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‘bizarre’ Stories

Obama’s Beast gets beached: Armor plating is heavy [Video]

Chris Davies, May 23rd 2011 Discuss [1]

When your car has 5-inch thick military grade armor, is biochemically sealed, has its own oxygen supply, and can fire tear gas and infrared smoke grenades, it's easy to assume you're driving the perfect urban tank. Unfortunately, as US president Barack Obama - and his presumably red-faced driver - discovered in Dublin, Ireland today, all of that clever kit makes your car surprisingly heavy, too, and simple speed bumps become a whole lot more treacherous. Read The Full Story

iOS devs smacked with In-App Purchase patent suit warnings

Chris Davies, May 13th 2011 Discuss [8]

Apple and Samsung may be playing out their own patent lawsuit battle, but the IP minefield has just gotten very real for independent iOS app developers too. A number of developers have reportedly been threatened with patent infringement for using Apple's own in-app purchasing system, Cult of Mac reports, targeting individuals rather than Apple itself. Read The Full Story

Future iPhone could slur speech when battery low

Chris Davies, May 13th 2011 Discuss [3]

Your next iPhone could whimper like a tired puppy when its battery is close to empty, or get frantic when connected to 4G networks, if one of Apple's latest patent applications has its way. "Adjustable voice output based on device status" promises to adjust the voice output of various device status reports according to other factors, like sounding "more or less tired based on the battery level." It's not the only Apple patent app suggesting non-traditional communication, either; "Input devices and methods of operation" may be a dull title, but the application describes a new type of tactile feedback that could see buttons breathing on your fingers to guide them into place. Read The Full Story

Brain-sensing Necomimi robo cat ears are furry-awesome [Video]

Chris Davies, May 6th 2011 Discuss [9]

We've seen brainwave-sensing used for mind training games, the judicious application of comedy torture, and attempting to control the nearest robot: now the technology has reached its summit, with cosplay-style wiggling cat ears. The handiwork of Neurowear, the Necomimi straps a couple of motorized furry cat ears to a brainwave-monitoring headband, so that you can wiggle them appropriately. Read The Full Story

Nokia phone/tablet strategy leak alleges Windows 8 slates and Vanjoki “backup”

Chris Davies, May 4th 2011 Discuss [7]

Details on Nokia's alleged phone and tablet strategy for 2012 and 2013 have emerged, suggesting that the company is indeed looking to Windows 8 for its slates and that Maemo 6 will be rolled out for one final hurrah before being effectively dropped. Arch insider Eldar Murtazin has spilt the beans, claiming that Nokia is looking to release 5-7 mid-to-high end Symbian^3 handsets in 2012, along with a single tablet. Read The Full Story

Google mind-control “victim” sneaks into HQ and leaves poison pen letter

Chris Davies, Apr 25th 2011 Discuss [3]

Google may be tracking you but it can't seem to stop a Russian filmmaker and former Geisha from wandering into its headquarters and leaving hate-mail. Vera Svechina - who has accused Google of being "inside her head and making her do things" walked into the Mountain View offices on March 14 and left a Russian book and a "rambling" letter addressed to co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Reuters reports. Read The Full Story

Featured

Extreme Unboxing: Samsung Galaxy S II meets Rally Car [Video]

Chris Davies, Apr 21st 2011 Discuss [16]

“We wondered if you’d like to do an unboxing video” Samsung asked me, “of the new Galaxy S II.” It’s not the sort of thing you turn down: Samsung’s 1.2GHz dual-core smartphone is likely to be one of the biggest handsets of 2011, and that’s not just because of its sizable 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. “What’s the catch?” I asked, expecting NDAs and embargoes. “Well, it’s an Extreme Unboxing” they told me, “you’re doing it in a 300bhp rally car.”

Video after the cut!

Read The Full Story

Nuclear Submarine flaws revealed in government PDF blunder

Chris Davies, Apr 18th 2011 Discuss [1]

A heavily edited, declassified military report detailing weaknesses in British nuclear submarines has left the Ministry of Defense (MoD) red-faced, after it was revealed that the high-tech redaction used merely involved turning the background color black to match the text. The Daily Star discovered that merely copying the full text of the dossier - written in 2009 and listing what structural damage would prompt a core meltdown, other "potentially catastrophic accidents" and flaws in reactor designs - and pasting it into a fresh document would reveal the sensitive information. Read The Full Story

Fake hard-drive has short-term memory not 500GB

Chris Davies, Apr 8th 2011 Discuss [11]

Whenever there's a deal that seems too good to be true, there's always the risk that you're getting ripped off. Still, if you're going to lose your money on a dud, it may as well be a surprisingly well-planned dud. As the story goes, a Russian repair center was asked to look at an "insanely low price" external hard-drive a customer had bought in a Chinese store, but which kept losing data. When they opened it up, everything became clear... Read The Full Story

Eco-friendly Superbus gets UAE trial [Video]

Chris Davies, Apr 8th 2011 Discuss [4]

The allure of public transport is so often undermined by the scent of urine and dawdling performance, but the only people soiling themselves in the Dutch-made Superbus are likely to be those over-excited by its eco-friendly turn of electric speed. Capable of accommodating up to 23 passengers and still hitting 155kph (96mph), the lengthy carbon fiber and fiberglass vehicle is headed to Dubai next month. Read The Full Story

Best Buy mocks iPad in Eee Pad Transformer promo

Chris Davies, Apr 4th 2011 Discuss [16]

You can't accuse Best Buy's marketing department of being afraid to shoot the golden goose. The company may be one of the few retailers to offer Apple's iPad 2, but that hasn't stopped it from taking pot-shots at the iOS slate in its new ASUS Eee Pad Transformer promotion. Showing the new 10.1-inch Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet paired with its nifty battery-toting keyboard dock, the retailer contrasts it with what's clearly an iPad taped to a keyboard with the headline "Like That. But Better." Read The Full Story

Sony CEO takes potshots at “burning” iPads

Chris Davies, Apr 2nd 2011 Discuss [9]

It's not just accidentally confirming that Apple is using Sony CMOS sensors, presumably for the iPhone 5, that CEO Howard Stringer has been doing; the outspoken exec also spent some time taking pot-shots at his rivals. On stage with the WSJ's Walt Mossberg at an event earlier this week, Stringer cautioned an iPad owner in the audience to "be careful it doesn’t burn you if you wave it around" in what was seemingly a bizarre reference to Apple devices overheating. Read The Full Story