Disposable ‘Fleshkus’ drives ensure your memories some day hit the dump

Disposable 'Fleshkus' drives ensure your memories some day hit the dump

We’re a little less of a disposable society than we used to be, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t embrace an opportunity to get back into our formerly carefree and wasteful ways. This concept spotted over at Art Lebedev, designed by Alexei Lyapunov and Lena Ehrlich, could get us there, eight or 16GB thumb drives printed on cardboard and produced so inexpensively that you can simply tear one off, scribble on it, then give away to friends to share files — just a concept at this point, but this vision of tomorrow seems awfully likely to us.

Disposable ‘Fleshkus’ drives ensure your memories some day hit the dump originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 concept revealed!

Look what we’ve found! This is the first image you’ll see anywhere of the early fruit of Microsoft and Nokia’s budding new partnership. We have it on good authority that the technicolor phones on show are conceptual devices produced by the two companies. You shouldn’t, therefore, go jumping to conclusions about retail hardware just yet, but hearts should be warmed by the familiarity of Nokia’s new design — the shape of these handsets is somewhere between its recent N8 and C7 Symbian devices and there is, as usual for Nokia, a choice of sprightly colors. The trio of keys adorning the new concept’s bottom give away its Windows Phone 7 ties, but also remind us that the N8 and E7 are highly unlikely to receive any WP7 upgrade love. The best part about this whole discovery, however, might be that it confirms Steve Ballmer’s assertion that the engineers of both companies have “spent a lot of time on this already.” So, who else is excited about owning an Engadget-blue Microkia device?

Exclusive: Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 concept revealed! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda to unveil new EV in Geneva, said to ‘hint strongly’ at what the Fit EV will look like

Honda to unveil new EV in Geneva, said to 'hint strongly' at what the Fit EV will look like

Wondering what the electric version of Honda’s Fit will look like? We figure it’ll look an awful lot like the normal Honda Fit, but if that’s not enough for you then gaze upon the concept above. It’s set to be unveiled soon in Geneva, called simply the “Honda EV Concept.” The company Soichiro built promises it “hints strongly at the direction and styling for Honda’s upcoming production battery electric vehicle, the Fit EV,” which is due to hit the US and Japan next year. Honda will also show off a new plug-in hybrid architecture, though based on what you can see in the pictures below there’s a good chance it’ll be making an appearance without a body. Should be a light one, then.

Continue reading Honda to unveil new EV in Geneva, said to ‘hint strongly’ at what the Fit EV will look like

Honda to unveil new EV in Geneva, said to ‘hint strongly’ at what the Fit EV will look like originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan unveils sexy ESFLOW concept EV sports car

Concept cars always promise the car of tomorrow, but they only get us hot and bothered for fantastical design elements that rarely make it to production due to trivial concerns like “cost” and “the laws of physics.” Undaunted by these limitations, Nissan has rolled out a new futuristic EV called ESFLOW — with a roofline inspired by modern Z cars and an elongated bonnet reminiscent of the original 240Z — to titillate our inner gearhead. Scheduled for a Geneva Motor Show debut in early March, the coupe is powered by children’s dreams and whimsy dual electric motors driving the rear wheels and can take residents of imagination land from 0-100kph (0-62mph for us Yanks) in less than five seconds. If the ESFLOW is where Nissan’s going with its EV designs — the Leaf isn’t exactly a looker — we’re all for it, but don’t expect to see it on the road anytime soon as it’s only a concept after all. Vid’s after the break.

Continue reading Nissan unveils sexy ESFLOW concept EV sports car

Nissan unveils sexy ESFLOW concept EV sports car originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pelican Imaging’s prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video)

Pelican's prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video)

If you want to look for life on another planet you don’t build one radio telescope that’s miles wide, you build a bunch of smaller ones and create an array out of them. As it turns out that basic idea works for capturing visible wavelengths as well. It’s called a plenoptic camera, using an array of very small lenses that, when combined, can create an image as good as a larger one. Pelican Imaging is largely interested in the slim factor this kind of system could offer, potentially allowing for thinner phones, but this could also open the door to some interesting effects. Check out the video after the break for an example of the dynamic aperture control this sort of setup can allow, where you can change the focal plane of an image after it was taken. Given the small size of the array here you probably couldn’t do anything too crazy, like take a picture through a tree, but the days of poorly focused cameraphone shots might finally be at an end — whenever this actually comes to market.

Continue reading Pelican Imaging’s prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video)

Pelican Imaging’s prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Circboard brings fast typing to console controllers (video)

Circboard brings fast typing to console controllers

Entering any kind of text using a console gamepad is an exercise in frustration. Certain games have offered innovative solutions, like Beyond Good and Evil‘s infinitely spiraling letters, but none quite as simple as Circboard. It basically splits the keyboard into bunches, with the left analog stick on an Xbox 360 controller selecting a group of letters and then the right stick or buttons grabbing a specific letter. Shoulder bumpers handle space and backspace, while the left trigger does caps. Simple, easy — and as of now just a demo. But, the team is looking to get its idea into a variety of games and other console apps, and they’re looking for investors. You always did say that mutual funds were boring…

Update: Alfredo wrote in with some prior art that might make patenting this approach somewhat… difficult.

Continue reading Circboard brings fast typing to console controllers (video)

Circboard brings fast typing to console controllers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solar Wind bridge concept could power 15,000 homes, grow vegetables

Why just use solar power or wind power when you can use both? Designed by Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino and Luisa Saracino as part of an Italian design contest to re-imagine a decommissioned bridge (for which it placed second), this so-called Solar Wind concept would have solar cells embedded in the roadway (an idea that’s already catching on) and an array of 26 wind turbines underneath, which the designers say could produce enough energy combined to power 15,000 homes. To make the design greener still, the designers have even included a “green promenade” that would run alongside the road, which they suggest could be used to grow fruits and vegetables that’d then be sold to folks driving by. Incidentally, while it’s less focused on technology, the design that placed first in the contest (a so-called “vertical village”) is pretty impressive in its own right — check it out after the break.

Continue reading Solar Wind bridge concept could power 15,000 homes, grow vegetables

Solar Wind bridge concept could power 15,000 homes, grow vegetables originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |  sourceNew Italian Blood  | Email this | Comments

Next-gen Ford GT supercar to be a hybrid, still weigh 500lb less than predecessor?

Next-gen Ford GT supercar to be a hybrid, still weigh 500lbs less than predecessor?

Ford‘s GT came back to life in the mid 2000s to give the brand a much-needed halo car and to re-kindle the fires of those who watched the GT40 trounce the Ferraris at Le Mans in the late ’60s. It didn’t live long, but rumors of its re-resurrection are growing stronger. Latest comes courtesy of Auto Express, which indicates this generation GT will weigh right around 3,000lbs — a massive 500 lighter than its predecessor despite this new model supposedly packing a hybrid system. It’ll offer a supercharged V8 paired with an electric motor driving the front wheels, not unlike the setup in the Porsche 918 RSR and its street-going version, the 918 Spyder. If these rumors prove true it’ll hit that target thanks to an all-aluminum chassis, composite body panels, and an aggressive diet.

Next-gen Ford GT supercar to be a hybrid, still weigh 500lb less than predecessor? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Mobile is Building Real Universal Translators

Samsung Translator

A few months ago, WordLens, an iPhone app that could translate text just by directing your iPhone’s camera at it, made waves for being one of the first augmented reality apps that could achieve the promise of an actual universal translator. Now, Samsung Mobile says they’re working on something similar, only for spoken language instead of printed text. 
Their version of the translator will have a pair of AMOLED displays on a transparent display, with the side facing the user displaying his or her words in their native language, and the side facing away from the user with the translation in the viewer’s native language. Samsung hopes the translations will work in real-time, and may be the closest thing to a Star Trek-style translator, where one person speaks and the other person hears the words in their own language. 
Sadly, Samsung’s design is still a concept for the moment and there’s no guarantee that the concept will ever turn into a real product, but if it does, you can be sure there’s a market for it. 

WeSC Karmatech concept makes your shoes more social with RFID

We’ve been seeing more and more shoes infused with different sorts of technology in recent years, but none quite like this WeSC Karmatech concept developed by some students at Sweden’s Hyper Island “digital school.” Described as a “social take on Nike+,” the shoes apparently wouldn’t have an accelerometer but they do pack an RFID chip that allows the wearer to interact with their surroundings — automatically check in at a location and share it on Facebook or Twitter, for instance, or get access to exclusive deals or special events. Of course, it is just a concept, but the students note that it would be relatively cheap to implement (at least on the shoe end of the equation), as the RFID tags themselves only cost a few cents. Kinda gives a new meaning to “sneakernet,” doesn’t it? Head on past the break for the video.

Continue reading WeSC Karmatech concept makes your shoes more social with RFID

WeSC Karmatech concept makes your shoes more social with RFID originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBehance  | Email this | Comments