Paul Ridden

Oregon Scientific has launched a new tablet designed specifically for kids at the recent Toy Industry Association's 109th American International Toy Fair in New York. The MEEP! tablet runs on Android 4.0, features a 7-inch Neonode zForce touchscreen display encased in toughened housing with a silicon rubber sleeve, and is Wi-Fi-enabled. Parents concerned about their kids running wild and free online will be relieved at the inclusion of intuitive Parental Control technology that can be adjusted remotely using any internet-enabled computer or mobile device. Read More

From huge kites to sea-bound flywheels and roof-top installations to tree-like art creations, we've seen many different approaches to capturing energy from the wind. One design, though, reigns supreme - the tri-blade turbine tower. It's not exactly a trouble-free life at the top and there are those who do not look upon these monsters favorably, most often complaining about the noise and the not so picturesque view. With support from Nottingham Trent University's Future Factory project, Heath Evdemon is currently building a new type of wind turbine called the Wind Harvester that's claimed to be virtually silent, doesn't need to loom high over the landscape and can operate in a variety of wind conditions. Read More

LG has revealed what is claimed to be the thinnest LTE smartphone available on the market. The Optimus Vu sits somewhere between a small tablet (Thrive/Agora/Arnova) and a modern smartphone (Spectrum/Xperia ion), features a 4:3 ratio IPS display, is powered by a Dual-Core processor, and has 32GB of onboard storage. Read More

There are over 30 free newspapers in circulation in London and the thoughtless disposal of them is the cause of an unsightly litter problem on the city's streets. In order to tackle the issue, the City of London has awarded a company called Renew a 21-year contract to run a digital news service via a network of communication pods that double as recycling bins. Each pod is home to two LCD screens displaying up-to-the-minute bulletins tailored for the needs of city business types, interspersed with news from the worlds of entertainment, sport, fashion, travel, technology and the arts. Read More

While there are still some who, at the mention of the alarm clock, might think of a small, spring-driven, mechanical device topped by a couple of bells with a hammer between them, my generation would probably envision a digital clock radio. Recently, designers have come up with more and more ingenious (read evil) ways to get us out of bed - such as a clock with wheels that runs away at the appointed hour with buzzer sounding, or a 113dB sonic boom skull that also shakes the bed until you switch it off. The Ramos Alarm Clock from Paul Sammut is another design aimed at the dedicated snoozer who can usually find a way to prolong the warmth and comfort under the covers. The clock is wirelessly linked to a separate Defuse Panel located in another room, such as the bathroom, and a code will need to be correctly entered to silence the buzzer. Read More

San Diego's Grace Digital has finally announced the release of its flagship Mondo Wi-Fi Music Player, first seen at CES 2011. The first of three new devices to swell the company's family of audio products, Mondo features a large high contrast color TFT display with adjustable brightness, can access thousands of online radio stations over a Wi-Fi connection, and is also capable of streaming music stored on a PC, Mac or network attached storage device. Read More

Many people now carry a powerful computer around with them wherever they go that can feed them the latest dose of gossip, keep them in constant touch with loved ones and can even guide a user from one place to another using GPS technology. Smartphones like the iPhone can also be used as cycling computers, offering the same kind of workout information produced by dedicated devices (like the Garmin Edge 500), but with all that useful multimedia and communications technology thrown into the pot too. The Bike Pack for iPhone from Wahoo includes a weatherproof case to protect the device, a proprietary fitness app, and a wireless speed and cadence sensor - all for a fraction of the cost of the Garmin device. Read More

There's no doubt about it, we live in a touch-enabled world. Everywhere you look there's a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer obeying the fingertip commands of users. Separate input peripherals like keyboards and mice have also had their keys and buttons replaced by a smooth, touch-enabled surface. Although somewhat late to the party (Apple introduced its Magic Mouse as far back as 2009), Logitech is about to release its own Windows 7 mouse called the M600. Read More

Has it really been over three years since Nikon released the 12-megapixel D700 digital camera? At long last, its replacement - which effectively triples the pixel count of its predecessor - is due to arrive next month. The new D800 is about half the price of the D4 announced in early January, with which it shares a number of features, plus it's smaller and lighter, and features a new 36.3 megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24mm) CMOS sensor. It's also the first digital camera to achieve USB 3.0 certification. Read More