Darren Quick

Larger screen OLED TVs have had us salivating at various electronics trade shows over the last couple of years and CES 2012 doesn't look like being any different. LG already announced it's intention to show a 55-inch OLED display in the lead up to the world's biggest consumer electronics show and now rival Samsung has unveiled its offering that has set our salivary glands into overdrive. Featuring the same 55-inch screen size as LG's unit, Samsung's Super OLED TV boasts the same eye-popping picture quality, super fast response times and ultra-thin form factor that is the hallmark of OLED technology. Read More

The annual North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) can usually be counted on the produce at least one über-desirable concept car and the 2012 show currently underway in Detroit looks to have already met that quota thanks to Lexus with its LF-LC Hybrid Sports Coupe Concept. While the concept car itself might not be making it into showrooms anytime soon, Lexus’s Karl Schlicht says the hybrid 2+2 sport coupe created by California’s Calty studio “hints at the design cues that are coming in a wave of new Lexus models over the next two years.” Read More

While OLED may have staked a claim as the next generation display technology to beat, Sony has chosen CES 2012 to unveil a new display technology called “Crystal LED.” Instead of an LED or CCFL backlight shining through an LCD layer to produce an image, the Crystal LED display technology is a true LED TV that uses a layer of tiny self-emitting LEDs to directly produce the image – think of it like a high resolution shrunk down JumboTron like those found at sporting stadiums. Read More

Despite being introduced almost a year ago on Apple’s MacBook Pro lineup, the Thunderbolt interface hasn’t really seen as much love from peripheral makers as we would have expected. While there have been a few Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals hitting the market, it’s been more of a trickle than a flood. Belkin is no doubt also hoping the range of Thunderbolt devices will increase in the near future to make it’s upcoming Thunderbolt Express Dock, which was unveiled today at CES, a more compelling purchase. Read More

While insufficient battery-life can be annoying in most mobile devices, getting cut off from the outside world because your radio has run out of juice can be much more serious. This is why Eton has been producing various devices powered by hand-turbines and solar panels for some time now. Today’s CES Unveiled saw Eton demonstrating its latest FRX line of self-powered radios that come in three flavors – the FRX 3 and FRX 2, which both sport a solar panel and hand turbine, and the FRX 1, which features just the hand-turbine. Also on show was Eton’s new Rukus portable Bluetooth sound system, which comes in battery- and solar-powered versions. Read More

Research into developing insect cyborgs for use as first responders or super stealthy spies has been going on for a while now. Most research has focused on using batteries, tiny solar cells or piezoelectric generators to harvest kinetic energy from the movement of an insect’s wings to power the electronics attached to the insects. Now a group of researchers at Case Western Reserve University have created a power supply that relies just on the insect’s normal feeding. Read More

Hyundai will be giving its new multi-purpose vehicle concept its world premiere at Auto Expo 2012, which kicks off in New Delhi, India on the weekend. Based on Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language, the “Hexa Space” – also codenamed the HND-7 – is powered by Hyundai’s 1.2-liter “Kappa” turbocharged GDI petrol engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and features eight, hexagonally shaped seats that “fit together like puzzle pieces” to enable multiple configurations, including a limosine layout. Read More

Viruses can enter the body via a number of pathways and while scientists have known how to block the main one used by viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis C, Dengue Fever and West Nile virus for some time, these viruses are able to bypass this main pathway to replicate and cause disease via a second pathway by hijacking an enzyme known as endomannosidase. Now an international team of researchers has determined the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme endomannosidase, opening the door for new treatments to a variety of deadly viruses through the development of inhibitors that block this bypass route. Read More

AOC, the makers of a range of USB monitors including the16-inch E1649FWU USB monitor, has upped the screen size for its latest USB-powered offering. The new e2251Fwu boasts a 22-inch LED backlit display and receives both power and signal solely through a USB connection. The single USB cable connection is designed to make hooking yourself up with a dual- or multi-monitor setup a simple plug-and-play affair and appeal to those looking to take a second monitor on the road to accompany their laptop. Read More