Comcast creates the iPad app TiVo should have made

It looks like cablemeister Comcast has suddenly blasted itself into the 21st century with the rest of the hepcats. How do we know this? Here's Comcast CEO Brian Roberts demonstrating Xfinity Remote, a gorgeous iPad application that lets you control your cable box with style and grace.

It takes the clunky set-top box interface and turns it into a convenient and easy-to-use iPad app, with an interface that includes that missing link in home theaters, a keyboard. TiVo, are you watching? Check out how you can change channels, program recordings, search the schedule, and that most important thing of all to cablemeisters, select a pay-per-view program. And it's all happening right there on a big, browser-based iPad app. TiVo wouldn't have far to go to develop something like that, given the existence of similar TiVo tech for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Comcast hasn't announced when this iPad app will be available.

Disclosure: that Comcast cable monster will soon devour our parent company NBC Universal if the government permits it, along with your humble narrators here at DVICE. So yeah, Comcast, this is a great idea. Beautiful. If TiVo catches on and tries to copy it, sue them.

Attention, drunk people: stay away from this gold-dispensing ATM

Once in a while, while intoxicated, you might end up taking a couple hundred dollars out of the ATM that you really shouldn't have. It's not great, but it's also not the end of the world. But if that ATM could dispense solid gold? Well, that opens the door for much more destructive mistakes.
In (where else?) Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace, this ATM offers up gold coins up to 10 grams in size with customized deisgns whenever you want. It monitors the daily price of gold and adjusts its rates accordingly, so you know you're paying the proper price. And really, this is very convenient. I can't tell you how many times I've needed a hunk of gold at 1am and just couldn't find a place willing to sell it to me.

Got $3,400? You could own a 5-foot-tall Gundam!

Look, sometimes you just need to blow a lot of money on something completely stupid. That is the only reason something like this five-foot-tall Gundam figure, created by the official Gundam folks at Bandai, exists. Because, come on.
I'm not saying it isn't a lovely specimen. There was a lot of attention to detail put into making this thing, and it's pretty awesome. But just remember: it's not a real robot. That gun doesn't fire and this guy won't be protecting you from any evildoers. It'll just sit in the corner of your room, staring at you, a constant reminder that you once had $3,400 more in your bank account than you do now. Worth it?

U.S. military Predator drones see through walls

Unmanned aerial vehicles just got another superpower — now they can see through walls. Those Predator drones were scary enough with hellfire missiles on board, but they get an extra punch when they can place a figurative red dot on the foreheads of evildoers inside 12-inch-thick concrete bunkers.
About the size of a car battery, the superman see-through apparatus, called STTW (sense through the wall) can be deployed on manned and unmanned vehicles. Sounds like a great military idea, but we're just wondering how long it's going to take for these prying eyes to be installed in police cars. Don't gaze me, bro! [Read more...]

Can a whole continent get free Wi-Fi? This guy thinks so

When Paul English, the co-founder of travel search engine Kayak.com, says that he has a "big, big project" ahead of him, he's not kidding. That's because he's planning to cover all of Africa with free Wi-Fi, and he wants it to be "completely self-sustaining," to boot. [Read more...]

Boeing rolls out remote-controlled stealth jet of the future

Meet Phantom Ray, the sneakiest remote-controlled stealth aircraft yet. This 36-foot-long unmanned airborne system (UAS) is about the size of a fighter jet. To elude detection, Boeing hid its engine deep within its fuselage, making it harder to spot with infrared imaging devices. What will it be used for? Says Boeing's CEO of Defense, Space and Security, Dennis Muilenburg:

"Phantom Ray offers a host of options for our customers as a test bed for advanced technologies, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; electronic attack and autonomous aerial refueling -- the possibilities are nearly endless."

The best news is, no human beings will be on board, allowing this 614mph jet to stay in the air longer, execute maneuvers that would kill a human, and keep our flyboys and girls from getting themselves killed. Let's hope this advanced aircraft, to be test flown this summer, is used more for spying than killing.

World's first 3D HDTV cameras for portable devices coming soon

First Sharp brings 3D touchscreens to cellphones, and now the company is going to make it so they can shoot HD in 3D, too. That tiny module will soon find itself inside a variety of cellphones, portable gaming systems and digital cameras.
This twin-lensed 3D capture device will shoot both photos and 720p video in 3D. It's on its way to hardware manufacturers in July, followed by mass production sometime this year.
Great. Once those portable devices have 3D HD video cameras on board, it'll probably be a great excuse for manufacturers to jack up prices by considerable percentages.

Star Trek PADD replica isn't exactly making the iPad nervous

We were so psyched when we first laid eyes on this Star Trek TNG PADD! We could glance at this thin tablet, and then nonchalantly hand it to an assistant and say things like, "Make it so."
Could we really have a functioning computer tablet that looks exactly like those sleek handhelds used in Star Trek: The Next Generation? Uh, No. Damn. This is a pretty close estimation of the actual prop used in the series, a resin prop replica of the DS9 PADD used by Picard and his minions. It's said to be hand-made by the same artists who created the props for the TV series.
We can pretend, can't we? Well, it'll cost us $120, available for preorder now. Meanwhile, tablet makers, consider putting some actual computer parts inside this beautiful design that's already right there waiting for you. Make it so.

Kill weeds the fun way: by burning them alive

Pulling weeds up with your hands is no fun. And using chemicals isn't a great option, as they could seep into the ground and hurt surrounding plants and wildlife. Why not just burn them to death?
That's what this Heated Weed Eliminator Tool does, sticking into the roots of the offending weed and burning them to death. It's an easy, clean way of getting rid of weeds without the downsides other methods bring. Of course, it's $100, so you've gotta really hate weeds for this to be worth it to you.

Apple loses a second 4th gen iPhone, new insights discovered

A second 4th generation iPhone has gone missing, apparently. I say "apparently" because the first we're hearing of it is from a batch of photos that have cropped up on a Vietnamese web forum. How did it get to Vietnam? Little is known, though Mac Rumors reports that "the individual who submitted the link to us stated a Vietnamese businessman had bought it in the U.S. together with an iPad." Appleshould just start selling its iPhones in bars. That seems to be the place to get 'em right now, anyway.

One thing that has been up in the air so far is what processor the new iPhone would have under the hood. The folks over at the Vietnamese forum tore this one down and took out what appears to be an Apple-branded processor. [Read more...]

Microsoft gets more aggressive with free software

Microsoft Corp. is rolling out a new edition of its Office programs to businesses Wednesday. And for the first time it's offering versions of Word and other programs that work in a Web browser, for free.
Office 2010 marks a milestone in Microsoft's efforts to keep up with an industry shift from programs that run on PCs to free, Web-based ones that can be accessed from any computer. And yet Microsoft must be careful not to undermine its lucrative desktop software business, which accounted for 29 percent of Microsoft's revenue and 51 percent of its operating income in the most recent quarter.
Consumers can start buying Office 2010 or using the free applications on the Web in June.

Firefox 4 has simpler design; more privacy control

A new version of the popular Firefox browser will come before the end of the year. Firefox 4 will pare down the browser's menus and certain user options while giving Web surfers more control over what information websites get about them.
Mozilla, the browser's creator, says Firefox 4 will allow users to better "control your relationships with websites" by giving out clearer explanations on what information sites are gathering. Users will have more opportunity to disable the collection of Web surfing habits if they feel it's intrusive.
But Mozilla will also remove some user controls to make the browser sleeker.
Firefox's director of development, Mike Beltzner, said designers will "have to do the uncomfortable thing and take away these user controls." Beltzner says those changes will make Firefox faster.

iPad user interface slammed in 93-page report

Danish doctor Jakob Nielsen, called "the guru of Web page usability" by The New York Times, has a bone to pick with the iPad's user interface. A lot of bones, in fact — 93 pages of them. That's a hell of a lot to read, but luckily the good doctor has provided a summary of how he feels:

iPad apps are inconsistent and have low feature discoverability, with frequent user errors due to accidental gestures. An overly strong print metaphor and weird interaction styles cause further usability problems.

 [Read more...]

Android to Apple: Flash works great, just watch this video

Love it or hate it, the web is dominated by Flash content right now. Apple is putting all of its eggs in HTML5's basket, and maybe that will pay off in spades in the future, but right now it isn't doing the company many favors. That, coupled with the fact that Android has outsold the iPhone this year in the U.S. means that Flash probably isn't losing the kind of ground Apple hoped it would as Android secures itself as a dominant platform.

'Robot Watch' would please Cylon fashionistas

Designer Seahope has fashioned this Robot 1259C Watch, which, with its LED "eyes" looks like the kind of thing a Cylon or Knight Rider would run around with. The LEDs don't bounce back and forth in rapid succession as you might expect, though — these have to tell time, so they stay still.
Check the diagram below for how to read it: your hour counter is on the left side, minutes are along the bottom and seconds are to the right. The watches come in silver and black and feature red or blue LEDs, selling for $160.

Apparently America isn't ready for 3D video games (South Korea is)

LG and Microsoft have partnered up in South Korea — and only South Korea — to start selling the former's LED TVs with the latter's gaming consoles. The terms of the deal are still unclear as the Xbox doesn't appear to be getting an official hardware upgrade to make it all work, but up above you can definitely see two dudes getting down with some 3D gaming powered by Microsoft.
The deal could expand to other Asian markets later, though it's weird that something like 3D — which is supposed to be the Next Big Thing — is being rolled out quietly by a major company with all the fanfare of a McDonald's Happy Meal toy. Personally, I'm fine with it. I'll be happy if 3D keeps its gimmick and its glasses away from my gaming.

Trouble sleeping? This high-tech mat can help

Do you have trouble sleeping and can't figure out why? The Tanita Sleep Scan SL-501 is designed to help solve that mystery. It's a mat that you place under your bedding, and it uses a vibration microphone to measure your body motion, heart rate and breathing patterns. It stores all this data on an SD card which you can then plug into your computer for analysis by the accompanying software.
Of course, it's not entirely clear how an analysis of your sleeping patterns will help you sleep better. If you're stressed out because of work, seeing that you toss and turn a lot between the hours of 2 and 5 a.m. will probably be information you already knew. But hey, who knows? Maybe it's just the data you need to get a good night's sleep.

Architects propose mind-bending, twisty tower for New York City

Architecture firm IwamotoScott, which secured a special place in our hearts for this future vision of San Fransisco, is now turning its sights on New York City with the Edgar Street Towers. More than just an office spire, the Edgar Street Towers would act as a thoroughfare joining the streets on opposite sides of it — an important feature in a big city, where long avenues can make walking somewhere much longer.
The building's spidery design allows for plenty of natural light to filter in, and would also act as a space for art and a public library, and it would have an observatory toward the top for people to take in the view of southern Manhattan. Check out more of IwamotoScott's design in the gallery below.

iWatch concept is like an iPhone on your wrist

This iWatch concept is designed to pair up with your iPhone, sharing information and allowing you to see all sorts of information without pulling your phone out of your pocket. And it's pretty damned slick.
The watch, which would connect to your phone via Bluetooth, would have 16GB of internal storage and would allow you to do things like answer calls via it, display RSS feeds, show you the weather or let you flip through photos. There's also a built-in pico projector for letting you show videos on a nearby wall.
All in all, it's a pretty cool concept, but don't look for it to become a real product anytime soon.

Does anyone still care about the MacBook Air?

When the MacBook Air first came out in 2008, it did so as the "world's thinnest laptop," a title which has since lost its luster. With a rumored upgrade for the Air right around the corner, will it be thinner still (and, if it is, who cares?), or will Apple try to crank it up and teach the Air some new tricks? [Read more...]

even satellites are tweeting now

The Nakasuka Lab at the University of Tokyo has taught one of its satellite's a new trick: to tweet. That makes it the world's first satellite on Twitter — though human satellites, also known as astronauts, have already invaded Twitter in a major way. [Read more...]

Dear Mr. President: A defense of iPads, Xboxes and PlayStations

We live in an age where technology is connecting us to a font of up-to-the-second information. When there was that volcanic eruption in Iceland, how quickly did you know about it? This immediacy and connectiveness is both a good thing and bad, according to President Obama, who spoke over the weekend at Virginia's Hampton University. [Read more...]

Cockpit style workstation (from the 90s) is way cooler than any cubicle

Sometimes designers create something that is simply too far ahead of its time. That seems too be the case with the Clipper CS-1, a cocoon like workstation which actually dates back to the early '90s before most of us even used computers. Created for CAD workers, the opaque side screens are supposed to reduce screen reflections while letting plenty of natural light through, but they also provide much better privacy than an open cubicle. [Read more...]

Microsoft thinks people still want to use styluses on touchscreens

Who uses a stylus anymore? I guess it still makes sense in certain instances — like with a Nintendo DS — but all in all I find them cumbersome. [Read more...]

Pirelli hard at work in developing ’Intelligent Tires’ by 2013

With the proliferation of ’intelligent this’ and ’intelligent that’ gadgets these days, none apparently had to look far to figure out what the future is for automotive tires. [Read more...]

Not all 3D shutter glasses work with all 3D TVs

So, you just bought a 3D television. Now you just need some 3D glasses, right? Right, but be careful which ones you choose — or you could drop over $100 on a pair of shades you'll never wear. [Read more...]

HP's iPad-fighter, rumored dead, may still be released

Almost a week ago now TechCrunch's Michael Arrington made some noise when he reported that HP would probably be canceling the Slate, its Windows 7 tablet computer. With Microsoft's own cool, dual-screen Courier tablet in the dumpster, it was really starting to look like the iPad could run away with the title of King of All Tablets and rule the lands as it would. Whether you're interested in an Android or Windows-based tablet or not, having that competition in the market space will only benefit the consumer. (How about helping drive down the price of apps, for one?) [Read more...]

A dating site just for Apple fanboys and fangirls

As silly as the idea is, it's almost amazing it took this long to come about. Three self-professed geeks in San Fransisco "with backgrounds at Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!" are working on starting up a dating site just for the Apple-obsessed called — wait for it — "Cupidtino." The site itself is still in development, though the concept is in place: "a beautiful new dating site created for fans of Apple products by fans of Apple products!" [Read more...]

Electric vehicles to make Star Wars sound effects for safety

One of the major safety concerns with electric vehicles is that they don't make a lot of noise, and as such pedestrians and other motorists don't get the same audio cues that warn of an approaching car. That, combined with the fact that you probably wouldn't expect a silent car to be driving around — until EVs become more common, that is — makes for a lot of accidents that don't need to happen. [Read more...]

Guess which product in this photo is cheapest?

It's really amazing how printers have become commodities in the past few years. Just look at Epson's latest all-in-one: The Stylus NX420 functions as your printer, scanner and copier. It has a small LCD screen, a Wi-Fi connection (802.11n), an SD card slot, and a lot of moving parts. It can handle both letter- and photo-size paper and happens to weigh a little over 12 pounds. It costs just $100. [Read more...]

iPad installed in a cabinet: the ultimate kitchen utensil?

Lots of people were excited to use the iPad in the kitchen to look up recipies, check email and surf the web. But one person took this to the extreme, installing the iPad in a cabinet door to really make it a built-in part of the kitchen.

It's pretty neat, really. The iPad acts as their kitchen's jukebox, news and communications hub, TV, and photo booth. Of course, all of this could be done with a simple stand, but would it look this cool? No. The answer is no.

Business card holder looks just like a teeny MacBook Pro

Did you ever see a cuter business card holder? This mini-MacBook Pro is doubly useful, because its "screen" is actually a mirror, perfect for checking that lipstick or admiring the Apple tattoo on the side of your neck.
It's premium priced like a Mac, too, around $30 plus shipping. But wait a second, the PC version is $12. Just kidding.

Concept: Glowing bookmark makes darkness obsolete

No need to light up the whole room when all you need to do is see the page in front of you. That's the idea behind Lightleaf, an elegant design concept that could be a solution to the problem of darkness.
We love these illustrations, even though this concept involves technology that's not quite practical yet. But really, who wouldn't want a foldable bookmark that's evenly illuminated by OLEDs, and powered by wireless induction charging? This is a design we're willing to wait five years for.

Flash kicks HTML 5's ass, here's video proof

Related Sections: Internet Software Video
Flash kicks HTML 5's ass, here's video proof

Any illusions you might have about how HTML 5 can keep up with Flash 10.1 will be quickly shattered by this video. Never mind the narrator's thick French accent — as you can see in multiple examples, an animation achieves at least double the frame rate in Flash compared with playback of that same graphic in HTML 5.

Funny how Steve Jobs in his self-serving "open letter" propaganda didn't mention the astonishing performance deficit of HTML 5 compared with hardware-accelerated Flash.

Sure, there's lots of room for improvement in HTML 5. But Flash is here now. Just because it crashes Macs and isn't available on the iPod/iPhone/iPod doesn't make it undesirable for the rest of the world outside Apple's reality distortion field.

Starship Enterprise finds new life as an RC plane

Spectacular PC shrunk, now handcrafted of cherry and aluminum

We've always marveled at master craftsman Jeffrey Stephenson's handmade PC cases, but this one beats all. Inspired by our favorite computer case on the planet, the Thermaltake Level 10 created by BMW Designworks, Stephenson's turned that groundbreaking design up to 11 by scaling it down by about 75%. [Read more...]

World's largest panorama shows Dubai in 45 gigapixels of glory

Ever wish you could take a trip to Dubai? Well, this may be the next best thing. Photographer Gerald Donovan spent a grueling three and a half hours baking in the sun to take 4,250 shots of the city with his Canon 7D. He took the photos from the construction site of the Ubora Towers, where the temperature at the time was nearly 100° in the shade. At the end of it all, his camera was almost too hot to touch.

It was all worth it, though, because he managed to stitch it all together into a 45 gigapixel image that captures everything from the beauty of the Burj Khalifa (pictured above) to a lady in a bikini enjoying a nice rest by a pool (you can see it by following the link below — it's one of the panorama's hightlights).

Check it out for yourself here.

his impossible-looking pincushion building is real

The image you see above is not a rendering, despite all appearances. It's a photo taken by Iñigo Bujedo Aguirre of British designer Thomas Heatherwick's UK Pavilion, which opened on May 1st as part of the Shanghai Expo in China. That "pincushion" effect is actually a mass of 60,000 fiber-opticrods that give the building a ghostly glow at night.

Turns out car assembly robotic arms make great cameramen

This is Puck, Gilda and Rosie. If you're looking at the humans in the picture above, then you're not meeting the new camera crew — they're the robotic arms in the background.

A team of programmers, technicians and folks who work in film over at San Fransisco's Autofuss have repurposed the three Fanuc s430iL robotic arms, which were originally designed to put together cars on an assembly line, to act as cameramen instead. While they don't have that human touch (or the human ability to walk around), the trio of 'bots can hold a camera and glide it through a scene with unwavering precision, bringing a whole new element of control to a set.

What's more, the 'bots are able to wield more than just cameras, but props and the like, too, as you can see in the extra picture down below. Check out the following video for a sample of Puck, Gilda and Rosie's work: an ad for Louis Vuitton featuring Sally Ride, Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell. Not bad for a couple of tin cans! [Read more...]

This slim and sexy iPod dock creates its own shelf space

One problem with setting up an iPod dock speaker to play your tunes, is that you need to clear some shelf space to fit it in. Not so with the Finite Elemente Hohrizontal 51, which actually is a shelf, with the speakers and electronics built inside.

With a maximum load capacity of about 55 pounds, it is strong enough to handle a smaller flat panel TV, and then you can use its auxiliary input to connect audio from the TV. It also has a USB input so you can connect your computer, while an AV output lets you play video from the iPod through your TV.

The Hohrizontal 51 (yes, the funky spelling is correct), should be available soon, and comes in several designer finishes. This is all very cool, although the $660 asking price is really pretty cold.

Weta legs will make you the faun of the party

Have you ever wished you could turn into a fantasy character? Costumes are fine, but if you really want to make an impression, you'll have to rise above the crowd.

These Weta Legs should do the trick, instantly turning you into a faun or robot, or whatever depending on how you finish off the costume. They may look a bit like those special prosthetic legs used by disabled athletes, but Weta Legs are really built more for standing and walking around at your next middle earth party. They'd also be great if you and some geeky friends want to do some Narnia scene recreations.

Weta Legs are available now for $945.

Two wonderful new things in store for Android users

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?

This point-and-shoot is like having Photoshop in your camera

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.

Generate enough power to run a cellphone just by walking

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."

Insane bike zips you down a hill, head-first

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...]

Elegant floating power plant to crank out 50 gigawatts per year

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...]

Halo: Reach - Extended "The Birth of A Spartan" TV Commercial

Here is the Full Extended Commercial!

Halo Reach Live Action Trailer 'Birth of a Spartan'

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!

Whoops! DARPA loses hypersonic glider on its maiden voyage

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.

Modding madman Ben Heck turns a PS3 Slim into a stylish laptop

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...]

Ferraris popular with female drivers in China

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...]

266 MPH: Hofman Motorsports & Heffner Performance Twin Turbo Ford GT - Exotics Rally 4-25-2010

Audi hosts Tony Stark Innovation Challenge

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!

Goldman CEO denies wrongdoing in crisis

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...]

Did apple incite lost iPhone investigation?

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...]

Latest MacBook Pro CPU runs so hot it can boil water

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...]

China wants telecom companies to inform on clients

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...]

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.

Cheap night vision coming to glasses, cellphones and windshields in 18 months

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.

Cellphone-centric domino machine will make you smile

U.S. Department of Energy completes $529 million loan to Fisker

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...]

Teen sailor Abby Sunderland abandons nonstop around-the-world quest

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...]

America's Most Stressful Jobs 2010

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 appeals to federal court to block Colorado dealer reinstatement law

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...]

Lexus likely to beat out BMW for U.S.’ top luxury spot

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.  

Audi R8 Spyder – beauty or beast? Commercial - FAIL!

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

Underground Racing’s Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera breaks 250 mph at Texas Mile

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.

Shower heats water with miraculous piezoelectricity

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.