Say hello to my next car. The Renault Mégane Coupé Concept, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, is a high-tech automotive masterpiece.
The most striking element, obviously, is the “dragonfly wing” doors, which open vertically and resemble the wings of, er, dragonflies. The car uses your mobile phone (a Samsung F700, to be precise) to unlock the doors and start the ignition as well, making it even more problematic for those of us with a tendency to lose our phones.
A partnership between Adidas and Samsung has resulted in the miCoach (F110) mobile—a device that promises an experience akin to ” having your own personal coach with you on every run.” Obviously, there are plenty of gadgets out there that can play mp3s, develop workout plans, monitor your heart rate and help you achieve your fitness goals, but this is the first time all of this functionality has been crammed into a mobile. It sounds intriguing as an all-purpose workout aid, but the question is, does it work? According to the folks at Pocket-lint, the answer is yes—with a caveat or two.
The Dutch have some bizarre taste in desktop speakers. Case in point, this Bbudd Speaker System. Your “little dead desktop buddy” here is a passive or non-amplified speaker—which makes sense considering that you are blasting tunes out of the feet of his lifeless corpse. He will run you about €24,95 ($40 AUD), so there should be some money left over to pick up one of these to complete your desktop theme. [Kado-Fix via Technabob]
The world is infatuated with USB gadgets, so why not put a whole bunch of it together in a value priced assortment that pays no attention to order or asthetics? The visionaries at Think Geek have done just that with their Mini USB Desktop Multi-tasking Device. Features include a cup warmer, task lamp, mini vacuum cleaner (that doesn’t even work all that well), and an open USB port. Plus it is all packaged in a island that measures a whopping 8-inches in diameter. If it wasn’t so damn cheap at US$14.99, I would be laughing my ass off right now. [Think Geek via OhGizmo via DVICE]
Apparently, home theatre systems around the world are falling short of greatness because their owners are failing to hook up their rear speakers (properly at least). Not surprisingly, the main culprits are that many customers who purchase home theatre gear and attempt to hook it up themselves either have no idea what they are doing, or aesthetic issues like exposed cords force them into an meaningless existence bereft of sweet surround sound.
Scientists at Princeton have discovered a way to grab otherwise-protected data encryption keys from memory on a computer that’s just been powered down. This is pretty scary stuff, since the keys—which are well protected when the computer is on—are the one thing that keeps super-tight encryption from cracking.
Loose cables hanging around all bunched up and twisted around a workspace is absolutely infuriating. Organising them neatly is definitely the way to go, and there are a number of products out there that can help you get the job done—but the Swan Desk can accomplish that feat with a little artistic flair. As you can see,the cable slots are organised in such a way that it becomes possible to weave your cords into a pattern.
The internet is aflame today with rumours that all versions of the 360 will get a €50 ($82) price cut in Europe by March 14th—which would make the Arcade system cheaper than the Wii in the UK. With any luck this could be a sign of things to come in the US (AU: And Australia!). [GamesIndustry.biz via Kotaku]
Gadget Lab got a hands-on demo with prototype magnetic levitation haptic control unit at Carnegie Mellon University, where they got a simulated feel for 3D rabbits, hard surfaces and vinyl records. In addition to simulating the general shapes of objects, the technology can accurately reproduce qualities like texture and elasticity using an interesting dual joystick setup.
By now you have probably heard quite a bit about Microsoft’s “Surface” multi-touch table, and now ZDNet is claiming that the company has been showing off a sphere-shaped version of the technology around their campus. We know that Microsoft is pushing to get this technology into homes sooner rather than later, but a spherical device doesn’t seem to be all that practical (unless you are a fortune teller or something). However, when it comes to the future of this device, we will just have to wait and see. [ZDNet via Electronista]
