Affordable

Kempler & Strauss W Phonewatch

By Paul Ridden

14:35 October 12, 2009 PDT

Being able to hold a conversation on a wrist-bound communicator has been a staple of popular fiction for many a year, but real world offerings have so far been a bit of a hit and miss affair. Things recently improved with devices from LG and Samsung but they're somewhat expensive solutions. Now Kempler & Strauss has launched the quad-band W Phonewatch which threatens to shake things up a bit. Offering similar functionality to its competitors at a fraction of the cost, the W also comes with its own Bluetooth headset that doubles as a stylus and MP3 control. Read More

Glass casting meets the digital age: 3-D glass printing method developed

By Dario Borghino

17:25 September 28, 2009 PDT

A team of engineers and artists at the University of Washington's Solheim Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory has revived an ancient Egyptian glass casting method and developed "Vitraglyphic," a technique to manufacture glass objects from fine glass powder using computer-aided design and a 3-D printer, paving the way for a significantly faster and cheaper method for artists, architects and designers to build high-precision prototypes. Read More

Renault presents stunning electric range at Frankfurt

By Gizmag Team

07:00 September 15, 2009 PDT

Electric vehicles of small proportions are beginning to emerge as the theme of this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and the presentation of a comprehensive range of electric vehicles by Renault, dubbed the Z.E. range, was the clincher. Perhaps more important, was Renault’s commitment to begin selling its new Z.E. range at affordable prices in 2010. Read More

Sony offers new VAIO NW laptop with Blu-ray at affordable price

By Michael Mulcahy

06:34 June 22, 2009 PDT

Sony has released its new VAIO NW laptop, which comes with an optional Blu-ray player. The 15.5-inch widescreen display features Sony’s XBRITE-ECO LCD technology for sharper viewing but, helpfully, the notebook also has an HDMI output, so it can directly connect to a TV for that big-screen, high-def experience. But perhaps the laptop's most impressive feature is the price. Read More

Zero S - affordable, street-legal electric supermoto hits the freeways

By Loz Blain

02:19 April 8, 2009 PDT

Zero Motorcycles was a surprise hit in 2008, selling out its stock of 'X' battery-electric motocross bikes much faster than expected and proving in the process that customers are well and truly ready to slap down the dollars for a quality electric off-roader. Now the company has announced the Zero S - a street-legal electric supermotard capable of 60mph and with a 60-mile range off a full 4-hour battery charge. At under USD$10,000 - before you get your 10% Federal plug-in vehicle credit - the Zero S joins the Vectrix electric maxi-scooter in the list of truly practical electric bikes capable of freeway speeds. And with a power-to-weight ratio almost identical to Suzuki's DR-Z400SM, it should be a bag of laughs to ride. If consumers liked the X, we reckon they'll go crazy to be the first on the block to ride this street-legal, lean, green giggle machine. Read More

AIRPod: tiny air-powered commuter costs half a Euro per 100km

By Loz Blain

22:48 March 6, 2009 PST

Compressed air cars are well and truly on their way to mass production in India and America, among other places - although they seem to be taking their time. But the cheap, environmentally-neutral compressed air engine also lends itself to other interesting urban and industrial transport concepts like the AIRPod. Intended both as a personal 3-4 seater city commuter and as a getabout for airport, train station and municipal workers, the AIRPod is cute and easy to drive with a joystick instead of a steering wheel and pedals. The three-wheel transport weighs around the same as a touring motorcycle at 220kg, so it only needs 5 1/2 horsepower from its lightweight air engine to reach top speeds a little over 40mph. Best of all, cheap compressed air refilling will take as little as 90 seconds and cost about EU1.10 for the AIRPod's expected 220km range. Read More

Kogan announces Kevin37 HDTV to coincide with economic stimulus package

By Tim Hanlon

17:15 March 4, 2009 PST

Like many governments around the world, Australia's leaders are pouring taxpayer dollars into the economy via stimulus packages designed to counter the effects of the global economic downturn. In Australia, this translates to tax-free payments of AUD$900 destined for the bank accounts of those who earned under AUD$100,000 in the 07-08 financial year. The idea is for consumers to spend the money, and Kogan has cleverly capitalized on what's been dubbed the "flat-screen TV bonus" with the announcement of their "High Definition Stimulus" - a $900, 37-inch 720p HDTV called "Kevin37". Read More

The affordable, 100mpg, carbon-composite passenger car

By Loz Blain

11:12 July 17, 2008 PDT

Britain's Axon claims that its newly patented mass-production techniques will make carbon composite car frames and bodywork even cheaper than their metal counterparts - and only 40% as heavy. What a revolutionary technology this could be - the power to weight ratio of any vehicle on the planet could be dramatically increased for no extra cost! The company plans to release a highly affordable 500cc passenger car making at least 100mpg from a basic petrol engine in 2010, and Axon is confident its simple, lightweight solution to the fuel economy challenge will be highly competitive against the big competition in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize contest. Read More

First BoKlok display home opens at Gateshead

By Emily Clark

16:29 January 31, 2008 PST

February 1, 2008 In the latest news from the IKEA affordable housing project in the UK, the first BoKlok display home has been unveiled in Gateshead. A two-bedroom apartment has been fitted out, along with a two-bedroom unit converted to an office/marketing complex that features a BoKlok exhibition area. The apartment and the unit are open now for the public to view. Read More

The Storch amphibious light-aircraft

By Kyle Sherer

23:58 August 15, 2007 PDT

August 16, 2007 Due to improving airplane technology and increasing disposable income, ultra-light aircraft are now becoming accessible to a far wider proportion of the population. Joining the Ramphos in lending weight to this argument is the Storch Amphibian, a light weight amphibious sporting plane available in kit form for around AUD$57K, or ready to fly for under $93K. Read More

IKEA housing development steams ahead in UK

By Emily Clark

05:59 August 15, 2007 PDT

August 15, 2007 Work has now begun on the first BoKlok "flat-pack housing" development at St James Village in Gateshead, UK. Previewed in Gizmag in May this year, the project aimed at delivering fast, affordable, energy efficient and stylish housing has just moved into its construction phase. Read More

The world’s first affordable recreational submarine

By Mike Hanlon

Yet another affordable and very compelling new water vessel has reached market. With a price in the region of an expensive sports car, the appropriately named Dutch company Uboatworx has begun producing the first affordable recreational submarine (U-Boat). Uboatworx currently builds a single seat version known as the C-Quester I with a two-seater due in June. Both C-Questers have a top speed of 3.5 mph, are safe to a depth of 50 metres and offer a dive time of 150 minutes. At just over 9 feet long, 6 feet tall and wide and weighing 1.1 tons, the submarine is small enough to trailer to the nearest boat ramp or launch from a yacht. Entry is jet fighter style through a canopy, steering is via a joystick and both the seating position and the experience are apparently quite similar to flight, though getting a license is much cheaper and less time-consuming than a pilot’s license - a three day course and an exam being the only obstacles, apart from the UKP65,000 price tag (more for the two-seater). The cabin is pressurized, a filtration system removes spent air, oxygen is added to maintain air quality and all the safety boxes appear ticked, so the C-Quester appears an out-of-the-box winner at such an affordable price. Motive force is supplied by three electric motors – so it’s a genuine plug-in electric boat which just happens to be able to operate below the surface too. Read More

See’s Eye 2 Eye - an inexpensive Teleprompter plus an added level to webcam communications

By Mike Hanlon

January 18, 2007 Oregon-based Bodelin Technologies is best known for its ProScope HR handheld USB microscope and more recently, its ProPrompter teleprompters., but the company’s latest offering could see it become far more prominent in the future. Using its proprietary teleprompter knowledge and design experience, Bodelin has created a simple yet ingeniously designed product that is useful to any budding video podcaster and adds a new level to video chatting. The US$100 See Eye 2 Eye slides over any external webcam or built in laptop webcam and reflects the window of the person you are chatting with onto a two-way mirror (beam splitter) over your webcam. The result is that you look directly into the camera while looking at the person you are chatting with. Add a text document and your script is reflected in your See Eye 2 Eye and you have an inexpensive teleprompter. No software needed! As telecommunications of all flavours converge, it will become increasingly important to present a professional image via your computer presence - this is hence an important enabling tool for the coming era of ubiquitous telepresence. Read More

The DScar - The Most Affordable Dream Car

By Mike Hanlon

December 14, 2006 Students from Cranfield University, one of Western Europe’s largest academic centres for strategic and applied research development and design, have been awarded the innovation prize at The Société des Ingénieurs de l'Automobile’s (SIA), Styling and Technical competition for designing ‘The Most Affordable Dream Car’. The Dscar has four wheels positioned in a diamond shape around the car’s chassis and apparently it handles like a go-kart. Designed primarily for extreme sports lovers and for weekend or track day use only, the car provides a very different ride – it’s very light, just 500kg, and powered by a Toyota 3 cylinder 68bhp engine. The DScar is made from mass produced car parts, so can be manufactured very easily and economically. A panel of international experts recognised DScar for its radically different diamond shaped design, unique style and unusual driving experience. Read More

World’s first affordable diesel hybrid powertrain

By Mike Hanlon

December 14, 2006 Zytek has already proven its knowledge of powertrains and electric vehicle many times over, on and off the racetrack. Now, in collaboration with a UK Government initiative, the British engineering consultancy has developed a novel diesel hybrid powertrain that will be affordable in the most popular market segments. The new technology will allow vehicle owners to drive across London’s extended congestion charge zone for just four pence. The low-cost, high-efficiency hybrid-electric drivetrain offers a realistic alternative to expensive proprietary systems and can be quickly implemented within the packaging constraints of compact European passenger cars. A demonstration vehicle, built within the UK Government’s Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge (ULCCC), has exceeded all targets set for the programme, delivering an exceptional 85g of CO2 per km compared with 121g/km for the already exceptionally efficient standard vehicle. Read More

New affordable wristband device prevents drownings

By Mike Hanlon

June 21, 2006 A new wristband device could significantly reduce drownings and near-drownings in swimming pools. The device checks individual swimmers via a small worn wristband, monitoring depth, motion and time. If a bather approaches preset limits the wristband issues a wireless alert via radio and/or ultrasonic transmission. The wristband alarm sounds and the LED lights flash, prompting the swimmer to return to a safer location. If they fail to respond appropriately, the unit issues a full alert to supervisory staff - a feature which reduces 'false-positives', a major problem with many alarm systems. Pool supervisors are highly effective once they recognise that an 'event' is in progress but they are human, and the device gives them and distressed swimmers that vital second chance. Read More

SOBERCHECK: an affordable personal breathalyser

By Mike Hanlon

May 23, 2006 Everyone has a different relationship with alcohol and that was never more obvious than during a year of trials with the Draeger SoberCheck - a compact, affordable handheld digital alcohol detector. By the time one reaches adulthood, almost everybody has had a number of experiences with alcohol and its ability to distort reality to a greater or lesser extent. The results of the trial changed everyone involved. The SoberCheck provided dozens of our associates with a reality check on just what their blood alcohol levels were in comparison to what they thought they were - almost invariably, everyone erred several points lower than they really were and we found that this errant judgement would often have been the difference between driving legally and illegally. Remarkably, the SoberCheck emerged as remarkable educational tool, not just in what you need to do to keep your obligation to society and ensure you are driving under the alcohol limit, but about alcohol and its effects in general. Education is about life preparedness – it is formally teaching us the things we need to know to contribute effectively and manage our lives effectively. The SoberCheck could be the enabling tool in the educational process. Read More

The world’s cheapest MP3 player

By Mike Hanlon

April 15, 2006 If you’re in any doubt about how ubiquitous the MP3 player will become, think about this. Japanese company Evergreen has released the DN-2000 onto the Japanese market. The DN-2000 has no internal memory and no display, but takes SD cards up to 1GB and like most MP3 players, doesn’t need a display because the standard interface of buttons is entirely adequate. We’re not going to put the price in the heading or first paragraph so you can decide for yourself just how cheap it might be possible to sell such an MP3 player for … with earphones, after design, manufacture and marketing. Read More

An "affordable" personal jet aircraft

By Mike Hanlon

March 15, 2005 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

Apple finally introduces an affordable Mac - Mac mini to sell for US$499

By Mike Hanlon

MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO, January 11, 2005 Apple today introduced the Macintosh for the masses - the long-rumoured, affordable, compact, bring-your-own-screen Mac mini. Just two-inches tall and weighing only 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds), the Mac mini redefines design for the sub-US$1,000 desktop. Mac mini offers the processing and graphics performance to take advantage of demanding consumer applications with either a 1.25 GHz or 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and ATI Radeon 9200 graphics with 32MB of dedicated DDR memory. Both models come with a slot-load Combo drive for watching DVD movies and burning CDs, and up to an 80GB hard drive for storing digital media creations. Read More

Citroen's versatile Pluriel - five cars for the price of (a cheap) one

By Mike Hanlon

September 14, 2004 Different cars suit different purposes. It's a sad fact that few cars tend to meet more than a handful of those purposes. Accordingly, we love Citroen's convertible C3 Pluriel, a single car that can convert in seconds from a versatile hatch back, to a hatch with a massive open roof, to cabriolet, then a spider and, finally a Ute with a drop down tail gate. All of this versatility does not come at the expense of good looks, as would be expected of a company that has already won world's most beautiful car crowns for the Citroen C3 and C2 models. Nor does it come at the expense of ... err, expense. At AUD$31,490, the Pluriel versatility is very cost effective. Read More

Innovative Pod offers cheap, durable living space alternative

By Mike Hanlon

The Icosa shelter system utilises innovative design, commodity materials and fast, simple construction from pre-cut materials to create a cost-effective shelter solution for humanitarian and relief situations. Applying the geodesic principles pioneered by Buckminster Fuller, the Icosa system is capable of withstanding high-winds and a range of temperatures and a consumer version - "The Pod" - has now emerged in the US.Two commercial models are available: the 7m wide Deca Pod and the 3.5m Ico Pod, both of which follow the icosahedron design. Read More

Aero Chute - the cheapest form of flight available

By Mike Hanlon

Human flight has never been more attainable than with the Australian-designed Aerochute - the powered parachute needs less than 15 metres to become airborne, can top 70kmh and the average person can be flying solo after just a few hours of tuition. Most importantly, it is very safe to fly, being close to stall and spin proof, and should the engine stop, it simply lands like a parachute. The Aerochute DUO doesn't have a traditional fixed wing, so flying can only take place when the weather conditions are suitable. If the wind gets above 15 knots, the Aerochute can't fly, which is entirely understandable once you've seen a powered-parachute take-off. Read More

Affordable Personal Hovercraft

By Mike Hanlon

It can traverse land, sea, mud and snow at speeds of up to 70kmh, crash through one metre of surf and then double as a stable platform for fishing, diving or relaxing. The Slider Hovercraft is a fully amphibious vehicle seating two in-line with a steering and throttle set-up similar to a jet-ski.

Two aerofoil sectioned centrifugal fans provide the lift and a single 3-bladed axial fan the propulsion, with a skirt design that remains permanently inflated adding to buoyancy and stability, and allowing for tight turning without "ploughing-in". Read More