LIFE AND GADGET

ITwin - Connects Remote Computers

2011-09-25T09:42:00.001-07:00

You want to send a birthday movie to your mother?
E-mail is hopeless for large files and sharing services are too complicated.
Your best (and fastest) bet is to burn the files to a DVD and mail it.

ITwin is an attempt to fix this, although it comes with its own problems.
The double-ended USB dongle breaks in two and plugs into two different computers, allowing you to transfer files between them over the Internet.
These computers can be Macs or PCs, and the only other requirement is that they be switched on and online.

The dongle auto-installs its software the first time you plug it in, and the two halves generate and share an encryption key between themselves whilst still joined together. Then, when split, the second part can be plugged into any machine and files are transferred back and forth.
ITwin is billed as a connecting cable, without the cable.
We might add “without the speed” to that list, as you’re limited by the upstream connection of the sending computer.

The iTwin is really little more than software disguised as hardware: you could punch a hole in your firewall and encrypt the transfers for free if you wanted to.
The difference is that your Uncle Pete can use this as easily as using a USB stick.

The price is $100, which is cheap or way overpriced, depending on your needs.
The iTwin is available now.

Windows 8 - Bring Microsoft into a New Era

2011-09-25T09:41:00.001-07:00

Microsoft launches Windows 8 during his keynote at the developer conference Tuesday morning BUILD.
Executive exhibit flexibility on a variety of operating systems of mobile and desktop platforms, show the cloud-based features such as photo sharing, contacts management and efficient Metro UI improvements.
OS is really Microsoft's push into the tablet and looks, at first glance,
anyway, such a true competitor for mobile operating systems like Android and IOS.

OS designed for PCs and tablet and use the touch interface of life based tile with multi-tasking capabilities. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hinted that we will get Windows 8 tablets next year.

One central theme of the keynote announcement today is Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, from the user experience all the way down to the chipset.

Developers at the conference received one of the Windows 5000 Samsung 8 tablets. This tablet includes an accelerometer, gyroscopes and magnetometers, as well as the NFC and built-in AT & T 3G.
It also has a tool that shows how much data you use, which is pretty cool.
Pair of stone with a docking station and wireless keyboard.
From close-ups and screenshots during the presentation, seems to have a 120 gig hard G2 Intel's solid state.

Windows 8 can run on ARM or x86 architecture, and Microsoft showcased its OS runs on multiple devices such as Asus and Acer ultrabooks, a tablet Intel and Toshiba all-in-one setup.
It's interesting that Microsoft would choose to allow the OS to port to so many different devices, the chipsets are different, with different screen sizes, especially when we have witnessed the difficulty Google Android with the ability to do that.

Like Windows Phone 7, Windows 8 has a large social aspect of the built-in.
In a departure from the desktop-oriented OS from the past, Microsoft has redesigned or reskinned a number of services.
Windows 8 also take advantage of the growing movement of cloud-based storage.

For example, new email client looks pretty slick: It is a two panel setup that meshes with the Metro look and feel, with an optional third panel that appears when you are going through e-mail folders.
A contacts application neat set of friends and acquaintances as a grid of square images, which you can click to get more information.
Client email and contacts applications will not be shipping with the release of Windows developers 8.

Applications can pull images from photo services like Flickr, Facebook and SkyDrive after you connected with your account.
This application treats remote storage and storage cloud SkyDrive as if the data is stored locally.
Email and MSN can sync with Windows 7.5 Phone (Mango device).

Some keyboard shortcuts are introduced:
Windows - C open the menu Charm (cross-searching and sharing application toolbar with the option to switch between desktop and view the Metro),
Windows - Z to open a bar application.
Windows - F is not a search.
Internet Explorer Shortcuts traditional way still works.

A task manager is also debuting a redesigned, but can be seen as a direct list of applications and the end or as a full display usage statistics of each process.

Multi-monitor and log-in features that are made easy, with the ability to switch between the desktop and see the Metro with a simple keyboard shortcut.
Far VHDs and ISO images are also treated like a local drive.

Many worry that the traditional Windows problems, such as the need for drivers, will plague the Windows 8, but from the demonstration in the building, everything seemed to go very smoothly.
Accessories such as the webcam to work immediately when installed into Windows 8 requires a mouse, keyboard or touch input, and there is also a digital pad you can use the stylus to draw or write.

Samsung’s Galaxy S II - The Epic 4G Touch

2011-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Samsung Galaxy S II, Sprint Version - Epic Touch 4G.

In 4:52-inch screen Samsung smartphone Android's biggest screen yet, edging out other offers giant Samsung, the infusion of 0.2-inch 4G.
Epic feels like a mini tablet, similar to the five-inch Dell Streak failed last year.

advantages:
The screen is large and robust 1.2 GHz dual core processor makes the Samsung is clearly aimed at media consumption.
Super brilliant AMOLED screen is made to watch Netflix, browse pics and read e-books.
This all works, and good, but I can not help hoping the Samsung includes a small metal kickstand as we look at the launch of the HTC Thunderbolt.

drawbacks:
While the big screen, opening mechanism to achieve the main menu is weird.
Basically, you have to drag offscreen static screensavers to access your home screen, the task is simple in concept as it is frustrating in practice.
The screen was jerky and awkward when trying to drag the open, often requires some effort.
I prefer the stock Android swiping bar mechanism or even a funky key rings HTC to design the Samsung screen. Rear-facing camera 8-megapixel camera is par for what you'll find on high-end smartphones today.
Sharp images and smooth 1080p video playback.
Digital zoom sucks, but digital zoom is always annoying.

Fortunately, Epic 4G Touch running the latest version of Android (2.3.4, or Gingerbread),
although skinned with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface. That's not a bad UI, but as a purist Android, I could go without the extra layer.

Galaxy S2 is being released by three of the four major U.S. carriers (Sprint, T-Mobile and AT & T), with slight variations more than aesthetics to distinguish hardware.
That's much better for customers interested in a contract-specific parts of the hardware.

Epic Touch 4G has a very large shoes to fill.
Samsung sold more than 10 million of the first series of phones Galaxy S, however the second generation has a promising beginning, more than five million handsets have been sold since the device launched S2 in Europe.

Our first impression is the S2 is a solid phone that will not disappoint fans of the Galaxy S.
nice ...

The Self-Inflating Bike Tire with coin

2011-08-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I have actually read complaints from people on cycling forums where they whine about having to pump up their tires once a month. Presumably these slobs never wash the dishes, either. Or even get out of bed.

But while I can’t fix their filthy kitchens, I can point them to the PumpTire, the “Self Inflating Bicycle Tire.”
This Kickstarter project is ingenious. The tire has another thin tube running around the outside. As you ride, this tube is squeezed agains the tire and air is squished out. Inventor Benjamin Krempel says it is like squeezing toothpaste from a tube. This air is then passed into the innertube via a specially designed valve assembly, and once the desired (user-selectable) pressure is reached, the valve shuts off.

The tire itself is actually connected to this valve, which is how the air gets from the length of thin pump tube into the innertube itself. You won’t be pumping up a tire from flat this way, but as long as you remain puncture-free, you’ll never need to top up the tires again.

I can’t see myself bothering with this. It’s easier to carry a small pump in my bag along with a spare tube. But I can totally see something like an electric bike coming pre-fitted with these tires. I doubt electric bike riders are the kind to do their won maintenance anyway, so this could be a good fit.

If successfully funded, there will be two tires. A $65, 65psi “City Cruiser PumpTire” and a set of two adjustable-pressure (up to 100psi) 700 x 25c tires for $150. The minimum pledge to get a tire is $45.

About this project

Imagine taking your bicycle out of the garage and never having to fill up the tires or even check the pressure. Or imagine yourself being able to change your tire pressure on-the-fly with a simple adjustment from the handlebars. Our project is to bring two self-inflating bicycle tires to market, the City Cruiser and City Pro. Both tires are intended for the urban cyclists and both tires incorporate the patented PumpTire technology.

With your help we can bring this patented technology to cyclists everywhere!

Why Bicycle Tires Lose Pressure
Bicycle tires lose pressure due to air molecules diffusing through the rubber sidewalls. This requires cyclists to fill their tires on a fairly regular basis due to the high operating pressures (up to 120 psi) and thin sidewalls of most bicycle tires. PumpTire solves this problem by incorporating a pumping mechanism directly into the tire. And this means ... fewer pinch flats, no more pumping, hands stay clean, less time getting ready and more time on the saddle.

Overview of the PumpTire System
Each PumpTire set consists of 3 components – a tire, a detachable valve and an inner tube. Unlike traditional tires, the PumpTire inner tube clips into the tire to enable air to pass from the tire to the tube. When the pump is working, air moves from the atmosphere, through the valve and into the lumen surrounding the outside of the tire. From there the air is pushed into the tube. Once the desired pressure is reached, the valve senses the increase in pressure and closes the air pathway so no more air is pumped into the tire. The system works on normal rims and does not require any special equipment or modifications.

The valve assembly works by simply screwing it into the valve stem on the inner tube. Although the valve stem looks similar to standard Presta/Schrader stems, it’s actually a custom design that allows air to enter the tire before being pushed into the tube. The valve is either a fixed pressure valve that shuts off once the desired pressure is reached or it’s a user adjustable valve as shown in this drawing. Turning the valve, adjusts the pressure higher or lower to reach the desired setting. The top of the valve has an air inlet and is compatible with Schrader or Presta fittings to use with a traditional pump if desired. A filter keeps dirt, water and other debris from entering the tire.

City Cruiser for Casual Riders (26" x 1.5" tire)
The City Cruiser is designed for the casual, urban cyclist. It’s a 26” x 1.5” tire with a set pressure valve. The pumping mechanism will pump from a flat up to 65psi. It has a moderate tread design and is intended mostly for pavement.

City Pro High Performance Tire (700c x 28mm)
The City Pro is a high performance tire with a 100 psi maximum pressure. It’s a 700c x 28mm tire. The tire works in conjunction with a high performance user-adjustable valve which allows the user to set the pressure from 65-95psi. This tire is designed for the avid cyclist who is constantly seeking better performance from themselves and their equipment.

How the Money Will be Spent
We are looking to raise $250K to make PumpTire a reality. This is a large sum of money for Kickstarter projects and equates to about 5,000 tires. The money will be primarily used for four purposes:

1. Completing the engineering design. This will require us to work with vendors and engineering firms to find the right materials and processes to make the product robust and lightweight. Although we have various working prototypes, we’ll need money to make sure each part of the system works properly.

2. Testing. Once we’ve completed the production design we will build and test prototypes to see what we got right and what needs additional engineering.

3. Purchasing tooling. We will need to have molds built for each type of tire as well as the lumen and the individual pieces in the control valve assemblies.

4. Purchasing materials. And finally, we need to pay for the materials and components that go into each tire assembly.

We are very excited about the technology and bringing these products to market. By pre-ordering your PumpTire on Kickstarter, you're helping to make this technology available to everyday bikers, commuters, professional cyclists and bike enthusiasts everywhere!

We appreciate your support!

The PumpTire Team

(Ben, Will P, Fredo, Marcus, Nikki, Yunita, Han, Will H, Beau, Dring, Billy, Nate and Jason, Sebastian)

Motorized Bionic Leg Moves Like a Real Leg

2011-08-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

This bionic leg lets amputees walk naturally

Vanderbilt University’s new bionic leg lets amputees walk without limping along like Kaiser Söze. Unlike the average peg-leg, the Vanderbilt leg has motors in the knee and ankle to actively move like the real thing. Sensors and microprocessors predict what the user is about to do and the leg moves accordingly.

An amputee can walk around 25 percent faster on the Vanderbilt leg, mostly because it takes a lot less of his energy to do it. The leg itself is also pretty light on power, running for up to three days (or 14 kilometers) on a single charge. The motors are still noisy, though — despite being a lot quieter than previous incarnations, the current version “is sightly louder than [the researchers] would like.” It’s not all bad: with the whiny motor sounds you’ll sound just like Robocop when you walk.

New ‘bionic’ leg gives amputees a natural gait [Vanderbilt University via Physorg and the Giz]

Gorgeous $5,500 Titanium Bike Checks Every Box

2011-08-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

$5,500 for a runaround? Maybe, once you read the spec sheet

Yeah, Paul Budnitz’s bikes might cost $5,500 apiece, but they look frikkin’ awesome. Appearing like a cross between a beach-cruiser, a hard-tail mountain bike and a hipsters’ single-speed, the bikes come with a component spec sheet that reads like a laundry list of all your fantasy bike parts.

There are two models, the Nº1 and Nº2, which differ mostly in purpose. Thus the Nº1 has thin, slick tires on 700c Velocity rims, a more upright position and harder gear ratios, while the Nº2 sports a 29er up front and a 26-inch at the rear, lower gearing, a more laid-back position and sweep-back handlebars.

Both bikes have Budnitz’s titanium frame, fork and all-in-one handlebars, Chris King No-Threadset, a choice of Fizik or Brooks saddles, a Phil Wood bottom bracket, Paul hubs and brake levers, Avid BB7 disk brakes and MKS pedals. I told you it was a wish-list, right?

It goes on. Instead of a dirty, noisy chain you get a Gates carbon drive belt drive and Shimano Alfine internal hub (or the already-mentioned Paul hub if you go for single speed, or even a chain). You can also spec alloy fenders, a brass bell and Pitlock locking skewers and bolts.

That $5,500 is starting to look less expensive.
These are both gorgeous machines, to be sure, but more likely to to be bought by Hollywood stars for trips to the store than by you and me. I know that if I had $5,500 to spend on a bike, I might certainly use some of those components, but I’d like to put it together myself.

Budnitz Bikes product page [Budnitz Bicycles via Uncrate]

LG announces LSM-100 Scanner Mouse, saves valuable desk space

2011-08-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

You may recall, back at CES, we got our hands on LG's LSM-100 mouse scanner and were able to try it out for ourselves. Well it appears that you may have that same opportunity soon. The company has announced that it will be "opening a new era for scanners" at IFA in a few days with its mouse that boasts a built-in scanner. Simply by holding the Smart Scan button, you'll be able to save or drag and drop scanned images as large as A3 paper size in a variety of formats -- PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and PDF, just to name a few -- by swiping the mouse over it. If that wasn't enough to entice you, the peripheral also features Optical Character Recognition that converts text from said images into an editable Word document. Perhaps lost in all this is the fully functioning mouse bit... which you'll probably need as well. No word yet on pricing or availability, but hopefully soon, you'll have room on your desk for one of these.

Update: Apparently this bad boy is already available the UK for £89.98 (around $148), via the coverage link below. Also, we added a promo video from the folks at LG showing the peripheral in action -- which you can check out after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

High-End Audio Gear Is Caviar for Your Ears

2011-08-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

BURLINGAME, California — Upon arriving at the California Audio Show, we spent a few minutes ogling the Ferraris and Maseratis in the parking lot.

Little did we know that once we walked inside, we'd see stereo systems twice the price of one of those fancy sports cars.

The CAS — far removed from the massive, mainstream industry trade shows — is organized by Constantine Soo, publisher of the high-end audio site Dagogo.com. This is Soo's second year running the show, which is the largest on the West Coast, boasting around 3,000 attendees over a weekend in mid-July.

On display were hand-built monoblock tube amps, omnidirectional speakers, gas plasma drivers, 6-foot-tall subwoofers and laser-guided turntables — objects made for people with the ears, the mindset and the trust fund to appreciate such things. You could trade reel-to-reel tapes with other collectors, or join the debate in the hallway about which test tone is most appropriate for calibrating your digital transport.
Soo is quick to stress that almost everything at the show is for two-channel stereo playback, not for watching movies in surround sound.

"Home theater stuff is for everyone in the family," he says. "This stuff is for the fanatics and the audiophiles who have a dedicated room in their house just for music listening."
Above:

Einstein Audio "The Tube" Preamp

A quality preamp is a necessity for bringing out the dynamics in a recording, and you'd be hard pressed to find a component better — or better-looking — than Einstein's "The Tube." This $18,400 unit from the German company uses 19 vacuum tubes to discretely power as many as five audio sources.

Time Warner Cable will pay for your Slingbox, in exchange for love

2011-08-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

If you're a faithful Time Warner Cable customer, your next Slingbox purchase could be on the house. Yesterday, the provider announced that it will offer full rebates to any Wideband internet subscribers who buy the $300 set-top box, as part of a promotion due to launch sometime in September. Jeffrey A. Hirsch, TWC's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, told the New York Times that the offer is geared solely toward promoting his company's $99 Wideband service, though it's hard to ignore the move's larger symbolism -- especially in light of that ongoing legal battle with Viacom over live streaming content to the iPad. Time Warner has yet to pinpoint a launch date for its new promotion, but we'll let you know as soon as we get word.

The New York Times

Origami Concept Clock Sports Funky Folds

2011-08-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

The foldable F.O. Clock concept is inspired by two Japanese art forms. Furoshiki (literally “cloth wrapping”) was popularized by cartoons in the eighties and nineties. The other stems from the Japanese art of folding paper, or Origami.
When folded, the F.O. clock is sleek, shiny and could fit right in at a modern art exhibit. When unfolded, the F.O. shows off its carefully crafted rib structure.
Straight from the brain of New Zealand designer Shiping Toohey, the F.O clock is composed of 18 tessellated pieces and a digital clock unit whose LEDs are readable from a shiny, semi transparent covering.

Mad Catz Major League Gaming controllers offer swappable thumbstick layouts, fancy arcade buttons

2011-08-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

If we didn't already know those cats were mad about customizable controllers, we just got a reminder: the Mad Catz Major League Gaming Pro-Circuit Controllers. These professional-grade PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers allow competitive gamers to adjust the gamepad's weight and swap out key components -- such as exchanging the controller's analog stick for a D-pad. Want your PS3 controller to have a Xbox 360 layout? No problem. If the insane kitty's ambitious Onza competitor isn't your thing, check out the MLG Tournament Edition Fightstick, featuring the same Sanwa Denshi components used in Japanese arcade cabinets. It may not have its sibling's stick-swapping action, but its 13-foot controller cable, classic layout, and left-right stick toggle mode (for emulating the missing analog thumbstick) still aims to please. The Arcade Fightstick can be had now at the GameShark store to the tune of $160, but the Pro-Circuit gamepads aren't due out until closer to the end of the year. Hit the break for a pair of extra pictures and the standard PR.

SOL Republic intros Amps and Tracks headphone lines, we go hands-on

2011-08-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Oh my is this interesting. Monster Cable's VP of marketing Kevin Lee (a key figure involved with its Beats by Dre headphone line) has co-founded a new headphone company dubbed Soundtrack Of Life Republic, and we were able to get a very brief hands-on with some handmade prototypes. It's no secret that we're not fans of Monster around these parts, but being that SOL Republic isn't directly tied to it -- and because the headphones bring with them some interesting features without being crazy expensive -- we've decided to give them a quick whirl. It's all detailed just past the break.

SOL Republic Amps & Tracks headphones hands-on

The whole line-up consists of the $60 Amps in-ears and $100 Tracks on-ear headphones, which both also come in slightly souped-up and pricier HD variations at $100 and $130, respectively. To start, the Amps in-ears look fairly simple; the ear pieces are flat and circular, and moving down the cable you'll find an iPhone-compatible remote remote with mic along with a very sturdy feeling right angle jack. The HDs look nearly identically, but gain a tangle-proof flat cable, slight color change with clear accenting and most importantly -- we're told -- clearer sound, but we weren't able to give either a listen.

Moving along to the Tracks is where things get interesting. The standard version is finished in a glossy black with a matte headband, while the HD version goes for a brushed metal look with a shiny black / see-through headband; it also comes with a soft travel pouch. There's no denying that these headphones vaguely resemble Beats, but they definitely hold their own ground. The Tracks can essentially be pulled apart into 4 pieces as the iPhone-compatible cable, sliding earcups and headband are removable. SOL refers to the drivers as "sound engines" that will eventually give users options to swap up to a different voicing without buying a new completely new set of headphones. The company also claims that the plastic headband is "nearly indestructible", and we'd agree -- after bending the clear and matte versions aggressively they mostly went back to shape without a crack or blemish. Lastly, the remote's buttons didn't have a very responsive feel, but again, these aren't production versions.

Unlike the the in-ears, we were able to give the Tracks a listen -- while there's no way to make a definitive call on sound in a few minutes of ears-on time, both headphones seem to push out an exorbitant amount of bass. With the standard definition model, Hip-hop and dubstep tracks really got the cans thumping, but the mid-range and high-end sounded veiled especially with rock tracks. Graduating to the HDs things got a bit clearer: there was better extension in the highs and the mids were clearer, all with the same amount of bass. The comfort level of the headphones was passable at best due to a lack of articulation in the earcups mixed with slim amount of padding -- we doubt these would be suitable for extended periods. Overall, the headphones didn't seem terrible for the price and they do have some interesting design elements to them. They'll be available by the month's end in a variety of colors if you're interested in finding out just how sound they are for you and your budget.

N-Control's Avenger for PS3 begins pre-sale, officially debuts November 8th

2011-08-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Been just a teensy bit jealous of your 360-owning, Avenger-toting friends? Well, Playstation owner, that resentment ends now -- sort of. Having promised a DualShock 3 version by the end of 2011, N-Control's gone and soft launched its controller appendage with a limited production run before it officially goes on-sale. Apparently only 5,000 of the $48.99 extras will available early, which means you'll have to act quick to get one. Those of you missing the pre-sale will have to wait until November 8th, when it'll hit retailers alongside the release of Modern Warfare 3. In the interim, hit up our review of its Redmond-friendly relative to see the gaming greatness that awaits you.

do you whant..???

New Roku Streaming Box Gets Smaller, Angrier

2011-08-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

From its humble beginnings as the Netflix box to its current status as one of the pre-eminent media streamers, Roku has come a long way in just two years. And while the new Roku 2 XS doesn’t really move things forward much, it does just enough to retain that title.
If you’re keeping track, the XS usurps the XDS as the new king of the new series, with the XD and HD following in its path. I’ll just go ahead and say it at the outset: Ff you already own a previous gen, 1080p-capable Roku, this is probably not the box for you. Like the XDS, you get ethernet support and a USB port. The UI also remains relatively unchanged, with the standard horizontal scrolling “channels.”
In fact, the only differences I could find was the addition of Bluetooth support, an SD card slot, and — wait for it — a shiny little Wii-like motion controller that doubles as your system remote. Yes, it appears Roku wants to join the casual games party. And its first gift to customers is something everyone’s already sick of: Angry Birds. For free! The company promises to have more games — including Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons (sigh) — soon, which presumably explains the SD-card slot. Still, none of this is enough to justify dropping another 100 bones.
The other obvious difference here is the look of these new boxes. This XS, along with the rest of the series, has been sufficiently shrink-rayed so it now beats even the Apple TV in terms of footprint. The tiny box virtually disappears when you place it next to your TV, which was great considering all the other multicolored junk I have attached to mine.
Roku has always done a fine job of offering a satisfying mix of big-name streaming options like Rdio, Pandora, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus, with more esoteric choices like, say, Crunchyroll. That trend continues here.
What hasn’t happened is any attempt to make the box useful to media hoarders with separate video libraries. Once again, the XS’s limited media file support casts a great big ol’ bummer cloud over what is otherwise a solid device.
Officially, the XS only supports MP4 (H.264), AAC, MP3, JPG and PNG, which, for me, meant more than half of the videos and music sitting on my external drive were useless — unless I wanted to do some converting, which I didn’t.
It’s a strange deficiency, considering the Roku’s main strength is the hefty helping of internet video it serves up to its customers. Offering a USB port and then throttling what it can play just seems, well, dumb. Still, this isn’t anything new to previous Roku owners. And the fact remains there just aren’t many media streamers out there that can offer all the things the XS does at this price.
WIRED Netflix channel now has 1080p streaming, 5.1 surround and subtitles — if your bandwidth supports it. Big, beautiful HD content on some channels like Vimeo.
TIRED Lengthy setup time. Forget about playing your MKV and other high-bitrate files, unless you convert. RF Bluetooth motion controller feature is limited to playing games, provides no navigation or UI functionality.

Photo courtesy Roku

Scion iQ Is Like a Smart Car, Only Smarter

2011-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

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This fall, Toyota’s Scion division will be rolling out its latest ride, the iQ, into dealer showrooms on the West coast.
With the small, extremely fuel efficient and feature-laden iQ, Scion is aiming for the same sweet spot as other undersized city cars — the Smart ForTwo, Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 — but it’s doing so with a much more affordable, and, it hopes, hipper package.
With a starting list price at a little under $16,000, the iQ continues Scion’s reputation for making inexpensive, funky-looking cars for young urbanites.

Cleverly dubbing the car a “3+1 seater,” Scion has massaged the overall design so the front passenger seat can be slid very far forward, allowing an adult to occupy the back seat immediately behind it without sacrificing leg room for either passenger.

This blunt little box seems like a knock off of the two-seater Smart ForTwo, but it’s actually a four-seater. Cleverly dubbing the car a “3+1 seater,” Scion has massaged the overall design so the front passenger seat can be slid very far forward, allowing an adult to occupy the back seat immediately behind it without sacrificing leg room for either passenger (though the seat behind the driver is still a very tight squeeze). Scion bought the extra room by relocating things that normally occupy the area in and around the front seat passenger to other parts of the car. The glove box has been moved under the seat, and the heater/air conditioner unit has been miniaturized and moved to the center console. The airbag and dash remain the same.
And speaking of airbags, the iQ features eleven of them — a record for any car, and a feat made all the more impressive considering the iQ’s minuscule size. There are separate airbags for the head and knees of both the driver and the front passenger, side-curtain airbags, seat-cushion airbags, and even an airbag for rear window, which is a first.
Just how small is the Scion iQ? A tenth of an inch over ten feet long. That’s a little more than a foot longer than a ForTwo, and a full 20 inches shorter than a Fiat 500. It definitely makes the Mini look anything but. The iQ also tips the scales at a flyweight 2,127 pounds, or about as much as a first-gen Miata.
Speaking of Miatas, although the upcoming iQ is not sports car, nor does it possess handling that would make Colin Chapman smile, it does have an amazingly small turning radius. The front wheels can be spun to nearly 45 degrees, giving the iQ a turning radius of an astonishingly low 13 feet, or about the length of a Miata. Ergo, maneuvering this little guy through inner-city traffic and hanging a quick U-turn to snag that last parking spot is a snap.
The iQ is motivated by a 1.3 liter inline four. Nothing fancy, no turbos or superchargers. And no, there won’t be a hybrid version — lord knows where they’d put the batteries and other hybrid gear. To keep the length down, Toyota did some rather ingenious things like push the wheels and suspension bits way, way out to the corners of the car, much like Mini and Fiat have done. The 8.5 gallon gas tank has also been relocated so it resides under the drivers seat. Yes, that gave me a rather disconcerting feeling when I was tooling around Seattle in the iQ, but I eventually got past it.
With that little size and weight, and that small of an engine, the mileage numbers are very, very impressive for a non-hybrid car. Scion’s iQ returns 36 MPG city, 37 MPG highway and a combined figure of 37 MPG. These numbers make the little iQ the current record-holder when it comes to combined figures for internal combustion engine cars. Toyota is holding off on trumpeting that last fact until the EPA confirms it, though.
The iQ’s four-cylinder engine produces 94 horsepower and 89 pound-feet of torque. No, you won’t be walking away with any drag trophies from the local strip with this thing, but that’s more than enough juice to get you out of your own way when driving around town. Also making city driving easier is the iQ’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), and the iQ is rated an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV-II), which is nice.
The tech and gadgetry extends to the interior appointments, where the top of the center console houses the Scion Drive Monitor. It’s a small screen that displays information like outside temperature, average MPG, and an ECO-drive indicator that helps the driver maximize the iQ’s fuel efficiency.
Hipsters need music, so the iQ comes standard with a 160-watt, four-speaker Pioneer audio system with an AM/FM radio, CD player, a USB port, HD radio and a built-in hands-free phone connection with streaming audio capability. The audio system also features an organic electroluminescent (OEL) screen, and an RCA output for hooking up an aftermarket subwoofer.
There’s an optional “premium” audio system that has the same features as the standard unit, but ups the output to 200 watts and includes extras like a 5.8-inch LCD touch-screen display that allows iTunes tagging, Pandora radio (connected through your iPhone), and six RCA outputs to add external amplifiers. Plunk down even more cash and upgrade to the top-tier Scion Navigation package. You get all the goodies in the 200-watt audio system, plus a navigation system and DVD player — all accessible through a seven-inch touch-screen LCD display.
All in all, it’s a great city car, and it should hit a bulls-eye on price, performance and interior features with a certain demographic.

WIRED Tight turning. Great MPGs. No muss, no fuss CVT tranny. Comes with hipster cred.

TIRED 100 MPH speed limiter. That +1 seat is for pee-wees only. Hipster cred.

Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Corporation

Gadget Lab Podcast: Google, Motorola and All Things Android

2011-08-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

This week on the Gadget Lab podcast, the crew talks about big news for Google, big news for Motorola and a tablet company attempting to reinvent itself with two new device offerings.
Product reviews editor Michael Calore and staff writer Mike Isaac kick off the show with the week’s biggest news; Google’s proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings. What are the implications for other hardware companies? Will the FTC allow the deal to go through? What will Android look now that Google has control of hardware, unlike before? It’s a huge development in the world of mobile, and the two Mikes attempt to cover some of the angles.
Next up on the show, staff writer Christina Bonnington drops by to talk about her experience with the new Android tablet from Fusion Garage, the Grid 10. It’s the the company’s hopeful follow up to its first huge failure of an Android slate, the Joo Joo tablet. Christina’s first take was generally positive, but Fusion Garage has a lot to prove after the Joo Joo.
You might note the conspicuous absence of any talk of HP’s bombshell news of discontinuing its TouchPad and smartphone products. Don’t worry, we didn’t miss it. We filmed the podcast the day before HP’s announcement, so we’ll likely get to webOS discussion. For follow-up coverage, check out staff writer Tim Carmody’s take on what the news means for HP in the future.
Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.
Or listen to the audio below:
Gadget Lab audio podcast #122

Report: HP’S WebOS Ran Twice as Fast on iPad

2011-08-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

HP introduced the TouchPad tablet in February. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

It certainly wasn’t poorly performing software that killed the TouchPad.
Sources at The Next Web reports that HP’s webOS team hacked an iPad 2 to run the software — and it ended up running more than twice as fast on Apple’s tablet as on the TouchPad.
Even before the TouchPad tablet or Pre smartphone were officially released, the webOS developer team was so fed up with HP’s lackluster hardware that they “wanted them gone.”
HP rocked the tech world yesterday when it announced the company would no longer be producing webOS hardware, including the TouchPad tablet and Pre smartphones, after acquiring Palm last year for $1.2 billion. The webOS software could still be licensed to third-party manufacturers. HP CEO Leo Apotheker cited lack of traction in the marketplace as a major reason for abandoning the mobile operation.
The team of developers also deployed webOS within the iPad’s Mobile Safari browser and got similarly speedy results. The TouchPad features a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with A8 architecture, while the iPad 2 houses a dual-core A5 chip based on the faster Cortex-A9 architecture.
According to The Next Web:

The hardware reportedly stopped the team from innovating beyond certain points because it was slow and imposed constraints, which was highlighted when webOS was loaded on to Apple’s iPad device and found to run the platform significantly faster than the device for which it was originally developed.

I personally checked out the HP Veer when it debuted, and I found webOS to be really refreshing and intuitive. My main issues with the device were definitely hardware-based: not enough memory, and not a powerful enough processor.

Energizer Travel Charger Nears Power-Density Singularity

2011-08-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

You probably couldn't carry enough gadgets to fill all the holes in the Energizer iSurge

Energizer’s iSurge travel charger offer the highest density of power outputs I have ever seen. One small block of black plastic has three regular AC outlets, two USB ports (with 2.1-amp outputs so you can charge an iPad in less than a day) and a 30-pin dock up top for your iPhone or iPod.
Round the back the prongs rotate 180-degrees to fit any socket and underneath there is a nightlight (which can hopefully be switched off). Phew. It’s almost like carrying your own mobile power station with you.
The handy little brick will go on sale in October, and will cost a hefty $60, although it might be worth it just for the cables it will eliminate.

Innowave Is a Microwave Oven in a Drawer

2011-08-21T08:40:00.002-07:00

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Innowave is a concept design for a microwave oven from Anoush Mortazavi. Instead of taking up yet more countertop space, his microwave fits inside a standard 600mm-wide drawer, sliding out when you need it.
The unit has a glass lid which flips open for access, the oven has a turntable-less design, and the controls are placed along the top edge of the front panel.
Mortazavi’s design is almost enough to get me using a microwave, if my ancient Catalan kitchen actually had any drawers to put it in. As it is, I’m holding out for the FunCooker, the tiny tabletop Microwave seen on 30 Rock.

No More A Cookbox [Yanko]

Tron-Tastic Two-Wheeler for Toddlers

2011-08-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Do want. Ryan Callahan's Tron-inspired kid's bike was on show at this year's Trek World

Unsurprisingly, the kids of my bike-polo playing friends are riding two-wheelers before they get to three years old, but for the children of less bike-obsessed parents, the usual path to learning to ride is through the push-bike. These are pedal-less bikes which the kids sit on and scoot along with their feet.
They are also usually dead boring, either fashioned from wood to a design that would make a Scandinavian mother proud (tasteful, but a total snooze for a toddler) or plain old plastic tat. Enter the Light Cycle learning bike, designed for by Ryan Callahan. As you can see, the Tron-themed light cycle is pretty damn awesome, and its long wheelbase also makes it look like an old Harley or even a miniature Honda Goldwing (Kinda. If you squint the right way).

Ryan isn’t just a cool-dad candidate. He’s also a designer at the great Trek bicycle company, and this model was built for this year’s just-ended Trek World trade show. Ryan not only mocked the bike up in CAD software, but built a prototype, too. If I was a kid, I’d think it was totally awesome and take it out for a spin immediately. As a fully-formed human being, I’d probably do exactly the same. Right up until my 90 kilos crushed it into the flat light grid beneath, at least.
Here, at last, is a hubless bike that I can get behind.

Learning Bike Concepts from TrekWorld 2012 [Bicycle Design]

Sony DEV5 Looks Like Luke Skywalker’s Binoculars

2011-08-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm watching you...

[/caption] Now you too can track down Sand People and hunt the horizon for lonely, brown-robed old Jedis with Sony’s new NEX binoculars. The binos, named DEV3 and DEV5, pack a CMOS sensor, two lenses and two electronic eyepieces instead of the usual light-folding optical prism design. Because of this all-electronic pipeline, you can also snap stills, along with 2-D and 3-D video.
Both models have constant AF to follow the subject, and both have image stabilization, while the DEV5 has GPS to geotag your photos and videos.

When it comes to zooming, things get a little confusing. Both have optical zooms of 10x, and while the DEV3 stops there, the DEV5 will add in a digital zoom to boost the max to 20x. If you want to record 3-D, then the maximum magnification drops to 5.4x.

Sony DEV3 and DEV5 Binoculars Capture Stills and HD Video [Press release / Photography Bay]

Toothpaste-Squeezing Toothbrush Wrings Out Every Last Drop

2011-08-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Never waste a drop of toothpaste ever again

Toothpaste always runs out just when you’re in the biggest rush. You hold the end of the tube with one hand, and squeeze it between the thumb and forefinger of the other, pulling and squishing until the last drops of minty paste are up near the nozzle. You then attempt a kind of gripping/twisting/squeezing motion which — hopefully — extracts the last remnants of toothpaste from the shoulders of the tube, but also rips through these shoulders leaving any remnants open to the air, to become dried out within hours.
And the liberated drop immediately drips onto your interview tie. Damn your idiot spouse for not always squeezing from the bottom!
What you need, my panicked, angry, job-seeking friend, is the Catherine Werdel’s Toothpaste-Squeezing Toothbrush, which will allow you to gently roll the toothpaste tube “auf den letzten Drücke” (she’s German). It’s an incredibly simple design: just a slot in the toothbrush’s handle which lets you roll the tube and push its contents towards the exit hole.
My esteemed blogging colleague Andrew Liszewski, over at Oh Gizmo, speculates like a true paranoiac. The reason this design has never been commercially available is that the evil toothbrush cartels also sell the paste, and they want you to waste as much as you can. Maybe Liszewski should consider one less espresso in the mornings, as I have a far simpler explanation: Imagine trying to use this brush when the tube is already wrapped halfway around it. It would be a nightmare. And given that we’re all too lazy to even squeeze a tube from the bottom, there’s no way we would thread this thing on every single time.

Hands On with LinkedIn’s New Mobile Apps

2011-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

LinkedIn recently updated its mobile applications, reducing the number of icons on the home screen. Photo: Michele Travierso/Wired.com

LinkedIn doesn’t have the same propellant fueling the growth of other social networks — mindless status updates, online games and kitten videos — and so will always struggle to maintain the “stickiness” that keeps people clinging to, say, Facebook. So despite healthy post-IPO numbers — second quarter revenue of $121 million and a profit of $4.5 million — concerns about long-term growth keep the management on their toes. But where to look for sticky fingers? On your cell screen of course!
Mobile already is the strongest area of growth, with a reported 400 percent year-on-year increase in mobile page views last June and more than 200 million searches. That’s prompted LinkedIn to create a mobile app that increases the utility of a service traditionally used as a recruiting and job seeking tool.
The app, released Tuesday, is available for Android and iPhone and in a comfy HTML5 browser version. Although not specifically designed for tablets, it works great on our office IPad. You can try it out and preview the app at touch.linkedin.com.
Once downloaded on an iPhone 4, the app is noticeably faster to load and opens with a short Flash-like intro that, thankfully, you have to suffer through only when you fire up the app for the first time. Beyond that, the app turns to the self-explanatory and aptly named “Updates.”
Updates, with a capital U, is basically a mix between a Facebook-like news feed and a Twitter stream. It shows both updates written in-app from people in your network and the actual Twitter feed of those users that decided to link accounts.
The top section of the page is dedicated to the new-ish feature called LinkedIn Today (browser version here), launched last March. LinkedIn Today aggregates the day’s most relevant information about the industries or areas of interest based on the shared knowledge and wisdom of your network and fellow industry insiders. It sounds great in principle, but how does it work?
One thing they nailed pretty well: LinkedIn knows many people need to stay current in more than one industry at a time. The app suggests a set of industries based on your connections, but you’re able to search for others.
Tapping on the shared news will open a dedicated browser with the usual set of “share” options. You can re-post the link to your stream or e-mail it, choosing whether the update should be public or visible only to your network. One Update feature that has potentially greater utility than others is the ability to see who in your network has shared your link. Alas, it works only when users share them from LinkedIn. It’d be great if the algorithm could run the same check also for shortened links shared from the Twitter stream.

The previous LinkedIn mobile app home screen had a more cluttered look that tended to confuse users. Photo courtesy of LinkedIn

Tap the home bar and you end up in a home page that benefits from a drastic redesign. It’s less cluttered, with just four icons — one each for updates, your profile, your inbox and your network. For some strange reason, you can’t edit your profile within the app. Tap network and you instantly access the most requested feature of the crop of users of the previous version of the app: groups. It’s a welcome addition, considering it’s one of the most popular features of LinkedIn, and the main way users interact with themselves. LinkedIn’s app clearly is meeting-centric and designed to address the needs of busy people on the go. It’s great if you haven’t done your homework before meeting a customer or need some background on that candidate your assistant set you up with. A quick browse of the profile of the person you just connected will reveal where the person works, where he or she went to school, or what have you.
Tap the top left of the home bar and you can write short updates that, if you’ve linked your accounts, can be simultaneously re-posted to Twitter. Of course, Twitter pico posts end up in the update stream of a user, if one so wishes.
So, to use LinkedIn spin to it, the app is build around the meeting: pre, during and post. It makes quite a bit of sense – you check it before to gather informations on the person(s) you are about to meet; during, to to get up to date with what’s going on in your field and right afterwards, to connect (or permanently ban, in some cases). Especially, when you happen to go to a lot of conferences and exchange a ton of business cards, fantasizing, one day, to write to all those people and somehow manage to establish a connection with them. Now, you can do it right then and there.

Disaster-Proof Backpack Keeps You Stocked for Emergencies

2011-08-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Good design, it is said, should solve problems. Perhaps that is why the best designers occasionally focus their efforts on addressing issues helping the poor, the needy or those hit by natural disasters.
A team from Osaka University, working with famed designer Dr. Kazuo Kawasaki, created the “Vaccine Refrigerator” backpack to facilitate transporting and storing medicine in an emergency. It is the latest in a series of products developed under Kawasaki’s Peace-Keeping Design project.
The pack weighs less than 6 kilograms and is designed to take a beating while keeping vaccines and other medicine safe. It can keep dozens of disposable injection kits — also designed by Kasawski’s team — at a constant temperature for up to three days. The whole thing is tough enough to be dropped by parachute into disaster or conflict zones.
Presented during the recent Design Tokyo exhibit, the Vaccine Refrigerator is one little step towards a better world thanks to good design.

Gadget Lab Hardware News and Reviews R2-D2 Home Planetarium Is the Droid You’re Looking For

2011-08-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

The R2 unit will be available through Japanese import sites next month. Image courtesy of Lucasfilm Limited.

You won’t find Princess Leia begging for help when you turn on Sega Toys’ new Star Wars-themed projector. You’ll have to settle instead for a brilliant rendition of our galaxy instead.
The R2-D2 Homestar Planetarium is the latest in Sega Toys’ line of astral projectors. But unlike other models, it’s the only model that identifies a fully operational Death Star. Condolences to members of the Rebel Alliance: Alderaan is no where to be found.
The unit stands at 8 inches tall, and the LED projector runs for up to three hours on four AAA batteries. The planetarium will be available for 6825 yen ($91) when it hits stores in Japan next month. Stateside astronomers and Star Wars geeks will be able to procure the projector from import sites like Japan Trend Shop, which is taking pre-orders. Pairs well with the Blu-Ray edition of the movies, also out in September.