3G iPhone available June 9?
The rumours of an impending launch of Apple’s next generation 3G iPhone may not just be accurate but closer than expected. Gizmodo today claims to have confirmed that the new 3G model will be announced at the WWDC Keynote on June 9 and immediately available in countries with current official availability! Whatsmore the new model will also herald new sales policies in some countries.
Nintendo's Wii Fit hits US stores
Nintendo's Wii Fit incorporates over 40 activities that challenge users in areas ranging from yoga and aerobics to strength training and balance.
TVA Gazelle - 4-wheel tilting car/bike hybrid
We are on the brink of a new commuting age; cars are too heavy, too inefficient, too dirty and too big to be viable in tomorrow's traffic-clogged cities - and motorcycles are too dangerous and too hard to ride to be a real option for many. The new TVA Gazelle tilting 4-wheeler could be the answer, capable of over 100mpg, incredibly agile in the corners and with a price tag of less than US$10,000.
Arpro: dual purpose packaging turns into a television stand
Concerned about the high volume of non degradable waste which makes up most consumer packaging, UK designer Tom Ballhatchet has developed an innovative idea for re-using the box your television comes in as a durable stand.
Electric supercharger promises instant power boost
May 22, 2008 Now here’s an idea that could catch on. Controlled Power Technologies has come up with a clever technical solution for the problem of ‘downsizing’ engines without compromising driveability and performance – the electrical supercharger. The company’s low cost production-ready variable torque enhancement system (VTES) employs an electrically driven supercharger on demand (within 350 milliseconds) when the driving conditions demand it. The VTES can be implemented on current vehicles, using existing 12 volt electrical architecture, and when used in series with a turbocharger, the 2kW of electrical power translates into 20kW at the crankshaft.
82-inch, ultra-HD display heads Samsung's SID line-up
Samsung has announced an ultra-high definition, (3,840 x 2,160 pixels), 82-inch LCD panel for 120Hz television sets at SID 2008 in Las Vegas.
Simulated sunrise: the Glo Pillow concept
The ‘Glo Pillow’ concept uses an LED fabric substrate below the surface of the pillow to gently wake the user with light.
Bold new Chinese Racing bid unveiled
Could history be about to repeat itself? In 1959, a small Japanese team entered the famous Isle of Man TT races on a new make of motorcycle: Honda. Now a Chinese motorcycle maker has announced it will follow an identical path starting in 2009.
The Floating restaurant table
Part restaurant table, part BBQ and part lounge, this electric-powered, water-going party platform for ten is primarily aimed at the rental market where its versatility makes it suitable for myriad applications.Telecommunications
Timetranslator delivers world times to your mobile phone
Timetranslator software for mobile phones converts numbers in your phone into the local time at the destination being called.
Baby Gizmo
My Plate-Mate stops mealtime mess
As well as minimizing mealtime mess, this invention from two entrepreneurial moms may assist young children to learn the tricky art of getting food from their plate into their mouth.
Around The Home
Jar-friendly spoon
If you absolutely can't live without extracting every last morsel of chocolate mousse from the bottom of its container, here is the solution.
Health and Wellbeing
Free Spirit: the world’s lightest wheelchair
Drawing on a background in research and development on the Williams F1 team, Marcus Cunnington has designed and built the 6.3kg (around 13.9 pounds) Free Spirit - a carbon fiber composite design that claims the mantle of the world's lightest manual rigid wheelchair.
Personal Computing
IBM’s new BladeCenter QS22
IBM’s new BladeCenter QS22 is based on the multi-core IBM PowerXCell 8i processor, which can handle workloads that previously required dozens of servers.
Electronics
Flexible, lightweight, 1-millimeter thick, 125-inch plasma display
Shinoda Plasma has unveiled a cutting-edge plasma tube array (PTA) display which weighs about 10 times less than a conventional plasma screen.
Pet Gizmos
DogPause dog bowl - nothing to scoff at
The DogPause bowl is designed to help dogs digest their food properly by slowing down the often frenzied meal-time process.
Spy Gear
ZRAD covert digital video recording pen
Vavolo has released this pocket digital video recorder hidden inside a functional pen that captures AVI video in 360 x 280 resolution via a 1/3 inch CMOS camera.
ecoGizmo
World's largest offshore wind farm
Texas based Fluor Corporation has been engaged to to design and construct the 500 megawatt (MW) Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm.
Robotics
BAE Systems to lead new miniature robotics research initiative
BAE Systems has signed a $38 million agreement with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to spearhead development of next-generation intelligence-gathering military robots with a focus on versatile, miniature platforms suited to use urban environments and inaccessible terrain.
Cameras and Imaging
QPC Lasers demonstrates ultra-compact portable projector technology
QPC Lasers is demonstrating a miniature prototype “RGB” laser designed for high resolution miniature projectors in portable devices.
Automotive
Antonov develops low cost gearbox for the low cost car
Antonov is developing an interesting new transmission for the next generation of ultra low cost cars. Such a transmission must be simple, low cost, reliable and repairable without no pneumatic or hydraulic controls, minimal components and only the simplest of electrical systems. Some innovative thinking was required ...
Science and Education
Space engineers to explore next gen lunar rovers
A collaboration between the Surrey Space Centre and the University of Beijing will boost development of future moon projects such as the UK‘s proposed Moonraker lander mission and the second phase of China's Chang'e program.
Military
US Navy launches its first Littoral Combat Ship
The US Navy's newest Littoral Combat Ship wouldn't look the least bit out of place soaring over the credits of a Star Wars movie.
Home Entertainment
Pioneer’s 2008 KURO plasma displays
Pioneer’s new KURO plasma displays feature black levels five times deeper than previous models and can adjust the picture based on video and room light conditions.
Wearable Electronics
URWERK compressed-air powered wristwatch
URWERK has released the world’s first watch that uses compressed air to regulate the winding system. The UR-202 features a 3-position selector switch that controls the level of air compression generated by its miniature twin turbines, which in turn control the rate of automatic winding.
Sports
The fully autonomous "follow me" golf caddy
Mark Twain once famously quipped that "Golf is a good walk spoiled". Perhaps if he'd had access to the fully autonomous Shadow Caddy, he might have been a little more enthusiastic.
Inventors and Remarkable People
French cyclist to attempt channel crossing on pedal-powered airship
If he's lucky enough to find one perfect day this June, Stephane Rousson intends to pedal the world's first pedal-powered helium airship, complete with twin tilting rotors, across the 21-mile wide English Channel.
Mobile Technology
BlackBerry's Bold smartphone
The "Bold" is the first BlackBerry to support tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks and comes with GPS and a new full-QWERTY keyboard.
Holiday Destinations
Silver Rapids: waterpark meets ski resort
Visitors to Silver Mountain Resort in Idaho’s Northern Rockies will now be able to enjoy year-round adventure with the addition of a 42,000 square feet indoor waterpark.
Urban Transport
Svepa city bike
The Svepa bike design employs a frame made from an intelligent combination of plywood and aluminum to create an elegant, practical and eye-catching city bicycle built for two.
On the Water
The Monster: Puma names Volvo Ocean Race entry
PUMA Ocean Racing has christened its stunning new boat "il mostro" (Italian for "The Monster").
Research Watch
First living computer used for flipping pancakes
Researchers from Davidson College, North Carolina and Missouri Western State University, Missouri have genetically engineered the bacterium E. coli to coax its DNA into computing a classic mathematical puzzle known as the burnt pancake problem.
Games
Wii Fit Reviewed
Wii Fit sees Nintendo's honed skill in software and peripheral development come together for their third attempt at the holy grail of software - making exercise fun.
Motorcycles
Dreamfit: the motorcycle for paraplegics
It's the dream of many paraplegic ex-motorcyclists to one day ride again - now a prototype that enables this impossible dream to become a reality.
Music
Olive's 1000GB OPUS No4 home audio solution
Featuring an intuitive touch-screen interface and capable of storing up to 3000 CDs in their original quality, the OPUS No4 is pitched at music lovers who want to spend less time managing their collection, and more time enjoying it.
- Tiny MobiBLU Cube MP3 player with full color OLED display
- Researchers achieve music file compression 1,000 times smaller than MP3
- Edison’s first sound recording predated by 20 years
- Melodyne studio pitch correction now able to break chords down for editing
- Hearing Components $79.95 noise reducing Comply NR-10 earphones
Aero Gizmo
Airbus and Honeywell team up on alternative fuel
More commercial airline biofuel on the way. Airbus will partner with Honeywell, IAE and JetBlue in order to develop a sustainable second-generation biofuel for use in commercial aircraft.
- Diamond Simulation launches new generation of flight simulator
- Boeing begins assembly on third flight-test 787 Dreamliner
- Odysseus: Aurora's radical, unlimited endurance, solar powered aircraft
- Falx to debut hybrid-electric tilt-rotor aircraft with inbuilt solar charging
- Vintage aircraft fest at Goodwood 2008
Childsplay
Realtime video goggles put R/C plane pilots in the cockpit
Pilot View's FPV 2400 sends real-time video to a set of goggles so you can fly your plane from a first-person view.
Good Thinking
Two-mile high termite nest proposed to counter the population challenge
Capable of housing up to a million people and designed to be virtually impervious to wind, water and earthquakes, the Ultima Tower concept offers some ingenious ideas on energy production, water use and intra-colony transport.
Outdoors
Outdoor solar workstation
If you are having trouble getting out of the office, maybe it's time to get the office out. This eco-friendly workspace is designed as a haven where office dwellers or uni students can escape to the great outdoors.
