Hidden sounds from Revox speakers
From Home Entertainment
Revox of Switzerland manufactures a wide range of audio equipment that implements functional technology into everyday items. Two of its more notable products are speakers designed to replace traditional ceiling lights and bass speakers that double as stylish leather seats. Read More
Kawasaki preparing revolutionary new engine
From Motorcycles
Just when you figured that the incremental development of the Universal Japanese Motorcycle was all you’d ever see comes news that Kawasaki is about to release a bombshell on the motorcycling world with the release of a radically different engine. Spanish Motorcycle Magazine SoloMoto has details of the new motor revealed in an exclusive interview with a Kawasaki executive and plans to print the details in its September 16 issue. Most significantly, the preview interview, (here in Spanish), indicates that it will feature similar technologies to those employed in the KTM-owned Husaberg 450 we wrote about earlier this year. The radical Husaberg engine has been reconfigured to put the crankshaft near the motorcycle’s center-of-mass and results in a significant improvement in handling. Kawasaki’s patents predate the Husaberg design by several years and the technologies will be applied to motors with different numbers of cylinders and extending to KHI’s four-wheelers as well. Read More
Siemens showcases new fast drying dishwashers at IFA
From Around The Home
At this year’s IFA (the world's largest Consumer Electronics trade fair) in Berlin, Siemens unveiled its new speedMatic dishwasher featuring Zeolith drying technology for speedier drying times. The triple-A energy efficiency rated dishwasher can complete a standard 50C program in just 125 minutes or use its varioSpeed function to reduce program time by a further 50%. Read More
DonateBandwidth uses Torrent model to increase internet speeds in developing countries
From Telecommunications
DonateBandwidth, a project in the alpha phase of testing, will allow users to download data for each other in a fashion similar to BitTorrent. The project aims to establish a communal cache in order to streamline Internet browsing in countries where ISPs are not yet up to the task. Read More
Sony announces 200 frame per second Bravia LCD TV
From Around The Home
Sony has announced a 200Hz LCD TV at IFA. The new Z4500 LCD TV uses Sony’s proprietary Motionflow 200Hz system to calculate three additional frames for every original, upping the frame rate from 50 to 200 frames per second. A complementary image enhancement technology called IB Reduction (Image Blur Reduction) boosts the sharpness of the final picture by improving the original, frame by frame, before it is processed by the Motionflow 200Hz. The result is the smoothest and clearest motion reproduction to be achieved by an LCD to date. Read More
Sony Bravia ZX1 – ultra-thin LCD TV with separate wireless Media Receiver
From Around The Home
Sony is showing an extraordinarily slim new 40-inch Bravia HD LCD TV at IFA this week that measures a barely believable 9.9mm at its slimmest section. The compelling elegance of this wafer-thin display is hugely enhanced by a super-fast wireless connection so there are no signal cables to spoil the elegant simplicity of the design. Instead, the screen uses what Sony has dubbed ‘Bravia 1080 Wireless’ to carry the audiovisual signal from the separate Media Receiver to the screen in real time. Read More
Fishing for profits on world caviar market
From Inventors and Remarkable People
Until recently, the Caspian Sea has been the world's main source of the sturgeon that produces the black fish roe delicacy we know and covet as caviar. Sadly, over-fishing and pollution have led to dwindling fishing yields in the region. Now scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have begun farming sturgeon with a view to supplying the growing caviar market. Given they now have 40,000 sturgeon in outdoor pools, and the average female sturgeon can produce US$3,000 worth of caviar, it looks like becoming big business. Read More
The Caddy Topos Sail design concept
From Automotive
One of the stars of this weekend’s Dusseldorf Caravan Salon is this Volkswagen Caddy Topos Sail design concept which takes its nautical theme to the extreme of having a wooden boat deck on its roof. The Caddy Topos Sail design concept, based on the smallest model in the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle van range, uses design cues from classic yachts and has its multi-functional roof covered with wooden decking surrounded by aluminium roof rails. Read More
Logicube SuperSonix 2nd Generation SATA Hard Drive Duplicator
From Personal Computing
Hard drive duplication technology specialist Logicube has launched the SuperSonix, the successor to its highly successful Sonix portable, hand-held hard disk drive duplicator. The SuperSonix is the fastest hand-held duplicator on the market, delivering cloning speeds approaching 6GB/min. It features a new color touch screen and an intuitive Wizard function to step novice users through key cloning processes. Built-in support for SATA and PATA hard drives, USB connectivity and support for Firewire 1394B is featured. eSATA and microSATA drive support is also available with optional cables. Read More
The Nikon D90 – the first DSLR with HD video
From Cameras and Imaging
It seems logical that with almost everything being dragged into the convergence mix like matter into a black hole, that the seemingly parallel streams of still and moving image capture should eventually morph and Nikon made the first move this week with the much anticipated announcement of the a high quality Digital SLR with a movie shooting function that delivers quality HD 720p (1,280 x 720 pixels) video. Thanks to the D90’s large image sensor, D-Movie images exhibit less noise than those of a typical camcorder, most notably in low-light situations. This is a landmark camera and will be the first of many remarkable all-in-one imaging devices using quality lenses and technology suitable for both modes. VERY exciting! Read More
Our naked planet - the OneGeology project
From Research Watch
For a science that measures time in millions of years, Geology has seen some significant developments in the last year. Over the last twelve months, Earth and computer scientists from 79 nations have been working together on a global project called OneGeology to produce the first digital geological map of the world. This project is doing the same for the rocks beneath our feet that Google has done for maps of the Earth’s surface, quite appropriately given that 2008 is the UN International Year of Planet Earth. Read More
The De’Longhi Perfecta Living Room limited edition - Coffee-making moves to the living room
From Around The Home
The coffee lifestyle is one that continues to evolve with the free thinking that comes with the technophiles who are driving the current revolution in technology – our readership and viewing statistics suggest that our readers emulate the caffeine-induced heightened awareness to emulate the ever-increasing clock speeds of our microprocessors. So it seems quite natural (at least to us) that the coffee machine would migrate from the kitchen to the living room - De’Longhi is facilitating the move with titanium, burl wood and leather look Perfecta Living Room limited edition machines that promise harmonious integration of a fully automatic espresso maker into the living environment. Read More
Miele CAVE -VR design for around the home
From Around The Home
The use of synthesised Virtual Reality to train people using frightfully expensive machinery where mistakes are not an option was pioneered by the aviation industry with flight simulators and the technology found application in the automotive industry to refine the development of human-machine interfaces and is beginning to be applied to all manner of high value pursuits. Undoubtedly, the use of a CAVE (Computer Aided Virtual Environment) in the design of products and carefully-crafted user environments is certainly the way of the future for all industries once the enormous expense can be justified, and now German premium household appliance designer Miele has introduced the technology into its design process, becoming the first company in the sector to avail itself of the technology. Read More
Gearing up for the 2008 IFA
From Electronics
One of the world's biggest consumer electronics fests gets underway in Berlin this Friday and IFA organizers promise an even bigger event this year - 122,000 square meters of display space and 1,245 exhibitors including 807 from 63 countries abroad (almost twice the number of countries represented last year) and more gear on display including for the first time, domestic home appliances. Gizmag will again be there to bring you the best of the show - stay tuned in coming days. Read More
Canon announces 15.1-megapixel EOS 50D Digital SLR... and more
From Cameras and Imaging
Canon's newest EOS digital SLR will hit shelves in October packing a 15.1-megapixel resolution, in-camera photo editing, improved noise reduction and a new DIGIC 4 Image Processor that delivers an expanded ISO range and 6.3 frames-per-second continuous shooting capability. Read More
Automotive alchemy – Gold- or Platinum-plating your car
From Automotive
As we’ve written before, you don’t drive cars, you wear them. To the male of the species, a set of wheels is largely a reflection of who they are. Customizing one’s wheels is accordingly a highly personal pursuit – some go for show, some go for go, and some go to extraordinary lengths to show how uncompromisingly “top shelf” they are. Appropriately-named London-based Alchemist now numbers amongst its customization techniques a process which coats the roof of your car in 24-carat gold. “Gold-leafing vehicles isn’t a new luxury, said company spokesperson Jacques Blanc. “The Egyptians mastered the technique more than 3000 years ago and Tutankhamun’s chariot was decorated with gold leaves. We are simply continuing this ancient and opulent tradition.” Read More
BlueAnt V1 voice controlled Bluetooth headset
From Telecommunications
BlueAnt Wireless has launched the V1 Headset, a totally hands-free unit billed as the "world’s first fully voice controlled Bluetooth 2.1 headset". The new headset allows users to dial and control other call functions on their phone without even looking at it. Read More
Criminal Liability for Non-Aggressive Death
From Good Thinking
The crime of manslaughter exists as a 'catch-all offence' to punish those who are blameworthy in causing the death of another but whose culpability falls short of that required for murder. Manslaughter is an extremely broad offence and it has a difficult task in ensuring that all those who warrant punishment for 'non-aggressive' deaths are convicted. Simultaneously, it should not be too broad in covering those who do not warrant punishment for such deaths. There is little consistency in whether a particular dangerous activity leads to liability for a specific offence or for the generic offence of manslaughter when death is caused. This new book, entitled “Criminal Liability for Non-Aggressive Death” examines the current law and includes a variety of perspectives on the subject with chapters on specific modes of killing as well as issues that permeate all areas. Read More
Intel researchers working to commercialize wireless power sources
From Electronics
Drawing on significant 2007 work by MIT, Intel researchers are hoping to "cut the final cord" and do away with power cords using wireless electricity transmission pioneered by Nikolas Tesla more than 100 years ago. Read More
New ultra-portables join HP’s EliteBook range
From Personal Computing
The release of new ultra-portable laptop computers continues unabated with HP’s introduction of three ultra-portable laptops designed to lighten the load for business travelers, including an ultra-thin, convertible tablet, a budget unit and HP’s smallest and lightest laptop with a built-in optical drive. Read More
