Days have gone when a lot of labour of grinding and dishing has to be done for just a single cup of coffee. Now the time is to enjoy a cup of coffee in a futuristic way with Dolce Gusto Fontana.
This futuristic espresso maker is another addition to the Nescafe family, and offers yummy combinations from pre-infused capsules. Choose your cappuccino, mocha, americano or hot chocolate, slip in the satchet, and with the flick of the button your hot, roasted brew is ready.
Where the technology behind this device is not essentially unique compared to competing products, the industrial design of it is quite aesthetically interesting. The coffee machine has been molded to the shape of a C and seems to beam down your delicious bean drink. The Dolce Gusto Fontana comes in black, white and red, serving up both efficiency and attractiveness.
One of the leading names in luxury automobiles, Audi AG, has now taken a paddle driven toy car and transformed it into an electric vehicle (EV) in the form of the all new Auto Union Type C e-tron study with electric drive, that will be showcased at the annual 62nd International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany. The conventional model of the Auto Union Type is being sold by quattro GmbH, which is a subsidiary of Audi and based on the popularity of this model, the German automobile behemoth decided to bring for the power of electric transportation to children as well.
The all new Auto Union Type C e-tron study is made entirely of aluminum and carbon and as per Audi, this magnificent vehicle is more than suitable for children as well as adults. The heart of this gorgeous new car is a lithium-ion battery, that produces 1.5 hp, thereby enabling the vehicle to reach an impressive top speed of 30 km/h or 18.64 mph and this phenomenal new car also comes with a rear gear as well. The battery of the Auto Union Type C e-tron study can be fully charged in approximately 2 hours via a conventional 230 volt household socket and as per the driving conditions, this marvelous four wheeler can provide a maximum range of 25 km. Furthermore, the 62nd International Toy Fair will also feature a plethora of baby products inspired by the world of motorsports and will be showcased by quattro GmbH. Some of these incredible products include an all new racing bodysuit, power/brake socks, pit stop baby bottle and the mini sound absorber kit (pacifier).
Nvidia is set to roll out the next-generation Tegra 3 chip aimed at smartphones and tablets, promising to be even faster than its current processor, which was one of the stars of CES 2011, the dual-core Tegra 2.
While Nvidia hasn’t officially announced the processor yet, the Tegra 3′s impending launch is almost certain, according to Softpedia. The new chip is expected to have a four cores inside, and will probably roll out at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 14.
Without revealing any dates, Nvidia’s general manager of Tegra Mike Rayfield confirmed the Tegra 3′s launch in an interview with Hexus,
“I’m going to come pretty close to my cadence of a launch every year,” said Rayfield. “It will be in production around the same time as my competitors’ first dual-cores will.”
Given that the Tegra 2 was launched at CES last year, Tegra 3′s launch is due any time now.
Just as the Tegra 2 chip boosts the performance of tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and the first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2x, and many others we saw at CES 2011, the Tegra 3 is said to have four cores, which can further speed up browsing and gaming on tablets and smartphones. In addition, multiple cores can run at half speed to accomplish the same tasks that a single core would need to run at full speed, enhancing battery efficiency and generating less heat.
Clearly, multicore smartphones have arrived, with quad-core chips probably waiting in the wings. Ovum analyst Nick Dillon told Morningstar:
“In the same way that 1GHz was the standard for top of the range smartphones in 2010, every top-end service in 2011 is likely to have a dual-core processor. We may even see the first quad-core chipsets emerging in handsets by the end of the year.”
A new futuristic smartphone concept called "Line Phone" featuring most of the technologies available today, but making creative use of them, was shown off at the 2010 Furong Cup ‘Digital Product and Service Design Competition in China.
The phone concept uses technologies like NFC (or whatever) to bump smartphones together to transfer files / apps or create a large (multiple) screen real estate, touch sensitive sides that enable slide navigation / volume / app-specific controls, gesture recognition and so on… It’s awesome!
One of the most ambitious projects financed by the European Union (EU), SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment), that aims at making vehicle platooning or tailgating as streamlined as possible with automated cars, has now finally come out of the simulators and has conducted its first ever successful demonstration of this cutting edge technology at the Volvo Proving Ground in Sweden. As per the project SARTRE, the objective is to enable fully automated vehicles to move in a line, much like a convoy with the lead driver leading the way. The participating companies in the EU funded SARTRE project are SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Ricardo plc, The Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Centre, Applus+ IDIADA, The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University and the Volvo Car Corporation.
The SARTRE projects envisions the line of cars being fully automated and these cars can then ascertain the distance, speed and direction of the vehicle in front of it and then adjusts itself accordingly. The vehicles have been programmed as such that they can be driven individually, yet when they form a line, the automated mechanism takes over. During the test run, one automated car was made to follow the lead truck, wherein the following car steered itself on to the correct course without any human intervention. One of the principal reasons for the commencement of the SATRTRE project is to enhance road safety and encourage platooning while ensuring that the convoy type movement is purely controlled by machines thereby considerably reducing the chances of human error, that is the main cause of over 80% of traffic related accidents. Furthermore, this type of single file driving will also reduce traffic congestion, as well as carbon emissions.
According to Tom Robinson (Project Coordinator, SARTRE, Ricardo UK Ltd.),
“This is a major milestone for this important European research program. Platooning offers the prospect of improved road safety, better road space utilization, improved driver comfort on long journeys and reduced fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. With the combined skills of its participating companies, SARTRE is making tangible progress towards the realization of safe and effective road train technology”.
Qualcomm showcased its latest version, Snapdragon Mobile Development Platform, one which will be available shortly to developers and will feature a dual core MSM8660.
The current MDP contains the single core MSM8655 and is available exclusively through BSQUARE for around $999.
Such a platform allows developers to create, optimise, test and showcase "multimedia and graphics-intensive applications".
In effect, the MDP provides with the foundation of mobile phones that will be available over the next 12 months; as surprising as it may seems, Qualcomm chose to stick with the ARM Cortex A8 rather than the A9 as for most of its competitors (Tegra 2. OMAP4, Samsung Orion, Nufront).
The year 2011 will ostensibly witness the game-gadget companies making something special in terms of trying to get back customers that they have, in the last few years, been losing to the makers of sophisticated smartphones, which are fast becoming popular gaming platforms for most gamers.
Taking on the exceptional competition that the smartphone era is pronouncing for the portable gaming device makers, Nintendo will introduce its popular DS line's next model - the 3DS. The device will have a leading edge over the smartphones in the sense that it will boast three-dimensional (3D) graphics.
According to Wedbush Securities' analyst Michael Pachter, the 3D graphics of the forthcoming Nintendo 3DS will give the company an opportunity to entice gamers the way it did with its Wii console and its motion-sensing remote wand.
According to DigiTimes, Taiwanese industry publication, reports on Tuesday; Apple is likely to build WiFi, UMTS and CDMA models of the next race of iPad in a respective build ratio of 3:4:3. Production of the device is expected to start as early as the first half of January, with about a half-million iPads expected to be assembled.
Referring to industry sources the report claimed that between 60 to 65 percent of current iPad shipments are the UMTS 3G model. Because of this, Apple is expected to work even more closely with wireless partners for the second-generation tablet.
The report also pointed to the fact that Apple is expected to have shipped about 16 million iPads in 2010, and between 2 million and 3 million units will remain in the channel at the start of 2011. That number is expected to satisfy demand as Apple gradually stops production of the first-generation device, in time for the debut of "iPad 2."
Peugeot Moodif has officially solved the age-old problem of small and congested parking spaces.
Peugeot Moodif’s design boasts a rubber-clad shaft that resembles an accordion for easy adjust-ability. This accordion-like shaft is used for expanding and detracting the vehicle, helping to guide the driver into tight parking spaces. The vehicle approaches curvy roads in a snakelike manner, adding to safety and function. Check this revolutionary hybrid ride out in the gallery above.
The world’s first dual-core Android Smartphone LG Optimus 2X has been announced todaybyLG Electronics,South Korean mobile phone manufacturer. LG Optimus 2X is going to be the most powerful Android Smartphone withTegra 2 chipset and 1GHz dual-core processor.
Reportedly LG Optimus 2X will be released with Android 2.2 FroYo operating system but in future it will be able to get upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
Further specifications of LG Optimus 2X include:
·4-inch WVGA touch screen,
·8 mega-pixel rear camera and 1.3 mega-pixel front camera,
·8GB memory (up to 32GB via microSD),
·512 MB RAM, 1080p MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording,
·HDMI mirroring
·And 1,500 mAh battery
The LG Optimus 2X is going to first hit South Korea next month and then Europe and Asia will follow. There is nothing in the press release about US release and its pricing.
What exactly a smartphone can’t do that we expect from a modern pocket PC or Tablet PC? The rapid technology advancement will surely leave nothing to answer this simple question.
Google is planning to launch a real replacement of the credit cards in the form of new Nexus Smartphone. Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt announced the new Nexus phone in San Francisco at the Web 2.0 Summit.
At a conference, Schmidt pulled a cellphone from a pocket and said, "I have here an unannounced product that I carry around with me. You will be able to take these mobile devices that will be able to do commerce. Essentially, bump for everything and eventually replace credit cards," he said.
Schmidt called the process "tap-and-pay," referring to use of a touch screen on the phone that requires tapping to make transactions. "I don't think people understand how powerful these things are. This is a really good day for mobile," he said.
You may have never ever seen a watch which doesn’t tell you the time. But 'The Memory Time Watch' is a unique concept from Wonjune Song that isn’t designed to exactly tell time. Song’s Memory Time Watch instead tells you how much day is left and how much has already passed.
The Memory Time Watch will start to black out portions of the face as the day goes by. The part that isn’t blacked out lets you know about how much time you have left before the day is done. Despite the fact that you can’t tell the exact time I really like this watch. I’d rather look at my watch and see that I have half a day left rather than 12 hours.
TRON: Legacy, the sequel to Disney’s 1982 film Tron is about to be released on December 17, and geeks everywhere are trending out with unique concepts and TRON inspired DIY stuff.
Alon Karpman, a Brooklyn based design entrepreneur, comes up with the latest idea with ‘The Freerider Skate Cycle’. Alon Karpman is the IDSA IDEA award winning creator of The Freerider skate cycle, which is a hub-less two wheeled self-propelling something-or-other currently in production.
The Freerider Skate Cycle is a one type of tribute to the new film out of his best-selling skatecycle, using colors and glow-in-the-dark elements. And it looks like it came straight out of the movie.
Details are very limited on the new Audi R18 racecar, but it something to gawk at. The first thing to catch the eye on this vehicle are those huge LED headlights. The racecar is very reminiscent to none other than the batmobile.
Audi is known for creating rolling works of art, but to see them create a racecar that will compete in the Lemans 24 hour is refreshing. Audi has unveiled racecars before, but from the looks of this one, not only do they plan a victory at races but also in style accolades as well. Check out the gallery above for some sizzling images of the Audi R18 racecar.
We as a trendy blog have always stressed the need for maintain great skin and hair quality in order to look good in those Burberry tops and Prada jackets. Thus, we have been reminding you dear readers that doing everything possible and not drinking enough water tantamounts to, well, sagging skin and wrinkly foreheads. However, most of us are just too lazy to slurp down at least 3 litres of water every day.
Cambridge Consultants will launch the i-dration, which is a concept fitness water bottle that helps you to “know” when you are thirsty. It is packed with sensors that communicate with an app on your phone. The bottle measures the temperatu5re in your room, the amount of fluid you have drunk and how often you did so and also use the phone’s accelerometer to check how much you worked out and if your body is running short of water and that you are dehydrated.
If you are thirsty, it shows a blue light and you would need to gulp down loads of water in order to put you back to a hydrated level. It is a round-about way of learning that you are thirsty. I mean, why can’t one just “know” that one is thirsty when they get the pangs of thirst? It shall be announced at the CES 2011.
The objectives of TranStar Dagger GT's design are to be the best-looking, fastest Supercar in the world. And the amazing numbers; 2000 hp, 300 mph, supports the claim once the same numbers would be attained by the company. The TranStar Dagger GT is inspired by an outstanding mid-engine concept car, the Corvette Cheetah, created by the brilliant industrial designer, Ivan Luccion.
TranStar Dagger GT is still in the production stage but the goals set by the manufacturing team will lead them to their dream Supercar. TranStar Racing’s manufacturing and design team is committed toachieve these goals:
-- Top horsepower/torque: 2000 hp/2000 ft lbs (given) -- Top Speed: 300 mph, plus -- Quarter mile: 200 mph and < 6.7 seconds -- 0 to 60 mph: < 1.5 seconds -- Lap records at: Nurburgring and Virginia International Raceway.
