In Apple’s latest Get a Mac ad, “PC, played by John Hodgman, is upset about his ‘terrible year’ vs. Apple’s performance in 2007: new iMac, Mac OS X Leopard, new iPods, iPhone, etc.” Video after the break.

Since this ad was designed in part as an intro to Steve Jobs’ Macworld keynote, it also includes a brief laundry list of Apple’s other recent accomplishments—notably last year’s iPhone coup

[via Gizmodo - MacDailyNews]

Share This

Ferrari unveils its Bio Fuel-powered F430 spider — “runs on the familiar mix of 85% natural ethanol and 15% gasoline.” This upgraded 4.3L power plant now pushes an impressive 500hp. Click here for first picture in gallery.

The bio fuel car on display in Detroit is still labeled a concept, but the company says that it’d like to put it into production as part of its efforts to reduce fuel consumption and cut emissions 40% by 2012

[via Autoblog]

Share This

Ok, so this isn’t exactly bowling bot, but rather a “vision-guided, fireball-throwing industrial robot.” Continue reading to see it in action.

Everyone knows you can’t take a robot bowling. After a few pitchers of beer-flavored suds, deep-fried mushrooms, and pickled eggs even the most well-mannered robot will turn ugly

[via Engadget]

Share This

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

We thought that HTC’s bold venture into the direct-to-consumer space pretty much spelled doom for its once-burgeoning ODM business, but apparently not. We don’t know if these guys are just exceptionally good at what they do, exceptionally cheap, exceptionally convincing, or some combination of the above, because a report out of Taiwan’s Commercial Times claims that Palm, i-mate, and MWG — all companies who’ve moved their manufacturing contracts solidly away from HTC in recent years — have come back into the fold, ultimately bumping HTC’s contracting business to account for more than 10 percent of its total business in the first quarter. We’re skeptical that these three brands (all of whom compete with HTC at retail) would suddenly decide to throw up the white flag at roughly the same time, but considering the kinds of things that happen when other ODMs come into the picture, a little HTC TLC could be just what the doctor ordered.

[Via IntoMobile]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share This

Belgian racing driver Tony Gillet unveils the $197,757USD Vertigo 5 sports coupe. At 1279-pounds, it comes equipped with a 4.0L V6 engine that boosts the car from 0-60mph in 3.26-seconds. Click here for first picture in gallery.

The reason for the blistering acceleration time is not outright power alone but because of extreme weight saving measures as well. The Vertigo features a full carbon-fiber honeycomb chassis that weighs just 580kg and its aerodynamic package has undergone 16 years of fine tuning on the race track

[via Motorauthority - Autoblog.nl]

Share This

Filed under: Cellphones

So apparently, that whole “plan to shut down a Bochum Nokia plant” didn’t exactly sail over everyone’s heads, particularly not in Germany. Reports are now flowing out that unions in the nation are taking it upon themselves to urge consumers not to purchase wares from the firm, with Dietmar Muscheid, regional head of the Confederation of German Unions (DGB), being one of the most vocal. Muscheid went on to state that “whoever buys a cellphone today should think about the choice they are making and what catastrophic consequences the company’s actions in Bochum will have for thousands of workers.” ‘Course, the EU has already proclaimed that Nokia won’t be getting a dime in relocation (to Romania, supposedly) aid, but unspecified government officials are reportedly lined up to speak with suits from the handset maker later this week to “discuss the plant’s future.” Whether or not all this commotion will actually change any minds, however, remains to be seen.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share This

Researchers at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) have successfully used a monkey’s brain activity to control the real-time walking patterns of a 5-foot tall humanoid robot. Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

Share This

At just 115 x 53 x 10.6mm, the Motorola ROKR E8 features a 2-inch TFT display, 2GB of internal memory, 2.0-megapixel camera, miniSD slot, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, and a nifty touch-sensitive keypad. Video after the break. Click here for one more picture.

Share This

Designed by Ki-Seung Lee, Instant Blossom is basically a greeting card-sized card that snaps in half to reveal hydroponic flowers — just add water. Click here for one more picture.

Creating multi-dimensional space out of a flat compact package, simply by opening the package and spraying water onto the hydroponic flowers, you have an instant flower filled ‘vase’. When the package is left unfolded, it simulates a nice bouquet of flowers

[via YankoDesign]

Share This

How about a 24-barrel rubber band minigun that fires up to 40-rounds/second? Meet the Disintegrator. Anthony Smith spent 4-months building/hard carving this beast, which has a 288 rubber band capacity and is compatible with a tripod. Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

[sources 1]

Share This