor, the plain 'ol Panamera S Hybrid, with a much-improved
battery and electric motor. Performance-wise, the S E-Hybrid is no
slouch, hitting 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standstill in 5.2 seconds, and
nudging 167 mph (269 km/h) at top speed. Read More
If you've ever perused the rubber stamp section
of a crafts store, then you know how pricey it would be to purchase just
a handful of stamps, which could only print a limited number of images.
That's why some intrepid designers at Quirky developed the Pixit, a
reusable rubber stamp kit that allows you to create your own design and
then change it to a completely different one whenever you want. Read More
Over the years, we've seen a number of worthy
attempts at turning our clothes into electronic instruments, from drum
kits built into shirts and pants to a motion-activated MIDI controller concealed in a jacket.
The latest addition to the wearable instrument ensemble is "Drop The
Beat" from industrial design student Wesley Chau, a vest outfitted with
pads for a drum kit that musicians can rearrange and reprogram to their
liking. Read More
Toyota is certainly looking to make an impact at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show.
More than 50 production models and concept cars are on display in the
company's massive 4,600 square meter booth and among them is the FT-HT
Yuejia, a six-seater concept aimed at young Chinese consumers that's
making its world premiere at the show. Read More
New near-infrared and far-infrared views captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Herschel space telescope have provided a spectacular new look at the famous Horsehead Nebula. Read More
Since the 1920s, British auto manufacturer MG has
provided the world with some quirky, yet iconic sports cars. MG (Morris
Garages) fell on hard times in the 80s and 90s and has struggled to
remain relevant ever since. Now under the ownership of China's largest
car-maker SAIC, the firm is working to re-establish itself as a
competitive marque. To this end, the company rolled-out its latest
offerings at the Shanghai Auto Show this weekend including the MG3
hatchback and the MG CS Crossover concept. Read More
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