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Amazon plans intersecting biospheres for Seattle campus headquarters
If Apple can have a "spaceship," then Amazon can have a biodome. Although the company isn't creating a totally self-contained ecosystem so its employees never have to leave work, documents filed with the Seattle Department of Planning and Development indicate it is planning to build something not too far removed...
gizmag.com (54 minutes ago) read full article at gizmag.com
nGroove Snap turns the car CD player into a smartphone mount
Driving and talking or texting on a cell phone is illegal in most parts of the world, and with good reason. However, using a phone as an in-car music player is standard practice for many people, and the safest way to do this is with a mount that keeps your phone secured and easily accessible. Mountek's nGroove Snap...
gizmag.com (1 hour ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Melon Headband aims to measure mental focus
Thinking about how accurately and effectively you are thinking is an exercise from which many of us could profit. Unfortunately, this is a serious challenge for most people. Rather like thinking about your golf swing, or just how to hit that high C, self-examination tends to modify or destroy the mental processes...
gizmag.com (1 hour ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Satellite captures amazing 6,000-mile-long panorama from orbit
NASA has captured the world's largest panoramic photo showing a swath of land 6,000 miles long and 120 miles wide using a satellite orbiting 438 miles (705 km) above the Earth. At 19.06 gigapixels, "The Long Swath” is far from the highest resolution panorama on record, falling well short of the 320 gigapixel...
gizmag.com (3 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Flexible, wearable sensor promises new era in heart monitoring
Researchers have developed a new type of wearable sensor that could greatly improve the accuracy and practicality of heart monitoring. Developed by Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, the paper-thin, stamp-sized sensor is made with flexible organic materials and can be worn under...
gizmag.com (3 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Did Xbox One just make the long-rumored Apple TV set irrelevant?
Remember when the rumor mill’s favorite hobby was obsessing about an Apple TV set? It seemed like every week, some publication or other was reporting on the mythical device. Many assumed it would be the company’s next big revolution: iPod, iPhone, iPad ... iTV. Well, don’t look now, but Microsoft just unveiled a...
gizmag.com (5 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Petcube lets you play with your pet, wherever you are
You’re sitting in the office, but don’t you wish you could be playing with your dog or cat using a laser pointer instead? With the Petcube, you’ll be able to do both at once. Not unlike the iPet Companion, the Petcube lets users remotely play with their pets in real time, via the internet. ..
gizmag.com (6 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Scientists grow microscopic flowers by controlling crystal formation
When we think of crystals, most of us probably either picture spiky things like snowflakes, or cube-shaped objects like grains of sugar. Researchers from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, however, have recently coaxed barium carbonate crystals to grow into very miniature replicas of soft,...
gizmag.com (6 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Jaguar concept art embodies future design language
It may look like the strangest concept vehicle ever, but the new art installation unveiled by Jaguar as part of Clerkenwell Design Week in London is, according to the company, a “vision of Jaguar's future design language.” Created by Royal College of Art (RCA) students in conjunction with Jaguar Advanced Design in...
gizmag.com (7 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Lenovo readies Yoga 11S convertible for release
Lenovo has revealed that a more powerful version of its Yoga 11 convertible is earmarked for release next month. Essentially four devices in one, the Yoga 11S will run Win8 Pro and be powered by a choice of Intel's 3rd generation Core i processors...
gizmag.com (8 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Helios Bars are definitely a "light" set of handlebars
While there are plenty of important components and accessories that are mounted on a bike’s handlebars, the bars themselves are just empty hollow tubes that don’t really do anything ... right? Well, that isn’t the case with Helios Bars. Created by California-based inventor Kenny Gibbs (who previously brought us The...
gizmag.com (8 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Microsoft unveils Xbox One next-gen console
After months of leaks and speculation, Microsoft has announced the Xbox One – the company's next-gen system and its competitor to Sony's PlayStation 4 console. The system is designed to provide the user with an “all-in-one experience," adding live TV integration and gesture and voice control on top of next-gen...
gizmag.com (9 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
OX: the flat-pack truck designed for developing nations
OX is a lightweight, high-payload truck invented by toymaker, adventurer, and philanthropist Sir Torquil Norman with the aim of providing a simple, robust and cost-effective work-horse in developing nations. The 1,500-kilogram (1.6-ton) truck can be assembled from a flatpack package within a day and is capable of...
gizmag.com (13 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Don't snatch! Disney Research builds robot that takes objects more naturally
They may not make for the showiest videos, but some of the most interesting problems in robotics are to do with the subtleties of human interaction. Even something as apparently simple as receiving an object poses great difficulty, but it's a problem that will need to be solved before multipurpose robots are ready...
gizmag.com (19 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
ONDU's Pinhole Camera range offers lo-fi images in a durable package
Slovenia-based designer and engineer Elvis Halilović (aka ONDU) is a pinhole photography enthusiast who felt there was a relative absence of appealing durable pinhole cameras on the market, and so set to work creating his own. This resulted in a range of six ONDU Pinhole Cameras, each of which differs in size,...
gizmag.com (21 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
PediPower device brings kinetic energy to heel
We’ve seen Pavegen’s energy-harvesting tiles turning up in a variety of places to harvest some of the kinetic energy generated while walking or running over them. But a team of students at Rice University has put the shoe on the other foot with their PediPower prototype device that attaches to a shoe to harvest...
gizmag.com (21 hours ago) read full article at gizmag.com
New fabric sucks out sweat and remains completely dry
Unsightly underarm sweat patches could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new fabric developed at the University of California, Davis. Instead of simply soaking up sweat like conventional fabrics, the new fabric is threaded with tiny channels that pull the sweat from one side to the other where it forms into...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Christie's putting 1950s vintage Cygan robot under the hammer
Most modern robots look nothing like those predicted by 1950's era science fiction. But if you’re in the market for a retro-style robot with world-domination-worthy looks you might want to dust off your auction paddle. Christie’s auction house is putting the vintage robot Cygan on the block as part of its Out of the...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
F-35B makes first vertical takeoff
Lockheed Martin has revealed that an F-35B fighter jet made its first vertical takeoff on May 10 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. This follows on the heels of its first vertical night landing on April 2 at the same location. The vertical takeoff capability is designed for moving the strike fighter over...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Leap Motion previews its gesture control magic on Windows
Leap Motion is on its way. With the clock ticking down to the PC gesture controller’s July 22 launch, Leap has a brand new teaser video that showcases the device’s interaction with Windows. If you'd forgotten how exciting Leap was when we first got the chance to play with it, this might be enough to get your blood...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Peavey ships Vypyr VIP amps with variable instrument input
While Peavey regularly releases electric guitars, like the excellent AT-200 for example, it's perhaps best known for its amplifiers. Five years after unleashing its Vypyr line of modeling amps, the company debuted three new additions at NAMM earlier this year. The first to sport a variable instrument input...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Nokia's $99 Asha 501 smartphone targets emerging markets
High-end smartphones sure are fun. But the smartphone market is inching closer to saturation in the countries that care the most about the high-end. That will leave much of the market’s future growth coming from emerging countries where the focus isn't necessarily on the latest announcement from Apple, Samsung, or...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Blow me down: Windcatcher inflation system amplifies lung power
If you go camping down in the wild woods, the chances of happening upon a conveniently-placed power outlet for blowing up your mattress with an electric air pump are pretty remote. Unless you have a hand or foot pump in your backpack, you'll have to wrap your lips around a tiny valve that likely has a history of...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
X-47B makes first touch-and-go landings on carrier
On Friday May 17, the US Navy's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator took another historic step as it conducted its first touch-and-go landings on the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Virginia. This maneuver is a critical achievement in the Navy’s program to develop an...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Samsung to launch 55 and 65 inch 4K LEDs in June
Samsung first unveiled its 4K UHD television line in the form of a massive 85-inch model at CES this year, but the company did promise that it would expand to both larger and smaller models. Now, the company has officially announced that it will be bringing 55- and 65-inch models to market in June. ..
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Microsoft Points are dead (or may be soon) ... long live Amazon Coins
If you’ve ever owned an Xbox, you’re probably familiar with one of the most annoying payment systems known to humankind: Microsoft Points. They’re great for Microsoft’s bottom line, and nothing but a hassle for customers. Well, the folks at Redmond may finally be ready for change – as the dreaded points are...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Lighter iPad 5 reportedly entering production soon
Apple usually keeps a pretty steady stream of product announcements coming. But right now we’re in the middle of the longest Apple product drought in recent memory (pushing seven months). So it’s natural that we’ll start hearing rumors about the next wave of products about to enter the pipeline. That’s just what...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Europe joins race to store energy at the bottom of the ocean
"Imagine opening a hatch in a submarine under water. The water will flow into the submarine with enormous force. It is precisely this energy potential we want to utilize." This is how German engineer Rainer Schramm describes his idea for storing energy under the sea. By using surplus energy to pump water out of a...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
Ricasol's bra dryer 2.0 dries those expensive bras safely and quickly
When it comes to drying those delicate and expensive bras, there are generally two options – risking damage in a conventional dryer, or waiting hours while they hang dry. Ricasol aims to create a quick and safe third option with its Bra Dryer 2.0...
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
As Yahoo buys Tumblr, Ghost offers bloggers a third way
With eight days of his already successful Kickstarter campaign still remaining, John O'Nolan has cited the uncertainty surrounding Yahoo's newly-announced US$1.1 billion purchase of Tumblr as a reason to back his open source, non-profit blogging platform, Ghost. ..
gizmag.com (1 day ago) read full article at gizmag.com
