WOOF Clan | BF 2142 | Skyrim

Hey, iPhone and iPad haters with a hankering for Android — we have double ammunition for you:
Thing 1. The beloved Firefox browser has arrived on the Android platform.
Thing 2. It's now confirmed, Android 2.2 will include full support for Adobe Flash.
Firefox Mobile is now available in the earliest of iterations; they're calling it pre-alpha. If you're running Android version 2.0 or above, and feel like volunteering as a guinea pig, you can now download it and take part in what could devolve into a crash-o-rama. Exciting stuff — can't wait to see Firefox available on one of our favorite mobile platforms.
We're not sure when Android 2.2 will be available — there's no release date announced yet. But when it is, the iPhone can't be far behind with its full support of Adobe Flash. That Android 2.2 update, also known as Froyo, better arrive post haste, before Flash becomes completely irrelevant.
Still rooting for the iPhone? Well, if the phenomenally popular Opera Mini browser was allowed into the sacred App Store, could Firefox Mobile be far behind?

High Dynamic Range, or HDR, photography combines many photos of the same subject with different light ranges into one beautiful shot. It normally requires a good deal of work in post production software such as Photoshop to pull off.
BenQ's new E1260 HDR point-and-shoot camera now allows you to pull off such feats without needing to know a thing about Photoshop. Instead, it merges multiple shots together (better bring a tripod) into one image automatically, taking all of the grunt work out of it. Do the finished results look as good as HDR shots made by pros? Who knows. But it's definitely an interesting feature for a lower-end camera such as this.

$Japan\'s giant leap: Humanoid robot on the moon by 2015$

Robots are getting so smart and powerful, it's getting to the point where it's probably a better idea to send one of them to the Moon rather than a human. Robot-crazy Japan wants to do just that by 2015.
That robot's not going to be overly productive, though. Japan plans to have the bipedal humanoid robot Maido-kun plant a Japanese flag on the lunar surface, as a publicity stunt to show the country's techno-prowess. Sounds more like a small step than a giant leap.
Think of it this way: If that robot can plant a flag in the ground, there are plenty of other things it could do, like it maybe imitate its non-humanoid Mars-exploring cousins. Best of all, that bot probably won't mind too much if it's marooned on the Moon, saving the trouble of a return trip.

We've seem bold claims about piezoelectric energy lately, and here's another example: energy-generating shoes. Engineers at Louisiana Tech University say they've discovered a practical way to gin up some power just by walking around.

Using a soft, rolled-up device that fits within the heel of a running shoe, electrical engineering Assistant Professor Dr. Ville Kaajakari says the tech might someday create usable power: "Ultimately we want to bring the power levels up to a point where we could, in addition to sensors, charge or power other portable devices such as cellphones."

Get on board the Soopa Scoota, and prepare yourself for the thrill of your life. As if it wouldn't already be going fast enough, you'll enjoy that crazy feeling you get when you're on a sled zipping down an icy mountain with your head just a few inches off the ground. That's when 30mph feels like 300.

It looks like a cross between a racing motorcycle and one of those skeleton sleds you might have seen in the Winter Olympics. Alas, it's a design concept, but if there were enough deserted hills in the world that would accommodate such a crotch rocket, there would be no shortage of thrill-seeking daredevils eager to try it out. [Read more...]

Here's an attractive solution to the problem of gathering energy offshore: Harness both wind and wave power at the same time. A company named Floating Power Plant plans to build Poseidon 37, a 754-foot-long floating power generation station that can output 50 gigawatts of wave and wind power each year. [Read more...]

Here is the Full Extended Commercial!

Awesome commercial!

Within the first few seconds of it viewing... my wife called it out first - "It's Halo"

I was Still trying to figure out what it was, then we saw the Pelican dropship in the vid and it left no doubt what it was. And of course at the end with the Spartan armour... it was so badass!

Depending on how things went, this could have been an article detailing another one of DARPA's insane projects spreading its wings. Sadly, the maiden voyage of the agency's Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (or HTV-2) didn't go so smoothly.

The HTV-2 is a hypersonic glider, capable of traveling at speeds of over Mach 20. That's pretty damn fast, and maybe a little too fast, as nine minutes into its maiden voyage, whatever satellite or ground-based solution tracking the glider couldn't keep up and contact was lost.

The HTV-2 is designed to allow for "prompt global strike" options, or being able to deliver a payload of conventional weapons anywhere in the world in under an hour. It'd glide through the Earth's atmosphere, making it mighty hard to shoot down, and there's also the added benefit that other nations wouldn't mistake it for a nuclear missile.

Ideally, DARPA was looking for the autopilot test to see the HTV-2 through a series of maneuvers that would help it bleed off some energy while banking and turning, and then perform a controlled dive into the water. The agency will try again in 2011, when a second test is scheduled for the craft.

$China\'s Fake iPad not so magical, runs Windows 7$

By now it's becoming common to measure the real popularity of an Apple product by how fast China bootleggers decide to produce knockoffs of the device du jour. Therefore it should come as no surprise that fake iPads have started popping up in China and, despite their dubious origins, the products are doing brisk business.

The body is thicker, the glass is cheaper, and the operating system is--gasp--Windows 7! Nevertheless, selling for a rather pricey 2,800 yuan ($410) the fake iPad will likely satisfy the locals while Apple takes its sweet time slowly rolling out the iPad internationally sometime in late May.

Ben Heck has plenty of experience turning game consoles into laptops — hell, this isn't even his first time doing it to the PlayStation 3. This time time, however, it's blue! [Read more...]

$It\'s finally time to say farewell to the 3.5 floppy disk$

Remember floppy disks? I wager there's a good chance that many of us haven't even touched one in years, unless you work in an IT field where they are still useful as a workaround for booting trouble.

Well, whether you're still using them, simply have "fond" memories of how you used to need a dozen of them to install a program, or you're scratching your head and have no idea what the heck a floppy disk is, it's time to say goodbye. Sony is officially putting the 3.5-inch floppy disk it introduced back in 1981 to rest next year, marking 30 years of the floppy as a format. Come March, 2011, the company won't be producing them anymore.

Somehow we don't imagine we'll see people crying out like they did when Polaroid film was discontinued. [Read more...]

$Sanwa\'s power strip has a wattage-reader built-in$

Well, it's about damn time. It's a simple update, but a meaningful one: a new power strip from Japan's Sanwa that helps you keep track of your wattage thanks to an LCD screen on the unit. You can also turn off individual plugs when you don't need to use whatever's hooked up, and you'll know at all times just how much power you're using. The strip will also alert you when you're approaching 1,500W (though it's unclear whether that's just a general warning or the load of the strip.

No word on pricing or availability yet, though, really, we'd just like to see something like this become the standard for future power strips. [Read more...]

http://www.2dayblog.com/images/6-novitec-ferrari-f430.jpg

Once the cantankerous playthings of the rich – and still relegated primarily to those living in upper income ZIP codes – Ferraris have long been associated with an overwhelmingly male ownership base in the United States. Yet that’s not necessarily the case in China, according to a new study. [Read more...]

There are some people that cannot fully understand the importance of social media. The ever-growing use of the internet for social purposes has skyrocketed in the past few years and although some may find it a nuisance and a waste of “normal” human interaction, some find it imperative to maintaining a constant relationship with friends and family. Well, never has the ability to network socially on the internet been more instrumental to any situation than it is in the “Tony Stark Innovation Challenge” presented by Audi. Audi has a little of a soft spot for Ironman 2 considering three major cars in the movie are Audis: the Audi R8 Spyder, a soft top convertible version of the R8 supercar, and an A8 sedan. With this challenge, consumers can use their internet popularity to boost their numbers and win some tremendous prizes from Audi.

All contestants have to do is submit a two minute video outlining what ideas they may have for better living through the use of technology. Once their video is uploaded, the contestant must have their social network friends from Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and any other social media to rate, comment, and discuss their video.

"Achieving progress through technology is the message behind Iron Man 2, and this idea is fundamental to Audi," said Scott Keogh, Chief Marketing Officer, Audi of America. “The partnership in Iron Man 2 celebrates our shared focus on innovation, and this contest allows anyone with a great idea to not just express it, but potentially make a true difference within their industry.” Audi further illustrates this point by comparing it to Tony Stark and his “desire to take Stark Industries in a new direction”.

Submission and voting starts April 28, 2010 and ends June 9, 2010 with the winner being announced on June 28, 2010.

Hit the jump for submission criteria and a list of the prizes. Yeah, there’s a whole list!

The CEO of Goldman Sachs testily defended his company's ethics and business practices during the nation's financial crisis on Tuesday, saying customers who bought securities from the Wall Street giant came looking for risk "and that's what they got."

"Unfortunately, the housing market went south very quickly," Lloyd Blankfein told skeptical senators on an investigatory panel. "So people lost money in it." [Read more...]

Apple may have been instrumental in a raid of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s house over leaking Apple’s lost iPhone HD prototype that the publication’s parent company Gawker Media publicly admitted to have bought for $5,000. [Read more...]

The 17-inch MacBook Pro uses the latest CPU from Intel, the Core i7-620M, an incredibly powerful chip already becoming prized by users for its performance. Those who buy a 17-inch laptop are the most performance-obsessed of the bunch, willing to sacrifice portability for something that will blow the benchmarks out of the water. [Read more...]

BEIJING – China is poised to strengthen a law to require telecommunications and Internet companies to inform on customers who discuss state secrets, potentially forcing businesses to collaborate with the country's vast security apparatus that stifles political dissent.

The move, reported Tuesday by state media, comes as China continues tightening controls on communications services. It also follows a spat over censorship that prompted search giant Google Inc. last month to move its Chinese site to Hong Kong, which provides broader protection of civil liberties than mainland China. [Read more...]

$Spy shots: world\'s first dual-screen 3D cellphone$

Motorola has a tricky 3D phone up its sleeve. Check out these unusually sharp spy shots of the Moto MT820 "Ming," a flip phone that uses two screens and glasses-free 3D in an attempt to distract you from the fact that you'll be carrying around a cellphone that's way too thick. Let's face it, RAZR-thin it ain't.

Gather what you can from these up close and personal photos, because there's not much more information available at this point. However, according to the dual-screen 3D patent Motorola applied for a few weeks ago, each screen displays 2D content, but when you close this clamshell, suddenly you'll see 3D in all its glory. It appears to employ a trick similar to the glasses-free "parallax barrier" touchscreen we showed you a few weeks ago from Sharp.

Why put 3D on a cellphone? Because they can. Might make a compelling parlor trick. Or who knows, perhaps in the future all phones will be capable of displaying 3D.

Night vision goggles have been around for decades, but now the technology is getting so cheap and miniaturized, it might soon be readily available in more useful places than ever.

Those cool dudes at DARPA have done it again, creating a 4-ounce battery and electronics pack connected to eyeglasses fitted with a cheap, thin film derived from OLED television screens. Imagine that, donning the opposite of sunglasses so you can see in the dark.

That super-thin film is just a few microns thick, and it converts infrared light to the visible spectrum. Within just 18 months, this spectacular tech will be ready to install in cellphone cameras and car windshields. The future looks bright, even when it's pitch black dark.

The United States Department of Energy has officially closed with Fisker Automotive on a $528.7 million loan. Part of the Department of Energy’s $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, Fisker will use the loan for vehicle development and the retooling of a former General Motors factory. [Read more...]

The high-school junior from Thousand Oaks, Calif., stressed on her blog that she will continue her journey after making repairs and seek to become simply the youngest person to solo-circumnavigate the planet in a sailboat. [Read more...]

To get a sense of the most stressful jobs in America, CareerCast.com looked at 21 different factors that can cause stress on the job, and ranked 200 professions by how significantly these demands factor into the average workday. Factors that weighed into stress levels included work environment, job competitiveness, opportunity for advancement and even perceived risk of unemployment. [Read more...]

Chrysler has turned to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, based in New York, in order to request a Colorado state law regarding dealer reinstatement be blocked. Chrysler had previously made similar requests from the federal bankruptcy court for laws in four other states. [Read more...]

BMW may have retained its title of world’s largest automaker through the first quarter, but the German automaker is unlikely to unseat Lexus as the United State’s most popular luxury brand in 2010. BMW has been a perennial runner-up to Lexus in the U.S. market for the last decade.
The door seemed to be open for the U.S. top luxury spot following Toyota’s massive recalls – including a recent recall of the Lexus GX 460 SUV – but BMW sales head Ian Robertson says that a lack of inventory will keep BMW from toppling Lexus this year.
“Effectively, we’ve run out our existing 5-Series and won’t launch our new 5-Series until June,” Robertson said at the Beijing auto show. “So a full-year effect won’t be felt.” Robertson added that the 5-Series makes up about 25 percent of BMW’s U.S. sales volume.
During the first quarter, BMW’s U.S. sales increased 8 percent to 46,323 units. However, that figure was bested by Lexus’ 49,523 first quarter sales – an increase of 18 percent. Lexus isn’t a runaway favorite for the U.S. sales title, though, as Mercedes-Benz sold 50,590 vehicles in the U.S. during the first quarter.

Why is Audi comparing their newest performance car with 1950s scrap metal...? Who authorized such a childish commercial?

The Texas Mile event last March produced some pretty scorching times from a number of souped-up supercars, but nobody had a better weekend than Underground Racing’s Twin-Turbo Gallardo Superleggera, which blistered the tarmac at a staggering top speed of 250.1 mph - that’s 402.49 kmh if you’re keeping count.

It took three tries for Richard Holt, who was sitting behind the wheel of the Superleggera, to top 250. In the end, the third time proved to be a charm.

Run cold water into the Piezo Shower's organic-looking series of pipes, and without adding any extra power, you get a hot shower spraying out the top. It works by introducing friction and vibration to tiny fibers embedded within these thin pipes, creating piezoelectricity that warms the water. This electricity from nowhere is also powering a waterproof touchscreen controller that counts the number of minutes you've been in the shower and the amount of water used.

We've seen piezoelectric power running a cellphone and a battery-free remote, but this is the first time we've seen it heating up water for a steamy shower. Sound far-fetched? Maybe it is — it's a design concept so far, but as a work of art, it's a winner. Considering the advances made in piezoelectric power these days, this alchemy could be within the realm of possibility. Someday.

On April 15th we reported that Israel haddecided to block imports of the Apple iPad citing concerns that the device's wirelessreceivers and transmitters might be able to interfere with other wireless products. Israel recently said that the iPad will be allowed in the country beginning next weekend. [Read more...]

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak wrote a guest post for Gizmodo recently claiming that Apple engineer Gray Powell was not fired for losing an iPhone prototype in March. Wozniak's brief post also tells the tale of how another Apple engineer lost his job for showing off an iPad to Apple's cofounder just hours ahead of the device's April 3 launch. Wozniak's post offers an interesting, albeit brief, look behind the scenes at Apple, and reinforces the stereotype of Apple's deeply paranoid and overly secretive corporate culture. [Read more...]

We all joke/complain about Nvidia’s new Fermi-based cards for their power thirst and insane heat envelope, yet when you hear of the Macbook Pro hitting 100 degrees Celsius (average under load is 65-80 degrees Celsius), somehow it’s not quite as alarming to the mainstream media.
Your legs may be a bit safer (and cooler) now thanks to the folks over at PC Authority for putting the new Core i7 Macbook Pros through a series of stress tests which unearthed this hot issue. It’s worth noting that during testing, the MBP got so hot it had to be turned on it’s side to even complete several of the tests.
For those downplaying the severity of these temperatures, 100 degrees Celsius for any computer component is treading in the land of no return. Looks like the Core i7’s penchant for power and heat itself is giving Apple’s rather meek cooling setup a run for it’s money, and handedly putting it to shame.
MacBook Pro, you're so pretty, swathed in that svelte aluminum unibody, exuding style and grace. We could use one word to describe you: Hot. Literally. If we're to believe the reviewers at PC Authority, thatnew Core i7 processor inside is heating up to an unbearable level, reaching 100°C. That might not fry an egg, but it could certainly hard boil one. MacCook Pro, anyone?
Unlike most bloggers, I'm not interested in a MacBook Pro. Perusing yesterday's Best Buy ads, I couldn't help but notice how an Asus PC laptop with a Core i7 processor sells for $1,200 (with a 17.3-inch screen, 6GB of RAM), vs. $2,500 for a comparably equipped MacBook Pro (with a smaller 15-inch screen, and just 4GB of RAM). That's more than double the price. Now that the fastest MacBook Pro is capable of frying a guy's gonads out of childbearing contention, apparently now there's even a higher Mac tax to pay. No thanks.

The U.S. International Trade Commission on Monday said it will investigate a patent infringement complaint filed by Elan Microelectronics in Taiwan regarding Apple's multitouch devices including the iPhone and iPad. [Read more...]

Aliens may exist but mankind should avoid contact with them as the consequences could be devastating, British scientistStephen Hawking warned Sunday.

"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," said the astrophysicist in a new television series, according to British media reports.

The programmes depict an imagined universe featuring alien life forms in huge spaceships on the hunt for resources after draining their own planet dry. [Read more...]

Now you can have eyes in the back of your head with the Reevu MSX1, a motorcycle helmet with a built-in rearview mirror. The ingenious brain bucket's rear-view system is all optical, letting you see what's happening behind you with a quick glance just above your field of vision. Besides that unique mirror trick, the reviewers at webBikeWorld say the MSX1's a high-quality helmet that's "built like a tank."

It's great to see this product has made it out of the design concept stage and into the real world, selling for $384. We're thinking all motorcycle helmets should be built this way, giving vulnerable bikers an additional look at what's going on behind them. Heck, it might even be good for playing football. Here's a video showing the inner workings of this innovation that could actually save lives:

This is a supremely ugly coffee table. It also happens to be a supremely ugly iPod dock. Convergence!

No, this isn't a still from a low-budget '80s sci-fi movie. It's an actual modern product, called the Horus. In addition to being a pyramid-shaped coffee table with a glass surface, the top of the pyramid acts as an iPod dock. Music can then play from two speakers integrated into the base of the pyramid. LED lights are the finishing touches on the tackiest piece of furniture since 1989.

$Tesla Model S to use the world\'s highest-density batteries$

Tesla has a new sedan on the way, the Model S, and thanks to Panasonic, it'll have even better batteries inside. Unlike other companies such as GM that are using large batteries in their electric cars, Tesla opts for off-the-shelf laptop batteries, and Panasonic says its 3.1Ah cells that will go into the Tesla Model S offer the highest energy density in the world.

This is good news for Tesla, because in the same amount of space used by the batteries in the Tesla Roadster, the $60,000 Model S will achieve longer range. Or, Tesla might opt for using fewer than the 6,831 batteries powering the Roadster. We'll see when the Model S goes on sale, supposedly in 2012.

$Don\'t buy these 5 tech toys! (if you care about energy efficiency)$

Are you harboring an energy hog without even knowing it? Sure, all of the appliances and gadgets in your house — your television, DVD player, set-top box, toaster, game console and more — are constantly sucking energy. But some are worse than others.

We've rounded up five of the worst offenders in terms of energy efficiency. Now, there's no question that each of the products named here does wonderful things, making them unique among their peers. The thing they have in common, however, is the task they perform best: burning through energy. Like, a lot. [Read more...]

Most people are familiar with the various X Prizes that have been offered for achievements in flight and space travel, but how many know that the US Government has offered an L Prize for energy efficient lighting? The idea is to come up with a 21st century replacement for the 60 Watt light bulb, with the goal of saving 34 Terawatt-hours of power nationwide per year.[Read more...]

Got some free time this weekend? And some pocket change? AND access to a hardware store? Then, my friend, you've got what it takes to make a sweet compressed-air rocket.

As you can see in the above video, all it takes to make a rocket that'll soar far into the atmosphere is some common pieces of cheapo hardware and a little bit of elbow grease. It's a great project for you and the kids, or just you. Because watching rockets launch is something that you can never be too old or too young to enjoy.

Now this is a fridge. No kids drawings or magnets are allowed on this bad boy, a carbon-fiber appliance of our dreams by Gorenje. Well, at least the handles are coated in carbon fiber. The rest of it isn't, but is still a shiny black that wouldn't look out of place on a spaceship.

There's also an oven and hood with the same style, if you want to complete the dark and mysterious look in your kitchen. Unfortunately, there's no pricing info available, but the chances are good that it ain't cheap.

The Air Force has successfully deployed the mysterious, robotic X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, which, in appearance, is pretty much the cocktail wiener to the space shuttle's all-beef frank. Not much is known about what the unmanned spacecraft is supposed to be doing, exactly, though its mission began on the back of an Atlas 5 rocket and will end, if all goes well, when the robotic craft glides onto a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Los Angeles.

The OTV, built by Boeing's Phantom Works, is capable of staying in orbit a total of 270 days and can deploy solar powers for when it's running low on juice. It launched just like a satellite would, attached to the nose of said Atlas 5 rocket.

Other than that, details are scarce. The prevailing theory is that it's some kind of future weapons platform and/or combat spaceship. Such a thought is further cemented by the words of Colonel Andre Lovett, vice commander of the Air Force's 45th Space Wing, who offered the following in a statement after the launch: "This launch helps ensure that our warfighters will be provided the capabilities they need in the future." Vague.

Still, I know what you're thinking: we have space wings? We totally do, and the've been around since the '80s.

When I was a kid, I remember seeing a transparent Game Boy and thinking it was the coolest thing, though I'm pretty sure I didn't get to walk away with one. This transparent Z has the same effect, but it's really just a Shell ad and shows how the oil runs through the car and all. Think how awesome it would be to see how a car works all the time, though!

What's that you say? Yeah, so what — you'll have to wear pants when you drive, now. Small price to pay, my friend. Still don't want it? Lalala, I'm not listening!

We're always on the lookout for USB sticks with magical powers of growth and rebirth, and at the same time are constantly amused by quacking wordsmiths spewing medical jargon. That's why we uttered a great gasp of WTF as we heard news of the T Power USB stick sweeping the Web today, making us wonder if someone in Europe decided to sell a $5 USB drive for $58.

We're trying to figure out how this thing reduces eye strain, enhances circulation, makes onions grow, what else it's able to cure, and whether we might be able to catch a buzz from it. So we decided to have a contest, giving away a sweet pair of V-Moda Remix Remote earphones (worth $99.99) to whoever comes up with the most likely and/or humorous explanation for this miraculous remedy.

Post your story in the comments. Our editorial team will pick the best story, and by the end of the day tomorrow, we'll publish the winner on DVICE (Entrant rules below). Be sure to enter your real e-mail address so we can contact you. Good luck!

$Solar iPhone charger shows exactly what\'s wrong with green tech$

Just in time for Earth Day, we took our iPhone 3GS for a little outing out in the sun with the Novothink Surge Solar Charger. This attractive 2.8-ounce case is available in six colors, and covers the back, bottom, and most of the sides of an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS. Let's see if it can live up to its claim of giving you 30 minutes of talk time after sitting in the sun for two hours. [Read more...]

If you have an iPhone and enjoy DVICE, you probably already know there's a DVICE app for the iPhone. But what about iPad owners? Well, the app has been completely revamped for your shiny new tablet. Just take a look at the screencaps in the gallery below: Not only does the interface work more like the iPad's email reader — so you can see recent headlines and the story you've selected at the same time — but you can also browse stories by their photos. Sweet.

We're happy to provide our stories in a way that's formatted specifically for this exciting new platform. And we're even happier to be the first tech blog out of the gate with a reader app specific for the iPad. (Frickin' EAT it, Gizmodo, you iPhone-scoop-getting losers!) We're still working on polishing a few things (like integrating comments) for the next version, but the DVICE iPad app is available now for the tidy sum of $0.00.

Go ahead, turn up the heat. Alphabet Energy can take it and then use it to reduce your power consumption.

The firm wants to harvest wasted energy found in the heat given off by mechanical and electrical processes, using thermoelectric semiconductors that can convert heat into electrical power. Wrap their proprietary materials around factory pipes, exhaust flues, or even server racks and you could covert up to 7% of that wasted heat into electricity.

Currently, Americans consume about 100 quadrillion BTUs of energy a year — a BTU is equivalent to the energy produced by a single match — and wastes around 60 quadrillion of those. That means widespread adoption of heat-capture technology like Alphabet's could see a dramatic increase in energy efficiency and big drops in electricity bills.

$One-of-a-kind volcanic watch uses ash from last week\'s eruptions$

Talk about timely. Watchmaker Romain Jerome has announced the hard-to-pronounce Eyjafjallajökull-DNA. It's named after the glacier that covers the now-famous volcano — you know, the one that's been causing all those travel woes you've no doubt heard of. More than just a fiery watch face, the E-DNA is made with rock and ash from the actual volcano and comes with a certificate authenticating that fact. Romain Jerome is no stranger to incorporating specific materials, as the watchmaker also made one which uses actual moon dust from the Apollo 11 mission.

The release doesn't offer a price for the watch, though it's one-of-a-kind, made after a week-old event and has some sick flames right there on the watch face. It has to be expensive, right?

$One collectors\' edition is not enough for Halo Reach$

All that up there can be yours for $150 when Halo: Reach comes out later this year. That stuff comes with the Legendary Edition. The chunk of bric-brac front and center is 10 inches tall and "more than ten pounds". In that weight class, it should hold down your papers with aplomb. You also get an "exclusive Spartan armor effect" during multiplayer games so everyone knows you're the kind of guy who has at home a more-than-ten-pound tchotchke.

If you're not quite so committed to the upcoming Master Chief-less Halo, maybe the Limited Edition is more your speed. In that case, you just get the box and the story-related printed material in the background. And since you have only paid $80, you can use the $70 you spent to buy commemorative plates or something.

Everyone else only gets the game itself. A Halo: Reach multiplayer beta goes live on May 3rd to give you more insight into that part of the game's collectors' editions.

Here's one for Earth Week: Sanyo is crowing about its latest lithium-ion battery tech, powering a Daihatsu Mira electric car 345 miles on a single charge. The little car made the trip from Tokyo to Osaka in an unspecified amount of time, and we're thinking that high-mileage achievement might have been thanks to its delicate driver as much as its battery technology.

In sheer number of batteries, it beats the Tesla Roadster's 6,831 laptop batteries, with 8,320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries under the hood. Even with all the weight of thousands of little batteries, that Guinness Book of World Records-breaking 345 miles is getting close to the level where people might feel comfortable driving an electric car. Now they can just make it charge in 10 minutes, they'd have a hit on their hands.

After shocking the world with pictures and details about the upcoming iPhone 4, Jason Chen at Gizmodo takes the thing apart. What did he find out? Lots of humdrum stuff like how many screws it has, but the main revelation is a battery that's still not user-replaceable but is 19% larger than its predecessor.

One aspect of the new phone that's still unknown is the nature of its processor. Would Apple use the same A4 processor that wowed us inside the iPad? This phone's unmarked processor was so tightly wrapped in metal, it was impossible to unravel without destroying it. But think about it: if Apple has a faster processor that it makes in-house, why wouldn't it use that with its latest hardware?

Jason figures that before the phone is shipped, Apple could still remove components from within its tightly packed interior because of contractual obligations or cost issues. But one thing is almost certain: Nothing else could be added. As he put it after he had removed the 40-50 screws inside the iPhone, "This thing is packed together like a jigsaw puzzle."

One of the best things about the iPhone is how it can become much more than a phone depending on what apps are loaded on it and what devices its paired with. Take this Blue Flow breathing monitor, for example.

For asthmatics, it's important to keep track of breathing patterns to look out for deterioration. With this concept device, you'd simply breath into the sensor, and it would wirelessly transmits the data to your iPhone, which passes it along to your doctor. Not office visit necessary. Ain't technology grand?

It seems like they just changed the $100 bill, but today the U.S. Government announced it's been redesigned again, bringing in 3D technology to make it even harder to counterfeit. Try copying this, bad guys: That blue stripe is called a 3D security ribbon, and it contains a double image of the numeral 100 and bells that alternate as you tilt the bill.

Check out that copper-colored inkwell to the right of the blue stripe, which changes color as you tilt it, making the bell pictured inside appear and disappear as you move the bill around. The Treasury Department has been researching these neat tricks for a decade, trying to find a bill that's impossible to duplicate but easy to immediately recognize as genuine.

Looks like the Feds nailed it this time. Those new tricks are added to the old ones they kept in the design, including a watermark portrait of Benjamin Franklin, a tiny security thread, and that color shifting numeral 100.

When will we see this new currency? So far, all the government is saying is "TBD," to be determined. Great. Just when they create the perfect $100 bill that's impossible to duplicate, thieves are moving on, now figuring how to crack our financial system in the cloud. Perfect timing, guys.

Rescuers in helicopters and boats searched the Gulf of Mexico for 11 missing workers Wednesday after a thunderous explosion rocked a huge oil drilling platform and lit up the night sky with a pillar of flame. Seventeen people were injured, four critically.

The blast Tuesday night aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig 50 miles off the Louisiana coast could prove to be one of the nation's deadliest offshore drilling accidents of the past half-century. [Read more...]

Computers in companies, hospitals and schools around the world got stuck repeatedly rebooting themselves Wednesday after an antivirus program identified a normal Windows file as a virus.

McAfee could not say how many computers were affected, but judging by online postings, the number was at least in the thousands and possibly in the hundreds of thousands. [Read more...]

The conventional wisdom now holds that if you want to have a successful product launch, you need to exploit Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to get the word out about your product. And why not? Millions of people use social networks as their primary communications and news-gathering venues now, eschewing mainstream media altogether. It makes logical sense that having a strong presence on Facebook and the like can only help to boost sales by getting people talking about your product. [Read more...]

Oceans are a tough place for any technology, but Australia's AquaGen has plans to generate power beneath the waves even in the middle of the Perfect Storm.

The company's SurgeDrive equipment can be set up in "wave farms," a matrix of bobbing power-generating buoys connected to a very stripped-down version of an oil-drilling platform. The lines tying the buoys to the platforms also transport the generated electricity.

The buoys generate power while sitting on the energy-rich ocean surface and riding the waves, using the waves' energy to turn a turbine. In stormy conditions the buoys are simply pulled below the surface, where the more muted wave action will allow them to continue generating power without being damaged.

Since the buoys disassemble into smaller generating units, repairs are easy. Simply remove the broken SurgeDrive from its wave farm matrix to fix on land, while the rest of the farms continues generating power.

The major complaint about today's E Ink devices, such as the Kindle or Sony Reader, is that they have low contrast, low refresh rates and are completely rigid. Well, thanks to the unceasing march of progress, things are looking up.

A new prototype E Ink display offers an improved 12:1 contrast ratio (compared with the 7:1 ratio of current screens), a refresh rate quick enough to display basic animations and rugged enough to be punched without breaking or distorting the image. This isn't ready for prime time yet, however, so we probably won't be seeing sexy displays like this in devices until next year. But soon!

$World\'s largest yacht shoots frickin\' laser beams$

Russian Roman Abramovich is a billionaire. That means he gets to buy ridiculously luxuries, from fast cars to posh estates and $52,000 lunches. He owns a Boeing 767 called "The Bandit," and now he owns a 557-foot mega-yacht, the "Eclipse," which cost him anywhere between $400 million and $1.2 billion.

Of course, such an expensive boat is bound to have high-tech goodies, and the Eclipse has them in spaces. It's got a submarine on-board and is equipped with an anti-missile system, bulletproof glass and a laser-defense system which will scramble cameras.

According to the Times:

Infrared lasers detect the electronic light sensors in nearby cameras, known as charge-coupled devices. When the system detects such a device, it fires a focused beam of light at the camera, disrupting its ability to record a digital image. The beams can also be activated manually by security guards if they spot a photographer loitering.

It's been a while since we heard anything about the ASUS EeeKeyboard, though now all of a sudden it's available for pre-order on Amazon and could ship as early as next week. Talk about a quiet launch! No red carpet, no fireworks — hell, not even a press release that we've noticed.

Amazon has the updated details posted on the EeeKeyboard's specs:

* Intel Atom N270; 1GB DDR2 RAM; MS Windows XP Home
* Ultra Wide Band built in transmitter and exernal reciever; WLAN 802.11 b/g/n; 10/100/1000 LAN; Bluetooth V2.1
* 5" 800x480 LED multi-touch display
* 16GB SSD
* HDMI out from keyboard and UWB receiver; VGA out; 3xUSB 2.0

Honestly? It sounds like it'd run like a year-old netbook (or worse). At $600, it's not priced like an old netbook, though. It's also just lost its novelty, we suppose, amidst all these tablet announcements. Sorry, EeeKeyboard, we really did think you were cool when we were first learning about you. You know, forever ago. We just wish you'd come out last year like you said you would.

Face it: most solar panels are just butt-ugly. If they were more attractive, imagine how many more people would be inspired to try it for themselves. We've gathered some of the most amazing, impressive arrays that are around today, and a few that could be coming in the future.

The Sun-Moon Mansion (above) in the "solar valley" of Dezhou, China, was built to house a conference on solar energy. The sundial-shaped building contains 50,000 square feet of solar panels that provide 95% of the building's energy needs. [Read more...]

The images from the sci-fi mega-flop "Waterworld" may soon become a reality thanks to the creators of The Last Resort solar-powered floating home. Designed by Copenhagen's RAFFA Architecture & Designs, the structure uses its roof to house embedded solar arrays that power the home, as well as the engines that drive the structure.

Measuring roughly 5 meters wide and 15 meters long, The Last Resort doesn't skimp on luxury, featuring a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and two bedrooms, all designed with futurist tastes in mind. Although pricing hasn't been disclosed, the firm has already received orders to build several of the structures by the end of the year.

Laptops are taking over the world, and a company called Henge Docks just blasted out the prettiest MacBook docking station we've ever seen. Just place your notebook into this holster-like stand and it instantly connects to monitors, mice, USB humping dogs and keyboards without further ado.

Take heed. This is will be a scenario starring smartphones two or three generations from now, plugging into a dock and giving you all the processing speed and graphics power of today's desktops. For now, the 13-inch MacBook Pro model is all yours for $59.95, or you can pre-order a variety of docks covering most recent Apple laptops at similar prices. [Read more...]

$The last water bottle you\'ll ever buy$

Look out water sellers, this bottle might be so cool, it will put you out of business. A company called Half a Teaspoon plans to ship this 321 Water bottle in June if 10,000 people pre-order one. You pour in tap water, push down on its self-filtering plunger and poof! You've squeezed out all those poisonous toxins interlaced with your H2O.

Even if your water isn't tainted with toxins, this $44.60 bottle's 100-use carbon block filters ($12.50 for a 3-pack) might make it taste better by removing the chlorine. If nothing else, at least it could get you to stop throwing away all those plastic water bottles, destined to fill up the city dump with plastic that takes hundreds of thousands of years to degrade.

iFixit has popped open Apple’s new, Core i5 MacBook Pro (15 inch) and has been able to list quite a few differences, compared to the older MacBook Pro models. A summary of such changes is available courtesy of 9to5mac, which posts the following interesting tidbits from iFixit's mid-2010 MacBook Pro teardown. [Read more...]

With the launch of new MacBook Pros last week, some observers immediately questioned Apple's decision to continue using Intel Core 2 Duo processors in its 13-inch models while bumping up to Core i5 and i7 chips in the larger form factors. At the time, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that the company had opted for "killer graphics" and the extended battery life versus what would have been a very small bump in CPU speed. Ars Technica now provides a thorough look at the factors that played into Apple's decision, showing how space constraints and other issues made the Core 2 Duo processors the only real option. [Read more...]

One of the biggest mysteries that humanity has yet to solve is that of life on other planets. And now we don't even have to send William Shatner to explore the question for us!

This chip, developed by Harvard Professor Gary Ruvkun, is designed to detect alien life on planets such as Mars. How does it work?

It will use a combination of buffer solution, detergent and high-frequency sound waves to disrupt the cells, causing any minuscule Martians to release their genetic material. Chemicals in the chip would then amplify the DNA found and label it with fluorescent dyes.

Unfortunately, they're only about 3% of the way to getting it small enough to actually make it to Mars. But hey, someday, this is how we'll find alien life. Not with a handshake, but with a tiny chip on an unmanned spacecraft.

Tron is just a movie. It's not real. You will never be able to ride a light cycle or play jai alai. I'm sorry.

But what you can do is buy this awesome t-shirt, which glows in the dark and will make you look just like one of the trapped-in-a-game characters from the '80s classic. And what better shirt to wear to the midnight premiere of the sequel when it comes out later this year? This is called planning ahead, people.

Those 3D TVs would be so much better without the annoying glasses, and Newsight's huge 70-inch glasses-free display could be the biggest one yet. It's using parallax barrier technology, consisting of an extra screen with precisely placed slits placed in front of the LCD, letting each of your eyes see a slightly different image.

It's not clear if Newsight's technology can only be viewed from one exact position in front of the screen or not, but we're hoping it incorporates technology like Sunny Ocean's, allowing viewers to see a stereoscopic image from 64 spots situated around the TV.

Glasses-free 3D would be undoubtedly be welcome, but while you're at it, guys, give it to us in higher-resolution 4K.

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