Gizmodo: gears

Is Google Gears Dead?

John Herrman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:14:35 EST

It was over two years ago when Google announced Gears, which promised to make Google services—and potentially lots more—available offline. Since then the project has moved at a creep, all but stalling entirely. Gears, it seems, has died.

Mark Milian and Harry McCracken have been collecting the murder evidence, which has been mounting for months:

• Gears is not supported in Mac versions of Chrome
• Standalone Gears is not supported in Snow Leopard, months after release
• Google's been evasive about Gears support in Chrome OS, even though offline web apps are a vital part of it
• Google hasn't announced a new Gears-compatible product in months

All this is decidedly circumstantial, but it hints that Google is planning to wait to HTML5, which supports a lot of the same offline features as Gears, before putting all their eggs in one basket. Then, this:

We're continuing to support Gears so that nothing breaks for sites that use it. But we expect developers to use HTML5 for these features moving forward as it's a standards-based approach that will be available across all browsers.

This is directly from Google in response to Milian's post, and stops short of kicking Gears to the curb, but only just. Here's what it really means: Google will quietly move away from Gears, let it live out its life in comfort, and after starting a beautiful family with HTML5, pretend that it never existed. [LAT, Technologizer]

Offline Gmail Gets Attachment Support

Sean Fallon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:29:00 EST

According to Google, one of the most requested features for offline Gmail users was the ability to include attachments in emails. Well, that problem has been solved.

Starting today, users can attach all types of files—except images embedded in the body of the email. These messages now go through the outbox when you're online or offline, allowing Gmail to capture the attachment either way. [Gmail Blog via TechCrunch]

Amazing Corkscrew Is a Mechanical Masterpiece

Sean Fallon — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:40:00 EDT

In a nutshell, this elaborate corkscrew by British designers at Oneofonehundred is kind of like a cross between orrerys, elaborate clocks, and a Rube Goldberg machine—all wrapped up with a steampunk vibe.

No matter how you look at it, the elegance of the complicated design is mesmerizing. Unfortunately, only 100 of the devices will be produced (as the name of the studio implies), and they will surely be outrageously expensive. So, most of us will have to continue relying on simple corkscrews to get the job done. Me? I'll continue to drink boxed wine in an alley thank you very much. [Oneofonehundred via Cooking Gadgets]

Gear Clock Tells Time, Lies About Everything Else

Mark Wilson — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT

You'd think that this $78 Jumbo Gear Clock sleeps alright knowing that, unlike its digital counterparts, it features 50 exposed moving gears that show off the otherwise hidden complexity of clockwork. But the Jumbo Gear Clock does not sleep well at all. The Jumbo Gear Clock lays awake at night because the Jumbo Gear Clock is a lying phony.

Unlike watches with a clear glass face, this gear clock doesn't show the true inner workings of its time telling but a collection of randomly spinning, useless facades. These gears are but the fake boobs of the clock world, interesting enough to look at until you realize that one doesn't move. [homeloo via bbGadgets]

Bicycle With Unlimited Gears Inspired By Leonardo

Jason Chen — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:30:19 EST

This DaVinci inspired gadget won't help you find a secret religious conspiracy and seduce a French lady, but it will help you get up and down mountains slightly easier. It's called "The Ride," and it's a bike that has a "NuVinci" transmission with ball bearings and metal disc systems to allow you to set the gear ratio at exactly the rate you want—essentially giving you an unlimited number of gears.

The gears themselves are made up of two rotating metal discs with tilting balls. The balls can roll to almost any angle, but the bikes cost $2995 for the standard version and $3995 for the Signature Series. Seeing as regular fancy bikes can cost a couple grand already even without infinite gears, this doesn't seem all that bad. [EllsworthRide via PopSci via Oh Gizmo]

Yet Another Gear Clock For You To Drool Over

Sean Fallon — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:50:12 EST

Gear clocks are nothing new, but each new design offers a little something different. You can watch in awe as the gears turn and display the hour, minutes, and seconds. It is almost hypnotic. And the best part is that it costs $20 —can you say cheap holiday gift? I sure can. [Product Page via GeekAlerts via BookofJoe]

The Gear Clock

Jason Chen — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:30:29 EDT

If your clock's going to be made out of gears, why not just expose all the gears and make it part of the design? That's exactly what these folks did, which makes for a quite sexy clock design that gives your bedroom that much more of an industrial look. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Contemporary Heaven via Coolest Gadgets via Oh Gizmo via Boing Boing]

Shimano Rolls Out Simple Auto Transmission for Bicycles

Charlie White — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:45:00 EST

Shimano, bicycle gearmaker to the stars, has made a three-speed automatic transmission for those who don't take biking quite so seriously. Shimano Coasting Components make a bike smart enough to shift its own gears, giving you a riding experience that doesn't require any attention or input.

Shimano is licensing the technology to bike makers such as Trek, Giant and Raleigh; pricing wasn't announced yet. – Charlie White

Shimano aims for an easy urban ride [Slash Gear]

Elecom's Gear-Driven Keyboard Prevent Typos

Jason Chen — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:00:14 EDT

Elecom's TK-U09FG keyboards have gears mounted under each key, depressing evenly even if just hit on a corner. Apparently, the cause of typos is hitting a key on a corner and having the keystroke not regstr. By detecting and activating the keys on the corners, this keyboard supposedly cuts down on typos. We don't know if this is true, but the keyboard is only 5040 yen ($42), so it may be worth a try. – Jason Chen

Press Release (Japanese) [Elecom via Tech Japan]