Water-propelled jetpack is no dream, can be yours for $99,500 this March (video)
January 31, 2011 No Comment
It’s taken a long time since that 2005 patent was filed for, but Raymond Li is now finally ready to bring his water-propelled jetpack to the money-spending world. Nailing down a March 2011 launch date and a price of $99,500 hasn’t been easy for the inventor, who says his efforts to procure capital and prototyping quotations were mostly met with incredulity — “almost everyone thought I was crazy.” His JetLev personal transporter relies on an engine and fuel tank (which remain on the water’s surface) to pump H20 into a backpack that then shoots out streams of the drinkable stuff to keep your airborne. Top speed is 22MPH, max height is nearly 33 feet, and the fun factor is somewhere off the scale, whether you’re talking metric or imperial. Levitate past the break for a video demonstration. [Thanks, Suraj] Continue reading Water-propelled jetpack is no dream, can be yours for $99,500 this March (video) Water-propelled jetpack is no dream, can be yours for $99,500 this March (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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By this point, we suspect any owners of a Bloggie Touch and a Mac computer will have figured out their own ways to process media and share it with the world, but now they’ve get another option: using Sony’s software designed specifically for those tasks. Yes, the streamlined editing and publishing utility that was available to Windows users from day one has at long last been made to work with Macs as well. You’ll need to grab an update from Sony’s site, though don’t fret if you fear similar delays with future Bloggie models — Sony promises that devices like the Bloggie 3D will have Mac-friendly software on board from the start. Video of the Bloggie Touch utility awaits after the break. Continue reading Bloggie Touch software finally becomes Mac-compatible Bloggie Touch software finally becomes Mac-compatible originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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You might think of a laser as light forced into a single, directed beam, but scientists have recently discovered that if you fire a laser in one direction, the air itself can fire another right back. Using a 226nm UV pump laser, researchers at Princeton University managed to excite oxygen atoms to the point that they emit infrared light along the same channel as the original beam, except this time pointed back where it came from. Since the return beam’s chemistry depends on the particles in the air to generate the return beam, the “backward laser” could potentially carry the signature of those particles back to the source and help identify them there. That seems to be the entire goal, in fact — the project, funded by an Office of Naval Research program on “Sciences Addressing Asymmetric Explosive Threats,” hopes that such a laser can ID bombs from a distance by hunting for trace chemicals in the air. Sounds like the perfect addition to our terahertz specs , and one step closer to the tricorder of our dreams. Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Canalys: Android overtakes Symbian as world’s best-selling smartphone platform in Q4 2010
January 31, 2011 No Comment
One day somebody will write a book called “The rise and rise of Android” and this moment will be highlighted in bold. Canalys’ latest smartphone sales figures show that Android phone makers managed to shift a cool 33.3 million handsets in the last quarter — more than any other smartphone platform out there, including the previous leader, Symbian, which sold 31 million units. That’s a mighty leap from the 20.3 million Android devices the stats agency estimates were sold in Q3 2010. Symbian itself grew from 29.9m in Q3 to 31m in Q4, but Android’s pace of expansion has been so rapid as to make that irrelevant. Continue reading Canalys: Android overtakes Symbian as world’s best-selling smartphone platform in Q4 2010 Canalys: Android overtakes Symbian as world’s best-selling smartphone platform in Q4 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Lovefilm , the closest thing Europe has to an answer to Netflix, was recently swallowed whole by the Amazon juggernaut, but that doesn’t seem to have stunted its progress toward ubiquitous availability. Samsung has just announced its intent to include Lovefilm movie streaming as an app on all of its Blu-ray players in the UK, enhancing both the subscription service’s profile and its own claim to providing the user with multifunctional, ” smart ” technology. It’s disappointing not to see this rollout effective across all of Lovefilm’s European markets, but we guess small steps are better than no steps. Continue reading Samsung adds Lovefilm streaming to UK Blu-ray players Samsung adds Lovefilm streaming to UK Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …CE Oh no he didn’t!: Netgear boss calls ‘game over’ for Microsoft, Jobs’ ‘ego’ reason iPhone doesn’t support Flash
January 31, 2011 No Comment
Can’t say that Patrick Lo is a name that immediately rang any bells around here. He’s certainly not as recognizable as Netgear, the company that he chairs and rules supreme. But boy did he hit our radar screens this morning. Lo had plenty of criticism to spread around the Microsoft and Apple camps today during a press lunch in Sydney. Oh where to even begin? Let’s start with Microsoft, and Lo’s claim that, “Microsoft is over — game over, from my point of view,” when comparing Windows Phone 7′s chance to compete with Android and the iPhone. Doubtful, not with Redmond’s Windows 7 and MS Office cash cows fueling Microsoft’s intense desire to execute on its new mobile strategy . Lo then turned his sights on Apple, having this to say on the topic of Apple’s refusal to support Adobe Flash on its mobile devices: “What’s the reason for him to trash Flash? There’s no reason other than ego.” Funny, we thought it was due to performance, security, and power consumption issues. Lo later added, “Once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not far away, then Apple will have to make a strategic decision on whether to open up the platform.” Classy. Hit the source link below if you’re just dying to hear how “closed” systems are inferior to “open” systems all over again. CE Oh no he didn’t!: Netgear boss calls ‘game over’ for Microsoft, Jobs’ ‘ego’ reason iPhone doesn’t support Flash originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Windows Phone 7′s live tiles turned into a pretty convincing iOS theme (video)
January 31, 2011 No Comment
Had enough of seeing grids and folders of static (Calendar app excluded, of course) icons on your iDevice? Well, here’s one option to relieving your tedium: a Windows Phone 7 theme for the iPhone and iPod touch. You’ll naturally need to jailbreak your iOS handheld in order to restyle it quite so dramatically, but once you do, you’ll have all your precious apps sorted in a neat alphabetical pile on one screen, with the other waiting patiently for your customizations and live tile choices. It’s a good looking little mod, we have to say, and it’s currently going through beta testing, so why not grab your iPhone and see if it can survive a lick of Microsoft paint without self-combusting? Continue reading Windows Phone 7′s live tiles turned into a pretty convincing iOS theme (video) Windows Phone 7′s live tiles turned into a pretty convincing iOS theme (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan’s YouTube channel (video)
January 31, 2011 No Comment
LG’s promotional strategy for the G-Slate seems to be to keep officially mum about the device, while letting random pseudo-celebrities tease it out in brief glimpses. A week ago, K-Pop artist Seungri gave us our first sighting of the dual-camera array on the back of the G-Slate, which has today made its triumphant return to YouTube, courtesy of one MysteryGuitarMan. The rear of the device here doesn’t look identical to the one in Seungri’s video, however the metallic strip separating the cams and its “with Google” branding look nearly identical to what LG has on the back of its Optimus 2X Android smartphone. We’re also seeing a single LED flash for the first time, there are a couple of unidentified connectors at the bottom, at least one of them likely to assist docking in landscape mode, and we do get to see the tablet in profile for an idea of how thin it is. Video after the break. Continue reading LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan’s YouTube channel (video) LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan’s YouTube channel (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again
January 31, 2011 No Comment
There’s a powder-blue USB 3.0 port on the side of your shiny new computer, whispering your name, but you simply can’t afford to replace your perfectly good eSATA external hard drive for the sake of compatibility. You could simply resist the urge entirely, but if you have the need for speed, there’s a USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter with your name on it, and it just might come in a NewerTech case. Sure, Addonics, Siig and Bytecc sell similar, but as Everything USB points out, NewerTech did the legwork here, benchmarking the cable to be sure it could handle 206.4MB / sec writes and 247MB / sec reads. That’s enough to handle most solid state drives, and you should be completely covered when it comes to anything with spinning magnetic plates. You’ll find it for $30 this week at the likes of OWC. Continue reading NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the power plant you can ski, and NASA’s orbiting Nanosail-D
January 31, 2011 No Comment
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green. This week we saw new horizons dawn for green transportation as NASA’s Nanosail-D became the first solar sail spacecraft to orbit the earth and President Obama issued a call for one million electric vehicles in his State of the Union Address . We also test drove the recently released electric Mini Cooper and took a look at several transportation breakthroughs that could clean up car emissions – researchers have developed an air pollution-fighting road treatment and Cella Energy claims to have created an emission free gas that costs $1.50 per gallon. In other news, this week Qatar showcased designs for 9 sustainable stadiums for the 2022 World Cup and BIG unveiled plans for a plant-wrapped waste to power plant that doubles as a ski slope. Super cities are on the rise in Asia as China announced plans to construct a mega-city the size of Switzerland and SOM unveiled a masterplan for a cutting-edge green tech city for Hanoi. On the other hand, Dubai’s architecture of excess is fading fast as a report revealed that the emirate’s world-shaped archipelago of islands is sinking into the sea. We also showcased the latest in portable tech as we brought you a brilliant Fire Department iPhone app that stands to save lives, and we rounded up our five favorite phone-charging green gadgets . And if you’re looking for a case to carry it all in, check out these chic quilted iPad bags – just the thing to keep your kit cozy and protected during this month’s blizzards. Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the power plant you can ski, and NASA’s orbiting Nanosail-D originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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