Designer Bradford Waugh came up with Nulla (meaning “nothing”) as a way of making bikes more stylish and lightweight. And visually stunning of course. Lacking spokes, it uses a direct-gear-chain drive system, which leaves the bike looking like a simple set of open curves. Whether or not it would ride well would be immaterial, methinks: rock up to a cycling meet on this thing and you’d have an instant bunch of admirers. Just a concept… but who knows, it looks exactly sort of thing we’re riding in twenty years time. [Tuvie] galleryPost('nulla', 3, '');
MP3 speakers play music, so they may as well look like a musical instrument: that seems to be the thinking behind the Sounger Vin 1/8 Violin Speaker System with amp. And before you dismiss the device as a gimmick, you need to know it’s crafted from spruce and maple wood, each speaker is 20W and stands 19-inches tall and the amp is violin-themed too. Does a wooden speaker-body, echoing the shape of a violin (which itself is optimised to make the great sounds) mean it’ll sound better than nasty plastic speakers? Hard to say: but you can’t deny that in terms of stylish, unusual looks, this is a winner. It’s available in Korea, but you’ll have to save up, violin fans, since it costs US$770. [TFTS]
Solid Alliance’s newest USB thumbdrive will either appeal to geeky clergy-types, or vampire-goth-geek types, since it’s an ornate metallic silver-coloured drive that comes in a cross-shaped caddy. And it’s specifically designed to hang on a necklace. Bizarre: both markets for this product can’t be all that big, can they? Still, this gizmo might even contain real silver, since the 2GB drive costs US$180. If that’s too rich for your blood, there’s a brass-coloured one, also 2GB, for US$145. [Akihabaranews]
Toshiba has announced it’s beefing-up its line of NAND flash storage chips to 32GB sizes. The new package combines eight 4GB 43-nanometer chips into one—double the previous generation’s capacity—and is specifically aimed at the portable device market. Since it can be dropped into existing slots, manufacturers have to make no specific changes to accommodate the new chips. Toshiba, of course, doesn’t name its clients, but suffice it to say Apple is on the list. The new chips will be available as samples in September, with bulk production starting soon after. [Electronista]
Back in December we introduced you to SunTable: a photovoltaic solar-power generating table designed to juice up your gadgets in an eco-friendly style. And now the table’s available for purchase. The stainless steel and teak production version charges up in about four hours of bright sun exposure (there’s a hinge so you can angle it properly if you need to) and delivers about four hours of 12V after that. It comes with a built-in inverter, so it has regular power sockets that you can plug your gadgets into, and is designed to be weatherproof, easy to disassemble and even recycle. That’s about it: it’s a table with a solar generator built in… doesn’t get much simpler than that! Oh—it does cost US$2,200, so it’s most likely to appeal to really rich eco-warriors. [SunTable]
If you’re still having trouble finding a Wii, or are too cheap to buy one, you might want to consider the V-Sports gaming system from Royalking Universal, which we’re sure is the next best thing. It’s a Wii-like wireless console that comes with the “12 most interesting sports and amusement games built in,” which sounds nice. It comes in white, sweet pink, and sky blue. We’re not sure where to get one in the US, but we’re betting your cousin who’s in China for the Olympics this week could get you one for about US$75. [Product Page via Technabob]
When you’re out of wireless range but you really need to know the upcoming weather—say camping or other outdoor activities—you can use the Suunto Core watch to get your meteorological information. It comes packed with a barometer, thermometer, altimeter, compass, and even a Weather Trend Indicator. An indispensable feature is the storm alarm that gives you a heads up before the big one comes so you have time to find shelter. Retail price is in the mid-US$300s, so while outdoor pros will find the watch useful it’s not out of reach of weekend warriors. [Product Page via Peep Culture]
Let’s say your twenty-year-old daughter runs up an astounding US$5000 mobile phone bill from talking to her good-for-nothing boyfriend too much. Do you A) Cancel her service and make her get he own phone? B) Reprimand her and block the offending number from the phone? C) Grab her and spank her like she’s seven. If answered C), you just might be James Phillips of Portland, Maine, who did just that. He’s now being charged with domestic violence. Make sure to keep an eye on your minutes, readers. [Bangor News]
This universal remote control is powered by a wind-up dynamo on its face instead of AAA batteries, and that’s awesome. Not only is it eco-friendly but it’s also a relief. There’s nothing worse than using a remote with dying batteries. Apparently you can simply turn the handle 30 times and that will generate enough power to keep it going for a week, long enough for that Suddenly Susan marathon that starts on Monday you’re so excited about. [Slippery Brick]
The Asus pulse mouse is just what it sounds like: A mouse that measures your pulse as you work at your computer. It sends the information via its wireless connection to software running on your PC that keeps track of your heart rate and displays it graphically. It’s not meant for everyone, but anyone using Windows who’s also a heart patient might find it useful, or even lifesaving. [Product Page, via Everything USB]
