Best New Technology

Never mind that we’re running out of gas soon - a patent application from University of Florida aerospace engineer Subrata Roy lays claim that a micro air vehicle in the future could be propelled by plasma. So far, passing a current or magnetic field through a conducting fluid generates a force, but attempts at exploiting this for use in a moving aircraft has yielded nothing but failure after failure. Mr. Roy is working hard to ensure that the magnetohydrodynamics phenomenon will be able to work on an aircraft, albeit the fact that his invention has a wingspan of less than 15cm and looks more like a flying saucer than your typical jumbo jet. Would be cool if he could extrapolate his findings to accommodate cars, lorries, trucks and planes, then the whole world need not go to war for oil.

Is this ever a cute USB gadget. The USB Washing Machine Alarm Clock will vibrate just like the real deal when time is up, and makes for a very cute gift. I think this would fit in very nicely with a modern doll house that features powered USB ports, so that you will be able to hook this one up and make the entire experience all the more authentic. Say, that could be my ticket to a million dollars! Features of the USB Washing Machine Alarm Clock include :-

• Time, data and alarm clock LCD display
• 4 different melodies with vibration
• Hourly chime signal with LED
• 12/24 hour mode switch

In the event a powered USB port isn’t nearby, you can always choose to keep this $19 gadget running with a couple of AA batteries.

Well, it was a long time coming, but YouTube has finally made its localized Indian version go live. Now, YouTube users from India are given access to a highly personalized version of the site, featuring content that’s filtered through a so-called “Indian lens.” The live video charts show what videos are being watched by users in India, and the featured videos are now targeted towards an Indian audience. Literally dozens of local partners have also been signed-up by YouTube to provide home-grown content to the users. And they even launched an official Indian YouTube Blog. So if you’re looking for some original South Asian video goodness, head on over to http://in.youtube.com.

Read [YouTube India Blog]

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The latest to land in what seems like a never ending stream of mini notebooks is the RazorBook 400 from 3K Computers. While the RazorBook 400 seems to have a very similar feature set as the Eee PC 701 it is lacking a little in the power department.

Similar to the Eee PC, the RazorBook 400 offers a 7-inch display, 4GB SSD, 512MB RAM, built-in card reader, Wi-Fi and runs Linux, but the processor is a lowly 400MHz. With people even at times questioning the 900Mhz of the Eee PC, its hard to imagine a similar notebook running at 400MHz and sadly the price is the same $399 that the Eee PC is retailing for.

Product [3K Computers] Via [Gotta Be Mobile]

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Germs suck. Using UV light at germicidal wavelengths, odor-causing fungus and bacteria are destroyed with a pass of the Cleanse Light.

To coincide with one of the two peaks the germicidal effectiveness curve, the Cleanse Light emits about 86% of it’s light at 254 nanometers. UV light at these germicidal wavelengths causes adjacent thymine molecules on DNA to dimerize inhibiting replication rendering the microorganism harmless. Since microorganisms can be shielded from ultraviolet light in small cracks and other shaded areas, these lamps are used only as a supplement to other sterilization techniques…

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $59.95

Posted in Gizmo of the Day, Sports, Health & Fitness, Outdoors

I love umbrellas, and not just because I grew up in England, where they are issued to four year olds on their first day at school, along with an instruction book on how to cook every kind of food (it’s a short book, with just two words: “Boil it”.)

The brolly is a miracle of minimal elegance. Lightweight spokes held in tension form a perfect, almost rigid canopy. And the cheap, $2 dime-store models are as good as the most expensive ones – they both last longer than it takes to lose them on the subway.

So the Outdoor Half-Umbrella must be even better. It uses half the parts and is therefor twice as minimal. The aluminum and acrylic semi-brolly is to be used as a summer shade for windows, a collapsible canopy to keep out the sun. This partial parasol also has a crank to raise and lower the awning. The rub? It costs $300, but at least you won’t be leaving it on the bus.

Product page [Grandin Road via Book of Joe]

by Darren Murph, posted May 9th 2008 at 10:27AM

Not one to just follow the crowd, BUILT has thrown an interesting twist on the oh-so-popular Neoprene laptop case. The Laptop Backpack enables users to tote their 12- to 17-inch machine right on their back along with textbooks, LAN party flyers and a copy of The Daily Bugle; you’ll also find a couple of smaller compartments for storing peripherals and accessories. The material itself is water- and stain-resistant, and the pack is available in two sizes to fit all but the most atypical of frames. According to BUILT, the new wave of laptop carrying should begin today at $80 a pop.

[Via BeSportier]

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Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals, Wearables

Water resistance treadmills has gone up another notch, but this time the beneficiaries won’t be humans but dogs. It makes me wonder whether dogs aren’t getting enough exercise these days, considering us humans ourselves are suffering from an obese epidemic in developed countries. Most of the time, fat people tend to rear fat dogs, and the same applies for fit and trim folks who love bringing their pets out with them for funs. Guess the water resistance treadmill for dogs is a shortcut to a healthy and happy dog.

Everyone and their brother has been sending in links about how there was a comment made by Chris Stephenson, the GM of Marketing for Zune, that mentioned that they are trying to find ways to mesh Danger and the Zune team. As of now it’s just a comment, and there’s no confirmation or discussion of a Zune Phone. Our guess is that Danger is being tapped for their UI experience because their operating systems have always been super intuitive and easy to use. But there’s always the possibility of a Zune Phone, but the question is “Would anyone buy one?”

via

This ClickFree product is one of the first of its kind. The best part about it is that you do not have to do anything but plug it in to your computer. This gizmo will start to back up files all on its own. No more time wasted on installing programs that take too much time. This product can store information from five different computers which is great for families and small businesses. This back up hard drive is great for people who do not get along well with computers because there is no mess or fuss to get it to work.

Gimme!

Price: $123.88
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Posted in Computers, Gizmo of the Day