Beijing Olympians can count on being cool as cucumbers in Nike’s PreCool Vest, a specially designed piece of clothing that lowers the body’s core temperature. Much like computers, muscles perform better when they’re not dedicating most of their resources to cooling down. Used about an hour prior to a competition, it can help an athlete last up to 21% longer out in the field. The vest is made of two layers of material: the inner one is filled with frozen water and the outer layer is coated with aluminium to act like a thermos, trapping cold in while reflecting radiant heat. Unfortunately, the PreCool is only available for Olympic athletes, so us normal folk will have to find other ways to chill out. [Newlaunches.com]
Sony’s new hybrid fuel cell 1.2 x 2-inch battery prototype has managed to keep the juice flowing to a cellular video broadcast for 14 consecutive hours off of 10mL of methanol. The micro fuel cell system uses methanol as fuel and is complemented with a Li-polymer secondary battery to help it deal with electronic peak loads. And according to the R&D team behind it, it may arrive to your gadgets “soon.”
Things are looking up for the citizens of Cuba, who—after getting the “right” to buy mobile phones, microwaves, and other electronic goods— can now legally own home computers for the first time. Good news for poor Cubans, who are still living under the bloody tyranny of the Castro Bros. and the destructive U.S. blockade. The catch: still no access to the Internet (not to mention most basic Human Rights.)
We like Terminator as much as we hate companies who rip-off the work of artists without even crediting them. This is apparently what happened with the poster used to promote the bland Sarah Connor Cronicles TV series: some blogs are reporting that the Fox channel’s poster was allegedly copied straight from a striking montage created by someone else before the series were even announced. Compare the full images after the jump (NSFW).
If you’ve ever watched that episode of House where the good doctor nurses his hangover by hooking himself up to an IV drip and said to yourself “I wish I could do that,” you’re in luck. Now in Japan, even people who aren’t wisecracking M.D.s can get an IV drip pick-me-up at Tenteki10. Located in swanky Ebisu, Tokyo, the IV drip cafe features walk-in service with bags of fluids starting at US$20 a pop. Their menu is quite varied.
Danger fans Hiptop3.com have managed to get a screenshot of the Sidekick Aspen/Gekko, the company’s replacement for the teen-friendly iD. It seems like the newest addition to the Sidekick family will be a cheaper option to the more upmarket LX, and will feature web browsing, a 2-megapixel camera with video capture mode, and “highly customisable features.” It’s not completely clear what “highly customisable” means, but looking at the picture, it might have to do with the ability to switch coloured bumpers. Also not clear: why there were two different release dates for the Apsen and Gekko if they turned out to be the same product. [Hiptop3]
