Gizmodo: zephyr

High-Flying Solar Power Zephyr Glider Breaks Own World Record With 3.5 Day Flight

Jack Loftus — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Last we heard from the U.K.'s high altitude Zephyr glider, it was unofficially breaking the record for longest unmanned flight. That was back in 2007, when the record was a paltry 30 hours, and the Zephyr was able to manage a 54 hour flight, thanks to its solar powered batteries. On Friday, the Zephyr flew that and them some when it completed an 84-hour flight without issue. Military types are no doubt licking their lips at the news, as the plane was designed to support troops in the field with continuous surveillance and communication support from its perch on high at 60,000 ft. [Telegraph]

New Xbox 360 Failure Rates Still Around 10 Percent?

Mark Wilson — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:22:37 EST

Site 8bitjoystick, the same people who seem to have broken the news that Bungie was splitting from Microsoft, claim to have scored an exclusive tell-all interview with an Xbox 360 designer regarding the console's notorious stability. Most of the piece really just confirms that which was already suspected (reasons for the RRoDs, early Xboxes failed around 30% of the time, etc) but what caught our eye was the insider's estimated failure rates on new, smaller and cooler-chipped Xbox 360s seem to still be around 10%.

Q: How much more reliable are the current generation of Xbox 360 than the previous designs? Original Xenon, Zypher and Falcon. I've heard that the failure rates for the current design is sub 10%. Much much better, but still too high imoh. And those designs haven't seen much life yet, so no one knows if that failure rate will hold.

Maybe we are reading too much into the quote, but if the failure rates were closer to, say, 5%, we think that would have been mentioned. No matter what the reading, the Xbox 360's failure rates don't seem to contend with those of the Nintendo Wii or PlayStation 3. [8bitjoystick]

Rumor: XBox 360 "Jasper" Motherboard Set For 8/08 Release

Sean Fallon — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:50:37 EDT

According to Dean Takahashi of the Mercury News, Microsoft is developing a new motherboard codenamed "Jasper." The upgrade promises to shrink the ATI graphics chip to 65nm and reduce the size of the memory chips as well. If true, this could reduce build costs and the heat problems that have plagued the 360. Although Takahashi notes that Microsoft believes they already have the heat situation under control. The upgrade is expected in August of '08. [Kotaku]

Solar-Powered Plane Smashes World Record, Sort Of

msparkes — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:56:55 EDT

UK defense firm Qinetiq has smashed the world record for the longest unmanned flight. Their solar-powered Zephyr flew continuously for an incredible 54 hours, easily beating the previous 30-hour record held by a US jet aircraft. Unfortunately though, it won't be officially recognized as a record, because of a slight oversight.

The flight was pretty secretive because QinetiQ are a defense contractor, and therefore there weren't any representatives from the world air sports federation there. This means that it can't be verified and entered into the record books. A Qinetiq employee seemed sure that it could go even better though, saying; "You ain't seen nothing yet." That enthusiasm is great, but just remember to invite the FAI guys next time, OK?

The Zephyr has a huge 59-ft wingspan, but weighs only 31kg, making it extremely efficient. During the flight it reached a maximum altitude of 58,000 ft, charging it's batteries during the day so that it could fly through the night. [BBC]

Rumor Rater: Xbox 360 Core Gone, Premium Pricedrop, HDMI Port

Jason Chen — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:30:11 EDT

A german site, Xbox-Archiv, has a few interesting rumors from "good sources" inside Microsoft (German division?). These sources tell them that the Xbox 360 Core edition will be canned, the Premium will have a price drop to 299 Euros down from 399 Euros, and a new edition (Codenamed Zephyr) will come in at 399 Euros and feature the HDMI port and 120GB hard drive.

So how likely are these rumors? Here are some numbers we arbitrarily pulled out of our arses.

•Xbox 360 Core edition dropped: 70%. It's pretty likely that Microsoft will can the low-end Xbox 360. After all, we've rarely even seen a green box whenever we visit our local Best Buy or Fry's. Plus, if they really are going to release an updated version, they need room to push the current Premium down.

•Xbox 360 Premium price drop: 90%. It's been about a year and a half since launch, and although the original Xbox's price drop history isn't quite relevant here because Microsoft wanted to lower the price faster to compete with the PS2, it does show a trend that they could be prepared to follow. And May seems like the right time to do so.

•Zephyr Edition with HDMI, 120GB Hard Drive: 30%. Somehow May seems too soon for a new edition of the Xbox 360. The current one is doing fine (save for HDMI support), but there's no gigantic reason for Microsoft to update right now. We'd probably expect them to release an update around Christmas, or 2008.

– Jason Chen

Xbox-Archiv [via Xboxic]

Xbox 360 v2 Found, Codenamed Zephyr

Travis Hudson — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:00:55 EST

Well hot diggity damn. This is what appears to be a picture of an updated Xbox 360 that features an HDMI port and 120GB hard drive. The Microsoft insider who leaked this information said the Zephyr 360 should be available "soon." There isn't much else known, but once we find out, we will be all over it like a fat kid on cake. – Travis Hudson

The second Xbox 360 revealed: codename Zephyr [Engadget]

Zephyr Elica OM Glass Range Hood Has a Way-Cool Remote Control

Charlie White — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 12:55:56 EDT

If you're looking for the fanciest range hood of all time, the Zephyr Elica OM Glass Hood might fit the bill. The 31.5-inch vent hood is available in black, red or white and has electronic touchscreen controls right on the glass. Its remote control sits on any flat surface, and rotating it controls the fan speed. Tap down on its top and you can control the lighting in the vent hood.

We're liking the colorful and space-saving near-vertical on-the-wall style of these range hoods. Our favorite feature is the innovative RF remote with its gestural controls. That's an idea that might be used elsewhere. But if you want this range hood, it's not going to be cheap. Brace yourself, it's $3990. – Charlie White

Vent hoods by Zephyr - Elica OM glass hood - a remote controlled hood! [Appliancist]