In the great pantheon of things unlikely to happen, this IBM idea ranks pretty highly, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad one. Big Blue has applied for a patent covering a sophisticated new traffic lights system, which judges how long cars have to wait and sends them ominous-sounding “stop-engine notifications” when the pause [...]
Archive for May, 2010
Mimo's 720-F USB-driven touchscreen monitor gets down with VESA mounts
Posted: 27th May 2010 by Nicr in ArticlesAh, Mimo. It has been far, far too long since you've tossed out another product to appease our need for more pixels in every situation, and frankly, we couldn't be happier to see that you're back. Today, the aforesaid company is tossing out a variant of the 710-S that emerged last August, but this one's [...]
Thrustmaster gets fancy with Ferrari Wireless GT Cockpit 430 Scuderia Edition racing wheel
Posted: 27th May 2010 by Nicr in ArticlesAnd you thought your Driving Force GT was pricey. Thrustmaster is today introducing its newest gaming accessory, a startlingly expensive new racing wheel designed to give PlayStation 3 and PC gamers the chance to feel as if they truly are screaming ahead in hopes of being first to fly under the checkered flag. The Ferrari [...]
The holy matrimony between smartphone and personal navigation device just keeps getting stronger, scorning dedicated GPS units like forgotten flings and leaving navigation-free handsets wandering lost and alone. Garmin-Asus has been flirting with the perfect bond with its Nuvifone series for some time now, but rather tragically from a branding perspective its strongest attempt yet [...]
Google partnership has GM OnStar exploring Maps, open APIs and more
Posted: 20th May 2010 by Nicr in ArticlesIn a move that could shape the mobile landscape — or simply suck down cash, of course — General Motors just revealed that Google was its mysterious infotainment partner. In the final hours before Google I/O, we sat down with GM VP Nick Pudar to tell us what the future thus holds for OnStar. As [...]
The fate of a generation of workers: Foxconn undercover fully translated (update: videos added)
Posted: 20th May 2010 by Nicr in ArticlesMachine translations are still years or even decades away from perfection, so rather than sending you to an auto-translated page, we now present — with exclusive permission from Southern Weekend — a human translation of this damning article on Foxconn by undercover reporter Liu Zhiyi. (Photo: Southern Weekend) I know of two groups of young [...]
Meet Earthmine's “pedestrian area platform quadracycle.” The company claims it's a way to map areas of the world that can't be reached by its camera-equipped SUVs… but we think the truth may be far more sinister than that. Diabolical, even. Joanna: “Do you really need a helmet on one of those?” Chris: “Google finally gets [...]
Google Maps for Android adds bike routes, sharing, dedicated navigation icon
Posted: 13th May 2010 by Nicr in ArticlesIf you're running an Android phone and you're lucky enough to be using 1.6 or above (our deepest apologies, CLIQ owners), we might recommend you pop open the Market and score the latest version of Google Maps that just launched today. What's new? It adds support for bicycle routing (something they've had on the desktop [...]
General Motors partners with Google for Android-powered cars?
Posted: 13th May 2010 by Nicr in ArticlesNot one day after General Motors said they'd found a mysterious technology partner to help extend the Chevy Volt's futuristic OnStar functionality do anonymous sources step in (as usual) to ruin the surprise. Though we thought RIM made a fine contender, Motor Trend says it's actually Google that'll reportedly “sell its Android operating system for [...]
RIM converts BMW's iDrive into 'a remote control for your BlackBerry' (video)
Posted: 6th May 2010 by Nicr in ArticlesIf there's one thing business types love more than their BlackBerry, it's their BMW — or so we're told. It makes all sorts of sense, therefore, that the two companies would partner up to help the things they sell communicate with each other more effortlessly. Using Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile), BlackBerry devices can now [...]
