Manual Methods:

Bug Net Launcher Gun: Just pull the trigger and four darts will shoot out carrying a net for capturing bugs. Available for $20. [Amazon]

Bug Zapper Tennis Racket: Fry those pesky insects and work on your backhand at the same time. Just two AA batteries will provide enough juice to electrocute the little suckers on contact. Available for $10. [Product Page]

Delete Key Flyswatter: It's old school, but any nerd can appreciate this method. Available for $8. [Spoon Sisters]

Let the Gadgets Do the Dirty Work:

Electronic Venus Fly Trap: Bait is hidden inside the mouth of the trap which is fitted with two sensors that quickly snap the jaws shut when a fly is detected. After the deed is done, the jaws reopen and the trap emits a satisfied burp. Available for around $40. [Eurocosm via Link]

Talking Bug Zapper: This inhumanely hysterical twist on the old fashioned bug zapper adds one of 15 phrases including “that’s gonna leave a mark,” and “goodbye cruel world!” when the bugs come in contact with the grid. It's probably more annoying than anything else, but its cheap at only $20. [Product Page]

DIY Projects:

Electric Roach Motel: This little DIY project can generate 10 pulses at 400 volts per second using a 9 volt battery and a PIC12F683 with a switchable clock speed. That will fry a roach up good. However, it is probably not a good idea to have around if you have dogs, small children or gigantic, clumsy feet. [Mondo Technology via Link]

Lego Mousetrap: Mice are not usually a major problem in the summertime, but when the weather starts getting cooler they can be a real nuisance. Fortunately, you can put your love of Legos to good use by building a simple trap that is activated by a pressure plate. [True Dimensions via Link]

Torture:

Watch a Bug: It is supposed to be educational, but the bottom line is that you are holding a bug hostage in a tiny prison attached to your wrist. Whether it lives or dies a slow, agonizing death is up to you. Available for $5. [Wowcoolstuff]

Mosquito Spring-Loaded Bear Trap: Okay, this mini mosquito bear trap probably won't work, but if it ever did that would be a hunting tale for the ages. Available for $4. [FH Trading Post]

Let the Bugs Choose Their Own Fate:

Pest Decide: The device will draw in bugs using a set of UV LEDs, but which side will they choose? The blue light of Heaven or the red light of Hell? Either way, they still get zapped. Now that is cold. Available for around $28. [Lazybone]

The FDA's just okayed it for marketing in the US, so it may be coming to an OR near you soon. [Peak Surgical via Medgadget]

By combining laser interference technology with a new "scanning beam" wafer technique, the team at the Space Nanotecnology Lab has demonstrated manufacturing of semiconductor wafers with 25nm detail. And it's easily extendable to 12nm. In the scanning technique, Doppler shifts affect the laser's ability to create accurate patterns, so the clever MIT guys synchronize the wafer under construction by oscillating the laser elements with 100Hz sound waves. Looks like that venerable old law will hold true for a while yet. [EETimes]

When you have your work of art perfected, send it to me at contests@gizmodo.com with gadget art in the subject line. Only JPGs and PNGs, please. Name your file FirstnameLastname.jpg using whatever name you want credited on the site. I'll post the winners in the Gallery of Champions next Tuesday. Get to it!

Those motors are arranged in opposing pairs, along with non-linear spring systems so that they mimic the opposing muscle structure that gives human hands their dexterity. The team achieved this by making hundreds of MRI scans of real hands in different positions. And apparently this has paid off, since it means the Sensopac hand can snap its fingers, pick up an egg or carry a cup of liquid much like we do.

The really clever bit, though, is in the artificial intelligence that controls the limb. In humans the cerebellum controls sensation and movement, so the team have created a neural-net system that mimics it to control the arm in a more "natural" manner. It's apparently the "first neural-network-based controller that can control the dynamics of a robotic system in its full operational range,” and means that the arm (when perfected) would be able to pick up a cup, sense what the contents feels like and handle it appropriately.

The arm is now in advanced testing, but it'll be a while before robots have a limb that behaves exactly like ours do: that's "still light-years away" according to the project coordinator. Doesn't stop me wondering how long it'll be until there's an entire neural-net robot droid built with this biomimetic tech though. And then there's personality downloads to think about... [ICTResults via Physorg]

The optics remain largely unchanged, with a 10x zoom but this time coming with an optical anti-shake system. There's also face recognition for exposure and focus automation, and the same Picture Master image processing tech built in.

In HX mode, at full 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, the cam manages a 15Mbps bitrate and fits about 4.5 hours of recording onto the 30GB drive, or an hour onto a 8-cm BD. At 720 x 480 resolution, in SX mode (9 Mbps) it'll fit 20 minutes onto a DVD. Its battery will shoot for about 80 minutes, and the whole package weighs about 1.27 pounds and measures 3.1 x 5.5 x 3.4 inches.

Available in Japan at first, from August 9th for around $1,400. [AVWatch]

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Well, thank your lucky stars that the people who run our cities have at least some sense in their heads, because it would be highly doubtful for this to appear in the flesh anytime soon. Even still, designer Geoffrey Barnett built one for his New Zealand adventure park as a proof of concept, hoping to convince people to build them elsewhere.

And while sure, maybe they're fun for racing when you're on vacation in New Zealand, good luck convincing anyone to commute to work in one of these things. No thanks. [Agroventuresvia Gizmag]

The fancy new machine sprays down every cart in the store between uses with a peroxide solution that kills 99.9% of germs, leaving them clean enough to allow your baby to gum all over the handlebar. The carts dry after a few seconds, leaving them ready to use almost instantly after being cleaned.

"It kills all the nasty stuff, salmonella, staph, E. coli," said Bob Schwei, a technician with PureCart Systems, the Wisconsin-based manufacturer of the glossy white machine, which looks like an airport X-ray machine. "They're very popular in Korea — bird flu."

I wonder if the machine works on people? Seems more convenient than a shower. [Washington Post via Book of Joe]

Basically the light from a lab-style laser is reflected off a mirror mounted to a speaker membrane and then gets diffracted through a grating to create multiple beams. As the music drives the speaker, the mirror jitters and bingo! You've got a laser light show visualizer that makes your giant mirrorball seem even more passé than it already is. The whole thing has pretty detailed instructions so you can build your own... just don't use too powerful a laser source, eh? Those things can be dangerous. [Project page via Hacknmod]

The experts Sound and Vision asked tended to think not, with both Toshiba and Sony confirming they had no plans in this direction. Partly it's a question of manufacturing: the tooling is set up for production of TVs in 16:9, which mainly concerns the production of LCD panels (or OLED panels that're in the pipeline), and changing that would be pretty expensive. As a Samsung expert points out this even affects things like the glass used for the panels: manufactures are used to particular dimensions and achieving a particular yield from a "mother" sheet of glass... changing the screen dimensions would involve adjusting all this production too. And of course there's all the tech involved in getting 2.35:1 images onto the screen in the first place: DVDs and BDs aren't that ratio, though you could achieve it by throwing away pixels.

But all of these problems are not insurmountable. And I, for one, would welcome the idea of a "full" widescreen TV sitting in my living room in four or five years time: maybe because I mainly watch movies rather than TV shows. What's your take on the idea, guys?

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First Place — Flowbee by Tricky Wombat
Second Place — Wii by Phillip Stucker
Third Place — Ionic Breeze by Andy Graber

[CollegeHumor]

SOUTHAMPTON, England, July 22

Garmin the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced its first multi-use nüvi portable navigation device (PND) dedicated to walking, cycling, scootering, driving and boating in one rugged easy-to-use unit. The nüvi 500 series comes equipped with the latest technology from Garmin including NavTeq sophisticated mapping data and the ability to accept different types of mapping including TOPO for outdoor navigation and Blue Chart cartography for marine usage.

Clive Taylor, Garmin's Director of Product, said, "The nüvi 500 series is a true chameleon in the gadget world, it extends the use of GPS across the range, from walking to cycling to driving to boating. It's ideal for individuals or families who want to go and explore the great outdoors in every way they can. With the built-in compass and integrated Wherigo(TM) and Geocaching player the sat-nav's use is extended beyond just navigating: Users can enjoy the fun of the many family treasure hunts and adventures available online."

The new waterproof nüvi 500 series combines the latest Garmin navigation technology including Hotfix(TM), detailed NavTeq mapping, millions of points of interest (POIs) and traffic avoidance compatibility, for the times when sitting in a traffic jam is not an option. In addition, the nüvi 500 series comes standard with Garmin's popular "Where am I?" safety feature. At any time, with a single tap of the car icon, drivers can display their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations and recovery service telephone number. In addition, with Garmin Connect Photos, users can choose from millions of geo-located images provided by Google's Panoramio to photo-navigate on land or water.

With one touch, the nüvi 500 transitions between walking, biking, driving or boating mode;

Walking and outdoor pursuits

Ready for the great outdoors, the nüvi 500 models display shaded digital elevation mapping on the 3.5" water-proof touchscreen. This series comes standard with a compass page, track log and a removable, rechargeable battery for extended outdoor use. The integrated Wherigo(TM) and Geocaching player means the nüvi 500 series is ideal for getting the family to enjoy the great outdoors with the many downloadable 'adventures and treasure hunts' available online. Optional TOPO mapping will give additional detailed maps.

- Wherigo is a toolset for creating and playing GPS-enabled adventures in the real world. Use GPS technology to guide you to physical locations and interact with virtual objects and characters. http://www.wherigo.com

- Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game where individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, the visitor may be provided with a wide variety of rewards, all a visitor has to do is ensure that if rewarded, they leave a gift for the next person who finds the cache. http://www.geocaching.com

Cycling/scootering

Where the nüvi 500 series stands out is in its ability to fit comfortably on a scooter or bicycle. Its user interface is easy to control and, with directions via Bluetooth and a scooter mount as standard in select European markets or optional extra everywhere else, it's a great fit for getting around the busy town centres of Europe. The nüvi 500 series has a rugged design with UVA/B & fuel resistant material and bright clear screen that can be seen even in strong sunlight. If the weather turns and the rain comes down, its waterproof body ensures that the turn-by-turn directions get you to your destination using the most direct route and in the quickest time.

Driving

The nüvi 500 series' intuitive interface greets you with two simple questions: "Where To?" and "View Maps." Touch the colour screen to easily look up addresses and services and get voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions to your destination. It comes preloaded with City Navigator(R) NT map data European region or individual country. It's packed with millions of POIs and features digital elevation maps that show you shaded terrain contours at higher zoom levels. With the nüvi 500 series, you can also upload custom POIs such as 'The Good Pub Guide' and 'Falk-Marco Polos Travel Guide' offering thousands of great places to drink, eat and visit.

Boating

When loaded with optional BlueChart(R) g2 Vision marine cartography, the nüvi 500 series is great on the water, providing detailed chart-specific information, spot soundings, inter tidal zones, wrecks, port plans, restricted areas and more. The nüvi 500 is ideal for the occasional boating enthusiast who wants one navigational device for foot, car, bike or boat.

The nüvi 500 and 550 for Europe come preloaded with either country-specific City Navigator NT Map Data (500) or full European City Navigator NT Map Data (550) with detailed street and topographic mapping.

The nüvi 550 will be available in the UK in September at a RRP of GBP299

See the Garmin nüvi 500 series on Stand N118 - British International Motor Show at ExCel, London - 23 July - 3 August 2008: http://www.britishmotorshow.co.uk

[GPStracklog]

The Gadget: Dyno Nobel Super EZ Connector - Precision Timing Detonation System
What it is: "Dyno Nobel's Super EZ Connectors form the attachments of a precision, non-electric, timed detonation system used in blasting. They link together shocktubes, a type of specialized fuse which burns at a rate of 7000 feet per second."
Why we like it: They look like Scalextric controls. They make things explode. What is not to like.

The Gadget: Jimmyjane FORM 6 Water-Resistant, Rechargeable Vibrating Massager
What it is: "Form 6 is the only rechargeable vibrating massager that is also water-resistant, making it suitable for use in the shower."
Why we like it: Water-resistant. Rechargeable. Vibrator. As if anyone needed any more reasons why.

The Gadget: Geode Microwave
What it is: "Geode is a high-efficiency microwave that is more intuitive, attractive, efficient and sustainable than standard models. It is composed of two parts: a base and a lid."
Why we like it: It looks amazingly good—as opposed to your usual fugly microwave oven—and it's incredibly useful. Too bad this one is just a concept for now.

The Gadget: Hitachi Laser Liner Series
What it is: "The Hitachi Laser Liner Series is ideal for the positioning of slope structures such as stairs, handrails, internal building structures, electric lighting facilities and the alignments of tile joints for outer walls or plastering."
Why we like it: It looks like an evil robot. Too bad the laser can be set from "line up" to "stun" to "DESTROY HUMANS."

The Gadget: Belkin TuneStudio
What it is: "TuneStudio is a compact four-channel mixer for the iPod."
Why we like it: Knobs. Pointy ones.

The Gadget: Lite2go Lamp
What it is: "The lite2go is a sustainably-designed household lamp that sheds the excess of packaging by eliminating it all together."
Why we like it: The lamp is the package is the lamp.

The Gadget: Parruda Self-Propelled Sprayer
What it is: "This (vehicle) is an upgrade from the self-propelled Parruda Sprayer launched in 2000, which incorporates technological, functional and style enhancements designed to meet the requirements of agricultural input consumers." It uses GPS, has new headlights, and increased field of vision.
Why we like it: A vehicle. To spray. The cockpit, the wheels, the handrails, all looks space-age weird and that's why we like it. That and the fact that I'm picturing myself driving it down the US1 from NYC to the Florida keys in one of these, spraying everyone with, humm, dunno, some kind of sprayable thing.

The Gadget: The Amphibian™ Dynamic Scuba Fin
What it is: "This design allows divers to walk and climb boat ladders without removing their fins."
Why we like it: So simple, and knowing the pain it is to do this, so effective. I want them. Also, it's called amphibian, like some of the ladies of the world.

The Gadget: The Mule
What it is: "The Mule is an all-in-one stacker, transporter and portable work bench, designed for ease of use and to help increase productivity and reduce workplace injuries. It has a tough, steel-framed platform that can handle up to 350 pounds of material."
Why we like it: Not to be confused by its Boston Dynamics' relative, this Mule useful in so many ways, sturdy, and lets you get out your manly DIY instincts to abandon them two hours later, when you wake up in the hospital without three of your fingers and a major head contusion.

The Gadget: frog Light Bulb
What it is: "The light bulb concept takes the form of the traditional light bulb, but one-ups it in efficiency by using a high-output LED as the light source. This prototype also uses half the power of a fluorescent while lasting ten times longer."
Why we like it: We like our friends at frog design. I like this light even more, because I love the shape of the classic bulb and I would hate to see it disappear in a fashion-disco-club nightmare of minimalist LED lights.

The Gadget: Speedglas™ SL (Super Light)
What it is: "Speedglas SL is a welding helmet with an auto-darkening filter to protect the eyes."
Why we like it: It's the world's lightest welding helmet and it looks like a helmet I would wear while trying to battle cyber-dragons in sci-fi Middle Earth. And one more thing: Flashdance.

The Gadget: SylvanSport GO - Mobile Adventure Gear
What it is: "This is a three-in-one towable vehicle that morphs from a compact, traveling profile to a rugged toy-hauler mode to a spacious and comfortable camping configuration."
Why we like it: TRANSFORMERS. And apparently you can go camping with it.

The Gadget: The RidgeRunner™
What it is: "The RidgeRunner is designed to increase safety and efficiency for construction workers as they install wooden roof trusses. Placement of a truss requires a worker at the peak to align and brace it."
Why we like it: Not that we are going to install wooden roof trusses anytime soon, but the heavy-duty industrial look of the RidgeRunner makes me want to start doing that now.

The Gadget: Touch Sight
What it is: "Touch Sight is a revolutionary digital camera designed for visually impaired people. Simple features make it easy to use, including a unique feature which records sound for three seconds after pressing the shutter button. The user can then use the sound as reference when reviewing and managing the photos. Touch Sight does not have an LCD but instead has a lightweight, flexible Braille display sheet which displays a 3D image by embossing the surface, allowing the user to touch their photo."
Why we like it: The design is simple and the idea is great, specially the Braille display sheet with embossed images. Too bad this one is just a concept too (designed by Samsung).

The Gadget: Armarac - 19' Wall Mounter Server Enclosure
What it is: "The Armarac represents the evolution of the traditional 19-inch computer rack. It is the world's first zero-footprint, compact, wall-mounted enclosure for computer and networking equipment."
Why we like it: I want to put a few servers when I move to my new NYC apartment and I don't want a horrible mini-rack. Neither I would have the space. This seems like the perfect solution, it's smart and it will look great (even if I install it in a closet.)

The Gadget: Artengo RollNet
What it is: "Rollnet makes it possible to play table tennis in apartments or outdoors, on big tables and small tables — wherever someone feels like striking up a game."
Why we like it: For those of your how play table tennis, being able to do it anywhere, without a full table, the RollNet is perfect. For the rest of us, we just like the concept and the looks.

The Gadget: Bloomberg Flexible Display
What it is: "This highly flexible and compact dual-head display allows subscribers to the Bloomberg Professional to easily adjust the screen's display height, angle, vertical and horizontal orientations for optimum use with different software tools."
Why we like it: One day, displays will look almost invisible from their sides, and be configurable in any way possible. The Bloomberg Flexible Display brings that day a lot closer. >This< close.

The Gadget: NYC Condom Dispenser/NYC Condom Wrapper
What it is: "The New York City Condom and Dispenser is an initiative of the NYC Department of Health, since the free distribution of condoms is an effective measure against HIV infections and unwanted pregnancies."
Why we like it: Because.

As you can see, it's refreshing to see that great design gets applied to every single aspect of our lives. [IDEA awards]

To coincide with the Walkman™ phone’s third birthday, Sony Ericsson has unveiled three brand new mobile phones giving music on the go to more users than ever. Best-in-class sound quality takes music on your mobile to the next level.

London July 22 - Building on three year’s experience and technology 30 years in the making, Sony Ericsson continues to lead the way in the mobile phone music arena with cutting edge music technology and unique accessories.

Today, Sony Ericsson unveils its latest innovative additions to the Walkman™ phone family: the W902, W595 and W302, and seven new music accessories. Sony Ericsson is unveiling phones and accessories with superior sound quality and pioneering features that take Walkman™ phones beyond music and expectations with fantastic extras such as great imaging and video capabilities.

“Since the launch of our first Walkman™ phone in 2005, Sony Ericsson has continued to pioneer a superior mobile music experience - and the 77 million Walkman™ phones sold to date are testament to this commitment,” says Ben Padley, Head of the Music Category at Sony Ericsson. “With this latest range of phones and accessories, we are offering high quality sound and a rich feature set that cements our position as a leader in the music phone category. We are pushing the boundaries of what people think is possible and are offering best-in-class sound quality and our most exciting Walkman™ phones to date.”

The list of pioneering and innovative features found on Walkman™ phones continues to be unmatched in the industry. Features like the music recognition application TrackID™, SensMe™, for matching your mood to the music and Shake control to change tracks with the flick of your hand make Walkman™ phones stand out from the rest.

Sony Ericsson can now also announce best-in-class sound quality and a clear audio experience from its W902 Walkman™. The W902 features the same superior sound quality as the W980, about to launch shortly, which was rated ”best audio experience” this month, in a trial conducted in Germany by TESTfactory*.

With the W902, users can listen to music the way it should be heard: true to original. It’s also a mobile phone for those that want it all, with a five megapixel camera and great video capturing and sharing capabilities, an 8GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2) for storing more than 8,000 songs**, the W902 is a top-of-the-range device that will make you the envy of your friends.

The W595 Walkman™ is perfect for those who want to share sounds with their friends. Store and play more than 1,900 songs** through the built in stereo speakers. Plug in the in-box sharing jack to listen silently to your tunes with a friend or Bluetooth™ your sounds to Sony Ericsson’s range of wireless speakers.

The new W302 Walkman™ is packed with impressive features in an affordable no-compromise slim handset. Targeting all audiences, the phone comes complete with an impressive two megapixel camera, FM radio, TrackID™ and 512MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2).

The next generation of accessories includes three new sets of speakers, the MBS-200, MBS-400 and MPS-100, to help music lovers go beyond the individual and play music directly from their mobile phone. Enhancing its music accessories collection Sony Ericsson has also introduced three new stereo headphones, HBH-IS800, HPM-88 and HPM-66 for the optimal listening experience.

The Walkman™ phone through history
Walkman™ phone continues to chart high

• August 2005 – Sony Ericsson launches its very first Walkman™ phone – the W800
• December 2005 - Three million Walkman™ phones sold to date
• April 2006 – Sony Ericsson launches its first Walkman™ phone music accessories; MPS-60 portable speakers, which goes on to sell millions of units worldwide
• October 2006 – Sony Ericsson launches its first slider Walkman™ phone – the W850 which also introduces the unique TrackID™ music recognition application
• November 2006 –Sony Ericsson launches the W950 Walkman™ with the biggest storage yet - 4GB
• December 2006 – 20 million Walkman™ phones sold to date
• February 2007 – Sony Ericsson launches its slimmest Walkman™ - the W880
• November 2007 – W910 Walkman™ phone with Turbo 3G/HSDPA launches as a complete entertainment device
• December 2007 – Walkman™ phone sales hit 57 million
• February 2008 – Sony Ericsson launches the W350, with Walkman™ on top and W380 with gesture control
• July 2008 – W980 Walkman™ phone with clear audio experience launches

With Sony Ericsson today music is reborn. What are you waiting for? Join the Walkman™ phone family and experience music how it was meant to be heard.

For more information visit www.sonyericsson.com/reveals

The W302 Walkman™ is an EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Midnight Black and Sparkling White in Q4 of 2008.

The W902 Walkman™ is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Volcanic Black, Wine Red and Earth Green in Q4 of 2008.

The W595 Walkman™ is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black in Q4 of 2008.

The W595c Walkman™ is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White and Jungle Grey in Q4 of 2008.

The W595a Walkman™ is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black in Q4 of 2008.

The Wireless Portable Speaker MBS-200 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008.

The Wireless Portable Speaker MBS-400 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008.

The Portable Speakers MPS-100 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

The Wireless Stereo Headphones HBH-IS800 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

The Noise Cancelling Headphones HPM-88 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

The Active Headphones HPM-66 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

[Sony Ericsson]

OSRAM Achieves Quantum Leap in Brightness and Efficiency of White LEDs
SANTA CLARA, Calif. —(Business Wire)— Jul. 21, 2008 By improving all the technologies involved in the manufacture of LEDs, OSRAM development engineers have achieved new records for the brightness and efficiency of white LEDs in the laboratory. Under standard conditions with an operating current of 350 mA, brightness peaked at a value of 155 lm, and efficiency at 136 lm/W. In generating these results, researchers used white prototype LEDs with 1 mm-square chips. The light produced had a color temperature of 5000K, with color coordinates at 0.349/0.393 (cx/cy).

The key to OSRAM's success was the efficient interplay among all the advances made in materials and technologies. A perfectly matched system of optimized chip technology, a highly advanced and extremely efficient light converter, and a special high-performance package all combined to produce the world record performance results.

Potential applications for this high-performance LED technology include general illumination, the automotive sector, and any application that calls for large, high-power LEDs. These semiconductor light sources are also suitable for high operating currents. At 1.4 A, they can produce up to 500 lm of white light. This means that in the future the LEDs can also be used for projection applications as blue and green chip versions.

Dr. Rudiger Muller, CEO at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, commented: "It was the successful convergence of OSRAM know-how in different fields that led to these new records in efficiency and brightness. Starting with the light converter, we will be gradually moving these new developments into production." OSRAM has already applied for patents for the technologies that lie behind these world record performance levels

Since Osram says plans are now to move this tech from the lab into production, we can certainly expect to see LEDs in even more places in the future. [Osram]

Here's the basic idea:

Here’s the basic idea: The machine is as thin as possible, runs low end hardware and has a single button for powering it on and off, headphone jacks, a built in camera for video, low end speakers, and a microphone. It will have Wifi, maybe one USB port, a built in battery, half a Gigabyte of RAM, a 4-Gigabyte solid state hard drive. Data input is primarily through an iPhone-like touch screen keyboard. It runs on linux and Firefox. It would be great to have it be built entirely on open source hardware, but including Skype for VOIP and video calls may be a nice touch, too.

He's looking for people to help spec out the hardware and write the custom Firefox and Linux code for it. If you help, you'll be handsomely rewarded with a first-run edition of the to-be-named device if and when it ever becomes a reality.

Will it actually happen? I'm not sure, but it sounds pretty good to me. We'll see. [CrunchGear]