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nüvifone Gives Great Direction
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, GPS, Handhelds, Music, Transportation,
Garmin’s nüvifone should give the iPhone a run for its money. After all, Garmin is all about the GPS. The all touchscreen (3.5-inch) phone also features a web browser, IM, e-mail, and music capability, and Google search complete with ratings for businesses and restaurants. When you dock it in its vehicle mount, it automatically activates the GPS and menu, and will allow hands-free conversations. The nüvifone comes with pre-loaded maps of North America, and/or both Eastern and Western Europe with voice-prompted directions. To find out more and get info on Garmin Online, the elite service with traffic, stock prices, news, and weather, head for their site. Expect availability in the 3rd quarter of this year.
Read More 
| Garmin nüvifone Product Page
Gallery: nüvifone Gives Great Direction
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Wicked Lasers Torch Spits Real Fire…Almost
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Transportation, Videos,
Wicked Lasers has put out some interesting products in the past (just check out our Blue Spyder II laser video,) but their Torch is way beyond utile. With 4100 lumens, it takes the Guinness cake as the most powerful flashlight in existence. Adjustable with a high-efficiency relector, it is encased in aerospace-grade aluminum. At a size of 57 x 230 mmm, the device does literally what it is called as you can see in the video. The light will work for up to 15 minutes on a battery charge. Frequent campers and pyromaniacs can find them for $299.99.
Read More | Wicked Lasers
Gallery: Wicked Lasers Torch Spits Real Fire…Almost
While the military has been utilizing robotic planes for a while now, academic types have now decided to get into the act by using them for scientific purposes. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has decided to invest $3 million to use UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) for what one researcher calls “the missions we call dirty, dull and dangerous.” These include predicting intensity of hurricanes, tracking Arctic ice melting, and flooding of the west coast of the U.S. They also feel an advantage is that they can use the robo-planes for continuous sampling without needing the dreaded coffee break by whining employees.
Read More | BBC
Gallery: NOAA Invests in UAS
Southwest Airlines Takes the Internet Skyward
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi,
Southwest Airlines is now testing broadband Internet access on its flights. The company has gotten together with Row 44 to access WiFi sometime this summer. Row 44 has already been working with such companies as Alaska Airlines, so it is a pleasant thought that once you actually get off the ground, you will get more than a really bad B movie and stale peanuts if you fly business class. Watch for this one to be a trend on other airlines once it gets started.
Read More | Mashable
Gallery: Southwest Airlines Takes the Internet Skyward
Sometimes we wonder about too much time on scientists’ hands when we hear that some of them from the University of Tokyo have been working in conjunction with the Origami Airplane Association to create a paper airplane that can survive a flight from the ISS into Earth’s atmosphere. Having begun testing a 3.1-inch prototype in a wind tunnel, the glider, which is shaped like the Space Shuttle, has been exposed to wind speeds of Mach 7 (5,300 mph.)
Although no launch date has been set, Professor Sinji Suzuki says he hopes a message of peace will be written on it before launch, since they don’t know exactly where it will land. We think that should be if, considering it may burn up before it reaches home.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
Gallery: ISS To Lauch Paper Airplane
NAIAS 2008: More Images
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation,
Okay, so we didn’t get all the facts and figures and stats of the major three players in the NAIAS, although they did get a major portion of the showroom floor. What we did get was a peek at some of the cars we could only covet, including this Alfa Romeo, the most expensive vehicle at the show at a cool million. After the jump, a few of the other sights we appreciated.
Click to continue reading NAIAS 2008: More Images
Read More | NAIAS 2008
Gallery: NAIAS 2008: More Images
We didn’t really see anything to write home about with this Buick Riviera Concept, although it is obvious that they believe big grills will make a comeback. But when we looked around the back, we noticed some Chinese lettering. We were told that the car was made in China for the company and that the words translate into “Buick Future.” Be that as it may, we suspect that if American Car Companies spend more on concepts than on keeping their workers from losing their jobs, there won’t be much of a future left. More images after the jump.
Click to continue reading Buick Riviera Concept
Read More | NAIAS 2008
Gallery: Buick Riviera Concept
NAIAS 2008: Lincoln Goes Mainstream
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation,
We were fortunate enough to chat with Steve, who told us all about the newest concept car from Lincoln. The 2010 MKT is destined to reach showroom floors in the fall of 2009 and will be made in Chicago. While we mistakenly assumed that concept cars were supposed to be something unique, Steve’s spiel was full of these comments:
- It has same frame as the new Taurus X
- It has a platform similar to the new Ford Flex.
- There is a commonality here, “exactly like Toyota does.”
- We are expanding our portfolio to include a crossover utility vehicle.
Ho-hum. Whatever happened to ingenuity? More shots after the jump.
Click to continue reading NAIAS 2008: Lincoln Goes Mainstream
Read More | NAIAS 2008
Gallery: NAIAS 2008: Lincoln Goes Mainstream
NAIAS 2008: Volkswagen Tiguan Printer
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation,
There weren’t as many clever toys at the NAIAS this year. Almost everything was interactive touchscreen technology, cutting down on the paperwork and the need for real humans to talk to us. We did find a machine tucked away in the Volkswagen area that would print pictures and specs on demand of their new Tiguan. You specify the options you desire, push print, and voila! We suspect that by next year, there will be no need for humans at all.
By the way, we did check out the newest Beetle, which an associate told us featured a built-in flower bud vase on the console last year. This year it is simply a roomy, clean-looking sedan at a MSRP of about $24,000. A couple of shots after the jump.
Click to continue reading NAIAS 2008: Volkswagen Tiguan Printer
Read More | NAIAS 2008
Gallery: NAIAS 2008: Volkswagen Tiguan Printer
NAIAS 2008: Honda S2000CR
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation,
We were fairly impressed by Honda’s bright blue S2000CR (Club Racer,) which we were told has this title, “The S2000 CR is the closest thing you can get to a Honda-built racecar with license plate holders and a horn.”
While this may not be the least expensive sportster on the block (about $37,000,) it did stand out as one of the brightest stars on the showroom floor and undoubtedly a speed trap of the future. Check out a couple more shots of the hot car after the jump.
Click to continue reading NAIAS 2008: Honda S2000CR
Read More | NAIAS 2008
