Capstone’s CMT-380 hybrid supercar does 150MPH with batteries and a jet engine

Step aside, Tesla — we’ve just spotted the hottest Earth-lovin’ supercar since the Lightning GT. Shown off to wide-mouthed onlookers at the LA Auto Show this month, the Capstone CMT-380 prototype is an automotive beast unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Rather than mixing batteries and a conventional engine, this whip combines the former with a diesel / biodiesel-powered microturbine, which is — for all intents and purposes — a jet engine. Reportedly, the car can reach 60MPH from a standstill in just 3.9 seconds, hit 150MPH before being cut off by the electronic limiter, cruise 80 miles on battery power alone and drive from Idaho Falls to Spokane on just a single tank of fuel. It’s being bruited about that the company is considering flipping this bad boy into the production line, but with an estimated asking price north of $200,000, there’s sufficient evidence to think that the volume here would remain relatively low. Hit up Autoblog Green‘s gallery of shots from the show floor below, but only if you love peering at high-resolution images of stealthy, sexy things.

Capstone’s CMT-380 hybrid supercar does 150MPH with batteries and a jet engine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zii Trinity smartphone concept handled on video

It’s an all too brief look, but it’s infinitely more than we’ve seen so far. CNET Asia has managed some hands-on time the Zii Trinity concept smartphone. Quite a looker, and here we also get a glimpse of it next to the good ol’ Zii Egg. As noted by the narrator, the bottom proprietary slot can be swapped for microUSB or mini-HDMI, there’s a notably-sized 5 megapixel camera on the back, as well as one on the front for video conferencing. Enough talk, take a gander for yourself after the break.

[Thanks, kumar]

Continue reading Zii Trinity smartphone concept handled on video

Zii Trinity smartphone concept handled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time Inc. shows off magazine tablet demo, plans future anger about 70/30 profit split


You know that Condé Nast tablet / digital magazine demo we saw recently (non-ironically paging through a copy of Wired)? Well now Time Inc. has gotten in on the same game, showing off its version of a digimag running a touch-friendly issue of Sports Illustrated. The company not only buzzed everyone with the charming walkthough video — a floating hand paging through SI on a sleek, black tablet (embedded after the break) — but also had a live, functioning variation of the product up and running on a touchscreen HP laptop. The gist of the project seems to be that the publisher will be able to offer this digitized version of its magazines in some sort of agnostic format, one that would be accessible to PCs and phantom Apple tablets alike. Peter Kafka over at All Things D says that he had a chance to play with the demo and it was, “quite a bit of fun.” While it’s clear that both Time and Condé Nast are taking parallel routes to online publishing (the former is purely in concept mode, the latter is working with Adobe on digital versions of its titles as we speak), one thing is painfully clear: both companies have shockingly similar ideas about what the future of magazine publishing looks like. We hope Apple has been informed.

Continue reading Time Inc. shows off magazine tablet demo, plans future anger about 70/30 profit split

Time Inc. shows off magazine tablet demo, plans future anger about 70/30 profit split originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAllThingsD, The Wonder Factory (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Zii Trinity mobile platform packs 1080p punch, looking for OEM love

Ready to start lusting after a new smartphone? If Creative has its way, you’ll soon be enjoying Full HD video on a 3.5 / 4G device, with built-in WiFi, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, accelerated 3D graphics, and mini-HDMI and Composite video outputs. The newly announced 3.1-inch, multitouch-capable Zii Trinity has been designed by Creative subsidiary Ziilabs, and will be licensed out to clients who’ll be able to customize a Zii-optimized Android install and Plaszma interface. As if we haven’t got enough smartphone ecosystems knocking about already, this also marks the introduction of ZiiLife, which aims to be both a content delivery and productivity suite. Powered by the ARM-based ZMS-05 or ZMS-08, the new handset actually seems destined to perform plenty of KIRF and grey market duties, judging by Creative’s “strategic partnerships” with Chinese manufacturers, but that might be no bad thing as, according to Gartner, the grey market is booming right now.

Zii Trinity mobile platform packs 1080p punch, looking for OEM love originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePRWeb (Trinity), PRWeb (ZiiLife), PRWeb (China)  | Email this | Comments

Flexio solar powered FM radio doubles as bookmark

We don’t really have much use for radio over the airwaves — hell, the closest we ever get to the halcyon days of rock’n’roll radio is the Flaming Groovies station on Pandora. But something as convenient (and as cute) as this next item just might get us back in the habit. A proof-of-concept by a small handful of designers (Wu Kun-chia, Wang Shih-ju, Chen Ming-daw & Liou Chang-ho), Flexio is a portable, printed, solar powered, paper-thin FM receiver that fits in a book — or a pocketbook. Each radio is tuned to a specific frequency, so the design calls for boxed sets for different cities (for example, Taipei, Berlin, or Paris). Sure, it’s probably not convenient to carry the whole box around with you, but you might want to hang onto KROQ in case you should ever find yourself wandering around LA late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Get a closer look after the break.

Continue reading Flexio solar powered FM radio doubles as bookmark

Flexio solar powered FM radio doubles as bookmark originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYanko Design  | Email this | Comments

Oki shows off prototype LED-based HUD, coming soon to a jalopy near you

Currently, the only way you’re getting a heads-up display in your whip is if you pay two arms and a leg for it. By and large, mid-range and low-end vehicles have been completely removed from the HUD fun, but all that could be changing thanks to a new effort from the crew at Oki Digital Imaging. Said outfit recently demonstrated a LED-based alternative that measures 1.1-inches in size and is constructed using the company’s own EFB (Epi Film Bonding) process. Without getting too deep in the technobabble, the newfound process consumes less power, requires a simpler heat sink and boasts an all-around simpler structure. The end result? A far less expensive heads-up display, which — if all goes well — will begin sampling by the end of next year and could hit low-end cars, mobile phones and other handhelds shortly thereafter. Oh future, how we love thee.

Oki shows off prototype LED-based HUD, coming soon to a jalopy near you originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTech-On!, Hot Hardware  | Email this | Comments

NVIDIA Tegra tablet prototype hands-on

Hey, remember that mystery tablet NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was pimping a mere couple of weeks ago? Well, it’s made its way to London, and woe betide the Engadget editor who didn’t get a hands-on with such an exclusive piece of hardware. So what we’re looking at here is a Windows CE-powered, resistive touchscreen display spanning somewhere around 15 to 16 inches, with the same Tegra internals as may be found in the Zune HD or one of them smartbook devices. As we reported earlier, the company behind the machine is ICD, and this particular unit was built to try and entice T-Mobile into placing a few orders.

Being a prototype, the device on hand was quite literally rough around the edges, but what we saw was appetite-whetting. The overall construction is under an inch thin, 720p video playback was excellent, and there’s even a terrific-looking wireless recharge station cum base accessory — think of Palm’s Touchstone, only enlarged and magnetized to the point where it can support the whole tablet in an upright position. If somebody marries all that hardware potential with the Stantum multitouch firmware and a more finger-friendly OS, this thing just might make the whole Apple tablet brouhaha utterly irrelevant. Video after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA Tegra tablet prototype hands-on

NVIDIA Tegra tablet prototype hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic’s N01 MID caught wearing a nasty UMPC disguise

Remember the day when those 7-inch Origami UMPCs blundered onto the scene with weak Intel processors overpowered by Microsoft’s heavyweight OS? This ViewSonic N01 apparently isn’t one of them, though we couldn’t fault you for being deceived. Sure it’s running XP but it’s Intel’s 1.1GHz Atom Z510 doing the processing chores beneath a display approximating 6 to 7 inches. Ok, ok, it is a UMPC, regardless of its new MID christening proving once again that any distinction Intel tries to sell has been lost forever as vendors try to distance themselves from a tainted UMPC legacy. But we digress. The N01 MID (prototype, by the looks of it) finds itself stuffed with 1GB of memory, just 10GB of on-board storage, 3G data, and integrated TV tuner with fancy telescoping antenna. We can only assume that ViewSonic’s product diversification plans have it dumping the majority of its recently unveiled products into China and India because what they’ve show so far is not going to impress western tastes.

ViewSonic’s N01 MID caught wearing a nasty UMPC disguise originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMID BBS, Pocketables  | Email this | Comments

Tony Hawk: Ride prototype skateboards employ arcade buttons, duct tape, love

If you managed to catch the last Engadget Show, you inevitably saw our own Paul Miller carve it up a bit on Tony Hawk: Ride. Of course, Mr. Miller is known ’round these circles as a “professional skater,” so there’s a solid chance he could’ve handled just about anything the guys and gals at Activision threw his way. The reality of the matter is that not everyone feels safe and secure on something resembling a skateboard, and now we’re being let in on the world of prototypes that were used to land on the final design. Within the read link you’ll find randomly placed arcade buttons, trucks with no wheels, a terrifying amount of sensors and a comical amount of duct tape. Yeah — even the whiz kids that make your dreams a reality start with duct tape. Go on, have a peek if you’re in disbelief.

Tony Hawk: Ride prototype skateboards employ arcade buttons, duct tape, love originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceDevelop  | Email this | Comments

Purported Motorola Droid prototype turns up on eBay

Wishing you could get a Motorola Droid and stand out from all your Android-toting friends at the same time? Then you might just want to consider bidding on this “limited edition” Droid prototype that just turned up on eBay, which has a reasonably good chance of being an actual Droid, and a slight chance of being an actual prototype. If the seller is to be believed, however, this particular Droid is one of only five produced, and is different from the standard issue Droid in a few respects — including a chrome bezel instead of a black one, silver buttons instead of gold, and some “enhanced LED lighting” on the front buttons. It also apparently works just fine, and is ready to be activated. Willing to take the chance? Bidding starts at $485.

[Thanks, Kaptix]

Purported Motorola Droid prototype turns up on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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