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Digital Sculpture at Heathrow Airport Demonstrates that Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
Posted by Addy Dugdale at 11:18 PM on January 30, 2008
Commissioned for the atrium of the brand spanking new Terminal 5 at Heathrow, Cloud is a digital sculpture conceived by art and design studio Troika. The five-metre structure is suspended above the escalators and consists of three layers. Find out what lies beneath the black and silver flick-dots, and see the sculpture in action below the gallery.
Walt Mossberg has had a look at the SPOT satellite messenger, a GPS gadget aimed at adventurers and thrill seekers. Not only does it call in the emergency services if you're stuck and there's no phone tower for miles, but it also sends out position updates to keep friends back home updated on your expedition. It locates you via GPS, and transmits data by satellite to a control centre, which routes messages on for you, and its three buttons couldn't be simpler—"OK/Check," "Help" and the one you'll hopefully never click, "911." More juice below.
Gene Munster is 
With 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Web browser, Flash, Java, and more buttons than KITT's dashboard, this WindowsCE-based SR 1500 looks like a Digital Media Remote that wants to be a mobile phone when it grows up. Just looking at all those controls and side keys makes us dizzy, but if you are a TV addict, its personalised TV guide, wireless updating of software for set-top boxes, ability to control two dozen devices at once, remote backup of personal settings and additional TV content display on its 320 x 240 colour display, will probably excite you. Or maybe not? Would you like a simpler design rather than all this technological terror?
Apparently designed for tree-hugging hippies, Castro residents and ex-Hello Kitty addicts, the latest Mimobots are the same-old USB memory sticks dressed in new plastics. And yes, like the 
The Full Face 2 reminds me of another phone but, in my humble opinion, Sharp's slim cell looks better from the front than the iPhone does. Beyond its appealing looks, however, it doesn't heat up the competition all that much. The display is a 3.2-inch multi-touch-less LCD (480 x 854), it has a 3.2MP camera, micro SDHC support, totes HSDPA, a 1Seg TV tuner that will be all but useless in Australia, and will be available in either black, soft pink, champagne gold, white or ice blue. The Full Face 2 is a Japan-only release—I can't believe I got to put the words "full," "face" and "release" in the same sentence without making it naughty. Bravo, Sharp. [
Manly and rugged outdoorsmen with small rucksacks might find Minox's DC6033 WP so far up their mountain path it's parked in their crevasse. Encased in rubber armour, the six-megapixel point-and-shoot camera is dust, dirt, sand and salt-proof, and you can take it underwater to a depth of 10 metres.
Asustek has announced it is adding an iMac-like all-in-one PC and a large-screen LCD TV with integrated Linux to its Eee PC line. The $500 all-in-one is expected to launch in September and should be seen as a companion to the Eee PC 
Besides your bodily filth, what else do you take into the bathroom with you? How about a 57-inch waterproof TV? That's right, those fellows at Aquavision, who have brought us all manner of 
Those who have trouble with allergies (and deep pockets) may try just about anything to help alleviate their symptoms, and chances are Victorinox had these people in mind when they developed this Swiss Army Tech Vest with Air Purifier. The purifier itself is located in the left breast pocket, and it supposedly transfers purified air to the funnel collar of the jacket where it can be sucked into sensitive lungs . My guess is that this jacket is nothing more than a means of separating suffering suckers from their hard earned cash, but I'm not willing to spend the US$500 to find out if it works. [
PSP Fanboy reports that the PSP 3.90 firmware update is now available, bringing 
Using Ergo Pet Feeders and INSTEON home control technology, creepy pet lovers can feed their precious animals and watch them eat from anywhere in the world. Now that is what I call a vacation!
Today Sony researchers in Tokyo unveiled a digital SLR component that's actually drool-worthy: a CMOS sensor the size of 35mm film that registers 24.81 effective megapixels—close to 26 million total. It's also built for speed with an all-pixel scan time of 6 frames per second, in 12-bit colour. The question is, who will use it to pimp up their cameras?
Snow Fences are currently being tested across the western US in an attempt to make driving safer for commuters during harsh weather conditions. As the graphic illustrates, the fence helps block snow and wind from reaching the highway. The result is less drifting, improved visibility, and a better financial situation for the DOT. Apparently, installing a snow fence costs 100 times less than mechanical snow removal. I'll bet kids in Colorado and Montana are going to be pissed. [
So, it's been almost 2 weeks at the helm (loving it, btw) of Australia's best gadget site, and I thought I'd put it out there: Don't forget to tip! What we're building is a community of gadget lovers, and if you have some news, rumours, gossip, sketchy details of Apple's plans for world domination, or anything else you think other readers might enjoy knowing about, click the tips link on the left. You can go for glory [Thanks, Reader's name], or completely incognito - the choice is yours. Just don't forget to do it! 
Guitar Hero players know that working that whammy bar is a good way to rack up star power during extended white notes, but it can be tough to switch from strumming to whammying during a solo. This guitar mod, which takes a little bit of circuitry know-how, allows you to auto-whammy—making the bar just a decorational stick. The result is a higher score and a smugness that you can only get from cheating at video games. [
You can't buy mobile phones from KDDI unless you live in Japan. You can't even import em and use em here. But clicking around their website and exploring their spring line up of handsets feels like a museum. From the future. I've 
I thought I got 
Yes, the Life Alert slogan is cliche, but how can you avoid it when talking about a "smart carpet" that can assist the elderly when they fall? The carpet is the brainchild of researchers at the University of Missouri, and it has the capability to electronically monitor a senior's location and sound an alert in the event of a fall. This is made possible using a new sensor that can be printed on thin, flexible sheets using equally flexible and inexpensive "organic ink." 
Panasonic, obviously eager to combine its skills in HD video and still photography, has built what might be a camcorder-killer: the US$350 Lumix TZ5 9.1-megapixel camera with 10X optical zoom lens and 720p high-definition video recording. There are some features we've seen before from Pana: an optical image stabiliser, motion-sensitive ISO control and smart detection of up to 15 faces. Added to that are new powers: automatic exposure adjustment and ever-important in-camera redeye fixing. The junior version of this camera is the US$300 TZ4. Though it has the same 28mm wide angle 10X zoom lens, it's got a 2.5" LCD with 230,000 dots, rather than the TZ5's super-fine 460,000-dot 3-incher. It's 8 megapixels, and it won't shoot in HD. I say spring the extra US$50 and treat yourself to the way better camera. Gallery and press release after jump. [
Panasonic's latest pair of Lumix LZ budget point-and-shoots dutifully follow Canon and Nikon's handful of entry-level cams on the feature front. The 10-megapixel LZ-10 matches up neatly with 
To end the celebration of the 
If your iPhone's displaying SMS messages out of order on firmware version 1.1.3, it's because your phone has a different time/date setting from your cellular provider. To fix it, just switch your phone to auto-sync from the network. [
The magic behind Ace Bayou's new recliner lies in its ability to wirelessly receive audio from devices like MP3 players, home theatre systems and gaming consoles—and it uses the space inside the chair to amplify the sound. Other features include a built-in 2.1 sound system with two forward-facing speakers and a subwoofer, a fire retardant foam core with black vinyl finish, and the ability to daisy-chain multiple chairs together. Plus it looks pretty damn comfortable if I do say so myself. No word on pricing or availability. [
It's a sad day for Gizmodo as long time editor and writer extraordinaire Charlie White leaves us for