The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system basically “involves using an overall-type harness and a self-inflating balloon which carries an attached lift line.” Video after the break.

An MC-130E engages the line with its V-shaped yoke and the individual is reeled on board. Red flags on the lift line guide the pilot during daylight recoveries; lights on the lift line are used for night recoveries. Recovery kits were designed for one and two-man recoveries

[via Gizmodo]

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The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system basically “involves using an overall-type harness and a self-inflating balloon which carries an attached lift line.” Video after the break.

An MC-130E engages the line with its V-shaped yoke and the individual is reeled on board. Red flags on the lift line guide the pilot during daylight recoveries; lights on the lift line are used for night recoveries. Recovery kits were designed for one and two-man recoveries

[via Gizmodo]

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BMW’s all-new 2009 M3 convertible is powered by a “V-8 displacing 4.0 litres and developing maximum output of 309 kW/420 hp; maximum torque is 400 Nm/295 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm and maximum engine speed 8,400 rpm.” Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

BMW’s new M3 Convertible was supposed to be unveiled in March, but several leaked photos led to a flood of official photos and information straight from BMW

[via Autoblog]

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BMW’s all-new 2009 M3 convertible is powered by a “V-8 displacing 4.0 litres and developing maximum output of 309 kW/420 hp; maximum torque is 400 Nm/295 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm and maximum engine speed 8,400 rpm.” Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

BMW’s new M3 Convertible was supposed to be unveiled in March, but several leaked photos led to a flood of official photos and information straight from BMW

[via Autoblog]

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Brando’s tiny USB Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR adapter “allows for a working range of more than 10 meters, with a 723 Kbps data rate transmission.” Available now, priced at $24. Product page. Click here for first picture in gallery.

This USB Bluetooth Adapter is an ideal solution for home and mobile networking needs. It is easy to install and use for the connectivity to such as cellular phones, PDAs, printers, computers, etc.

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The first signs of HD DVD ultimate demise may be coming from the UK on March 10. After the news on Universal and Paramount abandoning the exclusive HD DVD deal, it seems that Amazon UK is listing three Paramount Blu-ray titles with that definitive release date: Trading Places, Coming to America and Anchorman. Could this be an error on Amazon’s part or just a sign of things to come? [Format War Central]

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The Gadget: WiBrain’s B1E UMPC, a slightly-wider (and much thicker) than PSP-sized UMPC with full QWERTY keyboard, touchscreen, trackpad, and on-board webcam.

The Price: $699

The Verdict: Meh. The keyboard feels great and the trackpad works about as well as a standard laptop trackpad, but the speed and quirkiness set this thing back a bit. It’s decent enough when you’re just browsing the net, but startup times and shutoff times are atrocious. CNET says it’s the slowest UMPC they’ve tested, which we agree with. The 4.8-inch screen’s 1024×600 resolution is sharp, but renders text so tiny that anyone over the age of 30 will not be able to read it.

We also had trouble getting the webcam to work with Skype, which might have been just us, but we had a lot of trouble doing a lot of other things (Wi-Fi connection, Windows Update) with it as well. It’s definitely not a great Windows machine. The relatively low price of $699 may make this worth it to you if you need an XP machine on the go, but we’d recommend a small laptop instead of the WiBrain if you don’t mind the extra space. [WiBrain]

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The Bug Labs open source do-it-yourself hardware gadget store is now splayed open, ripe for a hot injection of your cash. [Bug Labs]

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The Phillips READIUS prototype that we showed you over a year ago, is finally materializing as an actual consumer product, but not just as an e-reader but a mobile phone. The READIUS has a slightly different design than the prototype, with a 5-inch flexible display that actually rolls up around the phone, allowing it to be stored when not in use. The phone is manufactured under Polymer Vision which is partly owned by Phillips. The Dutch company has yet to release complete specs for the phone, but the READIUS is advertised as having a large display and great battery life. With a mid-2008 release, we won’t have to wait too long to test this e-reader, mobile phone mash-up. [Reuters]

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While IR is still quite useful for certain things, transferring data between devices is something very few people still use it for. Japan’s KDDI R&D labs, however, have managed to increase the transfer rate 250 times to 1Gbps with a semiconductor laser that blinks incredibly fast. Although 1Gbps is fast, it doesn’t quite transfer a full CD of music in less than a second (which is 650MB). Point is, if they can manage to put this into cellphones, we’ll finally be able to get our contacts over really really fast. [Digital World Tokyo]

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