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Related Sections: Cellphones  Space  Video

World's biggest satellite blasts off into space courtesy of Ariane 5

There was a rumble in the jungle yesterday as the TerreStar-1 satellite set off on its one-way trip into space from a launch pad in French Guyana. After storms delayed blast-off,…Continue reading »
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Related Sections: Apparel & Accessories  Camcorders  Portable Entertainment

Spy Button Camera adds intrigue and video capture to your wardrobe

Spy Button Camera adds intrigue and video capture to your wardrobe

The usual spy camera devices out there require that you either harness some ungainly contraption to yourself, or don some accessory that may not stand out but definitely won't win you any style points. The new Spy Button Camera from Thanko allows you record all the spy footage you want while maintaining a semblance of fashion sense.

The camera is attached to a 4 gigabyte USB drive that easily plugs into your computer for video/audio transfer after you're done shooting. Perhaps the coolest thing about this set-up is that it is activated by a very unassuming ring that is worn like any other piece of jewelry. You can pick up your ultimate spy rig for 5,980 yen ($61.78) here.

Via Akihabara News

 

Related Sections: Future Tech  Vehicles

Chinese airline wants spare 'barstool-style' seating to carry 40% more passengers

Chinese airline wants spare \'barstool-style\' seating to carry 40% more passengers

China's Spring Airlines is in a bit of a pickle. The air carrier has enjoyed a steady increase in passengers since its start in '05 thanks to low fares (which means next to no complimentary in-flight amenities), and now its fleet of 13 planes can't handle all the prospective customers. The airline already has 14 new jets on the way, but that's not enough, officials say.

The solution? Make passengers stand! Well, not completely, but close enough. "It's just like bar stools. The safety belt is the most important thing. It will still be fastened around the waist," Spring Airlines' Zhang Wuan told China's CCTV. The new arrangement, according to Spring Airlines, would allow 40% more passengers on every flight and help reduce the carrier's cost by up to 20%, which would in turn lower fares.

Spring Airlines president Wang Zhenghua may even want to take the idea further, after talking with China's vice premier, Zhang Dejiang. "He suggested that, for a lower price, passengers should be able to get on a plane like catching a bus, with no seat, no luggage consignment, no food, no water, but very convenient," Mr. Zhenghua said.

That kind of reasoning is entirely opposite to most airlines, which seek to recoup losses through luxury services and optimized routes while still providing comfort. Still, it's just a proposal for the time being. Spring Airlines wants to submit its plan by the end of the year.

Via Sky News

(8) Comments

Giggity:
This is hilarious...bad idea, but hilarious none the less. And what luxury services do airlines provide anymore any...More »
 
PHOTO FEATURE

Related Sections: Art & Design  Portable Entertainment  Reviews

Kindle DX vs. Wall Street Journal: Does page layout matter?

Kindle DX vs. Wall Street Journal: Does page layout matter?

Browsing a newspaper on an Amazon Kindle DX has a lot of advantages over doing it for real. Riding the subway into Manhattan this morning, I managed to get through a dozen articles in the Wall Street Journal without flipping a single page. But as I stumbled upon a piece on Chinese drywall while clicking around the Personal Journal section, it dawned on me that this is the kind of article I probably wouldn't even notice in the print edition.

Why? Simple: Page layout. The design of the page — including position, headline size, and the number of columns — would have subtly encouraged me to read other articles before that one, or possibly skip it altogether. Curious, I picked up a hard copy of the Journal to confirm if the paper's diligent copy editors working late last night agreed with me that Chinese drywall was, well, rather dry. And there it was, stuck on the bottom of page 2 with a fairly small headline.

Of course, those visual cues are lost on the Kindle's screen; the drywall story is the top story on page 2 of the PJ section on the DX. Stories are typically ordered first to last in a section, with few hints as to their relative importance. Sure, the ones up top are on the front page of that section, but beyond that all articles are created equal in the Kindleverse.

Does this matter? Do the benefits of a gadget that does away with paper, delivery, and all the hassle and expense that go with them outweigh the tradeoff in graphic design? And what can the next generation of e-readers do to improve in this area? Browse the photos beyond the Continue jump that compare the paper journal with the DX's section lists, and let us know what you think in the comments.

(8) Comments

Giggity:
Scott...have no fear...I am sure very soon that even the Kindle will have annoying pop-up ads flying across the scr...More »
 

Related Sections: Gaming

3D movies in the UK to be preceded by 3D interactive games

Moviegoers in the UK may be treated to a game of Asteroid Storm before their show, which sounds a hell of a lot better than sitting through commercials — though there may…Continue reading »
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Related Sections: Miscellaneous

Free weight alarm clock seems like a cruel form of punishment

Waking up in the morning is a painful enough exercise as is, so why would you want to make it even worse? That's exactly what this Shape Up! alarm clock does: it's…Continue reading »
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Related Sections: Galleries  Portable Entertainment

Network-connected Sony iPod dock sports fancy remote, high price

We usually pass over dime-a-dozen iPod docks, but Sony's latest entry, the NAS-Z200iR, is different. Its most impressive feature is that super-fancy remote. You may not be that interested in this $1000…Continue reading »
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Related Sections: Vehicles  Video

2,700hp jet truck leaves other pickups in its jetwash

2,700hp jet truck leaves other pickups in its jetwash

In a recent foray into the deep South, we spotted a plethora of Ford F-150 trucks, but none like this. Chris Lentz of Michigan strapped an M-701 turbojet to his pickup, and the result? A 2,700hp jet truck, even crazier than that jet cycle we showed you last month.

Fed by a 20-gallon kerosene tank, the $10,000 jet engine develops that impressive 2,700hp only when it's going 516mph. Because of the vehicle's 6,600-pound weight, it takes a while to get going, but we can imagine it might be able to go plenty fast given the right conditions.

Never mind those pesky details of 0-60 acceleration and weight — the guy is driving a jet truck! Is this street legal? Hardly. It might be a bit problematic if you follow too closely. Here's a video of this monster truck in action:

(12) Comments

barf:
coolest truck ever....More »
 

Related Sections: Apple  Software  iPhone

iPhone OS 3.1 update already in beta

iPhone OS 3.1 update already in beta

Just when we got used to the new iPhone OS 3.0, Apple rolls out a beta of version 3.1. Top of the list of this bug fix is the ability to nondestructively edit video. With the current OS 3.0, if you trim the beginning or the end of the clip and save it, those edited parts of your video are gone forever. In OS 3.1, you'll have the option to save a copy of the edited video, leaving the original intact. But wait, there's more:

• Voice Control now works over Bluetooth
• Faster boot time
• iPhone vibrates when moving icons
• Updated AT&T profile to 4.2
• Updated modem firmware to 5.08.01
• Improvements to OpenGL and Quartz.
• APIs to allow third party apps to access videos and edit them.

One fix I wish they would implement: It's harder to place the cursor within text than it was in the old iPhone OS (could that be because of the new "oleophobic" screen?). Maybe somebody could try fixing that. Let's also hope the developers do something to improve the iPhone 3GS's speech recognition, which is laughably lame thus far.

Developers are getting the beta software and firmware now, but the official release date for the rest of us iPhone-totin' suckas is unknown.

The iPhone Blog, via Geeky Gadgets

(2) Comments

dancesonsnow:
AVRCP Bluetooth?...More »
 

Related Sections: Galleries  Household  Kitchen

It's not a kitchen; it's a transformer

It\'s not a kitchen; it\'s a transformer

Kitchen islands are common in roomy seven-bedroom split-levels, but they're not a staple of your average downtown studio apartment. That could change if the Modern Space Saving Mini Kitchen catches on. Created by students at French design school Ensci, the all-in-one kitchen island combines all your essential kitchen appliances into a single piece of furniture, including a sink, range and cabinets. All done with your meal and cleanup? Transform! Everything in the island folds up and tucks away, leaving just a sleek white block that you can use as a desktop.

The idea has some merit, especially for small spaces in big urban centers. The design is probably too modern to work in a lot of apartments — in the photos below, you can see it really clashes with the hardwood floors. But if it gets back a chunk of floor space, what the hell?




(3) Comments

Marty B.:
Old Man, you ever been to a party? We're also talking studios here where sitting down room is at a premium. I do t...More »
 

Related Sections: Home Entertainment

USB turntable comes in its own carrying case

Despite record players being a relatively old device, they're still just so damned cool. And this new USB turntable comes in its own suitcase, letting you tote it around with you wherever…Continue reading »
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Related Sections: Home Entertainment

MAXX Series 3 speakers look crazy, cost $68,000

MAXX Series 3 speakers look crazy, cost $68,000

Is there a correlation between speakers looking crazy, costing an exorbitant amount and sounding great? If so, the Maxx Series 3 speakers must sounds absolutely unbelievable. Because these things not only look absolutely ridiculous, but they cost $68,000. How can they not sound great?

Sure, they were built with all sorts of crazy audiophile jargon like "Aspherical Propagation Delay" that probably doesn't mean anything, but hey, let's give them the benefit of the doubt. I mean, no company would make up wacky terms and use out-there design to justify overcharging for speakers to take advantage of monied audiophiles, would they? Would they??

UberGizmo via BornRich

(3) Comments

thorny:
EXTERMINATE!!!...More »
 

Related Sections: Robots  Toys  Video

RC Mecha Godzilla is Japanese, expensive, sold out*

It sucks when you see objects of lust that are unavailable — like this remote-controlled Mecha Godzilla. Japanese toymakers at Bandai are the geniuses behind this this lifesize, if you're a mouse 20-inch-high silver creation complete with flashing lights that can roam about your house striking fear into its inhabitants and causing hours of unproductivity — that is, if you work from home, like I do.

It walks, it roars, it spews crazy lights from its mouth, chest and fingertips. But by far the most excellent thing it does is the crazy Exorcist-reminiscent head-spinning gesture. It's not often I wish I were an $870 toy, but I see this and I am filled with the icy shards of irrational envy that make me want to beat my chest, roar angrily, destroy cities and eat their citizens as if they were chocolate-covered raisins.

*Memo to those nice people at Bandai. Make some more of these shiny toys for us robo-chumps, please. PLEASE.

Via I.Z. Reloaded

(2) Comments

Mr. Gumsandals:
For $850, it better have sparks shooting out of its ass....More »
 

Related Sections: Art & Design  Miscellaneous  Security

The most expensive 16 gigabytes on the planet: The MNEMOSYNE USB cube

The most expensive 16 gigabytes on the planet: The MNEMOSYNE USB cube

If your USB storage tastes lean toward the high-end of style and price then the new MNEMOSYNE 16-gigabyte USB storage cube may be the device for you. Created by Italy-based designers Toshi Satoji and Katsuya Masaki, each black cube is constructed with a unique puzzle pattern and carved from a single block of aluminum.

In order to use the USB key you need to completely disassemble the puzzle-like cube to find the USB key in the center, and then re-assemble it when finished. In addition to honing your puzzle skills, an additional hurdle will have to be overcome in the form of the device's price tag — 1,000,000 yen ($10,442)! You can find out more about the most expensive 16GB in the world here.

Via IT Media

(12) Comments

power:
I solve this puzzle in less then 5 minutes .wtf...More »
 

Related Sections: Computer Peripherals

USB sound device looks like a vacuum tube

Feeding our vacuum tube fetish is Tube Delight, a USB "sound card" from the guru of gadget gimmickry, Brando. No, that's not really a vacuum tube inside, it just has that "transparent…Continue reading »
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FROM SCI FI WIRE

Related Sections: Toys  Video

NY Post Video: Star Wars Force Trainer in action

Remember the Star Wars Force Trainer from New York's Toy Fair — the toy that lets you lift a ball using only your mind? Our friends across the street at The New York Post got hold of one, and it looks like it really works. After mounting the brain-machine interface on his head (in a rare example of design competence, it actually doesn't look 100% dorky), reporter Don Kaplan managed to lift a ball about a foot and a half. Well, more accurately, he managed to tell the powered tabletop device that he wanted the ball to go up, and the device pushed it up. Still cool.

The trainer, from Uncle Milton Toys, drops July 23 for $120. We have got to get us one of these.

Via SCI FI Wire

(4) Comments

SpelngNatsie:
Thank god noizzz, I was hoping I wasn't the only one who noticed. An english degree might not get a decent job anym...More »
 

Related Sections: Galleries  Green Tech  Vehicles

GM: Volt to be sportier than Prius, Insight

GM: Volt to be sportier than Prius, Insight

It's probably no coincidence that the same day ailing GM has its bankruptcy proceedings heard in court, Andrew Farah, chief engineer of the Chevrolet Volt project touts his car's "sportiness" compared to two of its hybrid competitors, the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.

High on the list of refinements for the Volt design team is the electric car's ride height and spring rates, important factors in the vehicle's handling characteristics. This is especially significant given Consumer Reports recent negative reviews of the Honda Insight, skewering its ride quality and handling, and placing Honda's hybrid in a laggard position of 21st in a field of 22 small hatchback and wagons it rated in its latest issue.

Let's hope the 2011 Volt's acceleration will also be a lot more spirited than that of the dog-slow Prius and Insight. Along with today's PR push from GM comes a group of publicity shots of the Chevy Volt we haven't seen before:




(16) Comments

Woody:
Sporty or not it will undoubtedly be an abysmal failure, as will the "new" GM. 50% of the electorate is politicall...More »
 

Related Sections: Galleries  Green Tech  Vehicles

Solar Impulse airplane takes flight in '09, circumnavigates the globe next

Solar Impulse airplane takes flight in \'09, circumnavigates the globe next

Aeronaut Bertrand "Jean Luc" Piccard (nickname ours) has already been around the world once. The first time he did it in a hot air balloon, called the Breitling Orbiter 3. Now he wants to do it again with the Solar Impulse, which looks like a pretty good candidate to win the title of first solar aircraft to circumnavigate the globe.

Before it does the long haul, though, it'll tackle a short one. The Solar Impulse is scheduled for a test run toward the end of this year, with those involved planning a continuous two-day-long trip, which includes the night. It will be powered entirely by solar energy.

As for the aircraft itself, it's made out of carbon fiber materials, has a wingspan of about 200 feet, and it's covered with over 12,000 solar cells that power four individual 10-horsepower motors. Check out more of the Solar Impulse in the gallery below.




(2) Comments

Helen Highwater:
Whoops, makes more sense with the link: http://www.nndb.com/peo...More »
 

Related Sections: Gaming  iPhone

NES controller turned into an iPhone dock

NES controller turned into an iPhone dock

The NES controller may be the most hacked device ever. It's been turned into everything from a cellphone to an alarm clock while still retaining its iconic form factor. This time? An iPhone dock.

This mod is pretty straightforward, putting the dock connector at the back of the top of the controller. The buttons don't do anything, unfortunately, but it's still a pretty neat setup. After all, everybody loves the NES controller.

iPhone.fr via Geeky Gadgets

(2) Comments

Maj:
You combined two fads into one: Making things out of NES controllers and making an iPod dock out of something stran...More »
 

Related Sections: Art & Design

Concept E Ink clipboard: The coach's Kindle?

Concept E Ink clipboard: The coach\'s Kindle?

E Ink, the display tech used in the Amazon Kindle, is a practical choice in a lot of devices. Since it only consumes power when you refresh the screen, it could theoretically replace a lot of products based on paper. This E Ink Electronic Coach Playboard from designer Gordon Yeh is a good example.

Just a concept right now, the Playboard would come preloaded with templates for various sports — from basketball courts to soccer fields. Blow the whistle, gather the team around, and plan the next play by drawing with your finger. Having the ability to save drawings gives it an advantage over your typical whiteboard. Nice idea, as long as it doesn't run out of power of break in the middle of a game. You might still want to keep that mini whiteboard handy.




 

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