smart roadster hits Australia
From Automotive
The smart roadster two-seater convertible will launch in Australia next month promising purists the chance to sample an "intensive open-air motoring experience". The diminutive roadster has an engine output of 60 kW, weighs only 790 kilograms and can accelerate from 0 - 100 kmh in 10.9 seconds. Read More
Siemens 4X zoom camera phone
From Mobile Technology
Siemens has added 4X zoom capability to its latest camera phone. The multimedia equipped ST55 includes 5-way joystick navigation, TFT 65,000 colour screen and "compose your own" polyphonic ringtones along with the inbuilt, zoom enabled, 120 x 160 pixel VGA camera. Read More
Porsche convertible wins automotive beauty award
From Automotive
The Porsche 911 Carrera 4S convertible has been voted the "world's most beautiful open sports car" by an international jury in Italy. The 235 kW (320 hp), all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4S convertible took the award in the "Convertible, roadster and convertible coupe" category. Read More
Wireless, handheld Baby Monitor with video
From Baby Gizmo
Thursday November 27, 2003 Almost any parent will testify to the value of audio baby monitoring devices in providing added peace of mind and an extra degree of freedom that can make a huge difference when it comes to getting things done around the house. If being able to hear baby in another room is an advantage, adding visual contact to the equation is the logical next step - and now technology is delivering. The Swann Guardian Angel Handheld Baby Monitor enables you to both see and hear your baby via an LCD colour screen on the palm-sized receiver at a distance of up to 300 feet.
The Swann Guardian Angel Handheld Baby Monitor costs AUD$349 and runs on rechargeable batteries. Read More
Personalised, electronic handgun headed for commercialisation
From Military
The 100% electronic O'Dwyer VLe "Smart Gun" is to incorporate biometric authorising technology that should enable it to meet new US requirements for "personalised" handguns according to a joint release from Metal Storm and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Read More
Citro'n C-Airlounge Concept takes European Award
From Automotive
The Citro'n C-Airlounge has been named 'Concept Car of the Year' by European motoring and motor industry magazine Autocar. The aerodynamically advanced C-Airlounge features a unique interior lighting system that utilises fibre optics and projectors concealed in the armrest-covers and carpet to enable a choice of "interior graphics". Read More
Epson develops World's Smallest Flying Micro-robot
From Robotics
The world's smallest flying micro-robot has been unveiled at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo. Seiko Epson Corporation's FR ("Micro Flying Robot") stands just 70 mm high and uses 130 mm wide contra-rotating propellers powered by a tiny ultrasonic motor to achieve balanced mid-air flight. Read More
Survival Pod delivers emergency essentials
From Good Thinking
November 26, 2003 The Survival Pod is a waterproof shelter, a storage unit for first aid and food supplies, an emergency stretcher, a water purification unit and even a lifeboat in extreme situations. The compact, durable design from Euforia Design was inspired as a response to the devastating and recurring flood situation in Mozambique that leaves hundreds of thousands homeless and bereft of clean water, food and shelter. Read More
Map of the universe revealed
Given that most distant object yet observed by modern astronomy is a quasar about 250,000 billion billion kilometres away, creating a map of the observable universe is the ultimate challenge of scale. But Richard Gott has found a solution to the problem and the results will be published as a pull-out map in the latest edition of New Scientist. Read More
Monstrous V10 powered pick-up
From Automotive
When the V-10 Viper powered Dodge Ram SRT-10 was announced in 2002 it was billed as the "boldest, baddest and fastest pick-up in the world" and that's still very much the case for the just released 2004 model. Read More
New Segway pSeries geared for portability
From Urban Transport
A smaller, lighter and more manoeuvrable version of the Segway Human Transporter has been released. The third in the line-up of battery-powered, self-balancing personal transportation devices, the new p Series model is geared towards short range commuting in crowded pedestrian environments with its a narrow footprint and portable design. Read More
Man vs Machine World Chess Championship a draw
From Inventors and Remarkable People
Thursday November 20, 2003 After treading a delicate path in game four, Garry Kasparov has drawn both the final game and the match against X3D Fritz in the latest Man vs Machine World Chess Championship. The first and last games of the match were drawn with X3D Fritz winning game two and Kasparov winning game three. The result still earns Kasparov $175,000 and the golden trophy - although X3D Fritz is storing a copy of the trophy in virtual reality given that it was a draw according to reports from x3DChess. Game four was the shortest game of the match. Kapsarov said after the game that despite outplaying the machine overall, a critical mistake in game two had cost him the match. Read More
Handheld first delivers weather-overlaid mapping in real-time
From Outdoors
Storm Hawk is a hand-held weather forecasting and GPS-based mapping device designed to give motorists, recreational boat users or hikers real-time access to critical information about what's ahead, as well as improve safety for businesses with weather sensitive operations. Read More
MIOX purifies the camping experience
From Outdoors
If you've ever experienced the singular joys of a stomach "bug" like giardia you will appreciate the MIOX water purifier - a light-weight, compact unit that requires no pumping, maintenance or iodine with which to inactivate viruses, bacteria, giardia and cryptosporidium... Read More
FinePix S5000 combines digital sophistication with creative control
From Cameras and Imaging
The new breed of digital SLR-style cameras offer sophisticated automatic capabilities coupled with a level of user control that can be varied incrementally according to need. The FinePix S5000 from Fujifilm is no exception... Read More
Automotive accolades for Bentley, Mazda And Fiat
From Automotive
Examples of automotive excellence from Bentley, Fiat and Mazda have earned the respective manufacturers accolades in separate awards around the globe... Read More
Tiny telescope implant combats blindness
From Health and Wellbeing
Wednesday December 3, 2003 A micro-sized telescopic eye implant is being developed to aid those affected by dysfunction of the macula - a specialized area of the retina that is responsible for the central part of our vision. IMT (Implantable Miniature Telescope) has a tiny wide-angle lens (about the size of a pea) that projects a magnified image onto the retina to reduce the blind spot caused by macular degeneration and improve the ability to see previously unrecognisable images. Read More
Protective clothing goes on the attack
From Health and Wellbeing
In the past Gizmo has investigated clothes that monitor your health, give you a massage, repel insects and even provide the body with sustenance, but the No-Contact Jacket concept takes the role of "Smart Clothes" in an entirely new direction by delivering a defensive electric shock to anyone who comes into unauthorised contact with the wearer.The defensive jacket is designed to call attention to violence against women and provide an alternative means of defence against unwanted contact. Read More
Flexible solar panel goes wherever you do
From Outdoors
This go-anywhere solar charger uses flexible, non-breakable solar cells to provide power to batteries, GPS units, mobile phones and other portable electronic devices in any location where the sun shines. Read More
Apple introduces 20-inch iMac
From Personal Computing
With twice as much screen real estate as the 15-inch display model, Apple's new 20-inch iMac enables side-by-side viewing of two full web-pages and makes an impressive platform for viewing DVDs. Read More
