We recently took a look at some of the best mirrorless cameras
on the market, but with body-only prices starting at US$1,000, they're
not within everyone's budget. Luckily, their mid-range counterparts can
offer almost as much photographic oomph for far less money. In this
guide Gizmag compares the best mid-range mirrorless cameras on the
market in 2013. Read More
Zackees cycling gloves feature built-in turn indicators
By Ben Coxworth
December 16, 2013
Head- and tail-lights certainly do a lot to help
cyclists be seen at night, although they generally don't let motorists
know which way those riders are planning on turning. That's where good
ol' hand signals come in. In order to make those signals more visible,
former Google software engineer Zach Vorhies has created Zackees
illuminated turn signal gloves. Read More
2013 notebooks deserving of a place on your lap
By Paul Ridden
December 16, 2013
As I type this round-up of top laptops on my own
Windows portable desktop replacement, I can't help thinking that maybe
it's time for an upgrade. It seems like only yesterday that dual-core
processors, 500 GB hard drives, a couple of hours of portable use and
screen resolutions of 1366 x 768 were at the very tip of every
salesperson's tongue. But these days such machines would probably have a
hard time attracting flies. 2013 has been a year of high performance,
low power processors, long battery life, and stunning displays. Read on
for a selection of top performers that have caused Gizmag's heart to
skip a beat or two. Read More
Vigo wearable energy gauge "nudges" you when you're dozing off
By Nick Lavars
December 16, 2013
We've seen technology developed to monitor a driver's eyes for drowsiness,
alerting them when their focus might be lapsing. The Vigo wearable
energy gauge works on a similar principle, yet aims to expand this to
other everyday tasks that are likely to induce those heavy eyelids. Read More
Top 10 things you CAN'T have for Christmas 2013
December 16, 2013
Luxury, so they say, comes at a price, but in the
world of innovation and new technology, things can sometimes get way
out of hand. It's with this in mind that each year we compile a list of
the most expensive, ambitious and completely over-the-top products and
ideas that have crossed our desk in the past 12 months. So from the
praiseworthy to the preposterous, here's Gizmag's list of the top 10
things you won't be getting for Christmas in 2013. Read More
NASA testing lighter space suits for asteroid work
By David Szondy
December 15, 2013
Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a
step forward. NASA is carrying out initial tests on a new, lighter
spacesuit for use by the crew of the Orion spacecraft
that is currently under development. The tests are being carried out in
the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near the Johnson Space Center in
Houston, Texas on a modified version of the pumpkin orange suit normally
worn by Space Shuttle crews during liftoff and re-entry and is a return
to a space suit design of the 1960s. Read More
While the Xbox One and PlayStation 4
have stolen the lion's share of hype surrounding next-gen gaming
consoles recently, Valve has continued working away on its own entry
into the console market. Last week, the company shipped Steam Machine
prototypes to 300 beta testers and made the first release of the
open-source operating system that will power it, SteamOS, available for
download. Read More
Google is doing its bit to delay the emergence of
the paperless office with Google Cloud Print, a service that lets users
print from web-connected devices, including Android and iOS mobile
devices and PCs, from virtually anywhere in the world with an internet
connection. So how exactly does it work? Here's a look at setting it up
using either a standard printer connected to your computer or a Google
Cloud Ready printer. Read More
Following 12 minutes of precise maneuvering which began in lunar orbit, China's Chang'e-3
lunar lander, with the Yu Tu (Jade Rabbit) lunar rover onboard,
successfully landed on the Moon's surface at 13:11 UT Saturday night. At
this point, Chang'e-3's solar panels were opened to begin charging the
rover's batteries for its first drive about the lunar surface, which is
expected to begin about seven hours after landing. Read More
Most companies conduct their experiments behind closed doors. If, say, a new iPhone
hits store shelves, then chances are the dirty work has been done and
it's already pretty polished. But Google is very different, sometimes
letting the public join in on the beta testing fun. Gizmag recently
joined Google's US$1,500 smartglasses beta program, and though we're still a ways off from a full Google Glass review, these are our early impressions. Read More
Benjamin Vermeulen has designed a
new range of flatpack furniture that simply snaps into place using
magnets, no tools required. Read More
Christmas will be another work day
for the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) this year. While
many Earthlings are sitting down to turkey and plum pudding, NASA
astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will be carrying out the
third and final of three spacewalks announced by NASA managers on
Tuesday. Read More
Hooks and traditional shelves offer a practical
storage solution for overcrowded garages, though they also involve the
awkward task of lifting heavy items in a confined space. myLIFTER, a
motorized lifting unit that you can control with your iPhone, aims to
ease the load by lifting and suspending these items from your ceiling,
all at the touch of a button. Read More
Benjamin Vermeulen has designed a
new range of flatpack furniture that simply snaps into place using
magnets, no tools required. Read More Top performance supercars and concepts of 2013
By C.C. Weiss
December 17, 2013
We've already taken a look at the best green concept cars of 2013;
now it's time to turn our attention to the other end of the car-tech
spectrum: full-blown, engine-growling, asphalt-scarring performance
cars. The year was a big one for high-tech, high-price supercar
hardware, seeing the restart of several iconic lineages, extravagant
special- edition birthday presents, and numerous all-new start-ups with
intriguing ideas. Many of the cars really screamed out with wildly
unique styling. Read More
As part of an update to Parliament on the
progress of the Trident replacement program, Britain’s Ministry of
Defence (MoD) has released a concept image of the Royal Navy’s next
ballistic nuclear missile submarine. This coincides with the awarding of
two contracts to BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines for £47 million (US$76
million) and £32 million (US$60 million) to begin preliminary design
work on the nuclear-powered submarines, currently called the Successor
class, which are intended to replace the Navy’s aging fleet of of
Vanguard-class boats by 2028. Read More
With lung cancer survival rates greatly improved
by early detection, we've seen a number of efforts to develop a better
way to detect the disease
in its early stages. Various breath test devices have been developed by
a number of companies around the world, and now a team from the
University of Huddersfield in the UK plans to trial such a device to
identify lung cancer in pharmacies. Read More
Where no man had gone before: The 45th anniversary of Apollo 8
By David Szondy
December 16, 2013
When the first astronauts landed on the Moon, it
wasn’t a straight jump from Earth to the lunar surface on the first try.
Instead, the first footsteps only came after a long series of
preliminary steps, one of which was a manned orbital mission to the
satellite. This December 21st marks the 45th anniversary of the day in
1968 when Apollo 8 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
and into history as the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. It not
only paved the way for Apollo 11, but is also seen by some as a greater
achievement than the Moon landing itself. Read More
Review: Astronomers Without Borders' OneSky starter telescope
By Brian Dodson
December 16, 2013
Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) is a nonprofit
organization aimed at knocking down national and cultural boundaries by
encouraging a common interest in astronomy. Along with their message
that we all share one sky, AWB is now selling a neat little grab-n-go
telescope called OneSky. The scope is perfectly suited for a quick look
at the heavens from the backyard, as well as for throwing in the car
before heading to darker skies. I'm reviewing this scope, and it is a
prize for the price. Read More
smartCARD lets users check their cholesterol via an iPhone
By Ben Coxworth
December 16, 2013
Although a lot of people are concerned about
monitoring their cholesterol levels, probably not many of those people
want to head off to a clinic or use an expensive, complicated device to
get those levels tested every few days. Soon, however, they may not have
to. Scientists from Cornell University have developed a gadget called
the smartCARD, that allows users to easily check their own cholesterol
using their iPhone. Read More
When we put together our Smartwatch Comparison Guide,
we had reviewed all of the watches save for one. But our review unit
for that missing piece, the Qualcomm Toq, is now in hand. We have a lot
more time to spend with it before publishing our Toq review, but these
are our first impressions. Read More
eTriage armbands could get disaster victims treated faster
By Ben Coxworth
December 16, 2013
When emergency response crews have to deal with
many casualties at once, such as at a disaster site, one of the first
things they do is set up a triage system. This involves assessing the
severity of each patient's injuries, so that the people who need help
most urgently get it first. It's a system that works, but the EU-funded
BRIDGE project is trying to make it better. The project partners are
developing a new high-tech triage, that incorporates GPS and RFID
technology. Read More
We've seen autonomous MAVs (micro air vehicles) before, and we've seen flapping-wing MAVs
before. According to a group of researchers from the Netherlands' Delft
University of Technology, however, we've never seen an autonomous
flapping-wing MAV – until now. Yesterday the four-man team announced its
DelFly Explorer, which is described as "the first flapping wing Micro
Air Vehicle that is able to fly with complete autonomy in unknown
environments." Read More
Willie bus concept plasters public transport with LCD billboards
By C.C. Weiss
December 17, 2013
Anyone that's been to Las Vegas and caught a
glimpse of the "Hot Babes" billboard circling around the city knows that
vehicle advertising can be effective ... at least at grabbing your
attention. A new bus concept by designer Tad Orlowski puts a more modern
spin on the idea, integrating large LCDs on the broad sides of the bus.
The screens can display a variety of information, including paid
advertising, bus information and TV coverage. Read More
Christmas will be another work day
for the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) this year. While
many Earthlings are sitting down to turkey and plum pudding, NASA
astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will be carrying out the
third and final of three spacewalks announced by NASA managers on
Tuesday. Read More
Although 16:9 remains the most popular aspect
ratio for TVs and computer monitors, Philips pushed the boundaries – the
side ones, at least – with the introduction of its Cinema 21:9 Gold Series LED TVs in 2011. LG got on board last year with the release of the world's first 21:9 computer monitor and is now set to "widen" its 21:9 offerings at CES 2014. Read More
IBM looks towards a learning world with annual "5 in 5" list
By Ben Coxworth
December 17, 2013
For eight years now, IBM has annually released what it calls the IBM 5 in 5
– "a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way
people work, live and interact during the next five years." All five
items on this year's list center around the concept of computers and
other systems learning about individuals in order to best meet their
needs. Read More
Beatbuddy gives you hands-free control of the beat
By Paul Ridden
December 17, 2013
Though noodling is a whole lot of fun, and
fingertip calluses certainly need regular workouts, there are times when
it would be good to have your very own John Bonham or Mitch Mitchell to
provide a rock-steady beat. Playing along to backing tracks or engaging
the help of loopers, drum machines or rhythm boxes can work to some
degree, but there's little or no room for improvisation or creativity
unless you take your hands away from the guitar to mix things up a bit.
Billed as the first guitar pedal drum machine, the Beatbuddy from David
Packouz puts control of the beat at your feet, leaving your hands free
to get on with some serious shredding. Read More
Snooperscope adds night vision to smartphone cameras
By Dave LeClair
December 17, 2013
Ever since Paris Hilton and her night vision
outtakes took center stage, the technology has grown exponentially in
popularity. Now, a product called Snooperscope aims to bring similar
technology to the masses through the use of smartphones and tablets.
Read More
The Metaphone: Is it a building or an instrument?
December 17, 2013
Though not unheard of,
the melding of architecture and music is uncommon enough to pique our
interest, especially when done on the scale of The Metaphone, by Herault
Arnod Architects. The firm recently constructed an unusual combined
music hall and instrument as centerpiece of an ongoing project to
regenerate a former coal mine in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern
France. Read More
Lots of people wish that they were more
attractive, but have you ever wanted to just look more ... memorable?
Just a few tweaks here and there, to help keep your face from being
forgotten? Well, software created by researchers at MIT’s Computer
Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory can now make that happen –
to photos of your face, that is. Read More
Samsung announces its own smartphone game controller, the GamePad
By Dave LeClair
December 17, 2013
Plenty of companies are releasing controllers
designed to bring a more traditional gaming experience to smartphones.
Samsung, one of the most popular creators of Android devices, is aiming
to grab a piece of the controller pie for itself with the introduction
of the GamePad. Read More
Southwest Airlines planes now gathering weather data as they fly
By Ben Coxworth
December 18, 2013
Every 12 hours, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launches weather balloons from
approximately 70 locations across the US. While these do provide
valuable data, a lot can change between those intervals and those
locations. That's why a new project is taking advantage of something
that's already going up in the sky on a much more frequent basis and in a
higher number of locations – Southwest Airlines jets. Read More
Space and analytics firm Planet Labs has secured
US$52 million in new funding, bringing it to within touching distance of
launching a fleet of Earth imaging satellites in early 2014. The new
investment brings the company’s total raised to over $65 million, and
will help in its aim to generate imagery of and data about Earth, which
will be openly accessible for both commercial and humanitarian purposes.
Read More
Bedjet heats or cools your bed with a blast of air
By Ben Coxworth
December 18, 2013
At this time of year, those of us living in the
northern reaches of the planet once again struggle with a recurring
First World problem – getting into a bed that has cold sheets. People
located farther south, meanwhile, are faced with the opposite situation –
getting too hot in bed. The Bedjet is designed to address both
problems, while also allowing users to run their furnaces or air
conditioners at lower settings overnight. Read More
Rather than buy a replacement part from a local
hardware store, 3D printing offers up the opportunity to produce what
you need at home, when you need it. But what if you have to replace a
whole unit? If a project from Cornell University's Creative Machines Lab
is any indication, such things may soon be possible. A research team
has managed to 3D print the cone, coil and magnet of a loudspeaker, and
then use it to throw out sounds from a digital audio player. Read More
Christmas is just around the corner and the hunt
for the best kids toys out there has never been more exciting. With
iPhone-controlled toys, customizable robots and smart toys that aim to
teach kids life skills while entertaining them, the latest breed of
high-tech toys have a lot to offer. Even books and pens, augmented with a
little technology can read to kids or coach them to write. If you're
looking to surprise junior with toys that feature a delightful
technological twist, Gizmag's top 10 coolest tech toys for kids should
give you plenty of ideas. Read More
New test predicts suicide risk in patients on antidepressants
December 18, 2013
The results of a years-long study with patients
on antidepressants may help doctors predict one of the most severe side
effects those medications can produce: treatment-emergent suicidal
ideation (TESI). The condition is estimated to affect between four and
14 percent of patients, who typically present symptoms of TESI in the
first weeks of treatment or following dosage adjustments. So far doctors
haven’t had indicators to predict which patients are more likely to
develop TESI, but a new test based on research carried out by the Max
Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany, could change that.
Read More
Fitness shirt powers e-bike based on heart rate and breathing
By C.C. Weiss
December 18, 2013
The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is developing its wearable sports monitoring FitnessSHIRT
with a 2014 launch in mind. It recently detailed a new application for
the technology, pairing it with a pedelec bike powertrain and smartphone
app to seamlessly manage motor output based upon the user's
physiological data. In other words, when you show signs of being tired
and winded, the motor automatically kicks in extra power. Read More
LG Chromebase all-in-one joins list of Chrome OS-powered devices
By Darren Quick
December 17, 2013
We've already seen a multitude of Chromebooks and a Chromebox,
and now LG's Chromebase joins the list of Chrome-based computers. Set
to be officially unveiled at CES next month, the Chromebase is the
world's first all-in-one PC powered by Google's Linux-based Chrome
operating system. Read More
Guitar Hero creators shift focus to "exergaming" with Goji Play
By Nick Lavars
December 17, 2013
Hoping to build on their success in bringing a
marriage of physical movement and arcade action to the mainstream with Guitar Hero,
RedOctane co-founders Kai and Charles Huang have formed Blue Goji and
are looking to gain a foothold in the rapidly-evolving world of
exercise-gaming. Their latest effort, Goji Play, uses two wireless
controllers and an activity sensor to turn a regular cardio machine into
a makeshift video game platform. Read More
Smartwatch or Google Glass? A hands-on perspective
December 17, 2013
If wearable computing really is the next big thing, then will the future look more like Google Glass
or an iWatch? Well, Gizmag has spent plenty of time with all the big
smartwatches, and we're now "Exploring" with Google Glass, so we have a
few things to say on the subject. Read on, as we take a look at the
present and future of Google Glass and smartwatches. Read More
A cosmic census got under way this morning as
ESA’s Gaia mission lifted off atop a Soyuz–Fregat from the European
Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 9:12:19 AM GMT (10:12:19 AM CET).
The 2,030 kg (4,475 lb) unmanned probe is at the start of a five-year
mission to carry out a survey of one percent of one percent of the 100
billion stars that make up our galaxy as part of a project to produce
the most detailed three-dimensional galactic map ever attempted. Read More
Apple has been promising that its redesigned Mac
Pro would be reaching consumers before the end of 2013, and it looks
like it's actually delivering ... less than two weeks before the year's
end. The new, completely redesigned Mac Pro is hitting store shelves and Apple's online store starting today, with several varieties to choose from. Read More
The perfect do-it-yourself gift for budding
designers and architects during the holiday season has to be Lego. The
small blocks of plastic with millions of design outcomes have
entertained many a child since the early 1950s. Now an ambitious duo has
snapped together 500,000 pieces of the stuff to create the world’s
first air-powered Lego roadster. Read More
Ford took the next step in its "Blueprint for
Mobility" this month, revealing an automated research vehicle based on
the Fusion Hybrid. Working in cooperation with the University of
Michigan and State Farm, Ford will use the car to test next-generation
sensor systems that enhance automated awareness. Read More
Mini John Cooper Works Concept to debut at NAIAS 2014
By David Szondy
December 18, 2013
The holidays are a time for stocking stuffers and
BMW has given us one with a hint of what’s to come in the new year. On
Monday, the car maker announced that it would present the new Mini John
Cooper Works concept at the North American International Auto Show
(NAIAS) 2014, running January 13 to 26 in Detroit. Since we’re getting
just a taste of what is still a concept, there aren’t a lot of details
and BMW is keen to talk more about style than engineering, but we do get
a bit of an idea of what this track-oriented concept is about. Read More
Palmdale, CA. General Atomics Aeronautical
System, Inc. (GA-ASI), the maker of the Predator and Reaper Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) successfully completed the first of several
flight tests of a prototype Sense and Avoid (SAA) system, that allows a
UAV to see and avoid other aircraft in flight. Read More
A new discovery by scientists from Singapore’s
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) holds promise for the development
of a Malaria vaccine. The result of five years research, the
breakthrough is based on the ability to block the invasion of red blood
cells by the deadly parasite. Read More
As their power increases, we're storing more and
more of our important and personal data on our mobile devices. That's
why it's of paramount importance that we make sure they're as secure
from prying eyes as possible. Thankfully, iOS 7 has improved security
features designed for just that. If you're the proud owner of an iPhone 4
or later, iPad 2 or later, iPad mini or 5th-gen iPod touch, here are
some simple tips you can use to improve the chances your valuable data
won't fall into the wrong hands. Read More
The new £27-million (US $44 million) visitor
centre for the world’s most famous Neolithic monuments has opened its
doors just days before the winter solstice in Britain, offering a
modern, but low-key and educational introduction to the 5,000-year-old
stone circle. Cars are banished and visitors are offered a virtual
"Stonehenge experience" before approaching the stones on foot or by
shuttle. Read More
On December 9, NASA began what is either an
impressive engineering test or a classic example of world-class larking
about. At the space agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Alabama, engineers are crushing an enormous can by subjecting it to
almost one million pounds of force. This may seem like a party trick
that’s gone out of control, but there’s a serious reason behind this …
or so NASA says. The crushing is part of the project to design the fuel
tanks for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), which will be used to launch the Orion spacecraft and deep space missions. Read More
0 comments:
Post a Comment