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Jack Martin
- Reinventing the wheel – the airless tire (28,073 Views)
- The autovolantor Flying Car (25,449 Views)
- The Shweeb Human-powered monorail (23,554 Views)
- The Volkner car-swallowing ultra-luxury motorhome (19,339 Views)
- The Miniature High-efficiency Motorhome (11,169 Views)
All Articles by Jack Martin
The computer-controlled Climbstation vertical treadmill
By Jack Martin
01:34 July 11, 2009 PDT
Now here's one of those ideas that leaps out at you with its commercial potential. Climbing offers extreme exercise with a nuclear fun factor and teaches fundamental coordination skills but it can be dangerous and scary with the heights involved, and besides, a climbing wall requires a serious commitment to locate and build. The computer-controlled ClimbStation is like an intelligent vertical treadmill for climbers, so it provides real climbing without the need for a safety harness because you never got more than a metre off the ground. ClimbStation hydraulically tilts between +15 degrees and minus 39 degrees, the holds are interchangeable, and the most significant thing about the ClimbStation is that it can be transported with a normal car trailer, making it an ideal relocatable owner-operator or amusement attraction. Read More
Happy 40th birthday to the computer mouse
By Jack Martin
15:43 December 3, 2008 PST
Computer peripherals giant Logitech recently shipped its billionth mouse, quite some feat given there are only 6.7 billion humans and a billion PCs on the planet. The mouse, in conjunction with the dastardly QWERTY keyboard, has become the cornerstone of the Computer Human Interface. The milestone comes within days of the fortieth anniversary of the first public demonstration of the computer mouse. On December 9, 1968, Douglas C. Engelbart gave a live public demonstration of the online system, NLS, which included the first mouse. The accompanying image is of the great grandaddy of the thing you’ve probably got in your hand as you read this. Read More
The Volkner car-swallowing ultra-luxury motorhome
By Jack Martin
12:31 December 3, 2008 PST
The concept of incorporating secondary last-few-miles transport in a motorhome starts with a fold-up bicycle, steps upwards through a motorcycle riding piggyback and we’ve occasionally seen a full blown car being towed behind the largest beasties. So we were blown away when we saw the latest from German Motorhome specialist Volkner Mobil at the recent Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf. Volkner has been using CAD for more than two decades in tailoring its extraordinary high-end vehicles for those who insist in living in luxury no matter what. In order to fully cater for this elite clientele, it has created (and patented) a central garage concept that allows a luxury sports car to be ingested by the bohemoth, so that when you get there, you'll want for nothing (check the gallery and other luxury appointments). Volkner began been building the motorized garage into its high end Performance models in late 2006 and has now built motorhomes capable of swallowing whole Porsche 911s, Jaguar XK8 Cabriolets, BMW 6 Series Cabriolets, Maserati Quattroportes and this Mercedes Sports. Read More
The new Nokia N97
By Jack Martin
23:31 December 2, 2008 PST
Gizmag's Dave Weinstein attended the Nokia World Conference this week in Barcelona. This is the first of a series of articles on the flurry of announcements: Nokia has announced its next generation flagship device, the N97. Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's Executive Vice President Markets, unveiled the device as walked through the design process that yielded a powerful device that aims to capture the hearts and minds of the public as a primary internet and communications terminal as well as an entertainment and gaming device. Read More
Nokia's vision of a connected mobile world
By Jack Martin
14:52 December 2, 2008 PST
It’s not surprising that the world’s largest phone manufacturer has a grand vision as global mobile device subscriptions pass the four billion mark. Nokia’s latest white paper paints a picture of a connected global network based around the world’s most distributed and pervasive sensing instrument – the mobile phone. Thanks to an increasing number of built-in sensors - ambient light, orientation, acoustical, video, velocity, GPS - each device can capture, classify, and transmit many types of data with exceptional granularity. The perfect platform for sensing the world is already in our hands. If you only read one article today, this should be it. Read More
The era of the personal Internet dawns with the Nokia N97
By Jack Martin
00:50 December 2, 2008 PST
Nokia today unveiled the Nokia N97, the world’s most advanced mobile computer, which Nokia is hoping will transform the way people connect to the Internet and to each other. Designed for Internet-savvy consumers, the N97 combines a 3.5 inch touch screen with a full QWERTY keyboard, providing an ‘always open’ window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations. Nokia’s flagship Nseries device introduces leading technology – including multiple sensors, memory, processing power and connection speeds – for people to create a personal Internet and share their ‘social location.’ The Nokia N97 is expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009 at an estimated retail price of EUR 550 before taxes or subsidies. Read More
Lotus Evora attracting celebrity waiting list
By Jack Martin
00:03 December 1, 2008 PST
Lotus won seven F1 titles, and pioneered too many automotive engineering firsts to mention. Its road cars are legend for their roadholding, light weight and remarkable power-to-weight ratios and anyone who has driven one will perhaps also mention their distinctly spartan interiors and lack of creature comfort. That all changed this year with the announcement of the Evora. It will be the world’s only 2+2 sports car when it hits showrooms early next year and it has another significant world first – it’s the first Lotus with a luxury interior and, as the delicately worded press release puts it, “a more refined ownership experience.” Perhaps we’ll see a few more refinements in future Lotus models, as the order book already looks like a who’s who of celebrity car buffs – already signed on the dotted line for a 3.5-litre 206kW V6Evora are two out of the three Top Gear TV presenters (the nice ones), current and past 007s Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan, Boris Johnson (Mayor of London), Jay Leno, musician Jay Kay, supermodel Jodie Kidd, Beyoncé, Dave Grõhl, Kelly Rowland, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Patrick Dempsey and JLo. Read More
EDG multimedia business card hits the market
By Jack Martin
09:13 November 28, 2008 PST
Three years ago we wrote rather optimistically about the coming of the rCard, a US$25 multimedia business card (and promotional give-away and gaming device and …). Now there's a similar product that comes in three versions, each with different capabilities. It’s called EDG (pronounced edge) and will be initially marketed as is a digital video card that enables pharmaceutical firms to build and maintain relationships with their key audiences, but are lots of very useful ways to use the card in almost any business where making a first impression and delivering a high value message to create an important relationship. Read More
The toughest phone in the world just got tougher
By Jack Martin
12:33 November 24, 2008 PST
Sonim’s XP1 phone is already unquestionably the world’s toughest, so the imminent release of the even tougher XP3 is more than noteworthy, particularly for those of us who spend a lot of time near, on or in the water. The XP3 can withstand more shocks and drops than its predecessor, it’s buttons have been tested to function beyond 500,000 pushes, and boasts a Military Spec rating of 810F against salt, fog humidity, transport and thermal shock. It is capable of working at -20C or at +60C, which is way better than the human body, and comes with a three year, no-questions-asked guarantee. Most significantly though, it can be fully submersed in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. All this means you can call your pet goldfish. Read More
Volvo S60 Concept with Orrefors Crystal Interior
By Jack Martin
11:57 November 24, 2008 PST
In offering the world the first glimpse of the Volvo S60 Concept car which will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in early January 2009, the Swedish auto manufacturer is giving an indication of what the all-new Volvo S60 will look like when it is launched in 2010. Little information is available at this time, but Volvo has indicated the car will “deliver a sporty drive like no Volvo before.” The only other significant information released with the accompanying image is that the interior features a floating centre stack made of hand-crafted Orrefors crystal, “shaped in a graceful, transparent wave from the instrument panel all the way to the rear seat backrest.” Clearly a first in automotive interiors, the crystal panel “appears to float above the centre stack's ergonomically designed functionality and rests gently on rubber pads.” Can’t wait! Read More
The Energy Detective keeps electricity bills low
By Jack Martin
23:27 November 23, 2008 PST
If you’re looking at ways of reducing energy consumption be it to do your bit to save the planet or reduce the load on your wallet for the expected economic winter, here’s a very good starting point. The Energy Detective (TED) is a US$145 real-time electricity monitoring device and as it can be expected to result in the saving of 10-20% on your electricity bills, the ROI should be less than 12 months. TED can tell you how much energy your air conditioner, computer, or dishwasher are using and accurately predict your next power bill weeks in advance. There’s also optional US$45 software which enables you to analyse energy usage every-which-way on your PC. Read More
The ABnote-LAKS Smart Transaction Watch
By Jack Martin
21:44 November 22, 2008 PST
Approximately 1.1 billion watches are produced annually and around three billion credit cards are issued, which makes the LAKS Smart Transaction Watch look like a significant market opportunity given that it combines both. Laks is one of the most innovative producers of wrist-worn gadgetry in the world, with specialty watches that track the phases of the moon, play Mp3s and even monitor fertility cycles to aid women in getting pregnant, so the ingenuity of putting a smart card into a wristwatch to readily facilitate contactless payments was probably a no brainer for them. Perhaps one day we'll all be wearing these things, though our money is on the mobile phone being the logical long-term winner as the platform for contactless payments. Read More
Toyota CNG-Powered Camry Hybrid
By Jack Martin
16:10 November 22, 2008 PST
At a time when America’s auto manufacturers are going cap in hand to the Government for donations to secure their survival, how can there still be such large gaps in the marketplace? Toyota showed a CNG-Powered Camry Hybrid Concept at the LA Auto Show, portending the filling of a gaping hole in the market for a compressed natural gas hybrid. Put simply, in the near future, the demand for liquid petroleum will exceed supply and thanks to one of those immutable laws of commerce, when that happens, petrol will cost a lot more than it does right now. Apart from the potentially reduced running costs and environmental benefits afforded by using CNG over petrol, worldwide natural gas reserves should last until at least 2100 and widespread adoption of CNG could reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil and reduce vehicle operating costs. Read More
Lamborghini’s new 200mph Gallardo LP 560—4 Spyder
By Jack Martin
15:21 November 22, 2008 PST
Lamborghini appropriately held the worldwide debut of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560—4 Spyder at the Los Angeles Auto Show – Southern California accounts for approximately 30 percent of all Lamborghini sales in the United States, the brand’s largest global market. As the successor to the best-selling Lamborghini of all time, the new LP 560-4 Spyder combines the Coupé’s design, performance and handling characteristics with the open-air pleasures of a soft top super sports car. The 560-4 Spyder offers a new 5.2 liter engine with 40 additional horsepower than its predecessor; allowing it to sprint from 0-62 mph in only four seconds with a top speed of 201 mph. Read More
Rossi still eyeing Formula 1 drive
By Jack Martin
14:57 November 22, 2008 PST
Only one person has ever reached the pinnacle in both MotoGP and Formula 1 (John Surtees), the respective motorcycle and motor racing premier championships, and for the last three years, the greatest ever motorcycle racer (Valentino Rossi), has been teasing us with the prospect that he might switch to four wheels and attempt to emulate Surtees. Though he insists he’ll be staying in MotoGP for another five years, he spent two days punting the Kimi Raikkonen’s F2008 Ferrari this week and got within a second and a half of Raikkonen’s best time (see extensive image library). Fingers crossed! Read More
Honda FC Sport Design Study demonstrates Hydrogen Fuel Cell performance potential
By Jack Martin
13:21 November 22, 2008 PST
Honda pulled the wraps off a Fuel Cell Sport design study model at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, The hydrogen-powered, three-seat FC sports car concept emphasizes the design flexibility and potential of Honda's V Flow fuel cell technology - already deployed in the Honda FCX Clarity sedan - and reconfigures it into a lightweight sports car design with an ultra-low center of gravity, powerful electric motor performance and zero-emissions. The design study concept is claimed to offer supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high-performance, electrically driven fuel cell powertrain. Read More
The I-Ball short range throwing camera
By Jack Martin
04:00 November 19, 2008 PST
With populations rapidly migrating to cities over the last century, most of the world’s military conflicts are now being fought in urban environments. Fighting in an urban environment presents innumerable problems for a force acting ethically as the three-dimensional environment restricts visibility, and offers much easier concealment for defenders and IEDS. Accordingly, the U.S. and U.K. are quickly attempting to use technology to overcome the tactics they are encountering in Iraq and Afghanistan. These latter day wars have seen the greatest advances in situational awareness technologies in history with UAVs becoming a critically important tool. Now a new class of military technology is being created for the foot soldier which might become ubiquitous in times to come – the short range throwing camera. Read More
Reinventing the wheel – the airless tire
By Jack Martin
03:42 November 19, 2008 PST
UPDATED November 20, 2008 One of the more fascinating developments in the history of the automotive tire is the modern concept of the airless tire. Dunlop produced the first pneumatic tire for bicycles in 1888 and Michelin did likewise for cars in 1895, and for the last century, pneumatic tires have ruled. Michelin announced its airless Tweel technology three years ago (Gizmag’s biggest story ever with more than a million page views) and won the Intermat Gold Medal for Innovation in 2006, though we have yet to see a commercially available automotive product from the French giant. Now a new airless tire using a flexible, honeycomb-like internal structure could again prove to be a disruptive technology in one of the world’s largest industries. With development funded by the U.S. DoD, the initial aim of the project was to replace the Achilles heel of the military vehicle, but now the technology looks like going commercial for the rest of us. Read More
The worker assist device - coming to a workplace near you?
By Jack Martin
16:34 November 8, 2008 PST
One of the most interesting and perhaps landmark technology projects we’ve ever seen is Honda’s experimental walking assist device - the second partial exoskeletal device exhibited by the company this year. The original machine shown by Honda was designed to assist weak leg muscles in the elderly. The second iteration is being trialled in Honda factories as a worker assistance device to support bodyweight when performing tasks on the workshop floor. This second experimental machine could have vast ramifications for skilled factory workers around the globe – if human efficiency in complex tasks can be improved, such robotic assistance devices could make a lot of sense on the balance sheet. Read More
Apple’s new MacBook Family
By Jack Martin
13:47 October 14, 2008 PDT
Apple today unveiled an all new MacBook family with a new construction method (from a single block of aluminum), high-performance NVIDIA graphics, instant-on LED-backlit displays with the most significant being the introduction of large glass trackpads that support an array of multi-touch gestures that will further enhance Apple’s advanced notebook interface, making the traditional button part of the trackpad. There was also a 24-inch widescreen LED Cinema Display designed to easily connect a MacBook and desktop peripherals. Read More
The OLO iPhone-powered Netbook
By Jack Martin
20:52 October 13, 2008 PDT
The suspense surrounding Apple’s rumored Netbook announcement is quite extraordinary. The collective mood swing towards more convenient and usable wireless devices now seems overwhelming. People want more productivity on the move without the weight ,and the recent eeepc has only served to warm up the crowd for whatever Apple might be ready to announce later today. Just to add intrigue, a start-up named OLO Computer is getting set to launch what appears to be an iPhone-powered notebook/netbook which uses the iPhone as the CPU and the iPhone docks flat with the keyboard surface to offer its touch-screen as a trackpad. Read More
Eee PC S101 - genuinely mobile Net PC
By Jack Martin
20:52 October 12, 2008 PDT
With rumours suggesting Apple has an ultralight computer ready for announcement tomorrow, the category is certain to capture a lot of attention over the coming months. One recent entrant in the cateogrythat looks really promising is the ASUS Eee PC™ S101, an exquisitely designed Brown, Champagne or Graphite netbook that weighs just a kilogram and is slimmer than most fashion magazines at just 1.8 cm. It is expensive but with 802.11n, Bluetooth V2.0, an encrypted 20 GB Internet storage facility known as Eee Storage, and a 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD) it is stylish and above all, easily portable. Read More
The Miniature High-efficiency Motorhome
By Jack Martin
18:51 October 12, 2008 PDT
Romahome is an acknowledged master of the mini motorhome genre, having won Micro Motorhome of the Year for the last three years straight. It’s latest van however, takes things to a new level, and is about as small as you can make a motorhome and still sleep a fellow 6 ft 4 in his socks. Based on the equally groundbreaking micro-commercial Citroen Nemo recently named International Van of the Year, the R10 is a single berth motorhome that can be used for everyday transport. The R10 Solo creates a whole new genre of small, efficient, minimalist motorhomes that will be much faster point-to-point than their fat-bottomed brethren and deliver 63mpg/4.5 l/100 km on the combined cycle. Powered by an ultra-economical 70hp Citroen1.4HDi diesel engine with Sensodrive automatic, the Nemo’s unique operational, running-cost and environmental benefits pale beside the places the R10 can go - congested streets and multi-storey car parks are no problem for a vehicle just 12 ft 7 ins in length with a height of 6 ft 3 ins. When the roof is elevated, the Romahome gives an internal height of 6 ft 6 ins. Read More
Chrysler shows new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Electric Vehicles
By Jack Martin
17:55 September 24, 2008 PDT
If what you’re doing doesn’t work, do something different. There have been quite a few people concerned for the future of the iconic Chrysler brand since it was cut loose from the Daimler Chrysler organization but the first signs of genuinely radical change arrived today when it announced that it has new production-intent, advanced electric-drive technology packaged in three different vehicles – one for each of its brands, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. Chrysler will select one electric-drive model to be produced in 2010 for consumers in North American markets, and European markets after 2010. A new consumer web site has been created for Chrysler’s electric vehicles. Read More
Adobe’s Powerful InDesign CS4
By Jack Martin
06:01 September 24, 2008 PDT
Adobe’s Creative Suite has set the benchmark in recent times for design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. Each new iteration of the suite of integrated products has been landmark and the new CS4 appears likewise - the new Creative Suite 4 product line advances the creative process across print, Web, mobile, interactive, film and video production. With new levels of integration and expressiveness for Flash technology across the entire product line, Adobe’s Creative Suite 4 software release includes Design, Web, Production Premium, the full “Master Collection”, as well as 13 point products, 14 integrated technologies and seven service. Read More
Jonathan Cole
- November 6, 2009 @ 16:15 UTC
