The camera on these glasses is said to be small, likely no bigger than a couple of megapixels strong, and and the HUD part of this equation is not transparent as previously tipped. This iteration of the glasses has a tiny display to the side of one eye and shows what you need to know to navigate your way through an interface. The interface will have head tilting that’ll allow you to scroll and select items, and the tipster has noted that the interface and gestures in this way are very easy to use and adapt to.

These glasses are also said to have voice input and a speaker for voice output, and will have a CPU, RAM, and storage not unlike a smartphone from about a year ago. So we’re talking at or sub 1GHz CPU, not one whole heck of a lot of RAM, and storage of a few gigabytes – 10 or less more than likely. Google is said to be thinking about releasing these glasses in the same way they did the Google Cr-48 Chromebooks last year to a select number of 3rd party users for testing purposes only. Would you like to get in on something like this? We sure would!

ALSO note that earlier today there was mention of a “Solve for X” project coming from Google X, and that one of the original tips for these glasses was also tied to Google X. Coincidence? I think not!

[via 9to5Google]

This tidbit was brought up first, it seems, in the book “Inside Apple” by Adam Lashinsky, and was again brought up and “re-confirmed” by a former Apple employee. How on earth either of these folks plans on moving through the rest of their lives with the knowledge that Apple now has them on their “do not tell secrets to” list, we may never know. Lashinsky spoke at a Linkdin event this week and it was a question and answer segment that had the former Apple employee step up to the plate:

The engineer spoke the following: “A friend of mine who’s a senior engineer at Apple, he works on — or did work on — fake products I’m sure for the first part of his career, and interviewed for 9 months. It’s intense.” Certainly that’s no small claim, and certainly if true, we wouldn’t be surprised. Like a school you just have to be a part of, getting accepted into the Apple fold is something not only to strive for, but to work to keep and be proud of for a long, long time.

The image above comes from the iBangle post posted at the end of 2011, one that saw some heavy sharing due to its utterly odd nature.

[via Business Insider]

We got the opportunity to take a ride in the vehicle as a Mercedes-Benz assistant helped us along. Your humble narrator was shown how the front screen and the control scheme worked together to create a fully immersive experience for the driver. You’ll see in the video how menus sat on carrousels, selections were made with a push forward on the atmosphere in front of one’s hand, and at no point was there any doubt that the car was attempting to think with the person controlling it. Though the controls weren’t exactly simply to work with, as the sensor technology wasn’t perfect, this certainly stuck with us as one of the most amazing shows of power at the convention.

While the dashboard shows off menus that included media, social, and places, each of them able to control what you’re hearing and seeing around you, who you’re contacting from the vehicle, and mapping where you want to go, it was the windshield that really showed off the state of the future. In the windshield you were able to see not only the turn-by-turn directions you’d pushed up from the dashboard so that you could experience them in a less distracting way, but landmarks were pointed out and were able to be collected as you drove. Incoming calls appeared on the display as images of the people calling, and all of this could be pulled down into your dashboard for safe keeping.

Have a look at what’s going to be possible someday, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz, and let us know what you think. I certainly wouldn’t mind having something like this working in my vehicle in the next few years. Unfortunately there may be a few legal hurdles to cross before allowing on-windshield displays, even IF they’re perfectly excellent like this one was. Mercedes-Benz, bring us the future right now!

The idea is reminiscent of ASUS’ Padfone, which docks an Android smartphone into a larger screen section for tablet duty. However, unlike with the Padfone – the tablet of which is only functional when the phone is inserted – Chandra envisages each section of his LIFEBOOK concept being operable when separated. The laptop would have its own processor, storage, memory, optical drive and connectivity, similar to the tablet, each working standalone as well as synchronizing when brought back together.

That would increase cost but also flexibility, though you’d need to plug in an external keyboard if you wanted to enter text on the laptop while the tablet was undocked. On the upside, however, the processors in the tablet and phone could be used to augment the performance of the notebook itself, and handwriting entry or sketching would be easier.

Fujitsu hasn’t given any indication as to whether it will be using Chandra’s idea – or, indeed, any of the other entrants to the competition – for a future LIFEBOOK model. However similar propositions are apparently in the works; the i’m circle modular computer was announced at CES earlier in the month, sharing the intelligence of a wireless “core” pendant computer unit with various tablet, phone and display peripherals. That’s tipped to go on sale later this year.

[via Recombu]

GM R&D has come up with a concept that makes the windows of the car a transparent display. In the front, the windows can show the driver navigation information, so they can keep eyes on the road. That would be very cool indeed, and it reminds me of the tech in the latest Mission Impossible movie. GM worked with students at the FUTURE LAB at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel with the students coming up with app ideas for the cool windows.

The apps the students came up with include Otto, Foofu, Spindow, and Pond. Otto puts a flying character over the landscape; Foofu makes faux stem on the windows that the kids can draw in; Pond is a music-streaming app, and Spindow lets the users peek into other windows that users around the world create. Sadly, GM says that it has no immediate plans to use these awesome windows in its vehicles. I bet this tech is crazy expensive right now.

The FBed is shaped like a lower case “f” and the side is plastered with Facebook. On the stick of the “f” you get what appears to be a short bed area for sleeping. The cross section of the letter is the headboard and doubles as a backrest for the status updating action that happens in the curl of the letter.

The concept has a little shelf that holds your keyboard and the flat part of the “f” curl is where you place a computer monitor. It looks like you would need to be really short to sleep on that bed. It also looks like if you lean too far forward in the sitting section you will lose your monitor when the bed tips. This is a very strange concept.

[via DailyPics]

The wedge-shaped structure consists of various stacked layers, with the more private areas of the house – such as bedrooms – shifted further back and away from public view. Modular and pull-out cabinets, seating and other furniture increases flexibility in use, while the bathroom is a wetroom with a sunken bathtub.

Up to 45 solar panels can be mounted on the roof, providing three times the energy than the CHIP home actually requires. LED lighting and wireless switches mean less power, fewer bulbs and no complex tangle of wiring, while HVAC energy use is reduced by implementing a large water storage tank. This maintains a thermal load, cutting down on water-heating costs as well as drawing off excess heat in summer.

As for tech, the iPad is used to remotely control the wireless ZigBee Control4 lighting and other kit, as well as show real-time information on power consumption, while the Kinect means you can control the CHIP’s various systems using gestures and pointing. Sensors mean CHIP can turn on specific hardware when you sit in certain chairs, close blinds when it’s bright, and automatically lower shutters to avoid passive heating.

The 750 square meter house is an entry into the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

[via SmartPlanet]

So, the humble March sees its body clad in Nismo aeroparts that – rather than just looking aggressive – actually improve efficiency, along with a modified front grille being grafted on and an aerodynamically-tweaking rear lip spoiler. Even the door mirrors have been fettled to improve airflow.

The March Nismo concept sits on chunky, lightweight wheels and has high-performance suspension, with the driver ensconced in custom seats with a new steering wheel design. Unfortunately Nissan hasn’t released interior shots, so we’ll just have to imagine them ourselves.

Like the Juke Nismo Concept and the Leaf Nismo Concept before it, this March madness won’t actually go on sale. Instead, Nissan is likely hoping that boy-racers and their ilk will be motivated to splash some cash at Nismo and recreate a little of the style and performance themselves.

In fact, the company has four peripheral ideas at the moment, with the possibility of more in the pipeline. “i’m screen” turns the system into a 4.27-inch smartphone measuring 125 x 55 mm, albeit one where the components are split between two devices, and packing an accelerometer and magnetometer. For times when you want a larger desktop, there’s “i’m view”, a 10.1-inch tablet-scale slate.

“i’m vision” is the desktop equivalent, putting Ice Cream Sandwich on 21-inches of touchscreen real-estate – though supposedly only 10mm thick – with an inductive charger base that can rejuice the “i’m core”, “i’m screen” and “i’m view.” The smartphone screen can also be used as a wireless trackpad with the display, with the tablet turning into a QWERTY keyboard.

Finally, the “i’m cinema” will both bridge the core unit with an HDTV – for times when 21-inches just isn’t enough – as well as working as an inductive charger for it. Seven color options will be available, and the various components can send voice, video and text messages and make use of a “high speed connection protocol property” that’s technically unspecified.

Availability is ambitiously pegged for late 2012, with no word on pricing at this stage and little in the way of hardware details. The modular computing idea is one which has resurfaced numerous times over the past few years, but problems with battery life, sufficiently speedy wireless links and overall cost have always made it infeasible. Whether the i’m circle team can beat the odds remains to be seen.

[via RegHardware]

I don’t really care for the design honestly. I can see this coming to market as a refresh of the dead Cavalier. The car uses a turbo 4-cylinder and eAssist tech that has start/stop tech and recaptured brake energy. The 140S is billed as an “affordable exotic” four seat sporty coupe. It has a very raked looking profile that is more attractive.

It reminds me a bit of a more muscular Volt that mated with a Mitsubishi Eclipse of the last generation. The car has the same turbo 4-cylinder under the hood as the other concept. The engine is the GM 1.4L Turbo Ecotec with 150HP. GM thinks the cars could be sold in the low $20,000 range.

It sounds interesting even if the design is not that attractive to my eyes. The XC60 has 350 hp on tap and using a button on the instrument panel the driver can opt to put the car into one of three available modes. In Pure mode, the car operated on the battery alone. The driving range on a full charge is 35 miles in urban traffic. Hybrid mode uses the gasoline engine and the battery for a combined US rating of 50mpg.

The total range in hybrid mode is up to 600 miles. The final mode is Power where all the grunt the car can muster is used. In this mode, the vehicle uses the 280hp from the turbo four-cylinder engine along with the engine’s torque of 280 lb-ft and the power from the electric motor. That electric motor is rated at 70hp and 148 lb-ft torque. The gas an electric power together pushes the car from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. A full charge for the 12kWh battery pack takes 3.5 hours on 220V. The vehicle also has electric 4-wheel drive.

What we’ve got here is a list of five posts with a bit of a roundup of other runners-up below. The first two posts are strange, but if you’re part of the thousands and thousands of viewers that took a look at either of them earlier in the year, you’ll know exactly why they hit the top – they’re awesome! So very strange are these top two posts that you’ll find them absolutely irresistible.

Massive networks of stripes appear in Chinese Desert

As it turns out, people freak out when they see things in the desert. Especially if they’re in China, and extra especially if they think that they’re there for alien spacecraft. What these stripes ended up being was something to the effect of satellite alignment markings, but the conjecture beforehand (and some afterward, just for the heck of it) lead us to one gigantic comment festival and shares galore. Kim died as the year passed by, but the internet seemed to care less. [visit this post]

Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera has us seeing spherical potential

There’s something about projects that are awesome and don’t yet have a backer to make them a reality that really touches the viewer. Users found this panoramic ball camera not only a great idea, but one that lead to many other ideas along the same lines. Tossing a ball up into the air, snapping one gigantic photo, and catching said ball: that’s all it is. That’s all it has to be though, because that’s awesome. We’re currently still in contact with the developers behind the project and will be reporting on its eventual release as well. [visit this post]

iPad 2 vs iPad 1 [Original]

The one thing more important than the release of a monster product as made by Apple is the comparison that gets made to its previous generation product with the same name. When the iPad 2 was announced, we jammed out a comparison article complete with images faster than anybody else. Thusly there were quite a few interested parties, if you know what I mean. That and users across the web used the photos from the post to do their own articles of similar nature, linking back in turn. [visit this post]

iPhone 4S Review

The iPhone 4S was one of two of Apple’s biggest releases of the year, and even though it wasn’t technically a brand new iPhone in its entirety, so many people had their 2-year contracts ending right at the same time that the iPhone 4S was being released, there was a mad torrential downpour of onlookers for the review. That and because the iPhone is one of the few cornerstones Apple builds its mobile world around, our review was massive, and certainly worth sharing. [visit this post]

iPad 2 Review

Because most of the people in the world who wanted to upgrade to a new iPad didn’t have a contract to worry about like the iPhone users did, everyone on earth was interested in the iPad 2. That and the iPad 2 is fun for everyone, and again, we had it so early it made everyone’s nose bleed. Everyone loves a good tablet review, and this being the mother of all of them to the point where people think the name for tablet is “iPad”, it was viewing time from all around the world. [visit this post]

Runners Up

Of course this being an explosive year for Android, we weren’t without our share of Android blockbuster posts like the Samsung Galaxy S II review, the comparison post between the HTC Sensation and the SGSII, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus Pictured Clear as Day post from quite recently. Our reviews have essentially commanded the top spots in post views, this being quite obviously because they retain their value long after the day they’re posted – not to mention our reviews are pretty cool.

There was one more comparison inside the top 10 posts, this being the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer vs Acer Iconia Tab A500, then the two biggest guns near the end were made by Samsung and Apple once again. Our Galaxy Nexus Review and the post “iPhone 5″ leak by Cincinnati Bell were hit up rather well. Did you check these posts out when they were first posted, all those weeks or months ago?

Were you surprised any of these posts made it into the top 5 or top 10? Let us know!

Reducing phantom power is a good idea, but this PumPing Tap outlet concept is something that I can’t get behind. I can only imagine how irritating it would be to have the outlet pop your devices plug out of the socket each time you turn it off. This would be especially irritating if that socket was behind a desk or couch.

The concept has a blue light around the outside of the plug when something is plugged in and using power. When the power draw stops, the ring turns red. Ten minutes after the plug is red a little circle pops out of the center of the outlet and pushes the plug out to stop power draw.

[via Yanko Design]

These things are like skates that you strap onto your shoes. They have two large front wheels and a small rear wheel. The drive wheels are battery powered and the motorized skates strap onto your normal shoes. All the electronics and controls for the drive is inside the frame made from reinforced nylon. Each skate has its own battery pack and motor inside. The skates have a single wireless remote that controls both spnKIX skates at one time. They have a variable speed control so you can go slowly or fast.

They also come with training wheels to keep you from wiping out until you learn how they work. Each skate is 9″ W x 10.5″ H x 9.5″ L and the max speed is up to 10 mph. Men’s shoes from size 6 to 14 will fit inside the skates. The cheapest pledge to get your own pair is $375 and you can get limited edition versions for $500 or $950. Normal retail price will be $649 when they launch in March, assuming the project gets funded. The project needs $25,000 and has $3,595 so far with 43 days to go.

What we’re looking at here, as details revealed this week will tell us, is a ball that has a diameter of 19.3cm. That’s just a bit bigger than something you’d normally carry around in your purse, but not so large you’d feel totally awkward tossing it around in the park. The diameter includes 1cm of protective foam all around the ball so if you drop the 752g of ball to the ground, you’ll more than likely not need to have a heart attack over your dropped camera.

The material underneath the padding is interesting in itself, it being 3D printed by Shapeways in a PA 2200 printer using SLS (Selective-Laser-Sintering). You can see above and in the gallery below how bits of the ball were produced in white, printed in 3D by Shapeways in their “strong yet flexible” masterful way. Have a peek here at a video made by Shapeways to show their printing process:

The center of the ball is weighted by the lithium-polymer battery the whole rig runs on. As for how the camera actually works, the most basic way to explain it is that upon tossing the ball into the air, the microcontroller inside the device processes data that comes from the accelerometer, finding the highest point the ball will reach, snapping its collection of photos there, falling then back down to the ground. Here’s how the team at TU, Berlin, explain it:

The microcontroller on the mainboard processes the data from the
accelerometer, integrates (sums up) the acceleration during launch and
from this calculates the launch velocity (speed at the moment when the
ball leaves the throwers hands)
• From the launch velocity it’s easy to calculate the rise time to the
highest point in the trajectory.

The ball is already in free fall when it flies up — one can visualize that fact when one knows how accelerometers work:
• There is a little test mass on a spring
• One measures the elongation of that spring
• When you hold the ball in your hand, the spring gets pulled down by
gravity.
• When the ball flies up, the spring retracts and ball, accelerometer and test mass fly happily next to each other.
• There is no difference between going up or down

Again that means essentially that you’ll end up getting a photo right at the top of your ball’s toss, and up there the photos are each taken individually (all at the same time) by the array of cameras around the ball. These images are transferred from the ball to your computer at home via USB where you can blog the heck out of them. Sound like the most fun you’ve ever had in your entire life with a ball able to take photos?

Have a peek at a few more example shots below, the demonstration and presentation video here again above, and let us know what you think of this project as its being developed in full. Also if you happen to know anyone in a position to make this project push forward into the future of full production, be sure to let us and our main man Jonas Pfeil, who has been so kind as to play a main part in the production of this ball and the promotion of the project as well – thanks Jonas! Contact the team through their project site and get pumped up for the future! We look forward to a the inevitable production model!

The rear projector system shoots the gauges and displays onto a curved surface touch display providing all the buttons and controls you might need. Mitsubishi says that it hopes to be using the concept dash in cars in the next decade. I don’t see that happening, touch interfaces for car controls are far from ideal. That half steering wheel won’t make it either, there is a reason steering wheel are round.

The entire system has 18 buttons that are on two keypads on each of the uprights of that wheel. A touch display to the right of the dash allows the user to enter handwriting or characters for input to the system. The system also uses facial temperature and heart rate monitoring to recognize a user and change seat position. This is not what we need if the government wants drivers to be less distracted.

[via DesignBoom]

Cart’s concepts caught attention because of the way they neatly brought together existing iOS and OS X controls and gestures. In the app-switching concept, for instance, rather than double-clicking the home button and then choosing from a row of icons, Cart envisaged users holding down the home button and then simultaneously swiping left or right on the touchscreen, OS X style, to move between running apps.

Similarly, in the dynamic icons concept, Cart outlined a system whereby app icons could show not just the number of new notifications present, but information on what the latest updates might be. An “App Preview” video would blow up the buttons to fit four to a screen, with different portions of the enlarged icons taking users to different elements of the app: for instance, replies, direct messages and lists in Twitter.

Apple may well be keen to inject some of Cart’s enthusiasm and ideas into its iOS UI team, ahead of a rumored overhaul that would change some of the long-standing themes in the mobile platform. Meanwhile, some of the same concepts might work similarly well in OS X, helping Apple further pull the two platforms together.

iOS Fast App Switching Concept:

iOS Dynamic Icons Concept:

iOS Speech Recognition Concept:

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

Again what you’re seeing above is not the new model that will be revealed in Detroit inside 2012, but the original NSX shown in 2004 at the same event. What you’ll quite likely be getting with this new model is an all-wheel-drive system, first of all, this of course if Honda decides to go beyond what CNET‘s Wayne Cunningham describes as a possible “mere styling exercise.” Speculation is that this all-wheel-drive system will be the same as what has recently been revealed for Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology announcement, complete with a direct injection 3.5-liter V-6 as a main power unit and two 20 kilowatt electric motors for torque vectoring.

Besides this there’ll also a main drive motor with a seven speed dual clutch automated manual transmission as well. Honda has also stated that they’ll be brining another concept vision to the show in the Acura ILX, an entry level premium car also living in the Acura environment. The ILX will be the first Acura hybrid, and will play nicely next to the NSX or we’ll turn this car right around and go back home. Finally there will be a 2013 Honda Accord Coupe concept as well as a 2013 Acura RDX, both of them more than likely showing up in Detroit at the 2012 event as well.

[via CNET]

Leung has some more artistically driven ideation in this project, such as how mythologically the carp (fish) is meant to symbolize such things as bravery and fortune, and that this carpet with its fancy “Carp Pet” title is meant to be a “humorous extraction of the carpet that reveals this intriguing little conversation piece of the floor.” On top of that, the carpet doesn’t look half bad without the table either! Might give you a headache every once in a while, but that’s the price you pay for coolness.

It’s the moire pattern that draws interference in your eyes, made plain with the table, and made impressive enough to catch the eyes of the judges at the last show this cool ensemble was featured in. This design is, believe it or not, the second Red Dot Design Award 2011 winner we’ve posted today. This carpet is not ready for mass production yet, and we’re sure mister Leung is looking for additional partners to make such a thing happen – what you see above and below is the final model on the other hand, just waiting to swim to greater glory!

[via dornob]

What you’ve got here is a body with two integrated flaps, all of this folded from a single piece of paper. This paper is glued to a single circular base, and the paper will be waterproofed in a similar manner to cups you see at the coffee shop on the daily already. Ideally, Herman says, he’d like to get them made of cellulose-based plastic so they could be composted, but we shall see. This concept will, if made and executed correctly, save retailers one whole heck of a lot of money.

“There are important variables ranging from the required modifications of existing cup-making machinery to long-term contractual arrangements between manufacturers, distributors, and retailers that will all influence the rollout timetable.” – Herman

Herman notes that the cup’s iconic shape along will “perform priceless PR” as it shows the company using it is committed to working on green initiatives and environmentally sound solutions to everyday problems – like how to keep one’s coffee for drinking on the go. We’re crossing our fingers and toes that this project takes off, as the lids of coffee cups are something we’d gladly see go the way of the dinosaur — or better yet, the way of the recycled plastic, never to be seen again (in its original form.) Save the environment by folding!

[via FastCoDesign]

Of course, we’re a long way from an actual production version of what Samsung is speculating about – for a start, all the non-display tech has to go somewhere – but the Korean company is expected to launch its first flexible-display AMOLED products in 2012. Tipped to be used in both phones and tablets, the most likely implementation is perhaps a hybrid of the both, such as the seamless folding screen MID/phone prototype the company revealed earlier this year.

Samsung isn’t the only company to be considering flexible displays as a possible way to improve mobile device usability; Nokia has gone on record claiming that a flexible phone bearing its logo – such as the functioning Kinetic concept it showed at Nokia World 2011 – could be around three years away. Still, the Korean’s manufacturing heft leaves it in a solid position to beat rivals to the market, even if they won’t be able to replicate quite the same experience as you see in the video below.

[via OLED-Info]

Honda has a new concept scooter that would get you to and from work using battery power over short distances. The concept scooter is called the motor compo. The little scooter is under 3-feet in length and height. The concept scooter is designed to fit easily into the micro commuter vehicle concept that Honda came up with.

The idea is that the scooter will be carried in the car to get the driver across that last mile if they need to park far away. Then the driver can get the scooter out and ride it to their final destination. The thing folds up small enough to carry it into an office or home too.

[via DesignBoom]

Meanwhile there’s augmented reality navigation information, together with what Toyota describes as a “navigation concierge” with speech-controlled directions. Live OTA updates keep the in-car computers constantly up to date, and networking systems allow it to communicate with other road users “allowing it to detect other potentially hazardous vehicles – such as vehicles in blind spots – in advance, or to connect with friends who are driving nearby.”

In addition to being able to control the Fun-Vii from onboard, Toyota has developed a companion smartphone app for remote access. Of course, this is all a concept rather than something Toyota expects to end up on roads any time soon – probably a good thing, as we can’t help but see customized door panels changing as you drive along the road being something of a distraction for fellow drivers.

Without the relatively recent invention of the smartphone, none of this would have been possible – and indeed without the invention of several components that aren’t yet a reality, neither will this concept turn into something we can actually use. As you’ll quickly come to understand, the actual working nature of this device takes a back seat to what’s perhaps possible in the future should things like completely transparent computer chips and wires. What we DO have here though is something I’d certainly love to try out if and when it does come to fruition in the future for the invisible photographer in all of us.

The forefinger module senses whether your finger is straight, bent, or bent with the rest of your fingers. If you bend only the one finger, the other piece of the puzzle takes a photo. If you bend several fingers, you’ll begin to take a video. The thumb module has only a camera lens and an on/off button visible and is responsible for both collecting the media and transporting the resulting files to your smartphone. From there you can do whatever you want with the files as they sit on your smartphone while the Air Clicker remains free and clear.

Try not to think too hard about how impossible this is at the moment, instead imagine a world with no bulk and jump around in anticipation!

[via Yanko Design]

However, there’s also the possibility of resizable QWERTY and numeric keypads, which can be pushed – along with the ongoing IM conversation – around to the back of the phone while you look up details on the front. The flared upper edges work as an app carousel, shuffled around with a thumb and then dragged to the main display to launch them, and everything is resizable.

Because so much of the body is given over to screen, when you run an app – say, triggering the camera with a circle gesture shortcut – the whole phone can adapt its appearance to suit. Alternatively, as in Nokia’s non-functional mockup shown in these photos, you could have browser favorites circling the edges and media playback controls on the top.

Nokia is also thinking about potential subsidy alternatives, for instance showing geo-specific adverts on the back of the GEM while you’re on a call (and presumably not using the rear display). “It’s called GEM because polished precious stones have several sides” project lead Jarkko Saunamäki says. ”Also it’s a concept which is like a raw gem, but it needs to be polished to become a real product.”

Any real product is likely a fair way off in the future, however, given the complex flexible display technology required to clad an entire phone in touchscreens. Still, we wouldn’t argue with seeing some of the UI in the GEM implemented in future Nokia handsets.

What you get in this hypothetical kit is no less than four self-defense tools, three of which could potentially do some heavy damage to your opponent. I mean, not opponent, your ATTACKER, of course. There’s a brass knuckle, a unit of pepper spray, a whistle, and a pocket knife. And what’s best? The size, of course, each of them shorter than a ball-point pen and fairly thin as well. Pack them in your wallet, if you wish, but keep them in your back pocket for quick access.

Now we’ve just got to wait for this set to reach reality. At the moment it sits in the archives at CreativeSession design studio waiting for some monetary support. And don’t let anyone tell you anything other than the following: if someone designed a product, and the template is just sitting around in their office, all they need is a backer and it WILL be made. Call us up when the first batch comes out!

[via Yanko Design]

When we played with the Kinetic prototype, Nokia was keen to point out that a rubberized casing and twist-friendly display are only two of the necessary elements. You also need a battery and mainboard that can stand up to distortion; the Kinetic currently does its processing on a separate, cable-tethered PC.

Still, it’s a compelling device. Nokia’s custom UI – which Jokinen told us was basically platform agnostic, and could sit on top of any OS around today, whether Symbian, Windows Phone or something else – handles music and photo gallery navigation and control, with lateral twisting scrolling through lists and twisting the phone forward or back controlling zoom. Alternative uses could include squeezing the phone to answer or mute calls, or allow you to control it while it’s still in your pocket, similar to Microsoft Research’s PocketTouch system.

Flexible gadgets are seemingly all the rage today, with Samsung also confirming that it plans to use its bendable AMOLED panels in commercial smartphones – and then tablets and other devices – sometime in 2012. However, it’s unclear whether the rest of the new Samsung phones will bend as well, or if the company will simply use the new displays to fit bigger, single-piece screens into clamshell housings as per its recent prototype.

According to ITG, the xpPhone 2 will have a 1.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and up to 112GB of storage, and be capable of up to a whopping 18.5hrs of talktime on a single charge. No other specs have been confirmed – nor what exact processor ITG is using, though we’re guessing an Intel Atom chip – and unlike the original xpPhone there’s nothing showing a slide-out physical keyboard.

Smartphone sized PCs have struggled to find a place in the market to-date, not least because Intel’s processors have invariably had difficulty keeping up with more frugal ARM chips when it comes to power efficiency. Then there’s the problems implicit in dealing with a UI intended for sizable displays on something that will fit in your pocket.

Windows 8′s new interface – similar to that of Windows Phone – will definitely help on that front, though it’s unclear why ITG isn’t planning to use Microsoft’s Windows 8 on ARM build instead. Still, plenty of time for all that to change as ITG beavers away to turn the xpPhone 2 renders into reality.

[via UMPC Portal]

This device is conceptualized by Shan Hao Cheng, and is made with the Sony brand on it simply because of the event that Sony holds yearly in China. I must remind you, as I must remind everyone who happens upon an early concept design post such as this, that the product isn’t yet brought up to speed with the technology needed to execute it. Because designers in this particular Sony event are allowed to design without exact execution in mind, the imagination can run wild, and the designs can essentially be magic.

We’ve got something similar to this out there right now in QR-code creating and scanning, but this concept right here is all contained inside a single object. Because we know that taking a concept and filtering it down to a single device that can contain the entirety of the proposed activity will work – Apple’s iPhone, for example, works quite well in this way – we know that this device could very well become somewhat of a hit if it were to evet reach the manufacturing floor and stores. Like all concept designs, this one needs to be pushed forward with one thing: cash.

Would you buy it? How about if you were a teacher looking to do some conceptual projects with your students? Perhaps if you were a graffiti writer? What about music artists looking to have people running around a city scanning musical codes?

Have at it!

[via Yanko Design]

This is more than a panoramic view, it’s a whole new experience. Can you imagine bringing this ball with you everywhere you went? How about if it connected to your smart device and automatically uploaded images to the web? The possibilities are endless! That’s why we’re asking the “people” involved in this project, Pfeil, Hildebrand, Gremzow, Bickel, and Alexa, to make it happen! Make it happen now!

Have a look at this video and see how it strikes you:

This device contains 36 mobile phone camera modules and takes a full sphere of images right at the peak of flight. The actual project name behind this ball was “Throwable Camera Array for Capturing Spherical Panoramas” and was authored by Jonas Pfeil. Of course the entirety of the programming was done in C, C++, QT, and OpenCV. Can we expect to be holding such an awesome device in our hands any time soon? We sure hope so!

[via Pfeil]

We used to have a dog long ago and picking up the poo from in the yard was a job I loathed. I don’t care if there is a bag between your hand and the poo, it’s still disgusting to have to pick it up. The AshPuppie (if that is its name, the maker calls the thing AshPoopie at times) scoops the poo for you and then you press a button and turns into odorless ash.

This has to be fake, it uses some sort of capsule to burn the poo according to the description. Granted this is a concept product so it may be far enough out there that it has a little nuclear reactor inside to burn the poo. The company says that it will come to market by Q1 2012.

[via Dvice]

What you’ll see here is a an extremely thin device with a giant display in the front probably somewhere in the 4.7-inch range. Inside the display you’ll find a Honeycomb-esque clock widget and a dock with apps, phone, browser, and phone shortcuts. Above this you’ll find a standard status toolbar above a secondary toolbar that’s again reminiscent of what we’ve seen in Honeycomb. This second bar has Google search, voice command, apps shortcut, and “+” symbol that, inside a Honeycomb tablet device, would lead us to our homescreen customization set of options.

The rest of the device appears very similar to what a flattened out Nexus S would look like. You’ve got the single microUSB at the bottom back beside a single mic hole, a smooth battery case, speaker grill looking similar to what’s become standard on a Samsung device, and a round camera hole again similar to what we’ve seen on the Nexus S. The front of the device shows the same head that we’ve seen on a slew of Samsung devices, that being a thin line of a speaker grill next to a black dot we must assume represents a front-facing camera.

The back of the device appears slightly thicker at the bottom than it does at the top, and the display appears slightly curved and shiny like glass. Also the designer here calls this device, safely, the Google Nexus Third Generation. We must assume that this was rendered before the cleaner looks at Ice Cream Sandwich were shown in these past few weeks since this looks to be rather Honeycomb inspired instead, also featuring the classic set of Android menu buttons instead of no buttons at all, as we expect will be true of future devices.

Other than that, look pretty possibly accurate to you? Note that we’ll be at the next Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in a few weeks, this one being a special Google episode, so we may well be finding out how accurate it is very soon!

[via Ciccarese Design]

What Chen explains here in this lovely video filmed by your humble narrator for SlashGear is that as a device, here a notebook, evolves, so too do the potential pieces for that notebook. What you’ll see literally is Chen popping out the section below the keyboard where your hands might rest, showing that there’s just a spot there where a wide selection of materials might rest. There’s another iteration that shows a full rubberized bottom to a notebook with an inductive charging section of metal. Different brushes on the metal can be seen as well.

This is but one of many different looks we’ve gotten over this tour, the rest up now or coming soon (depending on when you read this post) under our ever-expanding [HP Elite portal] also housing all manner of Elite posts from the past and the future as well. You’ll find that we’ve also got looks at the testing these devices go through, the regulatory rooms that blast these devices with sound, energy, and environmental elements of all kinds, and some good old-fashioned smashing to round things out. Eric Chen in the video above gives you a look at some of the first steps before any of that happens.

Enjoy the video above and the gallery below and stay tuned as we continue our HP Making of Elite Tour coverage!

The concept is a 3D printer that is designed for kids that would be able to sit on a desk in the home and let the kid design and print anything they want. The guys behind Origo are Joris Peels and Artur Tchoukanov, both are former i.materialise workers. The video below shows the kid designing their 3D object on a tablet device and sending it to the printer.

Origo says that the printer is expected to cost about the price of three Xbox 360 game consoles if they can reach their goal. The printer will also be about the size of three Xbox 360s. The idea is that the printer would be able to recycle the material it uses to make it more green and less costly. This sounds interesting to me.

[via Make]

The iPhone Interface Plus system works with a free iOS app such that your iPhone can be completely integrated with the in-vehicle system. In this way, you can stash your iPhone in the glove compartment and be able to connect and control your smartphone, accessing your music, email, or social networks directly from the larger display and hardware controls on the vehicle’s dashboard.

Additionally, Mercedez-Benz will be offering an iPad Integration Plus system for rear-seat passengers that work like seat-back docking stations that can be tilted and turned for the best suitable angle. This makes it easy to watch movies, play games, or browse the web for back-seat customers while allowing them to easily recharge their tablets while on the road.

[via 9to5Mac]

The craft is being shown off at the Cannes Boat Show 2011 and will come in two models. Both of the models use electric engines and batteries to scoot the watercraft around the lakes. The difference between versions are the battery capacity and the material the toy is made from. The high-end version of the EXO is made from carbon fiber and has a more powerful 7kWh battery inside. The cheaper version is made from reinforced ABS material.

It can be had with engines in the 3.5 to 7 kWh range. Both of the versions of the watercraft will be available starting in 2012. Pricing is unknown, but you can bet this will not be cheap considering where it is being unveiled and the materials the toy is made from. I think if I were rich I would prefer to have the Jetlev.

[via BornRich]

It has the look of small racecar and the car was presented in a Sportback model and a Spyder variant. The car isn’t based on any current production model and was designed to show what a lightweight and sporty city car could be in the future. The wheels are not inside the bodywork and are instead out in the open with fenders covering the tires in a fashion that reminds me of an F1 car.

The car has an interesting a slightly odd seating arrangement. I mentioned this car back in August, but Audi has now offered a video of the concept and a lot more photos that do a much better job of showing what the car would look like than the photos we had before that looked hand drawn. The wheels are 21-inch diameter and it has a pair of electric motors that are powered by lithium-ion batteries.

In the video below you’ll find racer Sebastian Vettel, mastermind Infiniti design chief Shiro Nakamura, and a sea of flashbulbs. Most of the video is thankfully the two main men here speaking on what’s inspiring between their two worlds, the current F1 champion sharing a few tips and laughs with one of the world’s most innovative minds, Nakamura. See if you can guess what they’re speaking about before the video is over:

Now the vehicle they’re MORE than likely speaking about is the Infiniti FX50 Vettel edition, expected to be shown formally at the Frankfurt motor show in September 15-22. It was chosen and modified by Red Bull racing’s hero driver, it being quite the looker for a racecar-inspired version of a four-door. There’s a 20-button steering wheel, LED fog lights, likely carbon fiber all around, oversized Infiniti wheels in charcoal gray and wrapped in Bridgestone rubber. What more could you ask for? I’m sure the rest of the info will be sent out as the time draws near.

Exciting!

The PumpTire would come in two styles called the City Cruiser and the City Pro. The City Cruiser is a tire made for bike commuters and the City Pro is a performance-oriented tire for riders. The design of the PumpTire allows air to pass from the tire to the inner tube. The valve stem is special and would allow the rider to set the pressure they want to the tires at and riding would keep them inflated.

The valve assembly screws in or out to keep the pressure at the level desired. The stems can also be preset at a specific pressure as well and the stems are filtered to keep dirt and water from getting into the tire. The designers are looking for $250,000 for the project. It has 40 days left to go and so far has raised under $3,000 out of that amount.

The virtual keyboard is shown projected onto a surface by swiping it off the screen. The projected keyboard can then be scaled to a more comfortable size using a pinch-to-zoom gesture directly on the surface of the projection. It appears that sensors are able to detect your key strokes as a combination of light and shadows

But Aatma takes this idea further to show a holographic display. While Apple has filed patents for pico projection systems for their iPhones and iPads, as well as a feature that can read and react to the silhouettes of gestures in front of the projections, the concept shown in the video projects an image in mid-air. It’s a bit less plausible at this time than the keyboard projection, but hey, it’s a concept.

[via 9to5 Mac]