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Apple may have added new triangulation-based geographic positioning in the iPhone 1.1.3 upgrade, but Navizon keeps upgrading theirs, now with background updates that will keep your buddies constantly updated about your whereabouts. It will also keep track of buddies even if the app is not open, warning you when someone is near you. This is…
The Revolution Door is a concept from New York designers Fluxxlab that puts otherwise-wasted kinetic energy from a revolving office door to good use—generating power. Fluxxlab’s rationale is that humans exert a chunk of their own energy when pushing a revolving door around, and it may as well be captured via gears and an electricity…
As the miniaturisation of cameras continues apace, more and more innovative products are thrown up, such as this pill camera. Basically a lens on a piece of string (isn’t that something that Hell’s Angels like to do involving string, bacon and laydeez, and goes by the name of Wolfbagging?), the technology costs just $300—far less…
Saul Hansel, one of my favorite NYTimes reporters, writes about Fiserv’s technology that’ll let normal people deposit paper checks to their bank accounts by merely scanning them at home. USAA, the bank that serves the armed forces, has done this for a while, but it hasn’t picked up beyond there. Although the Check Clearing for…
Kaleidescape, famous for their super-high-end home theater video server, has officially announced that they are going Blu-Ray in 2009, releasing a player that will integrate with their existing rip-to-HD equipment. Good news for the generation of Silicon Valley richies who currently use Kaleidescape plus 5 Netflix accounts to continuously catalog DVDs. Here’s their upgrade path.…
The USP of Brighton Inc.’s new BI-LEDEAR earphones are light-up earpieces that flash in time to your music. Now, that’s what I call product satisfaction—everyone on the train can be irritated by flashing blue LED lights as well as the, tinny, secondhand noise of your tunes, while you sit there oblivious to the retina-searing effect…
The Telsa Roadster’s been a long ways a comin’, and here are the first reviews in the March issues of the fossil-fuel loving, pulp-based mongrel cousins of Jalopnik. And after a few hours flogging the e-car on California’s Skyline Boulevard, most pubs have concluded that the Tesla is the first electric car—the first green car,…
Picoo Z has just doubled the fun of R/C mini helicopters with the Tandem Z Chinook. Yes, two rotors, just like the real thing, for twice the number of high-speed crashes into walls, twice the chased-by-your-cat action. Its also got a three-channel remote control now, so you can try forward-backward moves properly—remember how tricky the…
An unlocked, GSM Palm Centro will arrive in Europe on February 14 for €299 ($400). Still no 3g, however. [Treonauts via Treo Central]
Mustek’s PF-E700 is yet another LCD photo frame, but with added alarm clock and indoor temperature gauge functions on a second small LCD screen at its base. The standard alarm snooze also gets an extra feature as a moody room light: you can set it so that each time you hit the snooze button you…
Everex is planning to release a touchscreen version of the Cloudbook, which they say will be out for developers 45 to 60 days after the normal model goes on sale, then released in Q3. Everex Marketing Director Paul C. Kim even speculated about an SSD option in future versions but, with the normal model still…
Click to viewA new software-based iPhone 1.1.3 firmware unlock has been claimed by GeoHot. Don’t expect a one-click solution like AnySIM or IPSF: it requires some hackertastic command line voodoo-juju, so it’s not apt for mere mortals. Also, be warned that it hasn’t been tested yet for secondary effects and may require a rabies shot…
Samsung’s Ultra Edition range will get a revamp with their new Soul, a 7.2Mbps HSDPA cellphone which, at only 12.9mm thick, it comes with auto focus 5MP camera, 2.2″ 320 x 240 pixel full-color display, SD slot and a touchpad display system that will morph the user interface, changing icons according to the application you…
This image from the book Tomorrow’s Home (World of Tomorrow) by Neil Ardley illustrates the home entertainment system of tomorrow. This section’s most interesting prediction may be that, “the magazines, books, records, tapes and television sets we now have will begin to disappear. But in their place the computer will offer us a greater range…
Click to viewA knee brace that generates enough electricity to power 10 cellphones was demonstrated by scientists recently. The brace harvests the energy of a person’s knee braking after taking a step, similar to the way hybrid car brakes collect energy to charge their batteries. The device only weighs 3.5 pounds, and does not need…
The Germans over at Nokia have posted the N96 specs on Nokia’s Germany product page. There are still no official images but the N95 successor has the same obvious specs, 3G, 2.8 inch LCD, WiFi b/g, AGPS, 5MP camera, and MicroSD slot. What’s new to this model is the 16GB internal memory, 950 mAh battery,…
For whatever reason, designer Haishang Deng thinks that his centipede-inspired Chameleon Truck is the perfect next-generation truck. With its segmented body that can fit multiple sizes and its front-loading system—with a cockpit that lifts to open a big hungry mouth—he says that it will save time, ground personnel and money. Whatever. All I know is…
The Macbook Air is a lot of great things, but it isn’t cheap. Here’s how to get $200 bucks off a new one, via [Macrumors]
A 57-year-old man was sentenced to a year’s probation for threatening to blow up Brisbane, Australia with his TV remote. Geoffrey Fryatt’s drunken stunt prompted Australia to declare a state of emergency in the city, send in paramilitary police to pelt Fryatt with rubber bullets and arrest him. Fryatt expressed concerns that probation would interfere…
Three of the 5 undersea cables cut by Gozilla, Jaws, Captain Nemo’s Ghost, Namor the Submariner, and the Coppertone Baby are scheduled to be repaired this weekend. That is all. [Reuters]