Recreate the joys of a relaxing Japanese train trip while charging your iPhone 3GS/4/4S, Galaxy S/S II, or Xperia Arc smartphone! The Train Window Smartphone Charger Stand from Genius Cell offers a choice of three miniature recreations of real Japanese train compartments, with your smartphone’s screen doubling as a picture window.
Hey, Gundam fan. Yes, you – I’m talking to you. It seems like you’re not alone in your desire to own and have everything that screams Gundam, because the folks over at Tokyo’s Pacific Le Daiba probably knew that there were more fans like you in the world.
Three rooms at the said hotel have been renovated and filled with oodles of Gundam memorabilia. Not only that, but they’ve been completely redecorated to look as if you’ve stepped into some kind of Gundam gallery.
The rooms have a cockpit to reenact your favorite scenes from the anime, sheets and bedding to reflect its ‘real’ owners, and you’ll be greeted by awesome art from your favorite characters the moment you wake up.
Pacific Le Daiba shelled out about 10 million yen ($125,000) to turn their hotel rooms into these themed suites. Lucky for you, you’ll only have to pay about 27,000 yen or $338(USD) a night to stay in one these rooms.
[via Dvice]
LED technology shone brighter than the summer sun this week as artist Bruce Munro unveiled plans for his largest lighting installation ever — a field of thousands of LED flowers that will spring up next year at Australia’s Ayers Rock. Best of all, the entire installation will be powered by solar energy! We also saw Rice University flip the switch on its new Epiphany Skyspace — a green-roofed pavilion that’s topped with a brilliant blue canopy of light. If you’re still not convinced that LEDs are the future, we recently produced two videos that are sure to show you the light — check out our interview with five professional lighting designers on today’s state of the art LED bulbs and watch as we give Inhabitots editor Julie Seguss a light bulb overhaul that shaves over $400 off her utility bills. And if you’re ready to make the switch, check out our guide to 24 gorgeous green lamps that look great with LED bulbs.
This week saw some exciting new developments in the realm of renewable energy. First, a group of scientists in the UK developed a new energy-harvesting device that attaches to the joint between the thigh and shin. The device could be used to power monitors and mobile devices, to name a few possible applications. Meanwhile, scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have invented a new toilet that turns human waste into electricity while reducing the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90 percent. That’s what we call, win-win!
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: energy-harvesting toilet, LED lightbulb overhaul and a floating, solar-powered resort home originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
There’s a reoccurring foreboding in many
fairytales, that says: magic comes with a price. The Evil Queen that offered
Snow White the poisonous apple received her comeuppance in the end, and hopefully Orbitz
will be served a does of the same, when the traveling public learns
that Mac users are charged more than those using Windows. Yes, in this
case, you can think of Orbitz
as the Evil Queen! And the 30 percent higher rates they are offering to
Apple device owners, the fruits from their poisonous tree.
Delta Airlines will be expanding WiFi access to more than 150 international aircraft including Boeing 777, 767, 747, Airbus 330 and transoceanic Boeing 757 starting at the beginning of 2013. Existing air-to-ground service has been conveniently available on domestic flights within the US, but international access has always been constrained by this ground-based technology normally used by airlines.
To make WiFi access possible while flying over large bodies of water, service provider Gogo will be working with high-bandwith Ku-band capacity satellites for the first time ever on any airline. Once completed in 2015, it’s expected that Delta will be operating about 1,000 WiFi-enabled aircraft internationally.
There’s nothing quite like sending a tweet or snapping an Instagram photo when you’re high above the middle of the Atlantic ocean, and even though the technology will be more expensive, Delta and Gogo are well aware that customers are keen on staying connected all the time. The airline currently serves over 160 million customers annually and all Delta Connection two-class regional jets offer over 400,000 passengers WiFi access on a daily basis.
[via Engadget]
Delta expanding WiFi access to international flights starting next year is written by Elise Moreau & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Samsung has been quiet on the superzoom camera front, but it’s leaping back into the fray with the WB100. The camera doesn’t have the longest zoom we’ve seen, but with a 26x lens and a wide-angle 22.3mm minimum zoom, odds are that just about anything you come across during vacation will fit into the frame. A choice to use AA batteries instead of a lithium-ion pack also emphasizes that focus on travelers. We’re otherwise looking at a very deliberately middle-of-the-road camera with a 16-megapixel sensor, ISO 80 to 1,600 sensitivity (3,200 if you like 3-megapixel photos) and 720p movie making. The company doesn’t have pricing, nor word as to which countries get the WB100 treatment outside of the UK — for now, you’re most likely to see this camera slung around a suntanned British neck in Ibiza.
Continue reading Samsung brings out WB100 camera with 26x lens for zoom-loving Brits
Samsung brings out WB100 camera with 26x lens for zoom-loving Brits originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
When it comes to air conditioners, you can’t take the coolness with you… until now! Thanko’s portable liquid-cooled air conditioner uses USB or battery power, keeping you cool at home, work or play.
You can pack your 2-wheeled carry-on and pull it through the airport,
switching arms, as you drag the bag all the way from your cab to
check-in, up the escalator to the tram, through your terminal and bag
inspection, and up and down the maze of halls to your gate. But, I’m
taking my Kick Scooter Luggage.
Discovery Expedition isn’t looking for a new kind of hiking boot –
unless it’s electronic. But it is looking for new ways to enhance
hiking, sky-diving, camping, mining, surfing… whatever, your outdoor
lifestyle needs to take it to the next level to improve your outdoor
experience.
For millions of vacationers every year, there remains only one form of travel where you can truly leave all the digital disruptions of your life at home – on a cruise ship. That’s mainly because all those distractions simply don’t work. Mobile phone service is unavailable and even if you’re willing to pay the outrageous Internet fees, you can only browse at speeds that remind you of the days of dial-up.
But we all know it’s only a matter of time before that changes. It didn’t take long for the airline industry. Once one carrier started offering in-flight WiFi, pretty much everyone jumped on board. Now, for example, every single one of Delta’s aircraft has Internet access. So the cruise industry looks like it’s next, as Royal Caribbean announced a new partnership with a company called O3b Networks.
That company has the technology to provide high-speed Internet at sea, offering an experience “as if connected to fiber at home or in the office,” Royal Caribbean said. in a statement, it noted, Royal Caribbean is committed to delivering the most contemporary vacation to our guests. And that includes pushing ahead for onboard technological advances that offer the modern conveniences that guests enjoy on land.” The first ship to get the connection will be the Oasis of the Seas, a 5,400-passenger vessel.
[via USA Today]
Royal Caribbean to offer faster on-board Internet is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
