A second-generation XO laptop was launched just 2 weeks ago in Boston, Massachusetts. Yves Béhar of fuseproject and the non-profit organization, One Laptop per Child (OLPC) are focusing energy on providing educational tools to help children in developing countries “learn learning”. The primary goal of this new “XO-2″ will be to advance new concepts of learning as well as to further drive down the cost of the laptop so that it affordable for volume purchase by developing nations.
It’s the most basic innovations which can make the largest impact. The LifeStraw costs about $3 USD and will filter about 700 liters of water. That’s a two liter a day for a year. As clean drinking water becomes more scarce, due to decreased snow fall and changing climate, we may come to rely on less than ideal sources for water. It’s comforting to know that these types of products are being developed cost effectively.
While $3 may not be a whole lot here, in most developing nations it’s more than a days work. This is still a small price to pay to ensure that you and your family are safe from water born bacteria and viruses. It kills and removes 99.999% of waterborne bacteria, 99% of waterborne viruses, and removes particles down to 15 microns. This little gadget requires no electrical power to operate and is compact enough to travel with.
We knew when we first saw Jeff Han’s demonstration of multi touch screen technology at TED that it was going to change the game. We found these videos of a product designer Scott Hobbs using his new creation, the Attigo to scratch his Mp3’s to pieces.We can wait to see what happens when you can add a third screen with an 808 to go along with these. We know, we know, you’re a DJ purist and don’t ever want to let your vinyl go. But consider, all your electronic sounds come from a computer before they hit the wax, so why not skip the middle man? We’re Just sayin.
After nearly a year since the original debuted, Apple is rumored to soon be releasing its new version of the iPhone. As with most of it’s products, Apple is keeping those details tightly under wraps, but many are pointing to somewhere between June 9th -19th. No word yet on whether its appearance will be the same but it will support 3G. Other rumors include built-in GPS, more memory (potentially up to 32GB), and support for stereo Bluetooth headsets. Those in the know are saying that the 3G iPhone will probably come in either an 8GB model for $399 and a 16GB one for $499. Perhaps even a third 32GB model for $599. A small rumor according to Fortune, was that AT&T might shave off $200, which could make the 8GB model as cheap as $199.
For those of you who just bought an iPhone can still enjoy the new firmware version 2.0 which includes the new application store (chock-full of applications by third party developers), support for Microsoft Exchange servers and a variety of security features.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology celebrates their 150th Anniversary with creating the world’s largest Lite Brite. Just kidding. NOVA is its name and color is its game. This light monster is consisted of 25,000 suspended lightballs and it has the ability to display 16 million colors per second. Go have a look at it in person. It will be on display at Switzerland’s Zurich train station, in the main hall, until September 2009, but I wouldn’t stand directly below it, just in case!
In an increasingly crowded marketplace product customization has become the catch phrase of the day. If Gwen Stefani and J-Lo can “design” their own clothing lines why shouldn’t we be able to pick a few color swatches and make our own products? Now you can take your bling to a whole new level by designing your own tailor made Ferrari through the company’s Ferrari Atelier program.
This new effort will allow you to have your new Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, made just the way you want it. You can take a trip to Maranello, Italy where they’ve been handcrafting these babies since 1947. In their salon, you will sit down with a specialist to discuss your specific needs, look at leather samples, check out different seating styles, choose your matching handmade luggage, & much more. At the end of the process you will drive off in your one of a kind roadster and since you designed it yourself you might as well use your name as the model plate on the back. In fact, Ferrari Tumino has a nice ring to it.
Getting paid to jet set? JetBlue has come up with a totally new jet ownership program called JetSuite. Now you can enjoy the luxury, convenience, and satisfaction of owning a private jet minus the liability, regulatory risks, and operational hassles. If you sign up, you will receive a brand new BMW designed Embraer Phenom 100 Jet. You can fly in style with a number of set hours to use each year and additional hours are always available for purchase.
We could get used to this kind of transportation, a jet that is always on call, well maintained, with hangar, & pilot included? Sounds like our kind of life. When your not using your private plane, JetSuite will keep it garaged and polished for you. The cost is offset by JetSuite charting your plane out while your not using it, and its even possible to generate positive cash flow this way. Best of all, you will be eligible for the full tax advantage of accelerated depreciation on the plane itself.
Already have a jet, but want to join? No problem, placing your aircraft into the JetSuite fleet is hassle free and at no additional cost to you. The program sounds pretty tempting. We might just have to pick ourselves up a new jet.
As a member of the Japan Design Innovation exhibit at Milan Design week 2008, Fujitsu Design Corp. has introduced their Cedar encased PC Notebook. In deviating from traditional petrol based materials Fujitsu has adopted what they are calling “Human Centered Design.” Design that is not only easy to use but easy on the earth as well, and technology that can be utilized comfortably in an IT rich society.
The most highly anticipated video game of the year is finally in stores worldwide today. That’s right, Rock Star Games has released the latest and greatest in the saga of criminal gaming behavior – Grand Theft Auto IV. It’s available for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, and is now a Multiplayer game (up to 16 players - 15 game modes). The game is still rated M (Mature) and has reached a visual level of realism that you have never seen before in a video game. It runs on Rock Star’s game engine, R.A.G.E., which has many unprecedented characteristics such as real reflections in glass, cars, or water, more detailed road and building textures, and it uses Euphoria – an animation package created by Natural Motion, which uses Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) technology. This is the most awesome breakthrough for GTA IV gamers – characters in the game are now animated in a way you have never seen in a video game before. They can hang off the back of vehicles or helicopters, step off and up onto curbs, and even react realistically when hit by gunfire – like if a character is shot in the leg, he will limp. The way a character walks even changes when the terrain does.
The success of GTA has always been attributed to the fact that this is an “open world” game – meaning the location is vast and can be explored in depth by the player. The location this time is Liberty City, and the main character, Niko Bellic, is an eastern European immigrant who has come to America in search of a better life…only to find out that Liberty City is not the place to pursue the American dream. GTA IV takes a stronger turn towards storytelling also, although the storyline is a lot less linear than before. It is possible to do more than one mission at a time, and some missions take place over several days – which brings up the cellphone. Yes, Niko uses his cell to receive calls and make calls to help set up his missions. He could be waiting for days for phone calls to move forward on a mission, and in the meantime, he can go on dates…or frequent strip clubs. So, if you love cappin’ fools, stealin’ rides, and hangin’ with ho’s…today is your lucky day.
If we thought TED was cool before, now we are convinced we MUST find some way to get in. We’re still stunned by this video from the most recent TED conference of Johnny Lee making a digital drawing board from a WII remote and a dry erase marker. We know that sounds a little MacGyverish, but the result is mind blowing. Using the inexpensive motion sensing technology in the WII remote, he’s built a pen that can have it’s motion tracked. The result is you can open photoshop, project it on a wall, and draw or paint with the pen like you would with traditional art mediums. Well, kind of like traditional mediums, minus all the buying brushes, charcoal, paint, thinner, rags, canvases, etc, and our favorite, no clean up.
We can imagine doing some pretty amazing performance pieces already. It’s safe to say that if guys like David Ellis can make amazing art from old paint cans they can go to town with recycled technology like this.
Lee also mentions another WII hack we posted on last year referring to 3-D motion sensing technology for video games that is also quite impressive (the earlier post gives a little bit better explanation of how this technology works and how simple it is). Could these two things be combined to create 3-D environments users could interact with? Is this the beginning of holographic video games? We’re guessing someone is working on this right now, and if any of you have any info this please post it in the comments section.
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