Wind cubes

If you’re interested in ecology and power saving, you might be interested in this interesting concept called Wind Cubes that can power a household for a month with simple wind power. Wind Cubes look and work in a similar way as windmills and all that you have to do is to attach them to your wall and connect them to the battery that will store their power.

These Wind Cubes look perfect and array of 15 of these fans can easily power a household of four for a month. One of these fans can potentially generate 21.6 kilowatt-hours per and 15 of them can produce up to 324 kilowatt-hours per month so we have to admit that these Wind Cubes sound quite impressive. These Wind Cubes look amazing, and the best thing about them is that you can turn them off, or put them back in their case in case of a bad weather and pull them back out when the wind is appropriate.

SCiB Battery Technology

I really like the idea of electric cars. However, the current lack of support in the form of charging stations the poor performance in regards to range and recharge time is something that makes me wonder if the electric car is just a pipe dream in terms of usability. That is where Toshiba’s SCiB battery technology comes in to smash any predetermined doubts you had regarding the electric car being unfeasible as a means of transport. Traditionally, it took electric car batteries over thirty minutes to charge (give or take a few minutes). The SCiB battery can recharge to ninety percent capacity in five minutes.
The buck does not stop there. The battery is touted to last ten years. That is not how long a single charge lasts – but how long the battery itself lasts before it will need to be replaced. This is good news for people who are ecologically minded. A battery can contain all manner of nasty materials that can do some serious damage to the environment. This is likely to be the battery that will finally make electronic cars possible and help reduce our need for (overpriced) petrol. It may also help companies finally start investing in electronic charging stations for vehicles.
There is no word on when this is likely to become available to consumers. However, it seems like it is something that it will not take long for companies who manufacture electric vehicles to start using in their production lines. It is something that will ensure that electric cars get the research that then need in order to make the technology feasible for the masses. I had some trouble finding out how far a single charge will carry the vehicle – if it is similar to that of the current electric vehicles that have been released then it may just be a winner.

Terrafugia

Whilst it sounds like an exotic Japanese dish that consists of some amphibious fish – it isn’t. The Terrafugia is set to become the first roadworthy flying car available to consumers. Orders are already coming in and there is a backlog of over seventy orders that will ensure that the dream of the flying car is set to become a reality. The Terrafugia is more akin to an aircraft and it requires the driver to be a pilot in order to get the Terrafugia in the air. However, it is an aircraft that is legally allowed to be registered and driven on a road. The Terrafugia transforms from an aircraft into a car by folding its wings up so that the vehicle is car sized. It makes the Terrafugia easy to park in a standard car space and garage.
The transformation process takes approximately thirty seconds. While it may not any awards for being the most aesthetically pleasing vehicle – it’s essentially a flying car! The price is actually fairly reasonable for what is going to be the first flying car on the market (although it is out of reach for us normal wage earners). At around one hundred and ninety thousand dollars it is not cheap. It is a lot cheaper than I would have assumed it would be however.
It is not the fastest aircraft. If you consider what it is, that is not really an issue. It can travel at around two kilometres an hour while flying and can travel a distance of around eight hundred kilometres. It only has room for two people so it is not going to be a family oriented vehicle by any means. If you can afford it then it is probably going to be more about the thrill of owning it than having it for practical reasons

Hitachi LifeStudio External HD

Hitachi has introduced a new external hard drive called the LifeStudio which offers some unique features and new user software to enhance functionality. The LifeStudio drive is compatible with both the Mac and PC line of computers and comes with 3D Wall software, a product that will automatically amalgamate your documents, pictures, music and video collections from a variety of different sources including the local hard drives, USB gadgets and social media locations. Once collected, these items are organized in any easy to find arrangement.

In addition to Wall software, LifeStudio comes with both a content management app as well as a backup software solution which seems practical considering that this is an external hard drive. The drives are expected to go on sale both online and in retail locations around the middle of the month. There are 4 drives that comprise the LifeStudio suite of products and these are the LifeStudio Mobile, Mobile Plus, Desk and Desk plus. The drives range in size from 250GB to 2TB and are priced between $79.99 for the entry level unit to $219.99 for the top of the line device.

Read more about Hitachi LifeStudio External HD by Coolest Gadget Reviews

Key Mouse – Laptop Mouse With Number Pad

The primary focus of a laptop design revolves around being compact as well as portable. In doing so, one feature that some mobile users seem to miss is the numeric keypad. Sure you can get a separate USB keypad, but that means you’ve now got another notebook accessory to lug around with you.

Designer Sun Lihui envisions a keypad that has been integrated into a Bluetooth mouse so that the pointing device can perform a dual function. Called the Key Mouse, this conceptual product comes with a retractable hood that can be lifted to reveal a hidden keypad that can be used for all of your number crunching..

When the keypad is not required, the hood can be lowered and you’re back to using an ergonomic mouse that is fitted for the palm of your hand.

Read more about Key Mouse – Laptop Mouse With Number Pad by Coolest Gadget Reviews

intel Light Peak Technology

Light Peak Overview

Light Peak is the code-name for a new high-speed optical cable technology designed to connect your electronic devices to each other. Light Peak delivers high bandwidth starting at 10Gb/s with the potential ability to scale to 100Gb/s over the next decade. At 10Gb/s, you could transfer a full-length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds. Optical technology also allows for smaller connectors and longer, thinner, and more flexible cables than currently possible. Light Peak also has the ability to run multiple protocols simultaneously over a single cable, enabling the technology to connect devices such as peripherals, displays, disk drives, docking stations, and more.

Existing electrical cable technology in mainstream computing devices is approaching practical limits for speed and length, due to electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and other issues. However, optical technology, used extensively in data centers and telecom communications, does not have these limitations since it transmits data using light instead of electricity. Light Peak brings this optical technology to mainstream computing and consumer electronic devices in a cost-effective manner.

How the Technology Works

Light Peak consists of a controller chip and an optical module that would be included in platforms supporting this technology. The optical module performs the conversion from electricity to light and vice versa, using miniature lasers and photo detectors. Intel is planning to supply the controller chip, and is working with other component manufacturers to deliver all the Light Peak components. We expect that the components will be ready to ship in 2010. Over time, the optical components, designed to be small, easy to manufacture and affordable, are expected to enjoy the economies of scale that other components have in the computing and consumer electronics industries.

A Collaborative Effort

Intel is working with the optical component manufacturers to make Light Peak components ready to ship in 2010, and will work with the industry to determine the best way to make this new technology a standard to accelerate its adoption on a plethora of devices including PCs, handheld devices, workstations, consumer electronic devices and more. Light Peak is complementary to existing I/O technologies, as it enables them to run together on a single cable at higher speeds. The Light Peak initiative builds on Intel’s commitment in working with the industry on existing I/O standards, and provides a path to continued progress into the future.

Sony Nextep PC Concept – A Wearable Computer

The nice thing about conceptual products such as the Sony Nextep PC is that developers can let their imagination run wild in thinking up new features that can be included in futuristic gadgets and the thing is that if something sounds far-fetched today, it may not be ten years from now.

Such is the case with the Nextep PC which as been suggested by designer Hiromi Kiriki. The pc has been earmarked for the year 2020, 10 years from now. The computer will be worn like an everyday wrist bracelet and will be constructed out of aflexible OLEDtouchscreen. It will also utilize a holographic projector for the display screen and will feature a slide out keyboard and network connectivity for access to the social networking sites.

USB 3.0

Before you leave work, you need to back up your computer. You push a button, and 5 minutes later, while you're still packing up, your system has dumped 150GB of data onto an encrypted 512GB superfast solid-state drive, which you eject to take with you for offsite backup.

Any task that involves transferring data between your PC and a peripheral device--scanning, printing, or transferring files, among others--will be far faster with USB 3.0. In many cases, the transfer will be complete before you realize it has started.

The 3.0 revision of USB, dubbed SuperSpeed by the folks who control testing and licensing at the USB Implementors Forum (USB-IF), is on track to deliver more than 3.2 gigabits per second (gbps) of actual throughput. That transfer rate will make USB 3.0 five to ten times faster than other standard desktop peripheral standards, except some flavors of DisplayPort and the increasingly out-of-favor eSATA.

In addition, USB 3.0 can shoot full-speed data in both directions at the same time, an upgrade from 2.0's "half duplex" (one direction at a time) rates. USB 3.0 jacks will accept 1.0 and 2.0 plug ends for backward compatibility, but 3.0 cables will work only with 3.0 jacks.

The new USB flavor could also turn computers into real charging stations. Whereas USB 2.0 can produce 100 milliamperes (mA) of trickle charge for each port, USB 3.0 ups that quantity to 150mA per device. USB 2.0 tops out at 500mA for a hub; the maximum for USB 3.0 is 900mA.

The iWEB fold-out netbook keyboard concept

Designer Yang Yongchang is proposing a fold-away solution to the keyboard envy sometimes exhibited by netbook users. For the iWEB design, a full-size QWERTY keyboard is jointed in two places and folded inwards so that when not in use it sits within the frame of a 6.5in display portable device. Open up the netbook, fold out the side flaps and enjoy the ease of use and comfort of those nice big keys.

Mobility and portability have certainly taken their toll on keying comfort. As laptops shrunk into netbooks, keyboard size took a seriously big hit. But perhaps Yang Yongchang's vision for a netbook of the future holds some hope for those who tire of the numerous errors resulting from fingers that are chunkier than the keys they attempt to press down or those who just crave for something bigger.

The designer reckons that a hinged, full-size chiclet keyboard could be squeezed into netbook dimensions of just 6.3 x 4.1 0.7in. Hot-keys grace the bottom of the side panels for increased productivity and LED status indicators sit at the edges. Also included in the design is a capacitive multi-touch display.

Of course, being a concept, there are no more technical details available (such as processor, memory and storage) but as folding keyboard solutions already exist in various shapes and sizes then is it such a flight of fancy to incorporate one into a netbook?

OO HD Wireless Projector Concept

Who said video projectors all have to look the same? Designer David Riesenberg doesn’t think so with his stunning OO HD Wireless Projector Concept.

The OO HD Wireless Projector is designed to display Full HD video in 1080p over WiFi or from the built on solid state drive (SSD), and it is designed to playback videos for up to three hours without the needs for any wires.

The OO HD Wireless Projector features a rechargeable Li-Ion battery that can be recharged by just plugging in a simple AC cord. Very cool I love the design, definitely one of the best looking projectors we have seen, although it is just a concept at the moment.

Lets hope David finds a manufacturer to make his OO HD Wireless Projector Concept a reality it would be cool to have a projector that looks this good and doesn’t need any wires to work.

Toshiba’s Wheelie Robot

Toshiba has unveiled it latest robot, the Toshiba Wheelie which is an autonomous two wheeled robot that was shown off at the Toshiba Science Museum on March 10th 2010.

The Toshiba Wheelie is designed to help out around the house, and is small enough to fit into tight spaces and can also handle small changes in floor height, check out the video of him in action below.

He certainly looks like he could be useful around the house, sort of like a robot butler, I wonder if he could be programmed to being me snacks and beers from the fridge to my desk.

Intendix Brain-Computer Interface

The Intendix Brain-Computer Interface works on a thought to computer system. The user wears the EEG cap and can control the attached PC using their brain waves. The EEG head gear allows you to write texts, let the computer speak the written text, print out or copy the text into an e-mail or to send commands to external devices via brain control.

The system originally designed to assist patients with locked-in syndrome or other disabilities and can be used to trigger alarms if needed.

The system is very easy to learn say the manufactures and within only 10-15 mins you can be controlling your PC. Unforutunately theres no launch date as yet but the system will be available to buy for around $12,250 shortly.

Novathink Solar Surge iPhone And iPod Touch Charging case

Novathink Solar Surge iPhone And iPod Touch Charging case

Novathink is launching a new battery charging case for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, the Novathink Solar Surge. As the name suggests, the Solar Surge feature a built in solar panel on the back of the case plus a lithium ion battery.

The Novathink Solar Surge features a 1500mAh battery for the iPod Touch and a 1320mAh battery for the iPhone, the case can be recharged via the miniUSB port or by the built in solar panel on the rear of the case.

The Solar Surge will give you up to four hours extra talk time over 3G and up to 8 hours on 2G, standby time comes in at two hundred and forty hours, and Internet use is up to four hours over 3G and up to six hours over WiFi, there is also an extra six hours of video playback and an extra twenty hours of music playback.

The Novathink Solar Surge is now available for the iPhone 3G and 3GS as well as the iPod Touch (second generation) for $69.95 from Novathink.

EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner

EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner

Elgato has updated its hybrid TV tuner for both PCs and Macs, the EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner. This new version features a slimmer and more stylish design than the previous model.

The EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner lets you watch high definition (HD) digital TV on your PC or Mac as well as letting you watch unencrypted (Clear QAM) and analog TV channels.

The EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner comes with EyeTV 3 software that lets you watch live TV, has a built in DVR and it will let you share your recording with your iPhone and iPod Touch.

If you want one, the EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner is compatible with Macs and PCs and now features support for Windows 7, it is available for $150 from Elgato.

Asus Cine5 Surround Sound Speaker

Asus Cine5 Surround Sound Speaker

Asus has launched a new compact surround sound speaker which is designed to be used with your computer and smaller TVs, the Asus Cine5.

The Asus Cine5 is just 15 inches long, but don’t lets its small size fool you as it has five speakers and a built in 28w max amplifier, which should be good enough to pump out a decent sound for your PC or TV.

The Asus Cine5 features 5.1 inputs via 3.5mm audio jacks and it also has a built in headphone jack, should you want to listen to your favourite tunes or play some games without disturbing your neighbours.

There are no details as yet on when the Asus Cine5 will hit the stores or how much it will retail for.