This may be the only time Justin Bieber is associated with the word “cool” in a non-ironic way: Aspiring music producer Nick Pittsinger slowed down Bieber’s “U Smile” by 800%, and the result is, yes, actually pretty cool. A lot of people seem to think …
Imagine if instead of looking out your window to see your solar-panel array, your windows were your solar panel array? Sphelar solar cells can be built into windows, whether they’re flat or curved. Instead of chasing the sun, they’ll capture the sun from all angles.
Sphelar solar cells, from the Kyosemi Corporation, debuted at the PV Expo 2010 in Tokyo. They are solidified drops of silicon, 1.8mm across, that are embedded into glass of any shape. Potentially, the technology could be integrated into a decorative dome on top of a building, glass bricks, or just an ordinary office or home window. Because they’re round drops, they’ll pick up the sunlight at all times of day.
Although the Sphelar cells are clear, once they’re embedded into glass, the window isn’t completely clear, so this wouldn’t make an ideal car window. However, it could be the newest twist on tinted glass for homes and offices.
Just think if all those shiny glass skyscrapers gracing most city skylines were actually generating their own power?
Via Gizmag
There are 5-star hotels all around the world. But there are so many amazing places in the world without even a flea-bag motel, let alone a single building in sight. Germany-based Rotel Tours lets tourist travel to fabulous locations by combining tour bus and hotel into one rolling vacation. Consider it a step up from sleeping in a tent on the ground and a trip of a lifetime.
Rotel Tours has outfitted their vehicles to hold 24 passengers in a tour-bus section, with a capsule hotel extension that sleeps 26, to give the driver and tour guide a berth as well. For larger groups, the sleeping quarters can be in a separate vehicle towed behind the tour bus. While equipped with a small kitchen and toilet, they lack a shower. I can’t even begin to imagine how it might smell after a few days of traveling, although the tour company says they try to stay at campgrounds with shower facilities as often as possible. Given some of their remote locales, it could be days between showers. Someone pass the Right Guard.
Camping trips can be arranged all over the world, from the Serengeti to the heights of Patagonia. Rotel has 3,400 beds rolling all over the world, and while you might think that capsule hotels are a brand new concept, Rotel has been doing this for years. Think of this as an RV trip with 24 of your closest friends — and a rolling good time.
Rotel Tours via Inhabitat
Tomorrow — Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 p.m. to be precise — cities across the world are all going dark. From the Great Pyramids of Giza to the Eiffel Tower to the Empire State Building to my own house, billions of people around the world will be turning off their lights for one hour to raise awareness of global climate change.
Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is said to “send a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate-change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.”
This is the third year this event has taken place. Last year, over 4,000 cities participated, including 318 in the U.S. So, tomorrow night, at 8:30 p.m. local time, take an hour to light a candle, turn off the lights, and help raise awareness. A polar bear will thank you.
Maybe the Segway will finally get a chance to change the future of transportation. General Motors and Segway have teamed up again to produce a series of decidedly uncool-looking Electric Networked Vehicles, EN-V, all based on the Segway’s balanced platform with a carbon-fiber shell.
The EN-V pods could run for about 25 miles on a charge and reach top speeds of 25 mph. Since they’re purely conceptual at this point, take this feature list with a pile of salt: They’ll be able to communicate with vehicles around them and react to prevent accidents and avoid traffic. With GPS and adaptive cruise control, they’ll be able to safely navigate with little to no input from the driver. Tuck Junior into one of these and send him off to kindergarten. Or not.
The concept cars are designed for Shanghai traffic, and will be shown off at Shanghai’s World Expo in May. It’s nice to see GM solving China’s traffic woes.
Via Wired
Trying to arrange a meeting, conference call, or poker night just got easier with Google Rescheduler. Google Calendar has added a new app that takes over the hassle of coordinating multiple schedules. If you’re not using Google Calendar… well, you should, especially now.
Users who share their Google Calendars can turn on a new tool called Google Rescheduler. Select the event you want to reschedule, click “Find new time” and Google does the rest. It scans the calendars of everyone in the group and suggests a time that works with everyone. It can even reschedule the time of a reserved conference room.
Whether scheduling your next corporate takeover meeting or just a girl’s night out, Google is making life a smidge easier, one keystroke at a time.
Fishing, one of the oldest and simplest of pastimes, has gone high-tech in a fun way. If you’ve ever gone fishing, you know without a doubt that the fish are always biting just “over there.” Unless you’re an expert fisherman, casting your rod to exactly the right place can also be a challenge.
This remote-controlled Fishing Boat from Chinavision ($142) will putter out to where the fish are, and then drop your bait into the water, literally with the hook, line and sinker. The tiny boat can carry a impressive payload of about 4 pounds, run at speeds up to 4 knots, and will run for 4 hours on the built-in rechargeable battery. It even has LED running lights.
What a great idea: combine remote-controlled boating and fishing into one fun sport.
First glance at this sofa and you’re wondering if the designers will share what they’re smoking. Now, I love just about everything created by backpack and bag designer Eastpak, but have they gone too far? This pocket-packed couch was created by Eastpak and designers Quinze & Milan to hold just about anything. Kind of like cargo pants for your living room.
Think about it: what do you have lying on or near your sofa at any given time? Remotes, phones, magazines, books, headphones, gaming gear, bottle opener, tissues, snacks, laptops, small children – anything. How much clutter can you tuck away? Actually, I think I might rather have clutter than this in my house, but could it be that I’m just afraid if I had one, I would never leave my sofa? Handy and handsome, or just plain fugly?
Via Unplggd
For some of us, how a pair of headphones sound is our number one priority. For others, looks reign supreme. Street Headphones let you make your headphones look as cool as you want.
Street Headphones use a laser sintered, or melted, polyamide shell that can be etched to say whatever you want: your name, a message for your sweetheart, or just your favorite band or lyrics. If I was going to pay $1,140 for a pair of headphones, they better be the best-sounding headphones ever.
Freedom of Creation via Technabob
You know how tricky it is to work on a project and hold a flashlight at the same time. There are plenty of work lights to choose from, but they never quite shine exactly where you need them. Go Gloves ($23) put the light where you need it — right at your fingertips.
These padded work gloves come with two LED lights, one for each hand, that can be placed on four different attachment points. The gloves use 2016 button batteries for 14 hours of battery life. The gloves are padded and have a terry cloth “perspiration” pad. In cycling world, we call that a snot wipe. Actually, these gloves could be great on night rides to make it easier to read a cycling computer and working on mechanical issues.
What other handy uses are there?
Sure, you know that you need a rain jacket if it’s going to rain, but what do you think about a dress that changes light intensity if it’s sunny or cloudy outside? Artist Valérie Lamontagne has created a series of dresses that change based on the weather.
These interactive dresses are based on the fairy tale “Peau d’Âne” about garments made from “immaterial” materials: the sun, moon and sky. Weather data, including temperature, moon phase, wind speed, UV and more are sent wirelessly to receivers in the dresses. Microprocessors in the dresses then react to the weather data. The dress representing the sun has 128 LEDs, the Moon Dress has 14 flowers that represent the cycles of the moon, and the Sky Dress has 14 vibrating air pockets to represent the wind.
Can’t you hear it already? “Does this weather pattern make me look fat?”
Valerie Lamontagne via Design Boom
Every continent, almost by definition, is surrounded mostly by oceans. Big, powerful, wave-filled oceans. Harnessing the energy of waves has recently moved out of science-fiction and into reality as Oregon gets America’s first wave park.
Ocean Power Technologies is building a wave park off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon. When complete in 2012, the wave park will have 10 PowerBuoys, each of which can generate up to 150 kiloWatts. The project will deliver enough energy for 375 homes.
The 150-foot tall buoys are mostly submerged. The buoy moves up and down and the wave motion moves a long piston up and down, which in turn, drives a generator. They can generate power in waves ranging from 5 feet to 23 feet high. All ten buoys can share one underground cable back to dry land, and the whole array can be placed in a 30-acre space.
Currently, wave technology is more expensive than wind power, due to the complications of dealing with the untamed ocean, but in the long run, wave parks can be more affordable, predictable and constant than either wind or solar. (It should be noted that Oregon’s first attempt at wave farming from another company sank two years ago.) Plus, there doesn’t seem to be as many objections to wave parks as there are to wind farms. Would you want one off your coast?
How many devices do you have that charge via a USB port? Plenty, we’re sure. Yeah, there are many USB charging devices, from cool USB hubs to wall-wart plugs. But, all those are yet another device that’s most likely not where you need it when you need it.
The TruePower U-Socket has two USB charger ports next to two standard power outlets, right in a standard sized electrical wall plate. No external gadgets needed. Supposedly, it’s quite easy for people to wire for their own homes, and the company hopes to make this standard issue for hotels and offices. Once UL approved, it will be available for $20, hopefully by the end of March, 2010.
UPDATE from the manufacturer’s website: Please also note that the USB ports only draw power when something is physically connected to the port. We didn’t want a vampire port that continually sucks and wastes power when not in use so this was one of the features on the top of our priority list during the design phase.
Via Ars Technica
While all the focus might be on Wednesday’s announcement about the new Apple tablet, insiders are reporting other news as well. While most people have been thinking that Apple was looking to other carriers for the iPhone, it looks like it’s actually the other way around: AT&T is looking to drop their exclusivity on the iPhone.
HotHardware is reporting that an anonymous inside source said that AT&T is tired of “taking the heat” for the shoddy reception that iPhones have. People think it’s an AT&T problem. AT&T thinks it’s an iPhone problem. AT&T is going to introduce a bunch of new phones to compete once they lose exclusive rights to the iPhone. They’re hoping that once the data-hogging iPhone goes elsewhere, their other phones will shine, and the reputation of the carrier will be restored. You can’t help but notice the aggressive anti-Verizon adds from AT&T starring Luke Wilson.
Is the iPhone hurting the image of AT&T, or is AT&T holding back the iPhone?
HotHardware via Slashdot
Now that the Space Shuttle missions are ending, NASA is cleaning house. While complete shuttles are for sale at 50% off “retail,” the deal of the century must be the free engines. These spare engines were originally offered for sale for between $400,000 and $800,000 back in 2008. With the shuttle program coming to a close and no takers on the sale, just pay the price of shipping, and you could have your very own engine. Who would be better – FedEx or UPS?
Want the full Monty? For a discounted, bargain-basement price of a mere $28.8 mill, you can purchase your very own Shuttle — the Endeavour and Atlantis are both available, and the shuttle Discovery is heading to the Smithsonian. The prototype shuttle Enterprise, which never made it to space, might also be up for grabs. The cost includes transportation from Kennedy Space Center to a major airport. So far, about 20 institutions have expressed interest.
Want a shuttle? The deadline to make an offer is February 19, 2010, and delivery will be by 2012. Do you have to pay more to ship by Priority Mail?
As a recording engineer, I know and respect the Sennheiser name. Their microphones and headphones are staples in most studios. And while adidas isn’t the first name you think of in the sporting equipment world, their products are known and respected in many venues.
The two companies are working together to produce a line of earphones designed for the athlete. There are four models: two earbuds, one over-ear earclip, and one neckband style. All four are water-resistant, sweat-resistant, and the Kevlar cable is able to withstand temperature extremes. They also have inline volume controls that are easy to reach during a workout. The frequency response for all four is 18 – 20,000 Hz, with a maximum power handling of 120 dB. Be careful with that.
I had a chance to wear the CX-680 earbuds during my workout today. The “EarFin” design looked like a gimmick at first glance, but after locking the fin in place, the CX-680s were secure, even during an active spin class. More than anything though, the sound was superb. Because of the good, secure fit, the bass response was really tight and with outside noise blocked out, the high-end detail and clarity were sharp.
Two major players teamed up, and the resulting earphones are definitely winners.
For what seems like forever, everyone carried around a Swiss Army knife — you never knew when you might need a small knife or itsy-bitsy pair of scissors. However, post-9/11, no one can carry theirs around when they travel. Sales must have been plummeting as more and more Swiss Army knifes were confiscated at airports and not replaced.
Always thinking, Victorinox, the company behind the Swiss Army brand has been working on ways to get back into everyone’s pocket. They have mixed USB flash drives with their classic designs, in-flight versions without blades, and now they’re really thinking outside the box.
The new Victorinox Presentation Master features a large (up to 32 GB) USB flash drive with secure data encryption, and fingerprint authentication, all in the familiar Swiss Army Knife. Yup – you swipe your finger across the scanner for access to the drive – how very Ethan Hunt. A flight-friendly version without blades is available. The Presentation master features a Bluetooth remote control for notebook or PC applications and a laser pointer. The company believes so strongly in their product security that they offered hackers $100,000 if they could crack the code. So far, the product is still secure. Pricing will be available in March.
I like this product, but if you get the one with the familiar knifes, be prepared to turn it over next time you fly. That would really suck if your meeting presentation was left in the hands of TSA. Of course, if you really get stuck and forgot about the knives, just remove the USB from the main body and go on your merry way.
The number of headsets and earphones being showcased at CES 2010 was practically overwhelming. It seems like manufacturers have given up trying to produce MP3 players to compete with the iPod, so why not just focus on ways to listen to those iPods.
Etymotic has been making high-end earphones for years, and they just introduced an affordable line using moving coil drivers. The mc3 features a 3-button inline remote control that works with the iPhone. Like other Etymotic headphones, the mc3 use passive noise-isolation, and they’re available in a variety of colors: red, green, blue and black. The beauty of these is how well they fit – they come with a variety of tips to ensure a snug and comfy fit. The mc3 will retail for around $100 — a small price to pay to get that classic Etymotic sound.
There have been a few gaming gloves making the rounds lately, but there’s one that really caught our eye. The Peregrine gaming glove has features that makes it, hands down (pun most definitely intended) a great product.
The glove itself is made from cool and comfortable spandex/lycra with stainless steel contact points. There are up to 30 programmable contact points. The connector attaches to the glove with a magnetic pad — same guys who designed the Apple break-away power cord did this one.
While this is an exciting gaming product, the company also recognizes that the glove is a great addition to programs like Photoshop that require lots of repetitive motion. Styling and practicality in one handy product. Pun intended again. Preorder it now for $130.
Gelaskins is a Canadian company that makes stunning tech covers for a variety of gear, including iPhones, gaming devices, and laptops. You can even bling out your Kindle. Their products have always been attractive, more like works of art than just a bland, monochrome skin. Now, they’ve teamed up with Marvel Comics and National Geographic to produce a line of skins that are really unique.
The removable vinyl protective layer doesn’t offer any cushioning, but it does protect against scratches. If you don’t like any of the available artwork, you can also upload your own. Prices range from $15 – $30, depending on the size and complexity. After spending so much money on fancy gear, isn’t it worth it to spend a few bucks more to protect it, especially if you can make it look so very good?
The iPod shuffle is great, but controlling it, especially while on the go, is pretty near impossible. Scosche has a clever way to control and protect your precious shuffle.
The tapSTICK slips over the shuffle, clipping into the headphone jack. It has three large buttons that offer a variety of controls. One button for volume up, one for volume down, and the center button is play/pause with a single click, and next track with a double click. It also has VoiceOver support.
The tapSTICK sells for $30 and comes in black, white, or clear, so you can showcase the color of your shuffle. Use it while you work out, or in the car – anytime you want to quickly and easily use your shuffle.
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