Gadgets Base

A marriage between a Lotus Super 7 type carriage with a state of the art electric powertrain results in the Thorr Electric Car. You won’t get a roof with this though, so make sure you have a comb with you at all times should you want to take this out for a spin.

ThoRR uses a chassis that has been inspired by the Lotus Super 7 concept. This concept stands for high performance through simplicity and light weight. Because of the absence of ABS, power assisted braking, power assisted steering, any form of sound absorption, even a roof and a windshield, only the basics of a car remain. Driving becomes a symphony composed by the drive line, the chassis, the wheels, the wind and the road. The simplicity of the car, that doesn’t even uses a gearbox, makes it possible to actually feel all the aspects of the electric drive train.

No word on pricing, but it should be crazy expensive.

Product Page via TRFJ

Bluetrek has just announced their latest Bluetooth offering, and while a decent looking headset its not quite as unique as the BIZZ, which featured a microSD slot for storage. Their latest, the X3 Bluetooth headset is a follow up to the X2 and offers an estimated 8 hours of talk time with 10 days on standby. The headset itself is weatherproof and should be comfortable to wear thanks to the variety of ear hooks that it comes with. The X3 is also lightweight coming in at around 0.46-ounces. Otherwise the headset was designed to take its fair share of abuse thanks to the rugged construction. Look for the X3 to be available this June, initially in the UK only and retailing for £29.99 (around $60 US).

Via [ubergizmo]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

The In-Steering Wheel Navigation takes in-dash navigation to the next level, doing away with the need for a large display for obvious reasons but featuring a list of functions that might actually be crazy enough to be the next big thing. The In-Steering Wheel Navigation uses a computer that is connected to a central unit in your car, warming the driver of various potential hazards such as an opened door or low-tire pressure through the steering wheel. It is also compatible with the Navigon 7100 GPS navigation system, relaying important information to the 12 o’clock position on the steering wheel. In addition, the on-board sensors will enable the Navigon 7100 to gauge speed accurately, direction and the attitude of the vehicle. Which do you think is safer - glancing at the steering wheel or the dashboard?

Source: American Inventor Spot

I have seen the future, and contrary to what Al Gore thinks, it is actually a convenient truth. One day, we all will drive vehicles that will run on air, and will actually produce healthy emissions instead of pollutants like carbon monoxide gases.

I had my brief glimpse into this Earth-friendly future when I heard about Jem Stansfield, a former shepherd now turned inventor who has designed an air powered bike. All Stansfield did was connect a few air canisters that are normally used by firefighters to a normal Puch moped. I suppose that sounds like an easy DIY operation, but Stansfield is a true innovator in creating one of the most environmentally sound vehicles today.

Of course, this moped can only reach a top speed of 18 mph, and can only travel for about seven minutes per canister. The canisters for this mode of transportation are quite expensive at $6 a tank at the most.

Of course, considering how much gas prices are rising, this air-powered moped might eventually be a less expensive way to travel. At least the emissions would be cleaner, and you definitely have to admit that this invention, crude as it may be, is a step in the right direction for a greener Earth. Perhaps someone will perfect this technology, and we’ll all have fresh air-powered vehicles with more cost-efficient fuel.

Source

The Guardian is reporting that according to a study by the industry group British Music Rights, 95% of 18-24 years old engaged in what it calls “home copying” which refers to things such as making copies of CD’s and MP3 files. The study reported that 2/3rds of that group copied five CD’s a month for their friends.

Is this something new? Not really. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s probably has fond memories of making mix tapes with their double deck boom boxes, or by using their stereo systems to copy LP tracks onto cassette, and when the VCR came out, people eagerly copied and traded tapes of their favorite shows and music videos.  Is sharing bad for the music industry? The RIAA would have us all believe so, but others argue that it’s actually beneficial because it exposes people to music they otherwise may never have heard. The debate rages on.

This recent study was made as the UK government ponders the introduction of an exception to British copyright law that would allow citizens to legally copy music they have bought for private home use. However that turns out, it’s a sure bet that home copying is here to stay.

Read [The Guardian]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Another phone coming with details courtesy of the FCC. This time is comes with a little more detail and some good news for HTC fans here in the US. According to the FCC website the handset is called the HTC NEON300, but it appears to be the HTC Touch Dual with a slide out (from the bottom) 20-key QWERTY keyboard.

This handset has also come with not only a few good images, but also some details as well. The HTC NEON300 will feature 2.6-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth 2.0, a microSD card slot with 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM. The NEON300 is powered by a 400Mhz processor running Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. The really good news is that the NEON300 will offer support for US 3G coverage on the 850/1900Mhz bands.

Typical with FCC information, we are still unsure of a release date, pricing or just which carrier the NEON300 will be headed to.

Via [IntoMobile]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

You know those large dog food bags that you can buy in bulk? Well, that’s all good but unfortunately, there isn’t much room at home for some of us living in cramped apartments to keep them. This is where the Wall-tainer Pet Food Bin comes in handy.

Optimize your storage space with the Wall-tainer Pet Food Bin! Just mount it on the wall and spin the lids to lock freshness and flavor in and pests out. The airtight seal keeps your pet’s kibble crunchy and tasty, while its space-saving design takes up less room than a bulky, awkward bag.

The Wall-tainer Pet Food Bin retails for $49.95 and can hold up to 40 pounds of kibble, keeping it in a hygienic place that ensures your pet gets the best, freshest food always.

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 12:14PM Wearable mice aren’t exactly a new idea, but it seems that Microsoft thinks it can do things one better, with a recent patent application revealing its plans for a desk-defying device of its own. As you can see above, this one is designed to be worn even while your typing on a keyboard, with the cursor movement able to be switched on an off with a simple hand gesture. That pointing itself is handled by some gyroscopic sensors, with an accelerometer and a magnetometer apparently also employed for further gesture and position sensing. Needless to say, there’s no indication of it becoming an actual product anytime soon but, unlike some of Microsoft’s other patent applications, this one seems like it could well find its way off the drawing board sooner rather than later.

[Via istartedsomething]

• Read
• Permalink
• Email this
• 56 Comments

Filed under: Peripherals

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 6:04PM
Sometimes, you want more than just wide-area broadband. Sometimes you want the downy softness that only “WiMAX” can bring. We’re not totally sure what this is, but we’re almost positive it will not deliver speedy downloads and near-limitless connectivity.

Paul: “Sprint’s brilliant plan for rolling out WiMAX coverage on the cheap only had one fatal flaw…”
Chris: “Considered key to XOHM’s success, Sprint’s first stab at a steampunk Hello Kitty WiMAX router yields mixed results.”
Josh T: “WiMAX: use color-safe bleach only, tumble dry.”
Josh F: “For those lighter 2-bar days.”
Ittousai: “WE DEMAND MORE PAMUK!”
Nilay: “17.45 for WiMAX? Outrageous!”
Dante: “Suddenly, that failed Australian WiMAX rollout, makes much more sense…”
Richard: “Because really, who buys their WiMAX off the rack?”

[Thanks, Srle]

• Permalink
• Email this
• 73 Comments

Filed under: Networking

With the numerous social networks and online storage options so widely available storing gigabytes of files on the internet is no longer a challenge. I for one, use social networks to upload my photos and videos to save computer space, after all, I could retrieve them in the future. That is, if those websites don’t shut down and delete my files.

Recently, another start-up website was launched that is meant for accessing and sharing music, photos, and videos on your Windows Mobile based phone. Cloudtrade’s mission is to build a consumer community for free. Simply install the software on the mobile phone, and you’re off, CloudTrade offers 1GB of free uploading to your “Cloud” as personal profiles are called. Users can upload and download files both from their mobile phone or home computer.

So maybe this is like any other social network, allowing users to share files. I don’t see anything really new except that it’s an innovative platform, being the fact that it is designed to be mobile, which means it allows free access anytime, anywhere using your phone. Anyway, here’s a Cloudtrade video, which for me is waaaay to corny:

Via [CrunchGear]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →