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Gizmag Team
- T-Rex three-wheeler superbike (584,008 Views)
- Osmos reinvents the wheel (252,157 Views)
- World's tallest building and largest mall announced (220,932 Views)
- Wallypower SuperYacht wins Millennium Design Award (192,962 Views)
- The Airstream Skydeck lifts the lid on mobile homes (192,886 Views)
All Articles by Gizmag Team
Wanted: technology writers in Tokyo
By Gizmag Team
23:43 November 18, 2009 PST
Gizmag is seeking writers, photographers and videographers in Japan to join the team on a casual or part-time basis. Obviously speaking and writing English is essential, and having an in-depth knowledge of some if not all of the areas we cover goes without saying. If you can produce the goods, you’ll get paid well and you’ll get to carry a Gizmag press card. If you think you might fit the bill, we’ll be in Tokyo next week to meet up with interested parties, so send an outline of your skills to... Read More
Bottle of Dalmore Oculus whisky sells for GBP27,600
By Gizmag Team
13:58 November 18, 2009 PST
Further proof that the GFC might be retreating and that the demon drink has indeed become a sound financial investment was the news that a bottle, err decanter, of Dalmore Oculus whisky sold for a GBP27,600 (USD47,000) at yesterday’s whisky auction at Bonhams Edinburgh (UK). Read More
The 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index – civilization’s report card looks bleak
By Gizmag Team
14:29 November 17, 2009 PST
Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was released yesterday, the only realistic report card available each year on the governments of the world. The CPI measures domestic and public sector corruption and once again highlights how poorly most countries’ governments go about their business and how no region is immune to the perils of corruption, bribery, cartels and other practices which undermine competition and contribute to the diminution of resources. There’s some wonderful interactive visualization multimedia available on this subject which is well worth a look. Read More
Anti-fraud credit card features E-Ink display
By Gizmag Team
03:59 November 17, 2009 PST
Emue Technologies has unveiled the next generation of its anti-fraud credit card. The device combines a world first embedded 14-segment E Ink display with a 12-button numeric keypad, microprocessor and, despite being the same size as a conventional card, a battery designed to last for three years. Read More
Intel Reader turns street signs into spoken words
By Gizmag Team
22:12 November 12, 2009 PST
Many of us take our ability to read signs, books, magazines, menus and instruction manuals for granted, but for an estimated 55 million people in the U.S. alone who have to contend with vision impairment, dyslexia or other specific learning disabilities, connecting with the world through text is not so simple. That's a big number - almost the the population of UK - and now Intel has announced a solution for this market in the form of new book-sized device that's not your average e-reader. The Intel Reader takes photos of text, converts the words to digital format and then reads them out loud. Read More
sparkz iPhone dock doubles as a pico-projector
By Gizmag Team
21:30 November 10, 2009 PST
We may have to wait some time before pico-projector technology finds its way into mobile phones as a standard feature, but until then products like the sparkz iPhone/iPod dock projector will help fill the gap. The handheld 4.5” x 3” x 2.5” unit uses a 3M LcoS projection engine to throw a 640 x 480 image at a brightness of 15 lumens - so you'll need to draw the curtains and dim the lights before the show starts. Read More
Ants inspire military strategy software
By Gizmag Team
17:45 November 9, 2009 PST
Ant colonies aren't called superorganisms for nothing. In some species, millions of individuals can act as a single entity to protect and feed the colony. This behavior has led to over 200 different species being called "Army Ants", so in a way it's no surprise that these mechanisms have been used for the basis of new software that helps troops to define the best path within a battle field. Read More
Renault announces production sites for Z.E. electric cars
By Gizmag Team
23:35 November 8, 2009 PST
Renault's Zero Emissions (Z.E.) range really captured our attention at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show and now the company has confirmed plans to unleash two of the radically designed EVs onto the streets from 2011. Read More
Research reveals the most reliable vehicles
By Gizmag Team
21:53 November 7, 2009 PST
A large percentage of the cars on the road, up to half in some countries, are owned and maintained by fleet management groups rather than individuals. In recent times we’ve seen a number of fleet management companies begin producing statistics on the reliability of their often massive fleets to better inform the public on the reliability of current vehicles. Now U.K. publication Fleet News has conducted research across a number of the major British fleets to produce a reliability survey across more than a million late model vehicles to reveal that the Honda Civic is the UK’s most reliable car and the Ford Transit the most reliable van. Honda snagged three of the top four most reliable cars but got beaten as the most reliable manufacturer. Read More
Boxster Spyder - 166mph Porsche roadster to debut in LA
By Gizmag Team
22:44 November 5, 2009 PST
Porsche will roll out a new incarnation of the Boxter Spyder at the Los Angeles auto show next month. The flagship mid-engined model is the lightest sporstcar in the company's range at 1,275kg and more powerful than the Boxster S, topping 235kW from its direct-injection 3.4-liter flat six-cylinder powerplant. All this adds up a hair-piece destroying top speed of 166mph (267kmh) with the roof open, making it Porsche's fastest Roadster. Read More
Dell Adamo XPS combines slender profile with smart design
By Gizmag Team
18:18 November 5, 2009 PST
Dell has bettered its wafer-thin Adamo laptop launched in March with the announcement of the 0.4-inch (9.99mm) thin Adamo XPS. Apart from the attention that the label of World's thinnest laptop brings, the XPS has some very appealing design qualities that are nothing to do with its slender profile or 3.2 pound weight. Rather than the conventional hinge, the full-size keyboard folds into the display in such a way that it's raised at the top when it's opened to provide enhanced cooling and there's also a capacitive touch latch mechanism which allows you to pop the unit open with the swipe of a finger. Read More
TwitterPeek - Tweeting without the bells and whistles
By Gizmag Team
23:21 November 4, 2009 PST
In news for committed Tweeters (at least those without a smartphone), Peek has released what it says is the world’s first dedicated Twitter mobile device. TwitterPeek is the company's third data-only product (following on from the original and Peek Pronto) and like its predecessors, its key selling points are simplicity of function, low-cost and no contracts. Read More
Technosphere: eco-friendly Earth in miniature proposed for Dubai
By Gizmag Team
18:18 November 4, 2009 PST
It's been a while since we've taken a look at the weird and wonderful canvas that is Dubai's skyline of the future, and this proposal from James Law Cybertecture would slot neatly in among radical designs like the Almeisan Tower and the spiraling ZPO. Shaped like a giant disco ball, the Technosphere is conceived as a self-sustaining model of the Earth in miniature incorporating a range of active and passive systems to meet these goals. Read More
Subaru WRX STI TRAX hits the backcountry
By Gizmag Team
22:57 November 3, 2009 PST
We've seen this approach to Arctic off-roading at a concept level, but this snow-eating Subaru WRX STI is most definitely for real. The 400bhp TRAX was built by Subaru Rally Team USA's technical partner, Vermont SportsCar from a rally-prepared 2009 WRX ST. EXE-TC Group N competition rally dampers were added, the drivetrain lowered three inches and the wheels tossed in favor of a Mattracks rubber track system. Read More
Video - The HMV type 905: pre-war television packs a killer punch
By Gizmag Team
21:33 November 2, 2009 PST
In the latest installment of our video series looking at Michael Bennett-Levy’s collection of early technology, Laurence Fisher from Bonham's introduces us to a 1938 HMV type 905 table model television and wireless that was a wonder of engineering for its time. The exterior of the HMV model 905 television is a three-quarter figured burr walnut veneered case with molded edge housing a 7-inch screen. Click through for a closer look at this fascinating slice of history which has been restored with authentic pre-war era components and is in complete working order... and there's also a word of warning to those interested in dabbling in pre-war televisons - TV repair can be a lethal occupation. Read More
Wraps to come off Mavizen TTX02 electric superbike
By Gizmag Team
23:38 November 1, 2009 PST
A new era of motor sport began in June this year with the running of the world's first zero-emissions GP at the famous Isle of Man circuit. Now the TTXGP’s manufacturing arm is set to unveil a factory production electric superbike. Billed as "a computer on wheels", the Mavizen TTX02 is designed to deliver racing performance in a versatile package that will serve as a development platform for would-be competitors in the fledgling world of the e-GP... and it even comes with its own dedicated IP access and connectivity to the network. Read More
Cell batteries could power nano devices
By Gizmag Team
22:38 October 26, 2009 PDT
Synthetic cells that act as a battery could one day be used to power nanotech devices. Scientists from Yale University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created a very simple cell model in order to study the way certain real cells generate electric voltages. In the process they produced a minute working battery that converts chemical energy into electrical energy at an efficiency of about 10 per cent - a figure that's high enough to make cell batteries a practical alternative as a nano power source. Read More
Lexus HB Concept 2WD pedal-assist, carbon-fiber racing bike
By Gizmag Team
09:48 October 22, 2009 PDT
Designed totally inside Lexus by Lexus designers, this sleek electric pedal assist bicycle is among the many hidden gems to be unearthed at the 41st Tokyo motor show. Sporting carbon fiber everything – including the battery cover – the Lexus HB Concept has a 2WD system that uses a smaller electric motor on the front wheel and a larger pedal assist motor at the crank. Head on through to the video to learn more. Read More
Inside the box: Daihatsu Concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show
By Gizmag Team
09:37 October 22, 2009 PDT
Daihatsu's stand at the opening day of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show featured six mini concept cars focused very much on practicality in an urban environment. Somewhat strangely, the company's concepts stood out because, unlike many other vehicles on the showfloor, none of the cars are electric or electric gasoline hybrid. Daihatsu has instead tried to refine existing technology both in lightweight manufacturing and engine efficiency to improve on fuel economy, but that's not to say the company isn't aiming for a zero-local emissions future - this is only the first step in its road map for powertrains that will culminate in a switch to a fuel cell based system. Read More
Video: Suzuki fuel cell vehicles at the Tokyo Motor Show
By Gizmag Team
04:16 October 22, 2009 PDT
Suzuki’s carbon free mobility effort at the Tokyo Motor Show used three existing models to demonstrate the benefits of its growing hydrogen fuel cell expertise: the SX4 fuel cell car, a two-wheeler based on the existing Burgman 125 feet-forward enclosed scooter, and the fuel cell powered Mio Electric Wheelchair. Although Suzuki also showed a plug-in hybrid version of the Swift, another existing car being adapted to a future power train, the company is clearly staking a claim in the Fuel Cell technology arena. Check out the video to see what Suzuki has planned for our garages in the coming years. Read More
Bicycle bling at London Cycle Show
By Gizmag Team
11:45 October 15, 2009 PDT
Amongst the sea of carbon fiber and Lycra pants at last week's Cycle Show in London, two products really shone - not for any particular innovation or cutting edge technology... they just shone. Exhibit A is a very stylish custom Ben Wilson Low-rider that's been swathed in over 100,000 Swarovski crystals. Sunglasses were also required when wandering past the iLoveMyBike.co.uk stand where a Brompton S2L folding bike had been given the 24ct gold treatment. Read More
Amazon Kindle e-book reader goes global
By Gizmag Team
15:59 October 7, 2009 PDT
Amazon has announced an international version of its Kindle e-book reader. Priced at US$279, the global version of the Kindle will work in over 100 countries and shares the same specs as its U.S. only counterpart - a 6" diagonal E Ink anti-glare display, slimline 8" x 5.3" x 0.36" footprint, 2GB internal memory (1.4GB of which is available for user content - that's enough for 1,500 books) and a weight of just 10.2 ounces (0.29kg). Read More
Toyota to show very futuristic FT-EV compact concept
By Gizmag Team
15:41 October 6, 2009 PDT
Toyota is set to show a new compact four-seat electric vehicle concept at the Tokyo Motor Show which is even smaller than the iQ. The FT-EV II is designed primarily for urban driving with drive-by-wire technology controlled by a joystick which incorporates the accelerator, brakes and steering to free up legroom in the space currently used by those components. This is a very futuristic vehicle with a second windscreen below dashboard level, and see through tailights for greater rearward visibility. Read More
Powermat wireless charging system hits shelves
By Gizmag Team
04:33 October 6, 2009 PDT
The Powermat range of wireless charging products we first spied at CES 2009 are now available for purchase. The system consists of a plug in charging mat and a receiver embedded in a cover for your portable device that allows you to "drop and charge" without having to to fiddle with cords as well as simultaneously charge multiple devices. Read More
Motorola and China Mobile demonstrate wireless 100Mbps downlink with TD-LTE
By Gizmag Team
14:26 October 5, 2009 PDT
Motorola is demonstrating a TD-LTE mobile networking solution on behalf of China Mobile at ITU Telecom World in Geneva that delivers high-definition video, GPS navigation, video conferencing and high-speed Internet browsing to a moving vehicle. In addition to the world’s first live 2.6GHz TD-LTE (Time Division Duplex Long-Term Evolution ) drive demonstration, the technology will be showcased at the China Mobile booth with a downlink speed up to 112 megabits per second (Mbps). Read More
Terotech
- November 21, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
