Sunday, October 31, 2010

Kapow! The home-built Dark Knight Batmobile






RM Auctions recently declared James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 to be “the world’s most famous car,” but there's no doubt another contender for that title – the Batmobile. One thing that muddies the waters a bit is the fact that the term “Batmobile” actually describes at least three different vehicles: the modified Lincoln Futura concept car from the 60s TV series, the vaguely Corvette-shaped 1989-and-beyond movie cars and now the car from the most recent two movies, the military-spec Tumbler. Michigan-based movie props artist Bob Dullam really likes the Tumbler, so he did what any of us would do in his position – he built one of his own from scratch.Some of its specifications are:

  • Engine: 350 V8 with four-barrel carburetor
  • Transmission: 3-speed turbo
  • Top speed: 150mph (241km/h)
  • Body panels: Epoxy resin reinforced with fiberglass mat
  • Tires: 44-inch Super Swampers (rear)
  • Steering: Rack and pinion power steering via detachable aviator style pistol-grip steering device
  • Weight: Approximately two tons (1.8 metric tons)
  • Dimensions: 15’L x 9’W x 5.5’H (4.5 x 8 x 1.7 meters)
  • Visibility: Round-vehicle video cameras
  • Production cost: Approximately US$50,000 to $100,000
  • Street legality: Nope!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Sony Ericsson PlayStation phone finally arrives,features upcoming Android 3.0!


After a long time, the Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone has finally been revealed. Engadget has posted some pictures of the real Sony Erricson PlayStation Phone which we all have been waiting for! The first ever PlayStation Phone is expected to hit retail market somewhere at the end of 2010, or early 2011.
The Phone will run the upcoming Android 3.0 with the Sony custom Marketplace which will have all the downloadable games as well as other content for phone including general console functions.
The phone basically will serve two purposes or markets, which we don’t see in any of other smartphones that we have! First it will serve the general trendy smartphone market, secondly for the gamers or you can say the hardcore mobile gaming market. So it’s Two-in-One smartphone. For this purpose, Sony Erricson has equipped phone with 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor, 512 MB RAM, 1GB ROM, a MicroSD slot, having screen size in range of 3.7-inch to 4.1-inch. Thus the PlayStation phone is very much to other smartphones the same in terms of features, but unlike other smartphones it will have a multitouch touchpad at the center in addition to all the standard PlayStation controller buttons.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Tesla opens factory to build the Model S






Tesla Motors' Model S sedan will be built at a former Toyota plant in California

 

When most of us think of Tesla Motors, we think of the US$100,000 all-electric Roadster. The fact is, though, the first time that most of us ever see a Tesla in real life, it will probably be the less expensive, five door Model S sedan. While the company has sold over 1,300 Roadsters worldwide, the Model S has yet to start production. When it does, however, it will be in the new Tesla Factory, unveiled this Wednesday in Fremont, California. It is the state’s only auto assembly plant and the world’s first facility dedicated exclusively to the mass production of electric vehicles.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The US$96,000 Carbon fiber Renard GT





Estonia is not a country known for motorcycles, but the reemergence of a pre-WW2 motorcycle brandname could change all that. Tallinn-based Renard Motorcycles will begin production of its GT next year. The bike's carbon-fiber and Kevlar monocoque chassis weighs just 11 kg and incorporates the airbox and fuel tank while the metal components other than the Moto Guzzi 1200cc Quattrovalvole v-twin engine are all CNC milled from a solid aircraft quality aluminium. The carbon parallelogram front suspension and design are reminiscent of a Confederate Wraith, as is the limited edition, stellar price (EUR75,000), craftsmanship and beauty.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Uno motorcycle reconfigures itself on the fly






So, how does it feel to have your wheels rearrange themselves on the fly? “It happens in about one second, it’s a very quick transformation” said Gulak. “We’re still in the debugging stages right now, so I’m not going to say it’s not scary – it’s pretty terrifying, but it’s going to be good... It’s just a matter of time until we get it perfected.”
“If you try to sell people on the idea of a self-balancing electric unicycle, [then] that just screams ‘far out there,’ but I think by keeping visual references to things that are familiar, people see it more as an evolution or the next step, as opposed to something that’s just completely out of the blue,” he explained.
Gulak hopes to produce an initial run of 30 bikes, within the next 8 to 12 months. They will be limited to a top speed of 35mph (56km/h) because of liability issues, and will be priced for enthusiasts at around US$25,000. As production picks up, the top speed will hopefully increase, while the price should drop to around US$6,500.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Ostoure super-naked motorcycle design concept

The Ostoure motorcycle concept was inspired by ancient Persian designs (credit: M. R. Shojaie)

The Ostoure motorcycle concept features single-shock suspension front and rear (credit: M. R. Shojaie)

The Ostoure motorcycle concept was influenced by the art of the ancient Persian city of Persepolis (credit: M. R. Shojaie)

The Ostoure super-naked motorcycle concept (credit: M. R. Shojaie)

 

The Ostoure super-naked motorcycle concept is Iranian designer Mohammad Reza Shojaie's take on the street muscle bike of the future. The concept draws inspiration from ancient Persian engravings, combining these with cutting-edge design elements and some high-tech trimmings such as two-wheel drive and an in-helmet heads-up display.
Ostoure means “legend” in Persian, and Shojaie says the bike’s design was inspired by the stone engravings of ancient Persepolis. Combining a muscular look with more delicate detailing, the Ostoure has an aggressive but refined appearance that would not be out of place on the boulevards of the near future.

Friday, October 22, 2010

P1-E electric car with a McLaren F1 beating 0-60 in 2.9 sec

From the country with more cottage industry sports car manufactures per capita than anywhere else in the world, the British are at it again. No sooner has the much publicized British Lightning GT - an all electric Aston Martin look-a-like with four wheel motors - vanished from sight following wheel motor manufactures PML flight link being put into administration another previously unknown British sports car hopeful has announced an all electric sports car. Former McLaren employee Jim Dowle whose company JJAD first released details about his P1 sports car in February 2008 has now announced the P1-E. The P1 was originally conceived as a 200hp 870 kg petrol powered challenger to the Lotus Exige but Dowle has obviously seen the writing on the wall and the P1 has now been reincarnated as an All Wheel Drive battery electric sports car.

Auto designers compete to create 1,000-pound car(The NISSAN iV concept)







For the past six years, the Los Angeles Auto Show has invited automobile designers to participate in its Design Challenges. The challenge for this year’s show was to come up with a design for “a 1,000lb [453.6kg], four-passenger vehicle that is both comfortable and safe, while delivering satisfactory driving performance without sacrificing the styling consumers’ demand.” Entries are being judged not only for meeting the weight constraint (no more than 1,500 pounds/680 kg with passengers), but also for artistic beauty, comfort, uniqueness of design, roadworthiness, sustainability, performance and user-friendliness. The winner will be announced at the show, on Nov. 18. Here’s a look at some of the higher-profile entries...

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The new MacBook Air-Apple adds 11-inch model





The new MacBook Air has arrived – and it has a smaller sibling. Apple's update to its ultra-portable notebook range includes the addition of an 11-inch model alongside the 13-inch, with both flavors coming in at a slender 0.11-0.68 inches (0.3-1.7 cm) in height and weighing 2.3 and 2.9 pounds respectively. The top spec 13-inch has a 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 256GB of flash storage, 7 hour battery life, 1440 by 900 resolution screen and, in a welcome nod to practicality, both models now feature two USB ports.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Suzuki Hayabusa GSXR1300-World's fastest motorcycle






A machine that captivates the gaze.  I've long been fascinated by the the Suzuki Hayabusa.One of the most interesting things I ever read about the Hayabusa is instead of pulling wheelies when you grab a fistful of throttle, instead the bike will rocket forward and slowly pull the front tire off the ground.
When you sit upon this bike, it has a wondrous feel that occurs when your hands contact the handlebars.  It's a tingle that flows through your wrists, arms, shoulders and causes a sensation of warmth to flow across your chest.
Torque is a wonderful thing.
Horsepower,
 is a very wonderful thing.

Truly Ergonomic claims to revolutionize typing





The Truly Ergonomic Keyboard features an embedded numeric keypad that's activated by tapping the NumLock key on or off

 

There are a number of keyboards that claim to be ergonomic, but only one claims to be "truly ergonomic." Many input devices available today stagger the keys across the available keying area, resulting in even the most proficient touch typist having to move around more than is desirable. The makers of the Truly Ergonomic Keyboard claim that their redesign brings all keys within easy reach, which should lead to decreased discomfort in a world where most of us spend much of our lives tapping away in front of one computer screen or another.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

CTL announces Windows 7 2goPad tablet

CTL has announced a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen tablet running on Windows 7

The Atom N450 powered tablet benefits from a 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 resolution capacitive multi-touch screen

To the side of the 2goPad SL10 are a couple of USB ports, a media card slot, mini-VGA output and audio in/out

 

This year has seen a slew of Android-based tablet computers being snapped up by eager buyers, but for PC users wanting the more familiar environment of Windows 7, CTL has announced the 2goPad SL10. The 10.1-inch device features an Atom processor, WiFi and Bluetooth, a couple of gigabytes of memory and 250GB of hard disk storage. There is of course full Flash support, a built-in webcam for video conferencing, and USB connectivity is joined by SD card reading capabilities, to cater for storage expansion or to show off a prized photo collection.