The Mithos Electromagnetic Vehicle concept.

(Credit:
Endpoint)

What kind of
car would you design if you didn’t have to pay attention to cost, practicality, or even the laws of physics?

To visualize the potential of futuristic technologies, Portuguese industrial designer Tiago Miguel Inacio penned a halo vehicle for the 22nd century–the Mithos Electromagnetic Vehicle concept.

Inspired by Tim Burton’s Batmobile, the Mithos is equipped with a 1.5 megawatt electric motor that gives the vehicle a zero to 60 mph acceleration of 2.1 seconds. It can reach its top speed of 250 mph in 12 seconds.

The body is coated in crash resistant body panels that remember their shape and are programmed to reform to their original cast in the event of a crash. Not that a crash should happen, because it will be traveling on electromagnetic roadways and will be able to avoid other vehicles that come within its magnetic field.

And if the electromagnetic highway is a little backed up, the vehicle can always telport to its destination. How, you ask? Its molecural teleport processor provides the Mithos’ molecular coodinates and dynamic properties to a standard q-teleport transmitter/receiver station. How else would you get to the Hamptons on a Friday afternoon?

Clearly this is just a concept that has no hopes of getting picked up by a manufacturer for production. But it’s not entirely a pipe dream, either. Last week Stanford university researchers introduced wireless charging technology that could be the foundation of an electromagnetic highway.

In the mean time, it could also inspire the next Batman film.

Source: Digitaltrends.com

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The
HP Envy 14 Spectre, our Best of CES category winner in the Computers and Hardware category, is now available to pre-order on HP’s website.

This unique-looking system caught our eye thanks to sheets of Corning Gorilla Glass covering both sides of the lid, plus additional glass over the entire wrist rest and touchpad.

At
CES, we said of the 14-inch system: “Compared to thin 13-inch ultrabooks and laptops like the MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre is no lightweight. The 20mm-thick, 14-inch ultrabook fits within the size guidelines for the newer class of 14-inch ultrabooks we’ve seen at CES, but that also means it’s heavier and thicker than other ultrabooks, including the HP Folio 13. Nevertheless, the Spectre is still lighter and thinner than mainstream laptops like the MacBook Pro.”

The base model on HP’s website right now starts at $1,399 and includes an Intel Core i5 2467M processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. Core i7 and 256GB SSD upgrades are available, adding both of those raises the price to $1,899.

For both configurations, HP is currently showing a ship date of February 17.

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Sony gave us the Xperia Ion at CES. Could the Xperia Sola be next?

With Mobile World Congress just three weeks away, rumors continue to fly about what we might see out of big players like Nokia, LG, Samsung, and HTC.

Sony has been a notable exception up until now, but a recent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may finally offer some clues as to what the company has in store.

Filed on January 31, the application asks for a trademark on the name “Xperia Sola.” Though there’s no indication as to what type of device would carry the moniker, the long line of Xperia smartphones points to yet another member of the family.

Sony introduced two slick devices at
CES 2012, the Xperia Ion and the Xperia S, so we expect at least that number at Mobile World Congress.

The company is holding a press conference on February 26, the day before the show begins in Barcelona, Spain. CNET will be there in force to bring you all the news.

(Via Pocketnow)

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Nissan will be showing its updated 370Z at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show.

(Credit:
Nissan)

The news that Nissan updated the 370Z for the 2013 model year seemed promising. The update that took it from the 350Z to the 370Z produced a brilliant little sports
car.

But after reading the press release and looking at the photos, published in conjunction with the 2013 370Z’s unveiling at the Chicago Auto Show, this is not a car to get particularly excited about. When Nissan launched the 370Z in 2009, it came out with a shorter wheelbase and more power than the outgoing 350Z. The 2013 370Z changes little from the 2012 model, with mostly cosmetic touches.

2013 Nissan 370Z preview (photos)

The grille loses its deep intake look, replaced by a simplified surround. Nissan added LED running lights, which are becoming as prevalent as rear view mirrors, to the front fascia. Two new colors, magma red and midnight blue, will show up on the Web configurator.

For performance upgrades, Nissan gives the sport trim model “Euro-tuned shock absorbers,” which we assume means they handle cobblestone streets well. The 19-inch wheels on the Sport trim model get a new design.

The engine is still the 3.7-liter V-6, producing 332 horsepower, with a six-speed manual transmission or the seven-speed automatic.

The only cabin tech change is the addition of more speakers to the NISMO 370Z’s Bose audio system.

These updates don’t hurt the car, which remains a brilliantly fun sport driver, but they won’t help it much, either. Much of what Nissan has done with this update seems like it could have been performed in a tuner shop.

We also hope this update does not signal a lengthy wait for a more significant change to the 370Z. The current generation launched as a 2010 model. On a five-year product cycle, that would mean we won’t see a big change to the car until the 2015 model year. But there have been big changes in the competition’s engine and cabin technology. The 370Z could end up looking very stale if Nissan waits too long for a real update.

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So I made an appointment to go see him again, with enough time to snap pictures of the equipment in his office in Palo Alto, Calif., office.

Click through our slideshow for a view into this small, private, and unique collection of space artifacts.

Steve Jurvetson’s personal Apollo collection (photos)

Related stories:

Steve Jurvetson: Only investing in the unknown
Steve’s Startup Secret: Consider the dynamic duo
Slideshow: Larry Marcus’ museum of dead technology

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The Invitation is a new design Nissan will use as the basis of a small car for Europe.

(Credit:
Nissan)

At the 2012 International Motor Show in Geneva, Nissan will show off a small
car concept with striking new design language.

For the last couple of years it seemed like Nissan’s design department was playing exquisite corpse with its vehicles, one designer taking over where another left off, not looking at the previous section of the car. Both the Juke and the Quest seem a mishmash of styles, while earlier design cues, such as the boomerang headlight casings from the 370Z and GT-R, haven’t made it past the sports cars.

Then there’s the coherent but conservative design of the Versa, leading to a nondescript little car that will have people wandering around parking lots for hours trying to find it.

Nissan Invitation concept (photos)

But the photos just released for the Invitation concept show a car with a solid and attractive design. The wide grille stretches across the front of the car, fitting into cutouts in the headlight casings. The lower air intake and parking lights mirror the upper half of the front.

The side shows a powerful contour line that runs down the back, then forward, hooking back again in the front doors. Nissan calls it the Squash Line. To paraphrase The Dude, it really ties the car together.

Nissan has not released many details of the concept, which will be the basis for a new European B segment car alongside the Juke. But it seems likely it would use the same engines as the European Juke, a variety of 1.5- and 1.6-liter four-cylinders burning either gasoline or diesel.

Nissan says a production car based on the Invitation would boast the most advanced technology in the segment. The LED headlights seen on the concept probably would not make the transition, but the car would include Nissan’s around-view monitor system.

The bad news is that Nissan is designating the concept as the basis for a new European car, not a U.S. car. Nissan probably would not want to displace the Versa in the U.S. market with a new car, as the Versa’s sales are good. And the company updated the Versa for its 2012 model, and that car would not be due for an update for at least three years.

Strangely, where other automakers are seeing manufacturing efficiency in marketing world cars, Nissan seems to be going in the opposite direction, building different cars for specific markets. And U.S. buyers seem to favor sedans and boring design in the small-car segment.

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Single strands of DNA link up in the presence of a pathogen to form large chains and clusters, whose larger masses and charges are quickly detectable by the new chip.

(Credit:
Luo Lab/Cornell)

Dan Luo, professor of biological and environmental engineering, has been using synthetic DNA to amplify tiny samples of pathogen DNA, RNA, or proteins. Because of $25 million in funding from the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenge to 12 teams developing point-of-care diagnostics, Luo will be combining forces with Edwin Kan, a Cornell professor of electrical and computer engineering, who has built a computer chip that can respond quickly to those amplified samples.

The engineers describe their novel device as something akin to a molecular-level Lego builder. Because single strands of DNA pair up with others that have complementary genetic codes, the engineers can synthesize strands that will match others–even matching over only specific parts of their lengths–thereby assembling specific and even odd shapes.

Luo and Kan’s pathogen detector uses a “Y” shape, with a DNA strand or antibody attached to the base of the Y designed to lock onto a pathogen, and a molecule attached to one of the upper arms that will chain up with similar molecules (polymerize) in the presence of ultraviolet light.

This means that by exposing a sample that includes this Y-DNA and a pathogen (such as tuberculosis) to UV light, the molecules at the upper arms will link up, forming long chains of Ys should the pathogen be present, which then group together into even larger masses. (This process is called a polymer chain reaction, or PCR for short.)

The chip, then, measures the sample’s mass and charge. With a pathogen present, the resulting chain reaction is easily detected via its greater mass and charge; lower masses and charges indicate no chain reaction, and thus the absence of a pathogen.

The chip could conceivably be controlled by a cell phone. Once fast and affordable detection is possible, the task at hand is for the engineers to design a kit for the developing world that can function in extreme weather conditions.

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The Nikon D700, introduced in 2008.

(Credit:
Nikon USA)

It looks like Nikon’s highly anticipated D800, a large-sensor SLR that supplants the three-year-old D700, will cater to photographers who want to leave behind that mixed blessing of digital photography, the antialiasing filter.

The job of that filter is to remove moire artifacts–wavy lines and other visual distractions that can occur when an image sensor’s grid of pixels captures an image with repeating elements such as fabric patterns. The antialiasing filter works by slightly blurring the image, which is convenient when moire is a problem but which degrades sharpness in the many situations where it’s not.

Chausseur d’Images, a French photo magazine, said that will Nikon sell both the regular D800 and a D800E model with no antialiasing filter. The French price will be less than 3,000 euros for the regular D800, and the D800E will cost 300 to 500 euros more, the magazine said.

Nikon launched the D700 in 2008, an SLR for professionals and enthusiasts who wanted the image quality of a large full-frame sensor without all the expense and bulk of a top-end camera body. Nikon’s D700 sequel will compete chiefly with whatever Canon offers to replace its three-year old 5D Mark II.

D800 specifications have been leaking for months from Nikon Rumors and others. Among those specs have been a 36-megapixel sensor with extended-range sensitivity reaching ISO 25,600; 1080p video at 24, 25, or 30 frames per second; an option for uncompressed HDMI video output; dual CompactFlash an SD card memory slots; and USB 3.0 support. To that, Chausseur d’Images added that the sensor is an Exmor model made by Sony.

Nikon Rumors also reported the D800E name on Saturday. It seems likely the camera will be announced tomorrow.

Moire patterns can be removed with software–indeed, Adobe Systems’ Lightroom 4 beta adds an adjustment brush specifically for the task. But it’s no surprise camera makers generally would err on the side of convenience.

The purported D800E won’t be the first camera lacking an antialiasing filter, also called a low-pass filter. Medium-format camera products from Phase One, Pentax, and Hasselblad don’t use them, because they’re geared for professionals who know how to handle moire in software if necessary. Some unusual cameras such as the Pentax Q and the Leica M9 also forsake the filter. And some companies offer antialiasing removal services for converting ordinary cameras.

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With the 2011 Jetta update, Volkswagen made some compromises to get the price low, but the GLI restores handling and power to this otherwise humble model.

Significant additions to the Jetta GLI are a multi-link rear suspension and rear disc brakes. The most important part of the package is one of the best powertrains available today, Volkswagen’s TFSI 2-liter four cylinder engine mated to its Direct Shift Gearbox. That engine combines good economy and and power.

Cabin tech options mirror what can be found in other high trim Jettas, with an available navigation system and
iPod connectivity. We raved about the Fender audio system in this Jetta, which blows away other audio offerings in this segment.

The biggest competition to the GLI comes from Volkswagen itself, with the GTI. That hot hatchback gets the same powertrain, along with launch control. But if a sedan is more your style, then the Jetta GLI will have to suffice.

Read CNET’s review of the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

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One day we could have high-tech walls made of touch-sensitive architectural display glass.

(Credit:
Corning)

“Gorilla Glass” could one day become a household phrase, but Corning has even larger ideas.

“A Day Made of Glass 2″ is a montage of “how highly engineered glass, with companion technologies, will help shape our world,” according to Corning. It is mind-blowing to imagine everyday objects suddenly having rich, interactive displays and multiple functionalities.

After watching the video, I began to think about how intelligent glass, installed on a broad scale, could change the world. There are two key integrations: in the education and medical fields.

Education: the final frontier.

(Credit:
Corning)

In the video, kids sit in rows of workstations in a classroom with a large, interactive touch-screen display and a teacher. Computers show only what is on the main display with no distractions. The menu system and interactive features, combined with a teacher’s expertise, compel the kids to pay attention and learn. I certainly feel this is what education could be, and should be. Just seeing the purported UI reminds me of how it is sad that we’ll see something like this in a mobile device before we see it integrated into our schools.

Full-scale wall projections could change the way we look at glass.

(Credit:
Corning)

There’s also a portrayal of a hospital full to the brim with fancy futuristic Corning glass setups. Aside from the expected
tablets for carrying around information and vital stats, there’s a suggestion for an all-glass room. The clip shows a doctor video-conferencing with another doctor thousands of miles away. It’s surreal to see them work together on charts through a massive, ultracrisp glass touch screen. Will we really have wall displays that show another room perfectly?

Sign me up, but please don’t show me the bandwidth bill.

The psychics at Corning also suggest that hospital rooms in the future could be made entirely of high-tech specialty glass that could offer antimicrobial qualities that “inhibit the growth of microorganisms.”

There are many more examples that we could speak about from this video. Which one is your favorite? If you want more, check out the PR-heavy expanded version.

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