...it was dunked in mud, put inside a 300 degree oven, and soaked in beer. What finally did it in is being crushed by a three ton forklift, which is pretty above and beyond the duty of any phone we'd normally use.

As for the specs, it has 1500 hours of battery (standby or talk, we're not sure) and a 2-megapixel camera. And, most notably, it has an "extra loud" ringtone so you can hear it under elephants. [Telegraph via Slashdot]

Todd quoted Ballmer, in a webcast, saying exactly this:

Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction...The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment—same piece of hardware—paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.

Say what you will about the merits of Windows vs Mac OS, but it is kinda funny for a software guy to suggest that it's the hardware that makes the computer.

We've heard similar Ballmerisms before, but my favorite part of the discussion was something Ballmer said later, when asked if he owned any Apple products:

I don't, my sons don't, my wife doesn't...You're talking to a guy, though, whose dad worked for Ford, and once Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar, we're selling the cars to get Fords, so you may have a weird outlier in me.

At least there's still Volvo, right, Steve? [TechFlash]

Maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit, but the tech here is really cool. Sentience will analyze the best route to get you to your destination, and then will handle all the acceleration and braking for the trip. Using GPS and mapping data, It recognizes roundabouts, speed bumps, corners and even speed limits. Sentience will know when a light is about to turn red and slow down accordingly.

Even better is that this new intelligent cruise control can save anywhere from 5%-24% of fuel on any given trip. And the best part is that it could be available as soon as 2012 for "minimal additional cost." [Sentience via Gizmag]

From a technical point of view, the Trailcart is like a hybrid mountain bike and four wheeler. It's got permanent four-wheel-drive and is powered by roughly 290Nm of torque. In terms of conquering rockey terrain, it has 400mm of axle displacement. TreeHugger adds that it has a "double-action mechanical hydraulic braking system" and a Shimano Nexus 8 shifter coopted from the cycling world. The developers are trying to keep the weight at 50kg or less, in order to be transportable on automobile bike racks.

At the moment Trailcart is getting some serious investment from some heavy hitters, including Land Rover, and speaking of Land Rover, the little four-wheeler is involved in testing at Land Rover's "obstacle park" in Wülfrath, Germany. I really really want to try one of these out. There's no word on how much exertion is required to get that thing really moving, but if it takes any kind of physical strain at all, chances are it'll never make it to America. [Trailcart via TreeHugger]