Kudos to Mercedes Benz for setting themselves such a lofty goal. No more petroleum in their automobile lineup. Alternative power sources include technologies like electric batteries, fuel cells and biofuels.
They may fail, but having set such a goal, they will in all likelihood make a great deal of progress and probably meet their goal only a few years shy.
Posted in Miscellaneous
A door designed so that it opens like a car’s door? An interesting concept for sure and one that car fans would especially love. The door has a unique rubbery finish to it and the doorknob has been replaced with a sensor, While a remote control device replaces the traditional key. Making it feel as though you are opening your car door. Included with the door is a built-in mailbox, with a retractable guillotine at the base to eliminate any gap to ensure maximum sound insulation. No word on the price. Designed by No Design, Sao Paulo. [businessweek]
by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 11:35AM
Shortly after Samsung unveiled its summer stable of cameras, along comes Panasonic with a new trio of its own. Kicking things off is the zoom-infatuated DMC-FZ28, which features a remarkable 18x optical zoom, 10.1-megapixel sensor, Intelligent Auto Mode, Auto Focus and a 27-millimeter wide-angle lens. Moving on, we see the DMC-LX2’s rightful successor — the unimaginatively named LX3 — which lands in August alongside the aforementioned FZ28. Said shooter packs a 10.1-megapixel sensor, F2.0 24mm LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON lens and the ability to capture 720p movies at 24fps. Bringing up the rear is the pocket-friendly LUMIX DMC-FX37 (due in September), which touts a 25mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC lens, 10.1-megapixel sensor (are you sensing a trend?), a 5x optical zoom and 720p movie mode. Ready for the sting(s)? Try $449.99, $499.95 and $349.95 in order of mention.
[Via LetsGoDigital]
Read - DMC-FZ28
Read - DMC-LX3
Read - DMC-FX37
Filed under: Digital Cameras
by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 10:05AM
Let’s say for some reason someone has his or her caller ID blocked and is calling you all the time. Let’s then say you really want to know who that person is for, you know, whatever reason — not that we’d know anything about that. Some crafty phreaker types have come up with a way to do this using an enterprise-spec asterisk box and a SIP trunk provider. In a demonstration video, a hacker tweaks said asterisk box with some new configurations to strip out privacy flags, forward the call to another number, and ultimately reveal caller ID information which, surprisingly, is still available. This isn’t meant to be easy, but if the terms “prepend,” “SIP trunk,” and “asterisk box” don’t scare you away, go ahead and watch the video after the break. Big disclaimer: we’re not responsible for your broken gear, jail time, or restraining orders.
Filed under: cellphones, Misc. gadgets
The UK Border agency have enlisted the help of a briefcase-sized robot known as HERO in order to help patrol its borders. HERO is currently undergoing testing at Calais and have been certified to be deployed where necessary. Each of these robots are able to hold a vast array of equipment that helps it search for hidden people as it moves about objects with ease courtesy of its four-wheel drive chassis. Included instruments consist of heartbeat detectors, powerful searchlights and high-resolution video cameras that make it a potent weapon when going through the insides and underneath of lorries and coaches. Of course, HERO doesn’t only look for smuggled folk but can be fitted with the relevant equipment to detect chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats.
The MIXA 2 USB flash drive is one that will surely bring you back to pre-CD days, where cassettes were the main method of playing your favorite songs. This unique USB flash drive makes an essential but simple improvement over its predecessor by including a retractable USB connector. You will be able to outfit the entire sleeve with your own custom design or customize it with other pre-made images according to your own whims and fancies. Available in 1GB capacity only, the MIXA 2 USB flash drive will retail for £19.99 and ships worldwide without having you to fork out a single cent.
Some UK residents are in for a shock if they purchase the wrong battery charger. According to a BBC report, hundreds of thousands of unsafe, potentially electrocuting chargers have made their way from China into the UK.
The chargers posing risks could overheat and, at worst, electrocute users of mobile phones, portable gaming devices and music players. One of the chargers is marked DE62347066, while others are generically labeled "Travel Charger." Trading standards officers discovered the faulty chargers and are in the process of issuing a recall, according to the report.
China has been the subject of scrutiny in recent years for importing dangerous, cheaply produced products. Who-Sucks.com, a "site dedicated to researching the reasons why certain people and things suck," compiled a timeline of about 60 dangerous items made in China that the U.S. recalled in 2007. The list includes flammable lamps, overheating remote controls and lead paint on baby toys.
Moral of the story? Avoid cheap products from China at all costs, no matter how substantial your savings.
Unsafe chargers flooding the UK [BBC]
(Photo credit: Locutis/Flickr)
What makes the Samsung SPF-105P digital photo frame different from the rest is its ability to double up as a secondary computer display, allowing you to view a separate browser window (now why would you want to do that, unless you’re browsing sites that you’re fearful of getting caught red-handed by the boss or the missus), dock your contact list or read RSS feeds. Features of the Samsung SPF-105P include :-
by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 8:15AM
Generally speaking, Oppo has stuck to its bread-and-butter: decently stylish PMPs and a well-received family of upscaling DVD players, respectively. Now, however, we’re seeing a trio of concepts which allude to a future unit (or three) boasting gaming functionality. Unfortunately, details beyond that are few and far between, and we’re not even certain of their place of origin. In other words, don’t bet on seeing these hit shelves in the foreseeable future, but keep your fingers crossed that they do anyway.
[Thanks, Raz]
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
The NES certainly lives on decades after its release, and this time round a genius has managed to transport the innards of a NES into a light gun, buttons and D-pad included for you to relive your 8-bit glory days in a totally new manner. It isn’t the most ergonomic controller ever, that’s for sure, but it sure ranks pretty high when it comes to creativity and uniqueness. Well, what are some of the other devices that you would like to see a whole NES system crammed inside? A calculator? A mouse? I personally like the NES Controller NES best.
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