WOW-POW = World Of Wonderful POWer

Fujitsu Loox F-07C windows 7 smartphone unlocked!

2011-07-28T08:14:00.006+09:00

Fujitsu Loox F-07C windows 7 smartphone now available unlocked from Conics.Net shipping world-wide and priced at $1479 USD

The dual boot Phone gets Symbian OS *(English or Japanese) and for the PC OS it's running Windows 7 Home Premium *(Pro / Ultimate optional)

Optional accessories include the docking cradle for out put to external LCD via HDMI (720p) and 4x full size USB ports for keyboard / mouse etc.

Fujitsu F-07C Product reviews:
WoW-PoW.com full review coming very soon
Full review on pocketables.net soon

107Kg test on airSUP 96XV inflatable stand up paddleboard

2011-07-27T09:36:00.003+09:00

107kg = 236 lbs on the 15psi airSUP 96XV inflatable paddleboard !
less than 10cm (4 inch) bend even with 107Kg on the board when suspended between two saw-horses !

air7 now ship all over the world* click here to find out more

Butamen Kids Ramen review mini cup ramen, Japan Exclusive

2011-07-06T15:29:00.001+09:00

Butamen Kids Ramen review mini cup ramen, Japan Exclusive
(Random Japanese Crap Series)

Second Opinion

Furitamagumi candy review, Japan Exclusive weird new amazing

2011-07-06T15:27:00.001+09:00

Furitamagumi candy review, Japan Exclusive weird new amazing
(Random Japanese Crap Series)

Pepsi Dry Video Review Japanese Exclusive taste Pepsi DRY taste test

2011-07-06T15:26:00.000+09:00

Pepsi Dry Video Review Japanese Exclusive taste Pepsi DRY taste test
(Random Japanese Crap Series)

Panasonic CF-B10 world's lightest strongest 15" full HD laptop toughbook

2011-07-06T15:19:00.002+09:00

Panasonic CF-B10 world's lightest strongest 15" full HD laptop toughbook
The Lightest 15" Notebook in the world with full HD screen is no slouch in power.

Panasonic B10 / S10 / J10 comparison review overview

2011-07-06T15:10:00.000+09:00

We compare the Panasonic B10 / S10 / J10 mainly in mini size overview

Panasonic CF-J10 mini overview review worlds smallest toughbook PC

2011-07-06T15:08:00.001+09:00

Panasonic CF-J10 mini overview review worlds smallest toughbook PC
sponsor: http://conics.net/

Takara Tomy beer hour draft beer on tap #2 Japan exclusive

2011-06-17T12:23:00.002+09:00

Takara Tomy beer hour draft beer on tap #2 Japan exclusive
Getting Drunk testing the Tomy Draft Beer on Tap maker

Takara Tomy beer hour draft beer on tap Japan exclusive

2011-06-17T12:19:00.001+09:00

Takara Tomy beer hour draft beer on tap Japan exclusive
(Random Crap from Japan Series)

mini wifi router access point so tiny fits in your hand Japan exclusive

2011-06-17T12:12:00.000+09:00

mini wifi router access point so tiny fits in your hand! Japan exclusive
(Random Crap from Japan Series)
Elecom Logitec mini wifi router access point so tiny fits in your hand! Japan exclusive
works up to 20m

Elecom comfy , smooth mouse pad with gel for your wrist Japan exclusive

2011-06-17T12:07:00.001+09:00

Elecom comfy , smooth mouse pad with gel for your wrist Japan exclusive
(Random Crap from Japan Series)

Chukyo-Yakuhin Sports drink Powder, Japan exclusive

2011-06-17T11:45:00.000+09:00

Chukyo-Yakuhin Sports drink Powder, Japan exclusive
(Random Crap from Japan Series)

McDonald's free Coca-Cola class can cup Japan exclusive

2011-06-17T11:39:00.001+09:00

McDonald's free Coca-Cola class can cup Japan exclusive
(Random Crap from Japan Series)

Sony launchs Android tablets S1 and S2 with Honeycomb 3.0

2011-04-26T20:32:00.006+09:00

Sony has announced that it will launch two tablet machines running Google's Android Honeycomb operating system.

The devices, S1 and S2, will go on sale towards the end of the year.

Some information is starting to show on Sony's website (link)

(prices are not available at time of publishing)

the new apple ipad2, go buy it already!

2011-03-07T09:53:00.003+09:00

Conan O'Brien show has the ipad2!!

via engadget

LLLT Laser therapy for knee pain and shin splints review of the BrightTherapy BT-TI816 Strappy Laser

2011-01-25T15:25:00.005+09:00

Normally we do not review health care products but after using the BrightTherapy BT-TI816 Strappy Laser for chronic shin splints and knee pain I had to tell someone. Plus it uses two 30mw infrared lasers elevating the “cool” factor. First off LLLT stands for low level laser therapy which basically means these lasers cannot burn. They work instead by increasing blood circulation in the treated area in processes called bio-stimulation. Whatever they call it, it worked wonders for me. I used it for shin splints while training for a marathon with shockingly quick results of less than 24 hours for the pain to almost completely subside. Essentially after a good night’s sleep it was like the condition was just a memory.

It turns out the increased blood circulation significantly reduces healing times (up to 5 times faster). It is not like the pain disappears immediately after using the BT-TI816 laser but the pain reduced gradually over the day and overnight. By nature, I am a skeptical person and I was not sure I could contribute the disappearance of the pain just to the Strappy Laser, even though I had been batting it for almost a year before this. However, after increased training the shin splints started to appear again so I used the laser again and the paid disappeared. This time I decided to read the manual and follow the instructions and treated my shins everyday for 10 minutes per side and the shin splints have not returned. This has been by far the most effective treatment I have tried and I have tried 4 different pairs of sneakers, stretching, gels, and massages.

After my marathon (Still over 4 hours.. crap) my shins were fine but my knees felt as if they had been bruised. The next day I could barely walk and putting weight on my legs brought acute pain to my knees. This pain was not stiffness but my knees were swollen and it felt like an injury leaving me worried. After dragging myself to my study, I pulled out the Strappy Laser to treat my shins as had become my routine and decided why not treat my knees too. And it worked again! I noticed over the next hour that the pain was reseeding and by the evening most of the pain in my knees had gone as well as the swelling. The next day my knees felt completely normal. I have been using the laser on my shins, knees and Achilles tendons for the past 3 days and this is by far the fastest recovery I have ever had from a marathon.

When I first got the TI-816 Strappy laser from BrightTherapy.com I was completely skeptical it would work but I have drunk the cool aid and I believe. It really does work wonders. In the following months I have decided to try and review their other laser products. For the record the BT-TI816 Strappy Infrared laser uses two 30mw 830nm infrared lasers pulsed at 10Htz for a total of 60mw of laser power. The treatment times are 10 minutes per area and it is super easy to use. Just hit the center button and it turns on and will turn off automatically after 10 minutes. What I like best is that is comes with an adjustable strap that holds the laser in place so I could use it while at work sitting at my computer desk or laying in bed reading. Here is the link to BrightTherapy.com. And a direct link to the BT-TI816 Strappy laser.

Sony Vaio AMD Fusion high power netbook

2011-01-06T09:26:00.002+09:00

This looks like a re-birth of the Vaio TT, extremely popular little laptop, should be available within a few months.

We should get one of these 11.6" PCs for review shortly after release :)

Specs so far:
AMD Fusion E-350 1.6GHz
4GB RAM
500GB HDD (SSD options expected)
WiFi, Bluetooth (3G / WiMAX options expected)
3500mAh battery (larger option expected)
updates to come soon.

Bointec NR413-SA : world's longest run time mobile hotspot router

2010-12-21T18:29:00.002+09:00

Bointec portable battery powered wifi Router for 3G USB modem 6 hours run time!

now priced from $85 USD and shipping world wide from Conics

Panasonic J9 compared to the Panasonic S9 Toughbook, video

2010-12-21T18:23:00.002+09:00

Panasonic J9 compared to the Panasonic S9 Toughbook. Youtube video below, and now shipping from Conics.Net

New Panasonic J9 Toughbook mini review CF-J9 video

2010-12-21T18:20:00.002+09:00

New Panasonic J9 Toughbook now available from Conics.Net mini review CF-J9 video

Sharp Android IS01, English tested and reviewed

2010-11-21T18:15:00.002+09:00

Sharp IS01 now shipping from Conics.Net

Onkyo TW117A4, TW217A5 and TW317A5 in Japan from October

2010-09-30T09:55:00.008+09:00

Onkyo has announced Three Windows 7 Tablet PC for sales in Japan from Mid October.
Each powered by Atom CPU with 1GB RAM and a 10.1" or 11.6" wide multi-touch screen.
We should get some for review soon, until then here are the press release photos:

Onkyo TW117A4 Windows 7 Tablet PC 10.1"
with 160GB HDD, Atom N450, 1GB RAM

Price from approx. $620 USD at Conics.Net
with English Windows 7

Onkyo TW217A5 Windows 7 Tablet PC 10.1" touch screen, 32GB SSD , HDMI out
Atom Z530 1.6GHz US15W chipset, 1GB RAM

Price from approx. $740 USD at Conics.Net
with English Windows 7

Onkyo TW317A5 Windows 7 Tablet PC 11.6" multi-touch screen, 32GB SSD ,
Atom N450 1.66GHz 82801HBM chipset,
Broadcom HD graphics accelerator chip for 1080p playback. HDMI out

Priced from approx. $870 USD at Conics.Net
with English Windows 7

Video of the saruSURF roll-up-SUP® Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board

2010-08-28T00:22:00.002+09:00

sarusurf lent us their roll-up-SUP® Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board for a review. We should have the review in a week or two but I can tell you so far it is by far the best inflatable paddle board we have ever ridden. (and we have tried 3 other popular brands) The 7.5" standard fin makes all the difference as it rides, tracks, and maneuvers like a "real" hard stand up paddle board. Plus they put a lot of rise in the nose rocker as well as the tail rocker. In fact its so easy to pack, setup, and ride that I like it better than my hard SUP. Below is the sarusurf promo video to give you an idea of what it is like:

RunCore Xapear SSD, RFID access and remote GSM erase - SSD Remote Kill

2010-08-19T14:40:00.001+09:00

Video Review of the RunCore Xapear SSD, RFID access and remote GSM erase. Get your computer stolen or confiscated and you can activate a Remote Kill and erase all your sensitive data.

Toshiba W100 unboxing + review PALW100MNG Dual screen UMPC

2010-08-14T08:06:00.004+09:00

We've finally got our grubby paws on the Libretto W100 for our unboxing and review:

Available now , shipping world-wide from Conics.Net

Honda Fit Hybrid Japanese Pricing + Date Announced

2010-08-14T07:49:00.004+09:00

Honda Japan has finally released the price and sales date for the new "Hybrid Honda Fit". I was holding off on buying one of these when they were announced last year - I'm glad I did.

Prices will start at around 1.59 million yen (approx. $18,500 US). With the government rebates applied I assume... this is only 300,000 yen ($4650 US) more than the gasoline model.

From what they posted on JapanToday, the new model will get approx 30Km/L (up from the current 24Km/L). Japan sales date should be October 2010, US sales later in 2011.

Toyota has also announced a compact hybrid for the Japan market in 2011, price also around 1.5 million yen.

Enerv8 PowerTread : create power from Speed Bumps

2010-07-17T07:59:00.006+09:00

NZ company Enerv8's PowerTread creates energy from cars driving over it.

The PowerTread is to be installed in series, in place of current speed bumps (aka "judder bar" in NZ speak!).

Like speed bumps, the device slow cars down, but transfers the kinetic energy to electricity - enough to power 18 homes or a small shopping mall - so they say.

With the help of investors in Singapore, the NZ company hopes to deploy PowerTread soon in a few shopping mall car parks in Singapore.

3NZ TV news video here (warning: they have NZ accents :) )

via Engadget

Video of the new Panasonic C1 Convertible Tablet PC with Core i5 CPU

2010-06-30T13:18:00.004+09:00

PC Watch Japan has a hands one with the new Panasonic C1 Tough Book Tablet. This is probably one of the best convertible tablet PC now available as it has a fast Core i5 2.4Ghz Intel CPU, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM with the MyLets model, 250GB HDD, and most importantly, Panasonic's Tough Book construction.
This 12.1" inch 1280x800 LCD tablet come with a unique hot swappable 2 battery setup that allows over 12 hour battery life. Along with all the usual connectivity features, Bluetooth, Wifi a/b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, the C1 can be configured with both WiMax and 3G.
We loved the touchscreen and digitizer pen setup giving the best of both worlds. It comes bundled with Windows 7 64bit with the tablet features enabled. Panasonic also have included its own software that allows you to do your own notations to web pages, etc.
The C1 is not cheap coming in at over $2000 USD but these are designed for business, and offer the best quality, still made in Japan construction.
Lots more pictures at PCwatch
Available at Concis.net

Video of Toshiba NEW Dual Screen UMPC libretto W100 coming to Japan this August

2010-06-21T14:40:00.009+09:00

Toshiba's NEW Dual Screen UMPC libretto W100 coming to Japan this August. Toshiba has resurrected there Libertto series in a big way with the new dual screen W100 which looks a lot like the recently canceled Microsoft Courier.
While sporting two 7" capacitive touch screen displays (1024x600) one of the displays also doubles as a keyboard and mouse pad. Thankfully Toshiba passed on the anemic Atom CPU for a dual core CULV 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 processor, as well as 2GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD and Windows 7 Home Premium. Prices in Japan is set at about 120,00 YEN (about $1300 USD). Other features are an accelerometer, 1x USB 2.0 port, 802.11abgn wifi, WiMax, Bluetooth, Webcam, and a microSD card slot. It sizes up at 202×123×25.4mm and weighs in at 699grams. While we are happy that they are using the CULV CPU the battery life is reported to be only about 2 hours with the standard battery and 4 hours with the large.
More pictures below and more info at PC Watch
Conics.net is taking pre-orders now.

Double Solar Cell Efficiency with Quantum Dots

2010-06-20T21:45:00.004+09:00

Quantum Dots may one day lead to a Doubling of Solar Cell Efficiency. Popular Mechanics has an interesting articular about how new research by the Department of Energy shows that Quantum Dots can double the efficiency of solar cells. Researchers have shown that it's possible to harvest lost energy before it escapes from standard inefficient solar cells in the form of heat, meaning that engineers could one day develop next-generation solar cells with efficiencies of up to 66 percent. The research, funded by the Department of Energy, is described in the June 18 edition of the journal Science.

Study author Xiaoyang Zhu at University of Texas at Austin said the group used nanoscale crystals of a compound called lead selenide which is a semiconductor, meaning it absorbs light energy within a certain range of energies. But semiconducting nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots, exhibit very different properties than their larger silicon counterparts. Most importantly they can hold on to a hot electron for a longer period of time, stretching out the amount of time it takes for the electron to cool instead of losing them to heat.

Once a hot electron is confined within a quantum dot the researchers chose titanium oxide, a well-studied compound known for its ability to accept new electrons to pull the electron out from the dot. Then the team arranging the lead selenide quantum dots and titanium dioxide in such a way that their chemical interactions would induce electron transfer.

Not only was the transfer successful, it was also very fast. However, the process is very difficult to accomplish meaning a long road for commercialization.
More details at Popular Mechanics.

Acer Stream Android 2.1 smartphone @ Computex 2010

2010-06-03T01:00:00.001+09:00

Acer Stream Android 2.1 smartphone @ Computex 2010

Flightstrap review #1 : using on the train (media player holder)

2010-06-02T23:02:00.001+09:00

Flightstrap review #1 : using on the train (media player holder)

Inventec Dr eye Android Dictionary / MID [Computex 2010]

2010-06-01T22:03:00.002+09:00

Inventec "Dr eye" Dictionary / MID running Android.
Retail cost approx $300 USD

Innovision Labs HoloAD, 3D advertising at Computex 2010

2010-06-01T21:29:00.005+09:00

Innovision Labs HoloAD, 3D advertising at Computex 2010

Sharp PC-T1 Netwalker Ubuntu 5" tablet MID review

2010-06-01T21:24:00.001+09:00

Sharp PC-T1 Netwalker Ubuntu 5" tablet MID review

Panasonic CF-F9 Toughbook unboxing video + overview

2010-05-31T16:50:00.004+09:00

Panasonic CF-F9 Toughbook unboxing video + overview. The F9 comes with an Intel i5 2.4 Ghz M520 CPU, 250GB HDD, and up to 8GB RAM. Unique handle and Optical drive make this notebook get noticed. It is remarkably light weight at 3 pounds for a 14" and offers a 9 hour battery life.
Available at Conics.net

Video overview of Gigabytes upcomming Convertable tablet PC the M1125

2010-05-31T16:26:00.007+09:00

Video overview of Gigabytes upcoming Convertible tablet PC the M1125 at the Computex Taipei 2010 trade show. Expected for release in August, the 1125 will ditch the ATOM for the much more powerful Intel ULV Calpella Processor. No word on whether its an i5 or i7 core. Stand out features are a capacitive 11.6 1366 x 768 screen touch screen supporting multi-touch, two USB 3.0 ports, Easily upgradeable with a single door access, 3G antennas built in for connectivity, and a brushed aluminum finish. Tried to nail down a price point but all we could get was between $500-$1000.

Sony has released a video of a 4" Rollable OLED Display

2010-05-26T15:42:00.003+09:00

Sony has demonstrated a 4" Rollable OLED Display at the at the SID 2010 International Symposium. While only a prototype the 432 x 240 pixel resolution display supports 16M colors while exceeding 100nits brightness and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.
No word if or when this will ever come to market but pencil sized cell phones can't be too far in the future.
More at PC Watch (in Japanese)

Take That McDonalds - Lotteria Tower Cheese Burger With 10 Patties

2010-05-21T17:05:00.007+09:00

Fast food chains in Japan somehow love to create “heart-attack inducing” hambugers as promotion (Windows 7 Whopper and Mega Tamago). Now its Lotteria turn and they are allow customers to stack their Tower Cheese Burger 「タワーチーズバーガー」with 10 pieces of patties for 100 yen each.

Essentially, you’d start off with a 160 yen cheese burger and create a monstrous burger seen above which weighs a little more than half a kilogram (579 grams).
Actually it’d be cool if you had a large family, then you can just order one really large burger and share it together for a satisfying meal.
More at alafista.com

More details in Japanese with pictures here.

Badass All Metal Rubber Band Gun and Rubber Band Machine Gun!

2010-05-20T10:37:00.001+09:00

Bad-ass All Metal Rubber Band Gun and Rubber Band Machine Gun!

“Mezamashi TV” did this short feature on a guy who makes fancy rubber band guns out of metal. It is all in Japanese but you get the idea of these bad ass rubber band guns just by watching the video. Some background:
His day job involves metal working, so he has the knowledge needed to make some pretty bad-ass rubber band guns. His most advanced weapon is a rubber band machine gun, which fires off 30 rounds in about 2 seconds (it takes much longer to load).

He says that his hobby sometimes causes trouble at home, since his wife doesn’t like finding rubber bands strewn about the house in random places.
More video at JapanProbe

New and updated Sony VAIO P will be launched May 22nd

2010-05-10T15:53:00.006+09:00

New and updated Sony P will be launched May 22nd. Sony has updated it P series with slightly faster CPU, Accelerometer, and flashy new colors. In addition Sony has added an optical mouse pointer and mouse buttons to the bezel of the screen. The specs remain essentially the same with the fast CPU offered a Atom Z560(2.13GHz) over the 2Ghz model in Japan. It comes with the same 8" 1600x768 screen, SSD options, and dimensions as the previous model.
Sony has designed software that uses the new accelerometer as a way to navigate the browser by tipping the the computer to the right you can go forward a page and tipping the computer to the left you can go back a page. The accelerometer also adds more precise GPS functions and the addition of a software compass.
Pricing is the same as the previous model. Sadly, Sony has changed the colors to retro 1980 Neon with shocking pink, Neon Orange, and Neon Green colors. There is also a real Alligator skin model available directly from Sony style.
Much more at PC Watch but grab your translator as its in Japanese.And videos by PC Watch Here

Pictures of the new AU IS01 Android clam shell tablet phone

2010-05-07T16:17:00.005+09:00

Pictures of the new AU IS01 Android clam shell tablet phone. AU will introduce a 5" clam shell Android touch phone in June. No word on pricing but this item will only be available in Japan. Here are the specs:
Size: 83 × 149 × 17.9mm
Weight: 227g
Communication Systems: CDMA 1xEV-DO Rev.A (CDMA 1X WIN)
Talk time (3G/CDMA): 310 minutes
Standby time (3G/CDMA): 200 hours
Charging time: 210 minutes (AC),230 minutes (DC)Display About 5.0 inches, 960 × 480, New Mobile ASV LCD touch-screenOS: Android OS 1.6
CPU: 1GHz Snapdragon
Memory card: microSD / microSDHC Card
Wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b / g)
GPSBluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Lots more pictures at Impress Watch

Inexpensive Metal Catalyst gets Hydrogen from Water

2010-05-07T08:12:00.002+09:00

A team of researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California, Berkeley devised a high-valence metal they're calling Mo-oxo for molybdenum-oxo (PY5Me2). The catalyst requires no additional organic additives or solvents, can operate in neutral water (even if it's dirty) and works with sea water -- meaning we could literally be looking at oceans of cheap energy. Best of all: Mo-oxo is about 70 times cheaper than platinum. The research is still preliminary and the Berkeley team is just getting into some of the more exciting chemistry. They're looking for additional similar metals that might generate hydrogen gas at even higher efficiency, so by the time this kind of tech is commercialized we may have found an even better catalyst. Hydrogen would command a key role in future renewable energy technologies, experts agree, if a relatively cheap, efficient and carbon-neutral means of producing it can be developed.
Read all the details at Science Daily

Shorter Space Voyages with new Plasma Rocket

2010-05-07T07:48:00.004+09:00

Shorter Space Voyages with new Plasma Rocket. Known as Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR), a new plasma rocket is being developed to one day transport astronauts to Mars in 39 to 45 days -- a fraction of the six to nine months the trip would take with conventional chemical rockets. Shorter travel time greatly reduces astronauts' exposure to potentially deadly cosmic and solar radiation, currently a show-stopper for human missions to Mars.
VASIMR technology, which uses radio waves to ionize propellant, such as argon, xenon or hydrogen, and heat the resulting plasma to temperatures 20 times hotter than the surface of the sun creating thrust. In place of metal nozzles to control the direction of the exhaust, VASIMR uses magnetic fields.
Houston-based Ad Astra Rocket Co., which has raised millions of dollars from private investors, reached a significant milestone last year when it successfully operated a demonstrator VASIMR at full power in a vacuum chamber.
Ad Astra plans to launch its flight version VASIMR to the space station in 2014. As a backup, they intend to manufacture two engines in case a launch accident or other major problem prevents the first from reaching the outpost.
Once the engine is safely installed outside the station, the spare could be tapped for a new missions.
Much more at DiscoveryNews

Sony Z11 with Core i7 2.66GHz CPU, 4x 128GB SSD in RAID 0 test drive!

2010-05-05T10:20:00.007+09:00

Sony Z11 with Core i7 2.66GHz CPU and upto 4x 128GB SSD in RAID 0 (Quad RAID)... we took some for a test drive.

unboxing video and some "testing" / playing Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 (COD MW2)
as you'll see from our videos, this is a very impressive Sony Laptop.

Meet the sausage meat iPhone stylus!

2010-02-13T09:27:00.003+09:00

OK, it's winter, you're cold, don't want to take off your gloves... but still want to use your iPhone...

South Korea has the answer!
CJ Corporation's sausages have similar electrostatic properties to human fingers - allowing them to be used as a stylus with the iPhone's capacitive touch screen.

brilliant!

source: gearfuse

GScreen dualscreen laptop, coming May 2010?

2010-02-13T09:03:00.003+09:00

Kohjinsha's already selling the DZ and (under the Onkyo brand) DX , but what if you need more than those 2x 10" LCDs, you want 2x 17" and a beefier i7 CPU - and have a fatter wallet :)

GScreen will start at about $2895 USD, the company reports it will be shipping from March 2010.

more at engadget

PhotoFast G-Monster2 : Sandforce 1500 controller

2010-02-01T12:28:00.008+09:00

Coming first in 100GB and later available in 50, 200 and 400GB sizes.

Max read speed is quoted as 260MB/sec, but the most interesting point is the random write speed of " upto 75MB/sec " !

At the heart of the new G-Monster is the SandForce SF-1500 controller, so as you'd expect this is not a budget SSD... price for 100GB starting at 74,800 YEN ($830 USD!!) . We can't imagine what they'll ask for the 400GB... [you'll have to wait till March for that one]

for more, over to Photofast
a few benchmarks there

Onkyo DX unboxing and mini review

2010-01-23T12:00:00.002+09:00

Unboxing:

Mini Review:

computer supplied by: Conics.Net

Official Google Blog: A new approach to China

2010-01-13T21:56:00.002+09:00

Google to China : I play your silly games, why did you piss in my shoe ?!

(image source)

more on it here:
Official Google Blog: A new approach to China

Glint of sunlight shows lake on Saturn's moon Titan

2009-12-20T16:25:00.002+09:00

Glint of sunlight shows lake on Saturn's moon Titan. This is the first glint of sunlight to be seen by human eyes from a lake on Saturn's moon Titan – although it comes to us via NASA's Cassini orbiter. The reflection comes from a sprawling northern lake called Kraken Mare, which spans an area larger than the Caspian Sea. Titan has dozens of lakes, which are thought to be full of liquid methane, ethane and other hydrocarbons that may make a hearty soup for life. Cassini had already confirmed that there is liquid on the moon's southern hemisphere. But until recently, the northern hemisphere of the moon has been swaddled in winter darkness, and this glint of sunlight is the first sign of liquid there. It also suggests 1100-kilometre-long Kraken Mare is the moon's largest lake. The previous record-holder is a 235-kilometre-wide southern lake called Ontario Lacus.
More at New Scientist

Video; Is this the Apple tablet?

2009-12-18T11:54:00.001+09:00

The French website Nowhereelse.fr has obtained what it suggests may be a video of the long-rumored Apple tablet:

Via Bookofjoe

Water-World Found! Super-Earth waterworld orbiting star 40 lightyears from Earth

2009-12-17T23:13:00.002+09:00

Water-World Found! Astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) say they've spotted a super-Earth waterworld orbiting a red type M star some 40 lightyears from Earth. The body - dubbed GJ1214b - is circling dim host star GJ1214 every 38 hours at a distance of just 1.3 million miles. The star's modest surface temperature of 2,700°C, though, means that GJ1214b itself is a balmy 200°C. The planet has a mass and radius of 6.5 and 2.7 times that of Earth, respectively. The density obtained from these figures "suggests that GJ1214b is composed of about three-fourths water and other ices, and one-fourth rock". CfA graduate student Zachory Berta, who first identified the planet, said: "Despite its hot temperature, this appears to be a waterworld. It is much smaller, cooler, and more Earthlike than any other known exoplanet." The discovery was made as part of the ground-based MEarth Project, which uses "an array of eight identical 16-inch-diameter RC Optical Systems telescopes that monitor a pre-selected list of 2,000 red dwarf stars".

Much More at The Register

Panasonic N8 / S8 unboxing and review

2009-12-16T22:57:00.005+09:00

Unboxing Video: (skip to 3:20 to get to the PC)

Part 2: (N8 V's S8)

Apple Mac gets "Speed holes" mod in Jerusalem

2009-12-16T22:49:00.004+09:00

Leave your bag unattended in an airport in Israel and this might be the result...

We're not sure if the Mac runs better after the mod, but it's said to make it lighter and certainly looks cool!

source: Engadget

Kohjinsha DZ Dual Screen Laptop, mini Review, PART #1 , #2, and #3.

2009-12-13T20:51:00.004+09:00

Kohjinsha DZ Dual Screen Laptop, mini Review, PART #1, #2 & #3. Video review is rough and a bit discombobulated but done.
Part #1

And Part #2 Intel Atom vs AMD Neo

And Part #3 Performance

Confirmed:The Google Phone, Unlocked and branded!

2009-12-13T20:36:00.003+09:00

Confirmed: The Google Phone, Unlocked and branded! TechCrunch has confirmed the Google Phone will be branded by Google and sold by Google as an unlocked phone. This could change the entire market for mobile phones ending the days of being tied to a carrier. "The phone itself is being built by HTC, with a lot of input from Google. It seems to be a tailored version of the HTC Passion or the related HD2 (Unlocker scored some leaked pictures back in October which are of the same phone). Here are the details we know so far about the phone: It will be called the Google Phone and will launch in early January, 2010. It won’t be sold by any one carrier, but instead will be an unlocked GSM phone. In the U.S., that means T-Mobile and possibly AT&T, whose exclusivity deal with the iPhone is about to run out. It will be running Android 2.1
Much more at Techcrunch

AMD thinks ITG xpPhone should replace iPhone and BlackBerry?

2009-12-12T21:22:00.005+09:00

According to Jenn over at Pocketables, AMD's brass feel the Global VPITG xpPhone should replace iPhone and BlackBerry. (BTW, Congratulations Jenn on the new baby girl!) The exact chip being used in the slider-style MID phone is listed as an "AMD Super Mobile CPU" which can customized with clock speeds above and below 1GHz. The AMD execs thing highly of this new chip (Rumored to be based on the Geode CPU) and as Pocketables reported: "Rick Lisa, Global VP of AMD Embedded Sales, recommend that his colleagues use the xpPhone instead of the iPhone or BlackBerry". "Buddy Broeker, Director of AMD Embedded Computing Solutions Division, thought that "most of [his] colleagues [were] feeling jealous" about his ITGxpPhone. Honestly, the is thing is ugly and huge. I find it hard to really consider it a phone. And if it is based on a Geode chip then I worry that is will be underwhelming.
More at Pocketables as well as where (if your feeling brave) to by it.

Kohjinsha DZ Dual Screen Laptop Unboxing and brief overview

2009-12-11T17:59:00.001+09:00

Kohjinsha DZ Dual Screen Laptop Unboxing and brief overview. Look for our full review coming in a day or so. Thanks for watching.

CNN Video of the Mysterious Spiral that appeared over Norway

2009-12-11T14:59:00.002+09:00

CNN Video of the Mysterious Spiral that appeared over Norway

Businessweek's Best and Worst Tech Gadgets of 2009.

2009-12-11T12:14:00.001+09:00

Businessweek's Best and Worst Tech Gadgets of 2009. Business week has a slide show of the best and worst gadgets of 2009. Can you guess what ebook reader was first? I won't even hint at what was last.
Check out their slide show.
BusinessWeek.com

Think Electric has started production of their 2 seat electric car

2009-12-11T11:54:00.003+09:00

Engadget is reporting that Think Electric has started production of their 2 seat electric car after almost going out of business. Based in Norway, Think Electric managed to secure more funding after looking all but dead and is now back on track for a release of its 2 seat electric car by the end of the year!! The initial 2300 unit production run has already been sold as pre-orders destine for Europe. However, Think Electric plans to begin selling the car in the U.S. sometime next year. The also hope to license their electric power train technology to other automakers looking for a ready made option.
More at Engadet

Bacteria engineered to turn carbon dioxide into liquid fue

2009-12-11T11:50:00.002+09:00

Bacteria engineered to turn carbon dioxide into liquid fuel. Physorg is reporting that researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have genetically modified a cyanobacterium to consume carbon dioxide and produce the liquid fuel isobutanol, which holds great potential as a gasoline alternative. The reaction is powered directly by energy from sunlight, through photosynthesis.
The research appears in the Dec. 9 print edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology and is available online.
This new method has two advantages for the long-term, global-scale goal of achieving a cleaner and greener energy economy, the researchers say. First, it recycles carbon dioxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. Second, it uses solar energy to convert the carbon dioxide into a liquid fuel that can be used in the existing energy infrastructure, including in most automobiles.
Much More at Physorg.com

Tear down of Toshiba's Dynario Fuel Cell Battery.

2009-12-11T11:33:00.003+09:00

Tear down of Toshiba's Dynario Fuel Cell Battery. Tech-on broke down the fuel cell battery, and they were surprised by the large number of components. It is equipped with many circuit components other then fuel cells such as ultra-small pump, valve, microcomputer, controller IC chip and controller board. We were also surprised by the sturdy chassis of the battery, which is made with metal plates and strong reinforcement materials.
The Dynario has two power generating units, a cylindrical lithium-ion battery and two controller boards equipped with a power supply switch and an input-output terminal. The power generating unit is made by sandwiching generating cells between a lattice-shaped stainless steel plate and a resin chassis that works as a fuel feed plate and fixing them with rivets and caulking. Therefore, the cells cannot be taken out without breaking the unit.
The power generating unit is equipped with a fuel valve, a fuel pump and two controller IC chips for controlling them. The controller boards mounted with the power supply and the input-output terminal are used to control power from the power generating units and boot up the power generating units by using the lithium-ion battery.
More at Tech-on

Onkyo Releases High Speck version of the Dual Screen Notebook by Kohjinsha w/ 2 x 1366x768 screens!

2009-12-10T15:58:00.008+09:00

Onkyo Releases High Speck version of the Dual Screen Notebook by Kohjinsha w/ 2 x 1366x768 screens! Starting at 84,800 YEN (about $965) Onkyo has started selling a higher specked version of the DUAL SCREENED notebook originally made by Kohjinsha. The Onkyo is called the DX series (Kohjinsha calls theirs the DZ) and features 2 upgraded screens that are 1366 x 768 each (The Kohjinsha has 1024 x 600). Other upgrades are 2 GB of RAM, 320GB HDD, and it is available in White. The DX uses the same AMD Neo 1.6Ghz CPU, ATI 3200 Graphics GPU, and Chipset as the DZ. (Max RAM on the GPU is 896MB.) Basically for and extra $60 you can get an substantially better computer from Onkyo with 2 times the RAM, HDD space, and screen real estate. I think the DX will be the big winner of the two . The DX will start selling from December 21st.
More at PC Watch.
Available for pre-order at Conics.net

Kohjinsha releases First in World Dual Screen Laptop. The DZ Series with AMD Neo chip

2009-11-27T13:44:00.008+09:00

Kohjinsha releases the First in the World Dual Screen Laptop. The DZ Series features dual screens that slide apart making it the first retails Dual screen laptop in the world. The DZ starts at 79,800 YEN (about $999 exported from Conics.net) in its basic configuration and uses the AMD Dual Core Neo MV-40(1.60GHz) CPU, 2 x 1024x600 LCD screens and 160GB HDD. The DZ comes Radeon 3200 video chip set. Other specifications include 1GB Memory (maximum 4GB), One-SEG TV Tuner (works only in Japan), Windows 7 Home Premium. 3 USB 2.0 ports, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SD/MMC/microSD care Slot, and a 1.3 megapixel Web Camera. The battery life is 4.5 hours. Body size is approximately 280 × 210 × 19 ~ 42mm (width × depth × height) and weighs 1.84kg (about 4 pounds). The width of the computer with both screens opened is about 521mm.
The computer will be released in Japan on December 11th. No word if it will ever come to the USA.
Conics.net is taking preorders now for English version of the item:
Kojinsha video here:
A direct link the the Kohjinsha website

A quick video review NEC VersaPro UltraLite VS Sony Vaio Type X11

2009-11-12T14:33:00.001+09:00

A quick video review NEC VersaPro UltraLite VS Sony Vaio Type X11

Integrated Golf Bra! Who says Japanese are not creative?

2009-11-12T14:05:00.002+09:00

Integrated Golf Bra! Who says Japanese are not creative? The Japanese branch of German lingerie maker Triumph International has created a new gimmick bra meant to attract media attention to their brand. Let the cup jokes begin...

Kohjinsha PA series Unboxing Video

2009-11-06T16:02:00.000+09:00

Kohjinsha PA series Unboxing Video. This thing is small!

My girlfriend is the PRESIDENT Video Game from Japan

2009-11-05T16:01:00.001+09:00

My girlfriend is the PRESIDENT Video Game from Japan with English dubbing. Need I say more?

CNN's Kyung Lah sinks her teeth into the 7 patty Wopper!

2009-10-28T15:41:00.002+09:00

CNN's Kyung Lah sinks her teeth into a 2100 calorie 7 patty Wopper via a promotional deal between Burger King and Microsoft. Sadly only available in Japan Engadet has info on hacking your own region free version.

Kohjinsha PA series went on sale today in Japan

2009-10-28T12:56:00.003+09:00

The Kohjinsha PA series went on sale today in Japan. Pricing starts at 69,800 YEN and the specs are as previously reported: CPU:Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz), Chipset: Intel US15W, Graphics: GMA500, Memory: 512MB (Max), HDD: 32GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth Ver.2.0, micro SD card slot, USB 2.0, 1,130 pixel Web CAM, built-in microphone,Headphone output, speaker monaural, analog VGA with cable, One-Seg TV tuner (only works in Japan), Battery life: about 7.5 hours, Size: approx 161 × 111 × 10 ~ 26mm (width × depth × height)Weight: about 400g.
Available though resellers like Conics.net
PC Watch did a nice write up on it and review in Japanese so grab your translater and check out the link here:
We should have a video review up soon as we will have ours in a few days.

Bridgestone Unveils 'World's 1st' Flexible E-paper Device

2009-10-27T19:24:00.004+09:00

No flexible enough to fold and put in your pocket just yet, Bridgestone Corp announced a flexible electronic paper (e-paper) device based on its "Quick-response Liquid Powder" Oct 26, 2009.
The company expects that the device will be used for browsing electronic books and electronic data. It will be tested with the assistance system for liaison officers at Kansai Urban Banking Corp from the spring of 2010.
The device comes with 13.1-inch touch-sensitive e-paper that can display 4,096 colors. The e-paper has a higher reaction rate than other companies' e-paper and can refresh a 13.1-inch (A4) screen in 0.8 seconds. It has data processing and security functions and is capable of data communication via a mobile phone.
Bridgestone also developed an e-paper device whose e-paper, touch panel, drive circuit board and other parts are all flexible. The company claims it is the world's first flexible e-paper device.
The size of the e-paper is 10.7 inches, and the thickness of the device is 5.8mm.

Bridgestone plans to exhibit those e-paper devices at FPD International 2009, which will run from Oct 28 to 30, 2009, at Pacifico Yokohama, Yokohama City, Japan.
More at Tech-on

Kohjinsha PA UMPC series to be released in Japan in early November

2009-10-22T01:04:00.004+09:00

Kohjinsha PA UMPC series to be released in Japan in early November. It will be priced at 69,800 yen or about about $770 USD at current rates. It will be equipped with a 4.8" 1,024 × 600 dot LCD touch screen that rotates and become a tablet The left side of the display bezel and keyboard have optical pointing devices. It comes with a built in 1Seg TV tuner (Japan Only) and can withstand 100kg of weight on the body. The CPU is an Atom Z520(1.33GHz), Intel US15W Chip-set, 512MB Memory (cannot be upgraded) and a 32GB SSD. It comes with 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, a micro SD card slot, 1 USB 2.0 port, and 1 audio input and output. For VGA out there is a cable that extends to D-Sub 15 pin connector. The body size is approximately 161 × 111 × 10 ~ 26mm (width × depth × height) and weighs about 400g. The battery life is approximately 7.5 hours. This is a great size for using on a crowed train or in the toilet... That's why we call it the Toilet-book!
More at the Kohjinsha Website.

Video: Kohjinsha Dual screen laptop @ CEATEC Japan 2009

2009-10-12T12:46:00.001+09:00

Elecom's "Lego (TM)" style Playbrick earphones - a lawyers wet-dream ?

2009-10-12T12:40:00.004+09:00

Avaialble soon in 6 colours, from Conics.Net

Dow Unveils Solar Shingles that install like regular Shingles

2009-10-11T22:17:00.002+09:00

Dow Unveils Solar Shingles that install like regular Shingles. From the NYT:
Dow Chemical has unveiled a residential roof shingle in the form of a solar panel designed to be integrated into asphalt-tiled roofs.Jane Palmieri, managing director of Dow’s Solar Solutions unit, said the Powerhouse thin-film shingle slashes installation costs because it can be installed by a roofer who is already building or retrofitting a roof. “As a roofer is nailing asphalt shingle on roof, wherever the array needs to be installed he just switches to solar shingle,” said Ms. Palmieri, who said the solar singles are similarly attached to the roof with nails.“You don’t have to have a solar installation crew do the work or have an electrician on site,” she added. “The solar shingle can be handled like any other shingle – it can be palletized, dropped from a roof, walked on.”An electrician is still needed to connect the completed array to an inverter and to a home’s electrical system, but unlike conventional solar panels that must be wired together, the solar shingles plug into each other to form the array.
More at the New York Times

60-foot tall pneumatic cannon shoots pumpkins over a mile

2009-10-08T15:41:00.002+09:00

60-foot tall pneumatic cannon shoots pumpkins over a mile! From the Youtube blurb:
Gary Arold of Kingston and John Gill of Hurley built the coolest toy around, a 60-foot tall piece of farm artillery that can shoot bowling ball-sized objects -- such as pumpkins -- up to a mile. On most weekends during the summer and fall, the owners are busy entertaining customers by hurling various calibers of squash at Gill's Farm Market on Route 209 in Hurley. On Tuesday, they fired a few rounds off for Reporter Adam Bosch, Photographer Steve Borland, and Videographer John Pertel.

Video of the new Kohjinsha PA series and overview

2009-10-08T15:12:00.002+09:00

Video of the new Kohjinsha PA series and overview. This model is well past the prototype stage and is probably in pre-production as there were at least 7 of them on display for anyone to play with and all had Windows product key stickers on the bottom. We expect to see this on sale before the end of the year.

New kohjinsha Dual Screen Netbook! 1.8kg, 2 x 10.1" screens!

2009-10-06T17:47:00.004+09:00

It has been a busy day for Kohjinsha at the Createc Japan 2oo9 trade show held in Makuhari Mese. Kohjinsha displayed a Dual Screen Notebook prototype with two 10.1" WSVGA touch screens! (1024x600 x 2). The "Dual Display" worked by sliding the right side screen behind the other so that it could fold into a standard sized notebook. The prototype weight in at a respectable 1.8kg. The entire screen can swivel making it great for presentations.
Thankfully tossing the Atom cookie cutter mold, the specs include a 1.6Ghz AMD Athlon Neo CPU (MV-40), Max 4GB of RAM, Windows 7, 2.5" HDD, and a Direct X 10 compatible video card.
No word on when this unique notebook will be on sale.

More at PC watch
Video to come soon.

NEW Kohjinsha PA series - 400g Micro UMPC / MID 1.33GHz w/ 7.5 hour battery life!

2009-10-06T17:24:00.009+09:00

NEW Kohjinsha PA series. Kohjinsha has just introduced there newest micro note book / MID / UMPC, the PA series. At 400g this 4.8" screened UMPC / MID comes with a 1.33GHz (Z520) Atom CPU, 512mb RAM, 32GB SSD and an astounding 7.5 hour battery life!

The PA series also comes standard with XP Home, 1.3 megapixel web camera, One Seg TV Tuner, Wifi b/g, Bluetooth 2.o, Micro SD card slot and a 4.8" 1024x600 touch screen.

The stand out features are the nifty optical mouse located in the front of the keyboard which makes using the keyboard feel like a normal laptop as well as scroll, mouse, and left right click buttons located on the screen. This thing is small and measure a measly 161×111×10～26mm. No word on pricing or release date but we predict it to debut for between 59,000 to 69,000 yen.

More info at PC Watch.
We will post Video in about 18 hours.

Lightning Packs Backpack Generates 40 Watts Just By Walking

2009-10-02T00:35:00.003+09:00

This power-generating backpack was filmed at the Modern Day Marine trade show in Quantico. Proposed several years ago by Lightning Packs the prototype is now reality. It can generate over 40 watts just by walking at a cost of a candy bar worth of human energy if used all day! The backpack is mounted on rails that it slides up and down on when its wearer walks or runs. The movement generates electricity that charges a lithium ion battery to power your gadgets or the juice can go directly to a device. An added benefit is that the design relieves stress for the wearer. I want one! No word on when the military is getting these or a commercial version.
Via Gizmodo
http://www.lightningpacks.com/

The NYT: Solar Power, Without All Those Panels

2009-09-30T13:17:00.002+09:00

The main way for homes to harness solar power today is through bulky panels added to the rooftop or mounted on the ground.
But companies are now offering alternatives to these fixed installations, in the less conspicuous form of shingles, tiles and other building materials that have photovoltaic cells sealed within them.
“The new materials are part of the building itself, not an addition, and they are taking photovoltaics to the next level — an aesthetic one,” said Alfonso Velosa III, a research director at Gartner and co-author of a coming report on the market for the new field, called building-integrated photovoltaics.
Companies are creating solar tiles and shingles in colors and shapes that fit in, for example, with the terra cotta tile roofing popular in the Southwest, or with the gray shingles of coastal saltbox cottages.
More at the New York Time

NEW Panasonic S and N Series Toughbook 2.53Ghz Dual Core 4GB RAM Notebooks Introduced

2009-09-29T22:14:00.004+09:00

NEW Panasonic S and N Series Toughbooks 2.53Ghz Dual Core 4GB RAM Notebooks. Panasonic introduced 2 new Let's Notes, the N8 and S8 series and updates were announced for the rest of their line. However, the big news are the brand new N8 and S8. Powered by Core 2 Duo P8700 chips, clocked at 2.53Ghz, both machines come with 12.1-inch WXGA LCD screens 1280 x 800, 250GB HDDs, up to 4GB of RAM, WiMAX, WiFi, HDMI and SDHC connectivity. The best part of these notebooks is the claimed 16 hours of battery life! The one feature that distinguishes between them is the internal DVD burner on the S8. These will be released in Japan October 22 with Windows 7 and pricing around for the N series starts at about $2400.

Video and more data at PC Watch
Will be available in English at Conics.net

German Institute Achieves 23.4% Efficiency With N-type Solar Cell

2009-09-29T22:03:00.002+09:00

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) of Germany achieved an energy conversion efficiency of 23.4% with a single-crystal silicon solar cell made by forming a thin p-type semiconductor layer on an n-type semiconductor substrate.
Its cell area is 2 x 2cm. Fraunhofer ISE said that it is possible to mass-produce the solar cell, which is one of the most efficient crystalline silicon solar cells and could rival Sanyo and other companies' products.
Crystalline silicon solar cells based on n-type semiconductor substrates have a higher resistance to impurities than those based on p-type semiconductor substrates. Therefore, it is theoretically easier to enhance the energy conversion efficiency of the former solar cells.
However, most of the crystalline silicon solar cells developed so far are based on p-type semiconductor substrates. Specifically, they are made by forming a thin n-type semiconductor layer on a thick p-type semiconductor.
More at Tech-On

Honda U3-X :Personal Mobility Device

2009-09-27T07:58:00.002+09:00

Honda Develops New Personal Mobility Device With the Goal of Co-existing in Harmony with People -- World's first drive system that enables movement in all directions:

Conics.net has a hands on of the Sharp Netwalker touchscreen PC-Z1

2009-09-25T16:53:00.004+09:00

Conics.net has some great videos of the Sharp Netwalker. He has a hands-on video as well as a how to convert to English video. Take a look and more at Conics.net

Also available at conics.net

The Moon is all wet! Probes find water in moon dirt.

2009-09-24T19:34:00.002+09:00

The moon isn't the dry dull place it seems. Traces of water lurk in the dirt unseen. Three different space probes found the chemical signature of water all over the moon's surface, surprising the scientists who at first doubted the unexpected measurement until it was confirmed independently and repeatedly.
If processed in mass quantities, the wet moon dirt might provide resources - drinking water and rocket fuel - for future moon-dwellers, scientists say. The water comes and goes during the lunar day. It's not a lot of water. If you took a two-liter soda bottle of lunar dirt, there would probably be a medicine dropperful of water in it, said University of Maryland astronomer Jessica Sunshine, one of the scientists who discovered the water. Another way to think of it is if you want a drink of water, it would take a baseball diamond's worth of dirt, said team leader Carle Pieters of Brown University.
"It's sort of just sticking on the surface," Sunshine said. The discovery, with three studies bring published in the journal Science on Thursday and a NASA briefing, could refocus interest in the moon. The appeal of the moon waned after astronauts visited 40 years ago and called it "magnificent desolation."
Much more at Physorg

DigiCube Z8 MID spied by Pocketables

2009-09-24T19:15:00.002+09:00

Jen at Pocketables had a chance to play with the DigiCube Z8 MID spied at the 2009 IDF conference. Sadly, when first seen at Computex in June the Z8 (then called the Midphone-50) had intriguing specks but as the production version gets near this mid has been seriously downgraded. The Z8 went from a 5" WXGA screen to a 4.3" display neutered WVGA display,, the internal SSD is now a paltry 8GB as opposed to the 16 on the prototype, the CPU is only a 1.1GHz Atom (not the hinted at 1.6Ghz), and the RAM is stuck at 512MB. Looks like Jen will be sticking with the Sharp D4.
More at Pocketables.

Sanyo Claims HIT Solar Cell With 22.8% Efficiency & 98 Micron-thick

2009-09-24T19:00:00.003+09:00

Sanyo Electric Co Ltd achieved a conversion efficiency of 22.8% with its HIT (heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer) solar cell with a thickness of 98μm, which is about half as thick as existing HIT solar cells.
Sanyo Electric realized the thinness while lowering conversion efficiency by only 0.2% (See related article). The company has not yet decided when it will start volume production of the cell.
"We can now reduce the amount of silicon used for HIT solar cells," the company said. "Silicon accounts for half the cost of those cells. So, we paved the way for lower-cost HIT solar cells."
Lower cost high efficiency solar sells are always good news.
Much More at Tech On

Lunar Electric Rover on 14-day mission [in Arizona test]

2009-09-21T03:00:00.004+09:00

Clarkson will be testing this... Maybe on the next "Top Gear" ?
Video link:

via Engadget

Terrafugia - Flying Car Video of flight testing

2009-09-17T00:12:00.003+09:00

Nice Video of the Terrafugia Flying Car which has finished up flight testing and is getting ready for production.

Light Electric Motor To Increase Efficiency Of Electric Vehicles

2009-09-16T23:42:00.003+09:00

A new Oxford University spin-out company, Oxford Yasa Motors, has been set up to commercialize lightweight electric motors developed at the Department of Engineering Science. The new technology promises to help firms build more efficient electric vehicles. Isis Innovation, the University’s technology transfer company, announced that Oxford Yasa Motors Ltd has closed the £1.45 million funding round with private investor Seven Spires Investments Limited. Oxford Yasa Motors also announced that it has been successful in securing a grant from the UK’s Technology Strategy Board as part of a £1.89 million consortium to develop a higher volume version of the motor. ‘We have optimised the materials and design, so that the motor is much lighter and more effective, giving half the volume and twice the torque for the same power output. This electric motor technology will reduce fuel consumption and also help us move away fossil-based fuels to alternative energies.’ Over the last 8 months the Oxford team has collaborated with engineering firm Delta Motorsports to configure the motor for a new four-seat coupe, which is scheduled for track tests scheduled at the end of 2009.
Much More at Science Daily

Algae-Based, Non-Metallic Batteries Could Revolutionize Energy Storage Industry

2009-09-14T17:28:00.002+09:00

A group of researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden have discovered that a particular type of algae — with a bad reputation for causing damaging algal blooms in oceans throughout the world — produces a substance that can be used to make inexpensive, non-toxic, simple-to-build, flexible, thin and durable batteries that, after optimization, are expected to perform on par with today’s most advanced lithium-ion batteries.

The key to the discovery lies in the way in which the algae, Cladophora, produce a unique type of cellulose with a very large surface area (approximately 80 square meters of surface area per gram of material).
By coating this algal cellulose material with a thin layer of a well-known, conductive polymer, called polypyrrole (PPy), the team has “succeeded in producing a battery that weighs almost nothing and that has set new charge-time and capacity records for polymer-cellulose-based [non-metallic] batteries,” according to Gustav Nyström, a doctoral student in nanotechnology and one of the main researchers.
More at Gas 2.0

YikeBike, super light electric folding bike!

2009-09-03T13:12:00.005+09:00

YikeBike, super light electric folding bike!

Grant Ryan, launched his YikeBike at the Eurobike international trade show in Germany last night.

The "mini-farthing" is being marketed as the world's smallest electric bike and can be folded down into a bag the size of the front wheel.

At total 10kg bike was designed for flat city trips of up to 9km, with a top speed of 20kmh, and takes only about 20 minutes to charge to 80 per cent power.

more at YikeBike.com

MIUTech HDPC gets redesigned and upgraded... Again!

2009-08-21T15:42:00.005+09:00

MIUTech HDPC gets redesigned and upgraded.. Again! According to Pocketables, the Korean Company MIUTech is looking for a retailer / agent to pick up there revived and redesigned MID/Cell Phone concept. (Sounds like this is right up Dynamism's ally) Being a phone and PC it packs 2 of everything: 2 Screens 4.8-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen for PC and a 2.4-inch AMOLED (320 x 240) for the phone. 2 CPUs: 1.6GHz ATOM & ARM9 core processor taking care of the cell phone. And 2 OS's(!!??): Windows XP as its primary computer OS & Windows CE for its phone OS.

This thing is bigger than a 1980's cell phone at 6.06" x 2.95" x 0.91" and really should not be considered a phone. A hint to MIUTech, just make a smart phone smarter. It is unlikely people would be seen in public putting this pig next to to their ear. While the redesign looks better than the previous concept, the device still looks confused, complicated and the keyboard would probably be a total pain in the butt to use having to reach in to use it.
More at Pocketables.

10 minute video of the Yuneec E430 the world’s first commercially produced ‘Electric Aircraft

2009-08-21T15:30:00.003+09:00

10 minute video of the Yuneec E430 the world’s first commercially produced ‘Electric Aircraft. Be warned, the music is terrible. From the companies website:
"The E430 is a twin seat, single engine, LSA class aircraft designed to be simple to use, easy to fly and with virtually zero vibration, it's very smooth.
Low noise, no emissions, no fuel, extremely low maintenance and best of all. . . . . it’s environmentally friendly. Electric flight, once seen as futuristic, has arrived and with E430’s flight times of between 1.5 and 3 hours (depending on configuration) electric flight now becomes a realistic power source for sport aviation. Charging times of 3 hours for as little as $5 make electric a really low cost way to fly and with only 2 main moving parts in the motor (the bearings) the reliability and maintenance are like nothing seen before. Add to that the delight of smooth, quiet powered flight or silent using its 25:1 glide ratio - the E430 is in a class of its own.
Pricing should start at about $85,000 USD.
Yuneec

Watch out Kindle, e-books to get cheaper and better in 2010

2009-08-21T15:15:00.004+09:00

Watch out Kindle, e-books to get cheaper and better in 2010. According to Nikkei's Tech-on, the black-and-white ePaper developed by E Ink Corp of the US. E Ink has been the only company to commercialize ePaper suitable for use in eBook readers. Basically a monopoly. This situation will change significantly from 2009 through 2010, because it seems likely there will be a sudden increase in the number of ePapers available. Depending on which specific ePaper a manufacturer of readers chooses, it will be possible to totally change reader characteristics, and finally manufacturers will be able to roll out their own unique product concepts. This will mean an escape from E Ink's monopoly.
Than can someone please make an ebook reader that can read PDFs, Word Files and in general just have an open format. (coping be damned!)
Much more at Tech-on

Look Ma, No Hands! Amazing story of Jessica Cox makes all your excuses look lame.

2009-08-20T23:15:00.004+09:00

AVweb has a great story about Jessica Cox, the first person with no arms to be granted a light sport pilot license by the FAA. Look Ma, No Hands! Amazing story of Jessica Cox makes all your excuses look lame.
More at AVweb