Inhabitat’s Week in Green: wind towers, viaduct power and how Four Loko will be recycled into gasoline
January 10, 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. It was a monumental week for eco architecture as renewably-powered projects sprung up around the world. Japan unveiled plans for a massive new type of wind power tower , and we were wowed by a proposal to transform abandoned Italian viaducts into high-tech energy centers . We also showcased a solar-powered Dutch pavilion that can generate as much power as it consumes, and we were awestruck by one designer’s plan for a crazy vertical skyscraper amusement park . In other news, eco transportation blazed a trail as a student-designed solar car smashed a world speed record. The recently released Chevy Volt outsold the Nissan Leaf by a huge margin last month, and we took a look at a breakthrough battery tech that could enable electric vehicles to charge 40 times faster. We also saw efficient aviation take to the skies as Honda launched a new jet that consumes 20% less fuel than comparable planes, and speaking of jet fuel, this week we learned that banned Four Loko beverages are being recycled into engine-ready ethanol . We also watched China light up the newswires with energy news as they announced the imminent construction of the world’s largest solar plant and found a way extend the life of nuclear fuel by 60 times. Finally, this week we celebrated all of the hot new media tech at CES with a look at Lady Gaga’s shutter-fly sunglasses , and we brought you a guide to how kids can use technology to create online media . Inhabitat’s Week in Green: wind towers, viaduct power and how Four Loko will be recycled into gasoline originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pioneer prototype laser-based heads-up display with Android hands-on (video)
January 10, 2011 No Comment
Looking down at gauges? Officially passe. Check out Pioneer ‘s vision of the future, a prototype that uses an embedded laser projector (a Microvision , as it were). They showed it a little earlier in Japan but this is the first time we’ve seen it in the US, and we got a chance to try it out. Right now it’s just running a static demo, but the idea is that a virtual concierge (represented by our favorite mascot pops up to give you information, and you could also get streaming video from traffic cameras, all without you having to look down. The information is supposed to come via a smartphone, we learned later an Android one at that, though things are a little vague. A release date is a little vague too, sometime in 2012, though we’re told the company is working with car companies. But could we get this by next year? We’ll see. Gallery: Pioneer laser HUD hands-on Continue reading Pioneer prototype laser-based heads-up display with Android hands-on (video) Pioneer prototype laser-based heads-up display with Android hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 23:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Motorola Xoom is a huge product this year for two reasons: it’s a major first tablet from a major Android manufacturer, and it’s the flagship device for Honeycomb , an OS that’s been announced for dozens of other tablets here at the show, but not actually shown running on any of them. The only problem is that Motorola isn’t really showing Honeycomb on the Xoom, either. Instead they’re showing a demo video of the UI, which is actually running on top of real Honeycomb. For a glimpse under the covers, Jacob snagged a quick illicit peek at a totally unpopulated home screen, the gallery app, and even the task switcher the other day. We’ll just keep that between us, however, and until we get a full-on official look at the UI, we thought we’d walk you through that demo UI video Moto is running on the actual tablet and pretend like we’re actually using the thing, which should clear up some of the confusion on this brand new tablet OS while simultaneously stoking our egos. Check it out after the break. Update : Here’s the gallery of the non-pretend and very real UI shots we peeked in the first hands-on post (including a shot of the task switcher in its current form). Gallery: Motorola Xoom Honeycomb UI photos Continue reading Motorola Xoom: pretend UI hands-on walkthrough (video) Motorola Xoom: pretend UI hands-on walkthrough (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 22:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …VW teases new Passat with Fender audio system to make driving more like rocking out (video)
January 10, 2011 No Comment
Ever wish you could bring the palpation-indusing bass, disorienting mids, and ear-rupturing highs of a concert with you whenever you drive? That your ears would still be ringing the morning after cruising home from the grocery store? That’s the idea behind the Fender premium car audio system, which will be debuting on Volkswagen ‘s new sub-$20k Passat — which, by the way, is built at a new plant in Chattanooga, TN. The in-car audio system is the result of a partnership with Panasonic that was announced way back in 2007 . VW hasn’t quite fully unveiled the car in the flesh to the world yet (that’s coming tomorrow), but it did see fit to host an event teasing the car, issuing a press release that states the system will “bring the raw emotion of live music to the driving experience.” We’ve tried to capture that experience in the video below, which makes us very excited for the company’s latest sedan indeed. Gallery: Volkswagen’s new Passat Continue reading VW teases new Passat with Fender audio system to make driving more like rocking out (video) VW teases new Passat with Fender audio system to make driving more like rocking out (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 22:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s been no shortage of glasses-free 3D at CES but we can’t’ say we expected Steam TV , makers of those Elocity tablets, to be showing off wares of its own. While the company is promising lots of spectacle-free TVs with parallax screens in the next year, at its booth there was just a 42-inch 1080p 3T1 panel on the show floor. We’ve got mixed feelings about this one; as you can see in the gallery below, the display looks very grainy and the converted HD 2D-to-3D content, while it did look three dimensional (as much as you can say), it didn’t appear to be high definition by any means. However, there was one nature clip that was apparently shot in 3D, which looked incredibly crisp. Yeah, it was almost like we were watching that waterfall from a helicopter overheard. We can’t say the three-dee experience is as jaw-dropping as the one provided with active shutter glasses, but it is impressive to think you don’t have to wear a piece of $100 technology on your face to get images jumping into your living room. Viewing angles were actually pretty impressive — at least in comparison to the other glasses-free 3D displays we’ve seen — and tilting our head slightly didn’t throw off the 3D effect too much. Steam TV is planning to release the 3T1 in May along with a 52-inch version and then 56- and 60-inch versions in September — that will have ‘em beating Toshiba to market , but we’re not quite sure in quality . Gallery: Stream TV Elocity glasses-free 3D eyes-on Steam TV Elocity 3T glasses-free TV eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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You didn’t think were were done with tablets at CES just yet, did you? This latest offering comes courtesy of Azpen, which is actually introducing two variations on a dual-boot Windows 7 / Android tablet: one with a 16:9, 10.1-inch screen, and one with a 4:3, 9.7-inch display. Both are otherwise identical, however, and pack an Atom N455 processor, a capacitive display, “up to” 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, a microSD card slot, two USB ports, and Android 2.2 alongside Windows 7 (though the early demo unit on display was only running Android 1.6). Unfortunately, that dual-boot functionality also leaves these demanding quite a premium over your run of the mill Android tablet — look for them each to set you back $500 when they launch in a few weeks. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look. Gallery: Azpen dual-boot Windows / Android tablets hands-on Azpen shows off dual, dual-boot Windows / Android tablets (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Philips has been touting its uWand “direct pointer” remote for a good while now, but we’ve never had the chance to actually use one ourselves. Today that omission has been rectified as we got our mitts around this motion / gesture-based controller and gave it a quick test drive. It works by having an infrared camera embedded in the front, which detects an IR beacon in your TV and thereby judges its own distance, tilt and relation to the TV. That then allows for things like motion-based zooming, pointing the remote at the particular thing on the television that you want to “click” on, and navigational shortcuts attached to gestures performed with this handheld. There’s also a nice spacious keyboard on the back, assisting in the use of all these Smart TVs CES has been littered with. Philips’ intention is to license the technology out to other manufacturers, which could result in consumer products by 2012 — so yeah, it’s not terribly close to your living room yet, but our gallery of images is. Gallery: Philips uWand hands-on Continue reading Philips uWand hands-on Philips uWand hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Well, along with all the other things that happened this year at CES , Bang & Olufsen announced a new cooperation agreement with Intel . What does that mean to you, the consumer? Not terribly much, on the outside — B&O products have carried Intel chips in the past, but this marks the first time the two companies have had an official relationship, and should mean we’ll be seeing refreshes of B&O products every time Intel brings forth new chips. And that’s always great news, isn’t it? Hit up the source link for full, flowery quotes from reps at both Intel and Bang & Olfusen. Full press release is after the break. Continue reading Bang & Olufsen announce chip co-op deal with Intel Bang & Olufsen announce chip co-op deal with Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If there is one booth at CES this year that is going all out, it’s arguably LG’s. The massive, supermarket-sized chunk of show floor real estate showcases everything from the manufacturer’s latest phones — like the Revolution , Optimus Black and Optimus 2X — to SmartTV devices, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs . You’ll also find smart appliances linked with WiFi and smartphone apps using LG Thinq , and even a scanner mouse — not to mention a mesmerizing display wall. Sample the insanity in the gallery below, and in the video after the break. Gallery: LG’s CES 2011 booth tour Continue reading LG’s CES 2011 booth tour LG’s CES 2011 booth tour originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We spent a few minutes at the show this week ogling the prototype displays that Samsung’s Mobile Display unit has produced over the last few months, headlined by some particularly awesome 4.5-inch flexible and 19-inch transparent AMOLEDs. Let’s start with the flexible unit: Sammy seems to be particularly excited about this one, demonstrating on video that it’s shatter-proof by bashing it repeatedly with a sledgehammer — compare that to the inevitably disastrous consequences of dropping an iPhone onto concrete, and they’ve already won us over. Although the company still has some manufacturing challenges to overcome, commercial interest seems to be strong and they’ll eventually be on the market (though not in 2011, sadly). The picture for the transparent displays is a little murkier — both physically and from a business perspective. Though they’re not as clear as regular glass or as crisp and bright as a traditional AMOLED display, you’ve got to marvel at what they’re doing here: full see-through color at effectively small television sizes. Interestingly, Samsung tells us that they’re really close to being production-ready with these — possibly even close than the flexible screens — but they’re still looking for business cases that’d make mass-producing them a worthwhile venture. Follow the break for some video of these bad boys, along with a 7-inch Super AMOLED that’s looking Galaxy Tab -ready (and some other goodies)! Gallery: Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video) Continue reading Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video) Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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