Your tech feed

Not your average solar panel: The SRS solar roof tile

Thanks to a system created by SRS Energy and offered exclusively as an upgrade option to customers of US Tile (the largest manufacturer of clay tile in the United States), those wishing to benefit from rooftop solar energy will no longer have to worry about any panels being stuck on the side of the roof and spoiling the aesthetics. The Solé Power Tile system is the first building-integrated photovoltaic roofing product designed to blend in with curved roof tiles commonly found in the Pacific West and Southwest of the United States. Read More

NASA tests eco-friendly rocket fuel

NASA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) have successfully launched a nine-foot rocket to a height of 1,300ft using an environmentally-friendly propellant made from aluminum powder and water ice. The fuel, called ALICE, has the consistency of toothpaste with a high burn rate and achieved a maximum thrust of 650 pounds during this test. Read More

Boeing Airborne Laser ‘shoots down’ first missile

On August 10, Boeing and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency were finally able to demonstrate that the US$1.1 billion Airborne Laser (ABL) program actually works. The ABL aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-400, took off from Edwards Air Force Base and located, tracked and fired on a target missile. Although a surrogate high-energy laser was used – rather than the megawatt-class laser that will ultimately arm it – instrumentation on the target verified the hit. Read More

Sony delays larger screen OLED TVs?

Those of us eagerly awaiting the arrival of a successor to the Sony XEL-1 OLED TV may have to wait a little longer, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that Sony has delayed development of larger screen OLED TVs. Although Sony had attendees at CES 2009 salivating at prototype 21-inch and 27-inch OLED TVs, according to ‘sources close to the company’ the XEL-1, which was released in late 2007, apparently won’t be getting a bigger brother until 2010 at the earliest. Read More

High definition universal gaming cable for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii

Gamers with more than one high definition console should be able to take full advantage of the new Blaze 3-in-1 component cable, with three connectors that enable you to use a single, high quality cable for Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii. Read More

Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones

After more than 30 years of continual research into noise reduction technology, Bose has released the QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Canceling headphones. Further engineering advancements in active and passive noise reduction technologies have ensured the QC 15 headphones offer more attenuation of unwanted noise in louder environments, across a wider range of frequencies. Read More

Tiny lasers hold key to nano-circuitry

Researchers at Cornell, Purdue and Norfolk State University have reported the successful creation of a 'spaser', a new kind of nanoscale laser that breaks dimensional limits previously thought to be insurmountable, leading the way to significantly faster and more efficient computer processing and data transfer rates. Read More

Digital drink tampering detector

One of the dangers of drinking in unfamiliar territory can be the quality of liquor on offer. Rotgut, the slang term for an inferior alcoholic concoction, can be dangerous to your health, not just your wallet. How big an issue being served rotgut actually is seems to depend as much on where in the world you find yourself as which nightclub or party you're at. Rotgutonix is a new take-anywhere prototype device that analyzes your chosen beverage and lets you know if it's genuine or a nasty pretender. Read More

Portable USB drive and solar charger boosts gadgets on the move

If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that gets a decent amount of sun every year, investing in a solar charger to give portable devices a boost when out and about would be a wise idea and Korean company Zyrus has come up with something tidy and practical enough to hold genuine appeal. Read More

Gorillatorch shines light wherever you need it

Joby, creator of the bendy Gorillapod camera tripod, has announced a hands-free flashlight called the Gorillatorch. Consisting of an LED lamp unit mounted on a Joby flexible tripod, the Gorillatorch’s design lets you twist and bend the legs around to position the light just where you need it. Read More