Ghostbusters: The Video Game in development
From Games
Who ya gonna call? Atari have teamed up with developers Terminal Reality and Sony Pictures to bring gamers the eagerly awaited Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The release is set to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original slime-fest, and will be available across all current-generation systems - excluding the PSP. Read More
The UKP20,000 TTX01 - 86 BHP, Electric 2WD Motorcycle
From Motorcycles
UPDATED It’s the first electric superbike and though its range is considerably less than the first modern four-stroke superbike, the 1969 Honda CB750, its top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) is almost identical. Yesterday the first prototype of the TTX01 Electric Superbike was showcased at a press conference for the 2008 NEC Bike Show. Built to demonstrate the potential of electric sports motorcycles for the first emissions-free Grand Prix, the initial prototype is based on a Suzuki GSX750 frame and running gear and runs two 43 bhp Agni Lynch Electric motors arranged in line with the frame. Together, the motors produce 125 Newton Metres of torque and both have been modified to withstand high RPM using Kevlar-reinforced armatures. The vision is to create a lightweight, carbon fiber framed 2WD TTX02 with "hot swappable", 20 kilowatt hour battery packs, regenerative braking and a production run of 50 machines in 2010 with a target price of UKP20,000. Read More
Making waves work: the Searaser hydro-power system
From ecoGizmo
Our second ingenious example of bringing new approaches to hydro-power generation for the week, SEARASER works on the conventional principle of using water pressure to drive turbines but achieves this in a unique way. The system consists of a tethered wave energy converter which uses the rolling motion of waves to pump water to higher ground on-shore from where it can then be stored and used to create electricity on demand. Read More
GM HydroGen4 fuel cell vehicle to begin European testing
From Automotive
GM’s HydroGen4 fuel-cell vehicles will hit the road in Berlin as part of the company's extensive global zero-emission test program. Having already completed over 400,000 miles of testing in the U.S. (where its known as the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell), the tests in Germany will be the first European outing for the hydrogen EV which is capable of 0-62mph in around 12 seconds, has a top speed of 100mph and a range of around 200 miles. Read More
The car key of the future - with integrated credit card
From Automotive
A few weeks back we reported that BMW was working on a smartkey, and now we have images too. Contactless transactions and the cashless society are moving inexorably closer and BMW’s Research and Technology division has now released information relating to the development of a prototype for a multifunctional car key which enables cashless payment and personalised vehicle access. Clearly, car keys are one of those things you carry with you almost constantly, so it makes sense. Read More
Doro mobile phone keeps it simple
From Mobile Technology
Like the recently discussed ClarityLife C900, Doro's HandleEasy mobile phones are aimed at the large number of consumers who simply want basic phone functionality without all the bells and whistles. The Swedish company has now entered the U.S. market with two models - the HandleEasy 330gsm and the HandleEasy 326i gsm - both of which feature an uncomplicated design, large display screens and finger-friendly keypads designed for easy calling and text-messaging rather than game playing or web-surfing. Read More
The Pogo Stylus - faster input for the iPhone
From Mobile Technology
The Apple iPhone is clearly one of the most significant technological manifestations in history, but as much as we love it, it ain’t perfect. Typing on the virtual keyboard is difficult unless you have anorexic fingers and 20-20 vision and even then, input is painfully slow. Several manufacturers have developed viable variants of a high-tech stylus for the iPod Touch and iPhone capacitive touch screens and the best we’ve seen so far is the Pogo Stylus. Like many other online retailers this Black Friday (November 28) week, Ten One Design has slashed its prices early and is offering a 25 percent discount, meaning the Pogo can be had for US$14.96 including free USPS shipping. Read More
Pioneer HDJ-2000 DJ Headphones
From Music
Pioneer's latest high-end HDJ-2000 professional DJ headphones promise new levels of sound quality and durability in a lightweight magnesium swivel/fold design that's both comfortable to wear and easy to transport. Key specs include a frequency response of 5 Hz to 30,000 Hz, 50 mm driver units, a zero resonance heavy-duty build and the capacity for 3,500 mW of input which prevents distortion at sustained loud volumes. Read More
Boeing's new AH-6 light attack/reconnaissance helicopter
From Aero Gizmo
Boeing recently announced a new rotorcraft program to develop what will be designated as the AH-6 light attack/reconnaissance helicopter. The AH-6 features an Electro-Optical/Infrared forward-looking sight system as well as a mount for weapons that have been qualified on the aircraft, including Hellfire missiles, the M260 seven-shot rocket pod, a machine gun and a mini-gun integrated with a sensor system. Read More
Saved by the cell – a Motorola Razr cell
From Mobile Technology
A man in New Orleans had one of the luckiest escapes on record last week when a stray .45 bullet struck him the chest, directly above his heart, only to be thwarted on its journey by a cell phone. He escaped with a bruised chest and a dead Motorola Razr. We wrote earlier this week about the world’s toughest phone, currently the Sonim XP1 and soon to be the Sonim XP3. Amazingly, the lucky fellow, "R.J." Richard, normally clips his phone to his hip pocket but for some reason that day hooked it to bib on his chest. "Something hit me in the chest really hard," said Richard, who initially thought he had been struck by a rock kicked up by the motor of the tractor he was driving. But when he took off his sweater and opened the nylon case for his Motorola Razr phone, a .45-caliber bullet fell out. Read More
The space-age Aerohotel concept
From Inventors and Remarkable People
We've seen some incredible examples of terraforming in recent years - most notably "The World" in Dubai - and if the fact that the government of the low-lying Maldives is looking to buy land elsewhere to escape global warming is any indication, the practice of resurrecting land from the waters may be about to become a whole lot more commonplace. But why shift all that dirt around if you can just use stilts? Alexander Asadov's futuristic Aerohotel concept is an alternative to man-made islands that would provide a 650 foot wide circular playground perched over 200 feet above the waterline using only three supports designed to cause minimum disturbance to the ocean floor. Read More
Kensington 4-Port USB Charger for Mobile Devices
From Mobile Technology
Those of us accustomed to juggling multiple mobile devices are always looking for ways to reduce cord clutter and sort the whole process of getting juiced-up with the minimum of fuss. If that sounds like you, this idea may well appeal. As the name suggests, Kensington's 4-Port USB Charger can charge four mobile devices simultaneously using only one wall outlet. Read More
The best .338 sniper rifle in the world
From Military
The sniper is one of the most feared specialists of war and he is one workman who definitely relies on the right tools. There are a surprising number of sniper rifle manufacturers out there, so it’s a big call when one declares itself to be the best .338 in the world, though the raw specifications of the Accuracy International L115A3 sniper rifle suggest there is merit to the claim. The UKP23,000 (USD$34,000) rifle was designed incorporating performance-enhancing features gleaned from international target shooting and fires an 8.59mm bullet which is heavier than the 7.62mm round of the previous L96 and hence less likely to be deflected over extremely long ranges. Put the 6.8kg rifle in the right hands and it can hit a human-sized target from 1400 metres. Even at that range, it hits harder than a .44 Magnum does in the same room. Read More
Condometric - the condom that measures the size of your penis
From Health and Wellbeing
Madrid-based Curiosite has come up with a product that will surely be one of the novelty hits of 2009. The Condometric is a condom with a measuring ruler printed on the side that will accurately determine the size of the wearer’s penis. Currently in manufacturing, the condom will be available in four flavours (lime, cherry, banana and prophylactic rubber), both metric and imperial measurements (centimetres and inches), and in packs of 3, 6 and 12 (the party pack?). Read More
The iPhone Refrigerator
From Around The Home
An emerging prestige manufacturer and designer of quality and innovative household goods, Slovenia’s Gorenje graced our pages earlier this year with its wow-factor SmarTable, and has backed up with two prototypes (modern and retro) of a very clever iPod refrigerator and the news that the soon-to-be-available production versions will be followed by an iPhone refrigerator in 2009. Slip your iPod into the dock on the front and it’ll charge, play music and video through the refrigerator’s two built-in 7 watt speakers, and connect to the internet if you have wifi. Gorenje’s plans are ambitious, and include using the touch screen on the iPod to control other Gorenje appliances and there’s an internet portal under development which will enable the remote control of its wifi-enabled oven and dishwasher and plans to add wifi to other Gorenje appliances in the near future. The iPod fridge will cost around EUR1200 and comes with an iPod Touch. Read More
Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 Reviewed
From Mobile Technology
Netbooks are typically a "me too!" product, created by manufacturers who think their Intel Atom-based, small form factor notebook is going to stand out from the countless others, despite little to no attention being paid to the areas that could differentiate their product from the rest. Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 is a welcome deviation from the norm that's just as suited to the touring musician as it is to the couch surfer. Read on for our full review. Read More
Smart body kits: the smorsche, smerrari, smorvette, smaudi and smamborghini
From Automotive
Got yourself a Smart and the fuel bills and environmental conscience under control, but yearning for something a bit edgier and more reflective of your high-testosterone self image? Here’s just the ticket! Some of the nicest work we’ve seen in a long time are these inspired Body Kits for Mercedes’ miserly smart. That’s the smaudi AWD at top left, and clockwise, the smorsche Targa, smorvette and smerrari. There’s also a smamborghini and a smorsche 911 in the image gallery. Read More
Volute – premium wine in single-serve aluminum bottles
From Outdoors
Now here’s a simple but very clever idea we’re sure will catch on, through sheer necessity. Volute is a new premium wine brand producing red, white and rosé wines in a single-serve aluminum container. As the bottle is made from recyclable, unbreakable, lightweight aluminum, it can be safely taken where no premium wine has gone before – everywhere ! Concerts and sporting events ban glass bottles for safety reasons, and their use at the beach, camping, hiking ad infinitum is also impractical. The wine has no artificial additives, is sourced from small, independent Bordeaux wineries and is AOC-rated, signifying the highest quality of French wine. The single-serve bottles hold exactly one quarter of a standard 750ml bottle of wine - 187.5ml (6.3 oz). Available on-line, a three-bottle taster pack of all three varieties costs US$12 and a case of 12 costs US$49 – basically, four bucks a glass. Read More
ZVOX Z-Base 550: big sound, small package
From Home Entertainment
Running with the theory that bigger isn't always better, ZVOX has crammed a complete home theater sound system into a compact cabinet measuring 28" wide x 14.5” deep x 3 3/8” high that doubles as a minimalist base platform for stand-mounted flat panel TVs. Within this small footprint the Z-Base 550 incorporates five 2" full-range speakers, a 5.25" powered subwoofer, 60W amplifier and virtual surround circuitry with only one connection required to the TV for a simple set-up. Read More
Unique hydro energy system harnesses slow water currents
From ecoGizmo
Hydro-power systems are by far the most widely used form of renewable energy on the planet, but despite their eco-friendly appeal the implementation of large scale facilities - particularly where dam building is involved - has some serious environmental and economic drawbacks. One solution to this impasse that is growing in support is to use leaner, less destructive systems to better harness current flow and provide energy at a local level. This is the thinking behind VIVACE, a machine developed at the University of Michigan which applies the same principles fish use to swim efficiently in order to generate power from currents much slower than those required to drive designs based on turbines and water mills. Read More
