Venturing into the third dimension at the 9th International Forum on "Advanced Microsystems for Automotive Applications" in Berlin, Audi Electronics Venture GmbH is presenting a pioneering innovation in the form of an anticipatory, optical proximity sensor system. This ultra-sensitive sensory system, which is being showcased in Berlin in a test vehicle, is capable of supplying a three-dimensional image of the scene in front of the vehicle. It offers a glimpse of things to come and although is still several years away from being ready for series production, it opens up an exciting realm of possibilities in the field of both vehicle safety and driver assist and convenience functions, such as stop-and-go assist and parking aid systems.  Read More

UPDATED IMAGES AND TECHNICAL INFO The World Cup of soccer is fast approaching and one of the features of the world's most watched sporting tournament is the latest soccer ball from adidas – the +Teamgeist. And well might you wonder how a soccer ball can be improved, given that technology has been working on the issue for well over 100 years. The devil is in the detail as you’d expect, but suffice to say that the new 14-panel design has resulted in a ball with the most consistent performance characteristics ever, enabling the players to show their true skills. There are fewer seams, so the ball is rounder and performs more uniformly, regardless of where it is hit. The more perfect the sphere is, the more balanced it will be, offering greater accuracy due to the predictability of its flight. The new panel shape harmonizes the energy displacement and minimizes the amount of corners, while the larger panels allow for a cleaner kicking area. Perhaps the biggest difference the players will find with the new balls will be how they play in the wet. Normally, a wet and heavy ball behaves quite differently from a dry one. It flies slower through the air, has a lower bounce and is more difficult to curl. A patented Thermal Bonding technology makes the new ball virtually waterproof with identical performance characteristsics wet or dry. The FIFA Approved Standard for water absorption stipulates no more than a 10% weight increase – the +Teamgeist’s blitzes this with less than 0.1 % weight increase. Similarly, it has significantly improved on all standards for uniformity of rebound and pressure retention and shape and size retention. Clever design and technologies has enabled adidas to reduce manufacturing tolerances to a new level .  Read More

The Powerpoint presentation continues to proliferate and control the day of many middle and upper management corporate employees. So much so that Gizmag is departing from tradition (we don't usually do software) and flagging the arrival of a very useful Digital Asset Management Solution that might prevent a few of our loyal readers from drowning in a sea of PowerPoint presentations! Using WorkBench a user can now drop all their digital assets (video, photos, ads, logos etc) to their own "WorkBench" from a central digital repository and create their own versions using templates. The Powerpoints are sent by email links, not originals.  Read More

Snowmobile manufacturer Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), has signed an agreement of cooperation with snowboard manufacturer Burton Snowboards, with a view to expanding their product line to appeal to the snowboarding community. Burton is very savvy youth marketing company that we've written up several times in Gizmag for their innovative approach - in January the company unveiled a Bluetooth snowboarding jacket, helmet and beanie - and the benefits to both parties might yiled some highly innovative products.  Read More

Lockheed Martin successfully tested its Joint Common Missile (JCM) multi-target warhead and fuze in a series of warhead penetration tests at the Redstone Technical Test Center in Alabama. The series of four tests was designed to assess the missile's ability to penetrate and destroy Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) targets. The tests included detonation of the precursor warhead, penetration of a brick-over-block wall, and emergence of the intact warhead in an interior space, where in a tactical scenario the warhead would be detonated.  Read More

With global mobile telephone users heading for a two billion headcount, the pot of gold at the end of the content delivery rainbow is beckoning content producers around the world to find new and compelling content designed specifically for delivery on what will become the biggest mass medium ever created. Last November we reported on an MMS soap opera designed for mobile telephone users from the same company that brought us Big Brother. Now comes the news that heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will extend their outrageous reality series into the wireless space when Verizon Wireless launches "The Simple Life: Interns." Plans call for 26 original one-minute "mobisodes" to be specifically produced for transmission on wireless phones and they feature entirely original material not previously seen on the series.  Read More

Ford Motor Company will put the legendary Thunderbird nameplate back into the company's future-product vault after production for this model year ends in July. The Ford Thunderbird first went on sale October 22, 1954, marking the birth of a new legend that would grow with each generation. During five decades, Thunderbird went through several design changes with coupes, sedans, convertibles, hardtops, mid-size and large-size configurations. It went on hiatus after the 1997 model year. Thunderbird returned in 2001 as a retro-styled roadster to serve a similar role to its 1955 forebear - create excitement for the Ford brand. His article traces the history of the legend.  Read More

The Sport-Jet is a single-engine, all-fibreglass, pressurised aircraft designed for single-person operation by a pilot trained in piston-powered airplanes. The Sport-Jet is powered by a single turbofan in the 1,350-pound class (such as Pratt & Whitney PW615 or Williams International FJ-33) will cruise at 340 knots at 25,000 feet (above 95% of all weather), and can carry four persons (plus pilot) over 1,000 nautical miles. Certification of the Sport-Jet is anticipated two years from now and it is expected to sell for under US$1 million when it reaches market late in 2007.  Read More

The ringtone marketplace is only seven years of age, having begun in 1998 when a Finnish operator (Radiolinja) launched the first mono-ringtone service for Nokia handsets. It took just five years for the global ringtone market to become a US$BILLION industry and with new developments in polyphonic sound and ringback tones contributing to ever more expansion, it’s a massive unforeseen market yet to be fully tapped or understood. Which is why a new service offering an easy way to record and create your own ringtones might just be a killer application.  Read More