Paul Ridden

Dell has announced that its popular netbook, the Mini 10, has been given a fresh new look and some performance enhancement options. Most of the features outlined when we first covered the release of the Dell Mini 10 earlier this year will remain, but now some of the promised optional features have been officially announced. Highlights include improved battery life, a smudge resistant palm rest, internal TV tuner, increased disk space and the choice to go HD.  Read More

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's SENSEable City team have chosen the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change to show off a new bicycle wheel prototype which not only provides electric rider assist, but also contains "a veritable Swiss army knife's worth of electronic gadgets and novel functions", including sensors to monitor air quality and noise pollution, GPRS and Bluetooth connectivity.  Read More

Interead's COOL-ER e-book reader was designed to be simple, affordable and stylish. Looking very Apple-esque in appearance, the e-reader also weighs less than an average paperback, comes in eight colors, supports all of the major formats and offers eight menu languages. The company says it was an e-reader "designed by readers, for readers". And from next year, COOL-ER readers will also benefit from Wifi and 3G functionality.  Read More

Rather than using e-paper technology just for displays, the research arm of Dutch technology company Philips Electronics has developed a relatively cheap, light, thin and energy efficient means of turning the whole of the surface of a device into a digital canvas. E-skin technology could be used to change the color of a mobile phone when a call comes in, alter the appearance of a kettle when the water is boiling or even be applied to wallpaper so you can redecorate your room at the flick of a switch.  Read More

As Mitsubishi's iMiev electric cars become available to the public next year, the UK will be the first to benefit from technology that will see the Lithium-ion batteries recharged to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. Mitsubishi UK will be the first company in Europe to showcase the city car's fast charging capabilities.  Read More

Just a few weeks ago Swimman announced that it had waterproofed the in-line controller on Apple's proprietary earphones for the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. Now the company has turned its attention to the device itself, protecting it from water damage to a depth of 25 feet without adding weight or bulk.  Read More

For the last 18 months or so, the collection of design concepts featured on the website of Korean portable media player maker Mintpass has been steadily growing in number. The company says it will continue to push the idea envelope until a "concept is developed into a hot product that sweeps the market." With its retro styling, analog displays and tactile control interface - will the Mintcube concept be the next big thing?  Read More

At first glance, even second glance, Bletchley Park could easily be just another beautiful British building deserving of some loving care and attention. But for many years its walls guarded one of the best kept secrets of the 20th Century. During the Second World War it was the top secret home to the cryptanalysts, mathematicians and military personnel later credited with shortening the war by at least two years and saving millions of lives by breaking the secret ciphers used in Nazi communications. Seventy years after war was declared on Germany, Gizmag's Paul Ridden takes a closer look at what went on at HMS Pembroke V, the people who worked there and talks to some of the those now dedicated to ensuring that its legacy lives on.  Read More

Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo and also the inspiration for this visual loudspeaker lamp system where sound vibrations force illuminated liquid within a transparent tube to dance to the music and makes the spectrum analyzer on my hi-fi appear somewhat dull by comparison.  Read More