Taking computer design to Level Eleven with Jeffrey StephensonSeasoned case modder and hater of all things beige, Jeffrey Stephenson has been squeezing fully functional mini-PCs into all sorts of strange and beautiful outer shell designs ever since first crunching a VIA mini-ITX motherboard into a cigar box in 2002. The latest stylish addition to his expanding collection was inspired by the six drive Thermaltake Level 10 gaming monster and includes VIA's latest Pico board which pumps out 1080p video, 160GB of solid state storage, 2GB of memory and a DVD burner. Read More
European motorcycles edge ahead of Japanese at Cathedral of SpeedThe world's fastest road bike derivatives went to Italy last weekend for the latest round of the World Superbike Championships at Monza, AKA “the Cathedral of Speed.” Monza favors very fast motorcycles and the results echo what we'd already suspected after several rounds of the championship - there appears to be a changing of the guard underway and the addition of BMW and Aprilia to Europe's previously sole superbike contender, Ducati, appears to have tipped the balance of power away from the Japanese marques. A double-win to Aprilia and BMW's first podium in the superbikes were one indicator as was BMW's continuing superstock dominance. In a class that's an excellent guide to the sportiness of showroom road bikes, BMW's S1000 RR blew the competition into the weeds. Read More
Self-weighing suitcase knows exactly how heavy it isIt's happened to most of us at one time or another - you pack a suitcase before going on a trip, only to find that it's over the airline's weight restriction. Surely there has to be a better way than lifting that heavy suitcase back and forth to your bathroom scales, right? British company Expert Verdict is now selling a clever solution on their website. This self-weighing suitcase has an LCD display just underneath the handle that will tell you exactly how much the contents weigh. Read More
World's largest laser takes first steps towards nuclear fusion reactionThe quest to create a controlled fusion reaction is underway at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), with scientists reporting early progress ahead of ignition experiments which are due to start later this year. The ultimate aim of the world's largest laser - which is the size of three football fields - is to develop carbon-free, limitless fusion energy. Read More
Time for church - the 'Broke' stained-glass window watchThe "Broke" is the latest weird and wonderful watch design from Tokyoflash. Featuring a fragmented stained-glass window-like display, the outermost LED lit fragments on the Broke represent the hour, while inner fragments represent five minute intervals and central fragments indicate one to four minutes. The current time is displayed by which of the LED fragments are blinking. Got all that? Read More
UPDATE: econogo launches the 1500w electric yogo scooterBritish company econogo has launched the yogo, the first electric scooter that uses a fully detachable and portable lithium battery. Traditionally, electric two-wheelers in the UK have used impractical fixed silicon batteries which require the owner to run an extension lead from a mains electricity socket to the vehicle’s integrated battery. yogo owners can remove and charge the two LiFePO4 batteries inside an hour. Two spare batteries offer the option of an instantaneous swap for a further 44 miles of range. The GBP1999 (USD$3000) yogo has a 1500W motor, a top speed of 38 mph giving it the acceleration of a 100cc motorcycle, if not the top speed … and almost negligible running costs. Read More
Electrolux SHINE washing machine concept is as pretty (and hangable) as a pictureWashing machines aren’t exactly the kind of appliances you want to put on show in your home - which is one of the reasons they’re generally located in the laundry away from discerning eyes. But with around 74 percent of the world’s population expected to live in an urban environment by 2050 according to the UN, many people will be living in dwellings without a dedicated laundry and will be forced to house their washing machines in other rooms. With that in mind Electrolux has come up with a couple of sleek washing machine designs that can be integrated into a bathroom. Read More
'iMacify' your iPad with LUXA2's 360° adjustable dockOne of the early complaints about the iPad (yes, some people have complaints!) is that it's surprisingly heavy and sometimes difficult to hold. In an effort to remedy that problem, LUXA2 (a division of Taiwanese company Thermaltake) has created one of the more clever iPad holders that we've seen to date. Read More
Höganäs unveils lightweight electric bicycle motorA new electric motor designed for use with electric bicycles, scooters and other lightweight vehicles has been launched by Swedish company, Höganäs. The motor takes advantage of "metal powder technology", resulting in high performance but with reduced size, with a range of up to 75km between charges. The motor has been shown during the World Expo in the heart in Shanghai, China, one of the world’s stronghold for electric bicycle manufacture and deployment due to its cost efficiency, flexible and environmentally-friendly means of transportation. Read More
Apple patents invisible, Magic Mouse-like controls suitable for next-gen MacBooksAn Apple application had been unearthed detailing plans to develop invisible touch, pressure sensitive controls. Using similar technology currently found in Apple’s Magic Mouse, the concept designs show plans for buttons which could be implemented on a next-generation range of MacBooks, iPods or Apple TV remotes. Read More
Fujitsu's second-gen color e-paper – brightness x 1.3, re-write speed x 2, contrast x 3E-paper has some compelling advantages for the next generation of handheld and tablet devices. It provides an image which is very stable and easy to read in comparison to commonly used screen technologies, it consumes negligible power and is lightweight and paper-thin. Color paper arrived in 2007 but it hasn't really been good enough, until now. The principal developer of color e-paper to date has been Fujitsu which has just announced a dramatic increase in color e-paper display quality. The technology will be shown this week at Fujitsu Forum 2010 (May 13 - 14 at Tokyo International Forum) and can be expected in Japanese market e-book readers and advertising billboards by Q3 this year. Read More
NEC announces new technology to detect pirated videos onlineNEC Japan has fired the latest salvo in war between pirates and video producers with the announcement of new identification technology capable of detecting copies of videos illegally uploaded to the Internet in a matter of seconds. According to NEC the technology achieved an average detection rate of 96 percent at a very low false alarm rate of 5ppm (5 in one million). It is also capable of detecting altered video content, such as caption overlays, camera captured copies and analog copies. Read More
Sony’s new Qlasp earbuds give wearers a clip over the earEither my ears provide a tight fit or I’m just not as active as I should be, but I wasn’t aware that earbuds falling out was a major problem. For those that do experience such heartbreak Sony has come up with a solution in the form of its new Qlasp bud headphones. The headphones feature a nifty “qlasp” that clips to the wearer’s earlobes to ensure they stay put even during the most extreme physical activities. Read More
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