Unless you’re a doctor, retired, or the kid of someone who already plays, golf seems like an impossibly boring undertaking. Its only redeeming factor is tooling around a course on a golf cart, or even better, this electric-powered skateboard that’s strong enough to carry you and your clubs.
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I suppose if you have a cool $2,700,000 to splurge on the Five Person Exploration Submarine, it would not be too much to ask to pick up a specialized, waterproof camera that can shoot the depths of the ocean. Then again, if you happen to own this particular Five Person Exploration Submarine, you can bring another four people along with you to check out what the underwater world has to offer, all without getting wet in the process, not to mention having to done an uncomfortable wet suit along the way. Sip on champagne and munch on cheese while you see the creatures of the deep swimming, oblivious to your presence.
This five-person submersible has the ability to descend to a depth of 656 feet, allowing it to access reefs, wrecks, and rare underwater species. All of the explorers within will remain safe inside a climate-controlled 3.25″ thick acrylic pressure sphere which makes it possible to carry out conversations without batting an eyelid, which is a whole lot different from scuba diving. Do not worry about safety, since this particular craft will be able to meet all the safety guidelines of the International Maritime Organization, and it has been classified by Germanischer Lloyd with a couple of independent life support systems which offer data on depth, internal pressure, temperature, battery status, thruster status and trim tanks status. This is one of the very definition of a “big boy’s toy”.
[ Five Person Exploration Submarine lets you shoot your own underwater movies copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Samsung's 8-gigabit low-power DDR4 memory chips for mobile devices.
(Credit: Samsung)
In a move that should help fix a key performance bottleneck in mobile devices, Samsung announced Monday it’s developed a new 8Gb DRAM memory chip for high-end phones and tablets.
The chip uses a low-power DDR4 (Double Data Rate 4) interface that can transmit 3.2Gbps over each of its electrical connections, twice that of today’s DDR3 memory, Samsung said. And it consumes 40 percent less power.
When the new memory chips ship in 2014, they’ll pave the way for premium devices with 4GB of memory. Today, Samsung sells 4Gb and 6Gb DDR3 memory chips used in devices with 2GB and 3GB of memory, respectively.
Related Links:
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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 410 brings 64-bit, LTE to emerging markets
An inside look at how Samsung tortures its gadgets
Google designing its own server chips? Well, maybe
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The looming affordable housing crisis will likely be the biggest issue facing our cities in 2014. A convergence of cataclysmic real estate prices, a development slowdown, and a weak job market are squeezing low-income residents out of urban areas. But all is not dire: I found seven new projects that are bright spots in the U.S.’s affordable housing future.
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The latest TokyoFlash concept watch from UK designer Peter Fletcher is one of his coolest yet. The Hayabusa LED watch features a case inspired by the Spartan armor of the same name from Halo.
The helmet-shaped case has an EL-backlit LCD that looks like the helmet’s visor, while watch is covered in a finish that looks like armor. Though I have to say it looks more like Mjolnir armor to be as it’s not pointy like the Hayabusa armor in the game. Still, it’s totally cool.
What I really love about the design of this watch is that the display is surprisingly easy to read. Twevle dots in the middle indicate hours, while the shapes that flank each side are just distorted digits for the minutes.
While those not in the know will have no clue as to what time it is, you’ll be able to tell time at a glance – hopefully before some Elite tags you with a sticky grenade.
Halo fans, If you like what you see, head on over to the TokyoFlash design blog and show your support for the Hayabusa watch. With enough votes, TokyoFlash could very well put the design into production.
Sony is a company that has several different units under the corporate umbrella. One of those business units is the company’s battery unit. Sony had been preparing to sell of … Continue reading
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Botanists have been busy trying to iron out the pesky needle drop from Christmas trees for years by crossing different species of fir. But now, scientists are getting involved—and the results could mean that your next tree looks or smells completely different.
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Keeping cats interested in any one toy for any length of time can be difficult, at least in my experience. Plus, most of them require a lot of manual input on the owner’s part. The Egg is a Kickstarter project that aims to keep things interesting for the cat, and save energy for the owner, with a smart toy that moves on its own and can be programmed via a laptop.
The Egg looks like its namesake, but contained within its plastic enclosure, it holds an offset weight and gearmotor, along with a printed circuit board. The Egg can detect floor type and even obstacles, like a cat’s paw or person’s foot, and rotate its weight using the gearmotor to change direction. The result is a ball that can continuously roll and keep a cat’s interest without any human intervention.
Or, with limited human intervention, I should say. The Egg still needs to be charged up, using a microUSB port on its side, and it can be plugged into a computer to switch it to various interaction modes using a desktop software interface.
Speaking from experience using an iPhone-controlled Sphero robot, this seems like a design that will indeed appeal to furry friends. Egg’s creator Jason O’Mara says that it isn’t designed to withstand the rougher brand of abuse that can come from dogs, however, so limit the Egg to feline pals only. O’Mara is an electrical engineer based in Portland, Oregon who previously worked for electronics industry vet TDK, among others.
Egg has managed to get within spitting distance of its $15,000 Kickstarter funding goal, so it’s highly likely it’ll reach it before long. O’Mara anticipates shipping the first production run by June, 2014, and backers can secure a pre-order for $31. That’s a small price to pay for what could potentially provide eternal enjoyment for your bored domestic animal.
A group of World of Warcraft criminals in China has been sentenced to prison time in the real world for operating a criminal ring in the video game. The criminal … Continue reading
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