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Latest Gear Live Videos
GM To Build Lithium-ion Plant
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Science, Storage, Transportation,
It seems that at least one of the “Big Three” of Detroit finally has caught on. Yesterday at the NAIAS, GM’s CEO G. Richard Wagoner Jr. announced that it is opening the first U.S. lithium-ion battery plant. They will be making them to go into their Chevy Volt, due out in 2012. GM has already invested over a billion dollars in the eco-friendly vehicle. They will also be erecting a research facility. This is good news for those who live in the beleaguered state in terms of jobs and better news for those who want to go green and do it American.
Read More 
| Washington Post
Gallery: GM To Build Lithium-ion Plant
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BUG Labs announces five new BUGmodules at CES
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Broadband, CES, CES 2009, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video, Science, Wireless / WiFi,
We are big fans of BUG Labs, so we are naturally excited about the news this morning coming out of CES that they are set to release a total of five new BUGmodules. If you are unfamiliar with what BUG Labs and the BUGbase is all about, check out our video from last year’s CES after the break. Anyhow, here’s a list of the new BUGmodules:
- BUG3g: Gives you phone and/or data connectivity
- BUGwifi: Give you 802.11b/g Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR capabilities
- BUGbee: An 802.15.4 antenna to be used with ZigBee home automation setups
- BUGsound: Give you a 20mm speaker jack, four 3.5mm jacks, and an omnidirectional microphone
- BUGprojector: An integrated DLP Pico projector which outputs at 480x320 resolution
None of these have been priced, or have even been stamped with a specific release date, but you can expect them to ship before the end of the quarter.
Click to continue reading BUG Labs announces five new BUGmodules at CES
Read More | PR Newswire
Gallery: BUG Labs announces five new BUGmodules at CES
Good news for those who insist that their spare tire is due to genetics. That is not quite the case, but a New Zealand scientist claims that carbohydrates may be as addictive as cigarettes, giving us a new excuse. He claims that heavily processed carbs found in as cereal and desserts raise the amount of sugar in blood. The result is that the sugar rush stimulates the same part of the brain that involves nicotine addiction. Dr.Thornley says that more studying is needed but that so far his research shows that those with a high body mass index have fewer brain pleasure receptors like in those who are addicted to cocaine and alcohol.
Read More | Fox News
Gallery: New Zealand Doctor Claims Carbs Are Addictive
Top 20 Gear Live stories of 2008
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Announcements, Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, PC / Laptop, Product Reviews, Science, Software,
We welcome the coming
already-here year of 2009 with open arms, but we thought it would definitely be appropriate to take a look back at the stories that made 2008 a memorable one. We’ve compiled the 20 stories from 2008 that were read more than any other, and the fact of the matter is that you guys (like us) are iPhone junkies, who also appreciate our giveaways, and reviews. So without any further delay, away we go:
20 most read Gear Live posts of 2008:
- Flash on iPhone is just around the corner
- Apple beta testing iPhone 2.1 firmware, adding more GPS features
- What do you want to see us cover at E3 2008?
- Our Verizon FiOS customer service nightmare: Why won’t they protect my private customer information?
- iPhone 3G: The details
- Why is Apple stalling Flash on the iPhone?
- HP Magic Giveaway: Enter our contest to win over $6,000 in electronics!
- How to tether your iPhone 3G to your laptop
- iPhone 1.1.4 Firmware Update now available, already jailbroken
- iPhone Dev Team jailbreaks and unlocks iPhone 2.0
- iPhone 1.1.3 Q&A: Batch Two
- Get the Mac OS X Update for MobileMe right now
- T-Mobile G1 details
- iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbreak app for OS X now available
- Venus, Jupiter and Crescent Moon In Alignment Tonight
- iPhone Pwnage Tool 2.0.3 now available
- iPod nano updated, elongated, and nano-chromatic
- Apple Time Capsule vs. Airport Extreme size comparison
- iPhone firmware 2.1 detailed
- MacBook Air SSD review
So, how does that look to you? You feel like anything was missed? Was there a particular Gear Live article that you enjoyed, but didn’t make the cut? Sound off in the comments, peeps. Oh, and have a fantastic New Year!
Gallery: Top 20 Gear Live stories of 2008
destructobots Celebrate New Years
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science,
Remember how we told you that toys had private lives? This also seems to be true of robots. A couple of our friends, the destructobots, know how to party and stopped by to wish you all a good one. Watch out though, if you pass out too early, they will partake of your Grey Goose. And if you are not paying attention, they will steal your chips and bean dip. (Don’t ask us why, but destructobots love bean dip.) Have a safe and happy New Year!
Gallery: destructobots Celebrate New Years
While you are enjoying your Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Chanukah, look up and think about how some of our greatest gifts are free. The Christmas Tree Cluster is composed of bright blue stars in front of a red gas background. It was first discovered in the 18th century, but was captured again from the European Southern Observatory in Chile. The cluster is in the constellation of Monoceros, the unicorn, about 2,600 light years from Earth.
Read More | Wired
Gallery: Christmas Tree Cluster
We know an email addict when we hear of one. Seton Hall University published a study about a woman who was given Ambien (zolpidem) for her insomnia. Her doctor increased the dosage when she claimed it wasn’t lasting all night. The next day a friend of hers called and accepted an invitation to dinner by email that the woman could not remember. She also sent two more the same night. Lead author Dr. Fouzia Siddiqui claims that this is the first case of its Sleep Emailing and added that he was amazed at all the complex actions the woman would have to go through to write and send the emails. We’re not.
Read More | ABC News
Gallery: Woman Sends Emails While Asleep
The Endeavor finally made it back home to NASA’s spaceport Friday. Forced to take a detour when coming home Nov. 30 because of a nasty storm at Kennedy Space Center, it ended up at California’s Edwards Air Force Base where it met up with more bad weather. The space shuttle was finally attached to the top of a modified jumbo jet to make the flight back. The trek cost a whopping $1.8 million. For that amount of money, we think it should have retired in (mostly) sunny California.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: Endeavor Comes Home
A team of MIT computer scientists decided to develop software to combine all those sticky notes with a result that it will enter, store and retrieve information. Michael Bernstein claims the team is not trying to replace Post-its, just understand the “classes of things people do with Post-its and see if we can help users do more of what they wanted to do in the first place.”
What started out as a 2007 simple study became a larger project. The systems devised include a program to capture broad content and one that streamlines note taking. The team found that if too much effort is required to store the data, most people won’t bother. We admit that we would miss our collage of paper scraps that adorn our desk.
Read More | MIT
Gallery: MIT Develops Software to Replace Post-its
2008 Holiday Gift Guide: Wicked Lasers SONAR II Burner
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Misc. Tech, Science, Men, Techies,
So we’ve been trying to stay fairly frugal in our 2008 Gift Guide, but we’ve gotten a bunch of email from people asking where all the high-priced items have gone. We figured today we’d answer that with the Wicked Lasers SONAR II Burner laser. We’ve been playing around with one for a few days, and we can definitely say that it exhibits a cool factor (and geek cred!) Why? For starters, it’s a fricken laser. Secondly, the specific laser diode that’s in this one is the same as you’d find in a Blu-ray player. Yeah, a Blu-ray laser, in the palm of your hand. Sick, right? You’ve got a 405nm violet beam at your fingertips. Of course, all that power comes at a price, and if you wanna get in on the action, the Sonar II Burner will cost you $1,999.99. See? We weren’t kidding.
Read More | Wicked Lasers Sonar II Burner
