The seller bills the phone as “limited edition”, which means this is, purportedly, one of only five such prototypes produced. The anonymity and volatility of the internet means I trust this guy about as much as I do a baby with a razor blade, but nevertheless there are some other key differences present that indicate this phone is slightly different than the standard Droid.

For instance the keys are silver instead of gold; the bezel is chrome, not black; and the LED lighting on the buttons is “enhanced”. The phone is fully operational and awaiting activation. Trust this guy? Bidding starts at $US485. [eBay via Engadget]

The “mirasol” technology mimics iridescent butterfly wings by deploying charged, colour-inducing membranes over a layer of mirror. It’s a technology that, if integrated into Kindles today as-is, would increase battery life by an estimated 20 per cent.

Instead, Qualcomm uses that extra power efficiency to drive colour and higher refresh rates for smooth video. They contend that a Kindle with their more capable display could run about a day with its current battery.

The catch? The lead photo is a non-functional prototype (with a functional, frozen-image display). Qualcomm is offering the tech to third-party partners, and they expect you to see mirasol tech on the market by late 2010. [SlashGear]

According to the witches and wizards at NEC Electronics and Onryoku Hatsuden, their new remote generates electricity when the users clicks on any button. They are planning to see the first production remotes in 2011. [Aiajin via Crunchgear]

It’s only a prototype at the moment (one of many that have come out lately focused on saving energy), which probably explains why it still looks like a child’s toy. Not a good idea when you consider that it sits between the wall outlet and the plug of your gadget. At any rate, PowerZoa transmits details on your power usage to a secure website, where you can use the interface to turn specific devices on or off.

Sooner or later something like this will be widely available, and there will be a mobile phone app that would allow me to control everything. And when that happens, I will be all over it. [Powerzoa via DVICE]

This is the Shinshin ATD-X, the prototype of what could be Japan’s very own stealth fighter if they don’t get to buy Lockheed Martin F-22s. It’s very sleek, but I’m sad it doesn’t transform like a Varitech.

The Japanese military seems to be very happy about it, although it’s not clear it will ever pass the prototype test phase. For now, only a full scale mockup for radar profiling — it appears as a group of insects or a bird, they say — and a RC model have been built. [Flight Global]

The updated XBR series would scale up to 60 inches and feature 240Hz Motionflow, W-LED-backlighting, a new Bravia Engine 3 Pro with HD video processor and UV2A panel technology. HDTVLounge also believes the shot above may well be a glimpse of the 32-inch XBR11’s new floating glass design.

As for the OLED TV, it’s just one of several models that are on the proposed list:
• KDL-S6100 | Entry CCFL
• KDL-V6100 | Mind Range CCFL
• KDL-W6100 | Mid Range CCFL
• KDL-Z6100 | High Range CCFL
• KDL-X500 | Mid Range Edge-Lit LED LCD
• KDL-650 | High Range Edge-Lit LED LCD
• KDL-XBR11 | High Range W-LED Backlit LCD
• KDL-XBR12 | High Range Advanced LED RGB Backlit LCD
• KDL-ZX Series OLED

Fingers crossed we see some of these at CES in January. [HDTV Lounge]

While the concept is not new, this prototype is fully working and operational. Created by Jing Li and a team of researches at NASA’s Ames Research centre, Moffett Field, California, the sensor is a multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip integrated in micro-board with 64 nanosensors.

The low-cost, low-power system can detect minimal concentrations of ammonia, chlorine gas and methane, showing the values in an iPhone application. It can automatically communicate the results with other mobile phones or the Enterprise’s computer using Wi-Fi or 3G, and order massive teleportation evacuations if needed. OK, not true. No teleportation yet, but we are getting there. [NASA]

[DigiTimes]

The previous design was a lot sleeker and placed the controls on the side. But it didn’t have those awesome nubs. A test run of those units were shipped to selected people in February, and early feedback plus a “sleepless night” lead to the updated, bigger look.

You’ll need to jailbreak your iPhone, but the iControlPad is supported by some of the biggest iPhone devs (including ZodTTD’s PSX and GBA emulators). If you’re interested in placing a pre-order, sign up for the newsletter over at: [iControlPad]

[In my home we are] all Apple. Apple uses the best technology for their [computers]. Apple says to their customers: if you buy a computer from us you can be sure we have selected the best technology inside for you. That is their promise to consumers. Their promise to consumers isn’t we’ve selected the best technology for you with the exception of what Intel allows us to use. That’s not their promise. And that’s why Apple uses the best technology where they want whenever they want. And that’s why I’m all Apple! At home it’s just Macs everywhere. It’s NVIDIA’s technology in all of them but I use Macs. My son has two Macs, my daughter has a Mac, there’s an extra Mac just in case and my wife has a Mac. It’s just Mac, Mac, Mac! Because I know it’s got the best stuff inside.

That’s quite an enthusiastic endorsement. So enthusiastic that he crosses the ultra-fanboy territory and gets into the “I’ve got my hockey knee pads here and I’m ready to perform iphonelingus on you if you pick me as your tablet provider, Apple” danger zone. [Shufflegazine — Thanks Ron]