The world's smallest 3D printing pen lets you draw in the air
Lix is a pen that lets you write and draw in the air. It is claimed to be the world's smallest 3D printing pen. With the Lix 3D Pen, you can create anything from small to big. http://lixpen.com/
The XploreAir Paravelo is
the world's first flying bicycle; a conventional two-wheeled bike that
transforms into an easy-to-operate aircraft requiring no licence to fly
and capable of altitudes of up to 4,000ft.
We've spent two years
developing an advanced prototype and testing it on the ground and in the
air. We need £50,000 to finalize the design so you can buy it off the
shelf.
Even by making a pledge of £1 you'll be playing your part in bringing this exciting project to life.
Takes off from any open space and reaches 4,000ft Travels at 15mph on land and 25mph in the air Pioneering ‘door-to-door’ concept - a roadable aircraft that packs down to store inside your house or office Features a built-in tent for flamping (fly/camping) Heralds an era of safe, practical and affordable personal flight
This is a brand new type of ultra-light aircraft – the combination of a para wing and conventional bicycle we call paravelo.
The paravelo is aimed
at those who have a thirst for adventure, but are without, perhaps, the
storage space or bank balance to accommodate a helicopter.
As well suited to someone living in London as Mojave, we believe the paravelo can transform the way we travel for work, leisure and adventure.
How does it work?
At the heart of the design is a bicycle that tows a lightweight trailer carrying a powerful fan.
The lightweight design folds to a size small enough to carry into a house or apartment for storage.
In
order to fly, the bike docks with its trailer, a flexible wing is
unfurled and an electric starter motor fires up the biofuel-powered
fan.
Once airborne, the paravelo flies at speeds of 25mph
for up to three hours at a time. It can take-off from any open ground
clear of obstructions – a football pitch-sized area is ideal.
One vehicle - 4 ways to use it
1. Ride
Use the bicycle on its own as you would any other bike. Fold it up to store or carry on the bus, train or metro.
2. Tow
Hitch
the air frame trailer to the bike and you're ready for expedition,
flight and adventure. Designed to carry the powerful motor, the air
frame trailer also houses the wing, fuel and any additional supplies
you'll need.
3. Fly
The bike docks with its air frame trailer
to form a para-trike configuration for optimum expedition autonomy. In
this set-up you can carry all the equipment you need to ride, fly and
camp.
Alternatively, detach the bike and air frame trailer and
wear the powerful fan on your back for a foot launch. This set-up gives
improved performance in the air and allows for take off in higher and
changeable wind conditions. In most territories, no licence required to
fly in this configuration.
4. Flamp
Use the optional tent to
fly / camp - we call it flamping. Ride your bike out of the city, fly,
pitch your tent. Detach the bike to explore or fetch supplies.
Easy like riding a bike
Ride Fly Camp
"Twenty years from now you will be more
disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So
throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade
winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain
Inspired by our own love of life under canvas, we're developing a tent designed specifically for the paravelo.
Every camping trip is special, but the freedom to cycle out of town,
take to the skies, and sleep out before finally returning home opens a
world of possibilities.
So, help us christen the pursuit of flamping (flying and camping)
Carried
inside an integral pannier set, our lightweight XploreAir tent will use
the motor cage as a structural element to keep you and your kit dry
until you take to the sky again. The tent design includes a separation
panel between the sleeping space and the trailer/bike compartment.
An aircraft that fits in the back of a car, and some...
Owning a flying bicycle
"Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working
in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain."
- Jack Kerouac
The purchase and running costs of the paravelo are comparable
with a small family car and no other aircraft offers such flexibility
for city dwellers; the bicycle is small enough to be taken on the metro
and the entire vehicle can carried up stairs to be stored in the hallway
of a flat.
As well as city commuters looking for weekend adventure, the flying
bicycle has application as a highly autonomous and cost-effective aerial
reconnaissance vehicle for forest rangers and border patrols etc.
Photos of the nickel silver A4 blueprint (8.3" x 11.7"): As a flat sheet, and below as the pop-up 3D model
About us
We live in Kingston-upon-Thames, on the outskirts of London, two
minutes’ walk from the birthplace of the Sopwith Aviation Company - a
British aircraft company that built aircraft including the Sopwith Camel
for the Royal Air Force in WW1.
We spent our childhoods riding bikes and dreaming of flight.
Enchanted by the connection between cycling and the birth of powered
flight - the Wright brothers were former bicycle mechanics - we designed
the paravelo to recapture that pioneering era.
We formed XploreAir to give birth to the paravelo and other
equally-unusual projects planned for the future. As a project backer
you'll get to know us better through regular updates and sneak previews.
John Foden & Yannick Read
Basic specifications
Parajet Volution paramotor
3 hours autonomy
25mph (air) 15mph (ground)
GPS tracker plots the bike's movements on the ground and in the air
NIteFire strobe handlebars
Designed and built in Britain
What's the funding for?
We've spent the last two years developing the flying bicycle concept
to an advanced stage. The internet is awash with personal flying
machines that are little more than vaporware. With your support we can
make practical and affordable personal flight a reality.
We've demonstrated our design performs well, but we need to transform
our flying prototype into an aircraft rugged enough
for expedition duty. Only once we're satisfied it's tough enough and
following further rigorous testing will it go on sale.
Another aspect of the project is the development of an integral
pannier system. Working with lightweight, high-performance fabrics we
aim to create luggage that contains an XploreAir tent, cooking equipment
and pop-up fuel can; all basic requirements for your expedition.
If you want to celebrate the bicycle. If you want to explore, dream, discover. Back this project and join the adventure.
Rewards
NightFire strobe handlebars
We developed the NightFire strobe handlebars specifically for the paravelo,
but they look awesome on a regular bike, too. The powerful xenon gas
strobes are visible at 2 miles and a magnetic switch means they
withstand extreme weather. Not available outside Kickstarter, this is a
unique opportunity to buy these bars for your bike. Supplied for either a
1¼" (31.8mm) or 1" (25.4mm) handlebar clamp, they look sweet with a
single-speed, coaster brake set-up, but please note that they’re not
compatible with all brake levers and gear shifters.
Milestones in our story...
This project has been made possible with the help and friendship of
many people along the way, but we are particularly grateful for the
guidance and engineering mastery of Parajet, the expertise in cycling from the Environmental Transport Association and the advice of branding supremos Fourmation. I would like to dedicate my part in this project to my father, who
died on 22 June 2013. He was never able to see the paravelo fly, but I
know it would have enchanted him and made him very proud. Yannick. Nicholas Robert Read 11 March 1943 - 22 June 2013
We've spent the last two years developing the paravelo concept
to an advanced stage. It flies and works well in every respect, but
every element of the design now needs refinement so that it's rugged
enough for your next expedition.
We are lucky to have been helped throughout the project by Parajet, a
company with unrivalled expertise and ideally placed to be our
manufacturing partner once the final development and testing phase is
complete.
We are confident that with your support we can complete this project and turn it into product you can buy off the shelf.
Tata Motors has teamed up with Indian
Space Research Organization, a.k.a ISRO, to develop India’s first fuel
cell bus. ISRO has designed a critical part of the fuel cell bus by
developing the storage and delivery procedure of liquid hydrogen. The
liquid hydrogen is required by the fuel cell to generate electricity.
The generated electricity will then power the bus’s electric motor.
Storage of hydrogen is a big challenge as the fuel is highly flammable.
Tata
Motors has teamed up with Indian Space Research Organization, a.k.a
ISRO, to develop India’s first fuel cell bus. ISRO has designed a
critical part of the fuel cell bus by developing the storage and
delivery procedure of liquid hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen is required
by the fuel cell to generate electricity. The generated electricity will
then power the bus’s electric motor. Storage of hydrogen is a big
challenge as the fuel is highly flammable.
To get over this issue, ISRO has used its
technology to store hydrogen, and has successfully implemented the same
on the Tata fuel cell StarBus. Fuel cell vehicles do not pollute the
environment like petrol or diesel powered vehicles. The by product of
hydrogen combining with oxygen in the fuel cell is water. So, a fuel
cell vehicle actually emits water from its tail pipe, instead of harmful
greenhouse gases like oxides of nitrogen and carbon.
This is a major reason as to why
automakers across the world are looking at fuel cell technology, as a
means of future mobility. At present, fuel cell technology is expensive
and costs need to come down by quite a bit for the mass production and
acceptance of fuel cell vehicles. The fuel cell powered Tata StarBus is
the same concept that was showcased at last edition of the Auto Expo.
The bus uses hydrogen stored in bottles,
placed in its roof. Tata Motors hasn’t revealed the exact launch time
frame for the fuel cell powered bus. Hydrogen filling stations are
absent in India. So, it will take some time for infrastructure to
develop in India, after which we may see fuel cell vehicles like the
Tata StarBus finally hit production. Until then, we’ll have to be
content with technological showcases like the one that ISRO and Tata
Motors pulled off recently.
Gmail users could be seeing the service getting a redesign soon. Following reports by Android Police
about leaked screenshots of the update during Google I/O, we’re also
hearing that the email service will feature five tabs to categorize
emails for better organization. These changes will be available for not
only on the Web, but also for iOS and Android devices.
A source shared with us that the new Gmail will have a few default
tabs as part of its new theme. Categories that will be listed are Main,
Social, Offers, Notifications, and Forums.
We’re told that with Main, users will find it for emails from
friends, family members, and for communication that can’t be sorted into
another place. In Social, all messages relating to social media,
including emails from Zynga, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and Google+,
will be lumped into this category.
If you receive a lot of email from retailers, daily deal sites, and
other merchants, Gmail will assign those to the Offers category.
Important emails about bills that need to be paid, dining reservations,
and flight alerts will be included under Notifications. Lastly, if you
happen to be associated with any mailing lists or forums, those emails
will be found under Forums.
If it’s to be believed, these tabs are an enhanced way at filtering
and labeling the email that we receive. In a way, this is something
similar to what AOL did with its Alto application, except it’s not a desktop application.
Earlier today, Android Police discovered that at Google’s I/O
developer conference, leaked screenshots showed that Gmail was going to
be getting a new navigation drawer.
In the above image, you can see that there’s a three-line button in
the top-left, which Android Police referenced as “hamburger” and when
tapped, a menu will appear from the left, showing not only labels, but
also the categories that we described earlier. Categories can also be
found within Gmail’s mobile app inbox.
We have reached out to Google to verify the authenticity of these
images. A spokesperson tells us that the company doesn’t comment on
rumor or speculation.
If true, users could expect to see these features begin to roll out
over the next couple of weeks. Of course, should this update not be
suitable for users, Google is giving them the option of reverting back
to the current version — albeit probably for a short period of time.
ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഒത്തിരി നാളത്തെ ഒരു ആഗ്രഹം അടുത്തിടെ സഫലം ആയി . പുരമുകളില്
പെയുന്ന മഴയെ കിണറ്റില് ഇറക്കുക എന്നത് ആയിരുന്നു ആ ആഗ്രഹം .ഞങ്ങളുടെ
വീടിനു മുകളില് പെയുന്ന മഴ വെള്ളം എല്ലാം ഒലിച്ച് മുറ്റവും കടന്നു
റോഡിലേക്ക് ഒഴുകി നഷ്ട മായിപോകുക ആയിരുന്നു . വേനല് കടുത്തപ്പോള്
കിണറ്റിലെ വെള്ളവും കുറഞ്ഞു വന്നു . അപ്പോളാണ് കുറെ നാള് മുന്പ് തൃശൂര്
ജില്ലയില് നടപ്പാക്കിയ മഴ പൊലിമ എന്ന
പരിപാടിയെപ്പറ്റി ഒരു വീഡിയോ ഇന്റര്നെറ്റില് കാണുവാന് ഇടയായി .
ജനപഥത്തിന്റെ 2011 മെയ് ലക്കം ഇതിനെപറ്റി എഴുതിയ ഒരു ലേഖനവും വായിച്ചു
.പുരപുറത്തെ വെള്ളം പാത്തികള് വഴി കിണറ്റില് ഇറക്കുന്ന പരിപാടി ആയിരുന്നു
മഴ പൊലിമ . തൃശൂര് ജില്ലയില് ഒട്ടേറെ പഞ്ചായത്തുകളില് ഇത് നടപ്പില്
ആക്കിയപോള് വറ്റി വരണ്ട കിണറുകളില് വേനല് കാലത്തും ജലം കിട്ടുവാന്
തുടങ്ങി . ഭൂഗര്ഭ ജലവിതാനം ഉയര്ന്നു
വീട്ടില് പുരപ്പുറത്തെ
വെള്ളം കിണറ്റില് ഇറക്കിയാല് അടുത്ത വേനലില് നമുക്ക് കുടിവെള്ളത്തിനു
പഞ്ഞം ഉണ്ടാകുക ഇല്ല എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞപ്പോള് പപ്പാ ഒരു ഒറ്റ ചോദ്യം ... എടാ
എത്ര വെള്ളം നിറച്ചാലും രണ്ടു ദിവസം കഴിയുമ്പോള് അത് താന്നു പോകുക ഇല്ലേ
.....ചോദ്യം ന്യായം ആയിരുന്നു ... ഞാന് ഉടനെ ccdu വിലെ സുഭാഷ്ചന്ദ്രബോസ്
സാറിനെ വിളിച്ചു സംശയം ചോദിച്ചു ... സര് പറഞ്ഞു ... പപ്പാ പറഞ്ഞത് ശരിയാണ്
... നമ്മള് കിണറ്റില് വഴി മാറ്റി വിടുന്ന വെള്ളത്തിന്റെ ഒരു ഇരുപതു
ശതമാനം നമുക്ക് കിട്ടും .. പക്ഷെ നമ്മുടെ അയല് കാരും തങ്ങളുടെ പുരപുറത്തെ
വെള്ളത്തെ കിണറ്റില് ഇറക്കുക ആണെങ്കില്നിങ്ങളുടെ നാട്ടിലെ ഭൂഗര്ഭ വിതാനം
ഉയരും .
അങ്ങനെ എന്തായാലും ഞാന് ഞങ്ങളുടെ താഴെയുള്ള വെല്ടിംഗ്
കടക്കാരനെ പോയി കണ്ടു . pvc പാത്തി അടക്കം ഉള്ള സാധനങ്ങള് വീട്ടില്
എത്തിച്ചു . പാത്തി പിടിപിച്ചു . പാത്തിയിലുടെ ഒഴുകി വരുന്ന മഴ വെള്ളം ഒരു
ഫൈബര് വീപ്പയിലേക്ക് കടത്തിവിടും . അതില് കരിം കല്ല് , ഗ്രാവല് ,
ചിരട്ട കരി എന്നിവ നിറച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഇതാണ് ഫില്റ്റര് . ഇതിലുടെ കടക്കുന്ന
മഴവെള്ളം വീപ്പയില് നിന്നും ഒരു പയിപ് കിണറ്റിലേക്ക് പിടിപിച്ചു .
അതിലുടെ വെള്ളം കിണറ്റില് എത്തിക്കൊള്ളും ആദ്യം പെയുന്ന മഴ വെള്ളം കിണറ്റില് പോകാതെ ഒഴുക്കി കളയുവാന് ഒരു ടീ പയിപും പിടിപിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്
എല്ലാ ചിലവും കൂടി ഏതാണ്ട് 25000 ആയി . പണി കൂലി ആണ് കൂടുതല് . പണം കരുതി
വച്ചല്ല ഇതിനു തുടങ്ങിയത് .അങ്ങ് എടുത്തു ചാടി . പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കാതെ ലീവ്
സറണ്ടര് കിട്ടി . പപ്പയും ഒത്തിരി സഹായിച്ചു . എടുത്തു ചാടിയില്ലെല്
ഒന്നും നടക്കില്ല . നമ്മള് മാറ്റി വച്ച് കളയും!!!
എന്തായാലും
ഞാന് നല്ലൊരു വേനല് മഴയ്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി പ്രതീക്ഷയോടെ ഇരിക്കുക ആണ് മഴ
പെയ്തിട്ടു വേണം എന്തെങ്കിലും പോരായ്മ ഉണ്ടോ എന്ന് നോക്കുവാന് അടുത്ത
വര്ഷം ഒരു മഴ വെള്ള സംഭരണി ഉണ്ടാക്കണം എന്ന് ഉണ്ട് . പുരപ്പുറത്തെ വെള്ളം
അതില് ആദ്യം നിറയ്ക്കും ബാക്കി വെള്ളം കിണറ്റിലെക്കും ഒഴുക്കും . ആഗ്രഹം
ആണ് നടക്കും എന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നു
നമ്മുടെ കുടിവെള്ളം
കിണറ്റില് നിന്നാണ് നമുക്ക് കിട്ടുന്നത് . ബാങ്കില് നാം പണം
നിക്ഷേപിച്ചാല് അല്ലെ ആവശ്യം വരുമ്പോള് അവിടെ നിന്നും അത് നമുക്ക്
എടുക്കുവാന് കഴിയു . അതുപോലെ മഴ കാലത്ത് നമ്മുടെ കിണറ്റില് നാം
എത്തിക്കുന്ന വെള്ളം അടുത്ത വേനല് കാലത്ത് നമുക്ക് തിരിച്ചു കിട്ടും .
കിണറിനും ദാഹം ഉണ്ട് . മഴ കാലത്ത് നാം അതിനു നിറയെ വെള്ളം കൊടുത്താല്
വേനല് കാലത്ത് അത് നമുക്ക് തിരികെ വെള്ളം തരും . ഇതിനു വേണ്ടി വരുന്ന
ചെലവ് ഒരിക്കലും ഒരു നഷ്ടം ആകുക ഇല്ല .നമ്മുടെ കുട്ടികള്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി
ഇതൊക്കെ അല്ലെ നമുക്ക് ചെയുവാന് കഴിയു പ്രിയ വായനക്കാരെ ഞാന് എന്റെ ഒരു അനുഭവം എഴുതി , നിങ്ങള് അഭിപ്രായം പറയണം . നന്ദി .. നമസ്കാരം കൂടുതല് വായനക്കും ചിത്രങ്ങള്ക്കും http://insight4us.blogspot.in/2013/05/blog-post_21.html
Thalmic Labs is developing a wearable gesture control technology, called MYO, that’s bringing us one step closer to joining the The Marvel Universe. No radiation, genetic mutation, or divine powers required, just batteries.
MYO is an armband that uses advanced sensors to translate your
muscles’ motions and movements into wireless interactions with
technology. This allows you to seamlessly control the digital world in a
way that would make Luke Skywalker proud. Wirelessly manipulate your
computer, play video games, play back video, even move vehicles all by
snapping your fingers or waving your hand.
Thalmic Labs has even openly invited developers to build upon the platform, to make it even cooler than it is now:
“Developers, we get it. You can think of ways to use MYO
that we haven’t even dreamt of. That’s why our API lets you utilize
MYO’s sophisticated hardware to experiment, build and profit from
amazing applications of MYO technology.”
വിദേശരാജ്യങ്ങളില് വളരുന്നതും നാട്ടിലെ കാലാവസ്ഥയ്ക്ക് യോജിച്ചതുമായ ഫലസസ്യങ്ങളെല്ലാം സ്വന്തംതോട്ടത്തില് വളര്ത്തുകയാണ് കൊല്ലം, ചെന്താപ്പൂര് സ്വദേശി ശിവന്പിള്ള. റംബുട്ടാന്, ഓറഞ്ച്, മുസംബി, അമ്പഴം തുടങ്ങി 60 സെന്റ് സ്ഥലത്ത് ഇല്ലാത്ത പഴച്ചെടികളില്ല. റംബുട്ടാന്റെ പത്തിനങ്ങള്, പതിനഞ്ച് തരം പേര, മധുരിക്കുന്ന പുളി, അത്തി തുടങ്ങിയവ എത്തിയത് മലേഷ്യ, തായ്ലന്ഡ് തുടങ്ങിയ രാജ്യങ്ങളില്നിന്നാണ്. അന്പതിലധികം പഴച്ചെടികള് കൃഷിചെയ്യുന്ന ശിവന്പിള്ള വലിയ മരങ്ങള്ക്ക് ഇടവിളയായി തണല് ആവശ്യമുള്ള ചാമ്പ, പേര തുടങ്ങിയ സസ്യങ്ങളും വളര്ത്തുന്നുണ്ട്. സൂര്യപ്രകാശം ലഭിക്കുന്ന സ്ഥലം തിരഞ്ഞെടുത്ത് അരമീറ്റര് താഴ്ചയുള്ള കുഴികളെടുത്ത് ചാണകം അടിസ്ഥാനമായി നല്കി തടംമൂടി മുകളില് ചെറുകുഴി തുറന്ന് തൈകള് മഴക്കാലാരംഭത്തോടെ നടുന്നു. തുടര്ന്ന്, ജലസേചനവും വളപ്രയോഗവുമായി കായ്പിടിക്കുന്നതുവരെ ശിവന്പിള്ള ഇവയ്ക്ക് കൂട്ടായി ഉണ്ടാകും. നൂറുമേനി വിളഞ്ഞ് ചെടികള് ഈ സ്നേഹം മടക്കി നല്കുന്നു. പുതിയ ചെടികള് തേടി യാത്രകള് ചെയ്യുന്ന ഇദ്ദേഹം എപ്പോഴും തിരക്കിലാണ്. രാധാസ് സ്റ്റോര് എന്ന തന്റെ കടയില് എത്തുന്ന സുഹൃത്തുക്കള്ക്ക് പഴങ്ങള് സൗജന്യമായി നല്കാറുമുണ്ട്. മാവും നാരകവും കായ്ക്കുന്നത് വേനലിലാണെങ്കില് വിദേശ ചെടികള് കായ്ക്കുന്നത് മഴക്കാലത്താണ്. അതിനാല്, തൊടിയില് പഴങ്ങളുടെ നിറസമൃദ്ധിയാണ് എപ്പോഴും. കൃഷിയിടത്തിലും കടയിലും എത്തുന്നവര്ക്ക് ചെടികളെപ്പറ്റി പറഞ്ഞുകൊടുക്കുകയും യുവാക്കളെ കൃഷി ചെയ്യാന് പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യാറുണ്ട്.നാട്ടില്നിന്ന് അന്യമായ നാടന് വാഴകളും വിദേശ ഇനങ്ങളും ഉള്പ്പെടെ ഇരുപതിലധികം വാഴയിനങ്ങളും ഇവിടെയുണ്ട്. കര്പ്പൂരവള്ളി, കാവേരി, ഡ്വാര്ഫ് കാവന്ഡിഷ്, പിസാംഗ്ലിനി തുടങ്ങിയവയുടെ വിത്തുകള് അന്വേഷിച്ചെത്തുന്നവര്ക്ക് അവ നല്കാറുമുണ്ട്. ദിവസേന രാവിലെ ജലസേചനവും തോട്ടം വൃത്തിയാക്കലുമായി ഒരു മണിക്കൂര് തൊടിയില് ചെലവഴിച്ചിട്ടേ ശിവന്പിള്ള കടയില് പോകാറുള്ളൂ. പഴങ്ങള്ക്ക് പുറമെ ചുവന്ന ചോളം, കപ്പ എന്നിവയും നിറഞ്ഞുനില്ക്കുന്ന തോട്ടം കാണാനെത്തുന്നവരുടെ മനം നിറയും. ഒരു വീട്ടിലേക്കാവശ്യമുള്ള പച്ചക്കറിയും തോട്ടത്തില് ജൈവരീതിയില് വളര്ത്തുന്നു. സഹായവുമായി ഭാര്യ വിജി, മക്കളായ ഹരികൃഷ്ണന്, ജയകൃഷ്ണന്, ശ്രീലക്ഷ്മി എന്നിവരുമുണ്ട്. (ഫോണ്: ശിവന്പിള്ള: 9747405406.)
Hopefully you have heard about some great strides that
Father Davis Chiramel has made into the general public of Kerala with the organ
donation campaign that he is carrying throughout the state. The trip is coming
to an end in Trivandrum next week and the organizers have expressed their
interest to interact with the citizens of Technopark about this great cause. I
just wanted to find the amount of support that we could garner before we
formally invite the team to Technopark on 15th or 16th of
this month.
If your organization would like to support this initiative,
please simply send email: frchiramel@manavakarunyayathra.org and we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, I have tentatively blocked Travancore Hall on Monday and will let you
know based on the interest among the member companies.
Six months ago former Google CEO Eric Schmidt predicted that Google TV would be embedded on the majority of new televisions by this summer. That hasn't happened, but it's not stopping Mountain View from entering the living room from a different angle — with its own branded media streamer, the Nexus Q. The Q acts exclusively as a receiver for audio and video content from Google's online media services, all controlled with your Android tablet or smartphone. At $299, it's positioned as a US-made premium product with a premium price. In a market crowded with the likes of Roku, Apple, Sonos, and others, is there room for Google's entrant, and do its features and design warrant the cost? Read on to find out.
In a living room world of tiny rectangular boxes, the Q has no qualms about distinguishing itself right out of the gate. The device is a two-pound sphere, split at a 45-degree angle by a ring of 32 LEDs. The entire upper half of the Q is a free-spinning volume knob, while a pinprick blue LED eyes you from the front. That single LED isn't a mere stylistic touch; it also reveals the location of the Q's touch-sensitive mute button. 1 GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage are included, with an array of recessed ports in the back — including both micro HDMI and optical audio outs, an ethernet jack, and a USB port for developers that would like to hack the device. A set of banana-style connectors give the option of hooking up external speakers directly, taking advantage of the 25-watt amplifier built into the device.
It turns out that banana connector option can be more handy than you'd think at first. When trying to swap the Q into my own entertainment system, I discovered that the recessed optical audio port was actually too narrow to plug in the cables I use for my other devices. Additionally, the choice of micro HDMI over a standard HDMI port meant I had to do some digging behind the TV to get the Q connected. It's not a deal-breaker by any means — and Google does ship a micro HDMI to HDMI cable with the streamer — but I couldn't help but think that some practicality had been jettisoned to achieve the tidy set-up on the back of the Q.
THE MATTE FINISH LOOKS AND FEELS GREAT
There's no denying it's an attractive piece of hardware, however. The matte finish looks good and feels great, and the base of the Q is weighted just so; the Q practically begs you to touch it. It does have a tendency to pick up smudges and smears rather quickly, though they wasn't very noticeable when it was sitting next to the television.
Making the leap from hooked-up to up-and-running was a bit more difficult than anticipated. The Q has no interface of its own, and requires an Android device to manage it and initiate any media streaming. Not that you'd know that when you power the Q on; instead, you're presented with an image of a blue sphere on your television, along with the word "hello" in several different languages.
Tapping an NFC-enabled device — I used a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the new Nexus 7 during my testing — initiates the download of the Nexus Q management app. Upon launch you select what room the Q in question is located in, enter the password for your Wi-Fi network, and you're good to go... for a while, at least. I had connectivity problems with multiple devices, on two different Q units. It wasn't clear if excessive Wi-Fi interference was the problem, or something within the hardware itself, but the streamer is definitely finicky about connecting with other devices.THE ONLY WAY TO CONTROL YOUR Q
Given the Q's lack of interface, the only way to change settings are via an external app. It's a relatively bare-bones affair, unsurprisingly called Nexus Q. You can adjust the brightness of the LEDs on any of the Qs you have connected in your home (it's designed to allow the use of multiple devices in a single location), turn off the various output jacks, or change the visuals that play back when you're listening to music (more on that later). It's perfectly functional, but it does feel clunky to be using an app to control such basic settings, especially when under the hood the Nexus Q is running Android 4.0.4 on a dual-core A9 processor.
The Q was originally demoed at Google I/O last year under the codename Project Tungsten — Tungsten is still listed as the product name when examining debug information for the Q — and at the time was an audio-only device. Given that pedigree, the separate management app makes sense, but it would be a much more intuitive experience if Google took advantage of that HDMI output to let users perform these tasks directly.
Music playback
LISTEN TO WHATEVER YOU LIKE — AS LONG AS GOOGLE HOSTS IT
All streaming with the Q is initiated from within one of three Android apps: YouTube, Play Music, and Play Video. The trick here is that it's not actually streaming from your phone or tablet at all; rather, your device is serving as a glorified remote control, telling Google's servers to send media down to the Q over the web. When running Play Music, for example, an icon appears next to the share menu icon. Tapping it allows you to switch the music from playing on the device to playing on the Q, and the transition was usually quick and seamless. Several times one device or the other would lose connection, requiring me to quit the Nexus Q app, but things came back online immediately thereafter.
The good news is that along with Play Store content, any tunes you have stored in Google Music are also available for playback. The bad news is that's it. Any sideloaded music files are out of bounds unless you upload them to Google Music first, and subscription services like Rdio and Spotify are locked out altogether. It's the same story on the video side: Hulu and Netflix customers, you're out of luck.
In terms of sound quality, the 25-watt amp was more than loud enough to fill my apartment, and in conjunction with the speakers I was using provided a clean and detailed sound. In this sense, the Q would be a fine choice for someone hosting a party, or looking for an audio system for the backyard.
During music playback, the LED ring on the Q pulses and breathes various hues in sync with the rhythm and volume of the music. It's joined by a visualizer on the TV, with five different "themes" available via the Nexus Q app. The LED ring is undoubtedly fun; it brings a touch of whimsy to the Q, and only adds to its physical appeal. The visualizer is another matter altogether. It's simply another riff on the same visual gimmickry we've been seeing in audio visualizers for years now — and it feels like it.
Attempting to mute the Q during playback revealed another of its hardware weaknesses. Namely, it doesn't work that well, repeatedly requiring several taps to mute or restore audio during playback.
THE Q'S MARQUEE FEATURE NEEDS A RETHINK
Google is touting the Q as the "world's first social streaming media player," primarily due to its collaborative playlisting: friends can come over and play their own music on your Q, or you can build a group playlist together. It's a feature with great appeal — there have been versions of the same idea on competing platforms for a while now — but the Q stumbles in the execution. While tapping on the options for a given song allows you to add it to the current song queue, selecting that same song directly will immediately begin playback, bypassing what's already in the queue. Even worse, if you're viewing a list of tunes in playlist, album, or artist sort, selecting one song will add it plus all subsequent songs to the queue. Testing the feature out with a friend quickly pivoted from a fun musical collaboration into a frustrating game of accidental playlist-jacking.
To be fair, this implementation problem could be resolved with a software update — but this is the marquee feature of the Q. It's so important that the device's name is a cute play on "queue." If there's one feature the Nexus Q should nail from the end user's perspective, it's this one — and it falls short.
Video playback
WELL, AT LEAST STANDARD DEFINITION WORKS FINE
Sticking to the Q's methodology, video playback is initiated via either YouTube or the Play Movies app. Watching our own Ben Popper host an episode of 90 Seconds on The Verge on YouTube provided one of the most impressive displays of the Q's prowess: with the episode streaming to my television, I turned off all the radios on my phone. The video continued playing, direct from YouTube, and when i turned the radios back on the scrubber in the YouTube app immediately snapped into dead sync with the video on the TV, restoring control of the stream to my phone.
Video from Play Movies, however, was less than ideal.
I rented several high-definition movies and a pair of standard-definition television shows. While the episode of My So-Called Life played back fine on both the Q and my mobile devices, The Dark Knight stuttered and stalled on Google's streamer — despite playing back without issue on the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus. Video quality was also noticeably poor on the Q, with both movies suffering from an overly-dark image and exaggerated, ruddy flesh tones. Now, I wasn't expecting Blu-ray quality video here, but I was expecting the Q to perform on par with its competition, but it appears Google still has some work to do.
Echoing the disappointment from the music side of things, it's not possible to push your own personal videos from your device to the Q. To be fair, it's not touted as such — Google is upfront that the Q is for Play Store and YouTube content only — but it does feel like there's a baseline expectation about what these kind of devices should be able to do in 2012, and AirPlay-style streaming is one of them. With sharing of photos also off the table, I found myself counting the things that the Q couldn't do rather than those it could.
A STREAMER ONLY GOOGLE COULD MAKE
With so many buggy features and functionality gaps, the biggest question about the Nexus Q is who it's intended for. Other boxes on the market offer more functionality at lower price points, and DLNA streaming is just a short trip to the Play Store away. The design is absolutely attractive, but $299 is a lot to ask no matter how gorgeous the Q may be (the fact that Google is selling $399 Triad speakers to go with it also bears questioning). All things considered, it doesn't seem a practical option for apartment or home use, though it could be great for workplaces or offices that want a very specific set of functions and are already heavily invested in Google's ecosystem.
There could be platform-related reasons for the limitations as well. System-wide streaming would no doubt come with a new version of Android, and at the rate handset manufacturers and carriers update their devices, tying the Q to a given version of Android would severely limit its potential audience (as it is, the Q will support Android 2.3 and higher at launch).
Perhaps the best explanation is that Google is simply taking a page from one of its biggest competitors and building a device that would be most at home at Google itself. From the clever, fanciful design, to the ambitious ideas, to the feeling that some features should still bear the "beta" tag, Google's first self-made product is in many ways representative of the company itself — in both its many strengths and weaknesses.
While that might be forgivable — even admirable — with software and services that are distributed for free, when it comes to expensive consumer electronics it's simply just a set of good intentions that don't come together in the end.
Social networking giant Facebook is to launch its own smartphone by next year, reports have suggested.
Facebook recently admitted it was struggling to make money out of its growing mobile audience.
The company, which recently floated on the stock market, has also just launched its own mobile app store.
The App Center currently offers links to Facebook-enabled apps within Apple's iOS and Google Android stores but developers will soon be able to write apps to be placed exclusively in Facebook's store.
According to the New York Times, Facebook has hired experts who worked on the iPhone and other smartphones.
It quoted a Facebook employee as saying the site's founder Mark Zuckerberg was "worried that if he doesn't create a mobile phone in the near future... Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms".
A Facebook smartphone has reportedly been in the works for some time.
In 2010, Techcrunch reported that Facebook was "secretly" building a smartphone - although this particular project is said to have broken down.
The company's desire to enter the smartphone market could be a result of increasing pressure to improve the potential of mobile to make money.
In a statement for potential investors ahead of its initial public offering earlier this month, the company admitted it had concerns about more users accessing Facebook through their mobile - a trend which could make it more difficult to sell advertising.
When asked by the BBC, a spokeswoman for Facebook said the company did not comment on speculation, and referred instead to a written statement.
"Our mobile strategy is simple: we think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social," the statement read.
"We're working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world." Facebook already provides apps for various different mobile platforms
Last week German automaker Audi made its
first big splash into the E-bike world, releasing photos and videos of
an exciting lightweight prototype electric stunt bike that may be among
the most ambitious projects introduced in this space to date. No
specific names or dates have been announced yet by the Germans, so for
now it is still technically a concept bike–but from the looks of it a
radically groundbreaking one.
This ebike made #1 of our top 10 ebikes of the future list.
Audi is making some other fast moves in the 2-wheel motor sport
category with the announcement last month of their purchase of Italian
motorcycle-maker Ducati for $1.2 billion in a rare move for an auto
manufacturer. Ducati’s dealership network may well provide Audi with an
instant world-wide distribution channel for upscale high-performance
E-bikes.
And separately, VW, also owned by Audi, has been working on something
they call “last mile transportation,” which focuses on the use of
short-distance urban transportation.
Audi’s concept E-bike is what you would expect when some of Europe’s
most skilled auto engineers and modernist designers get together and
decide they are going to create a flagship E-bike with no expenses
spared.
The Audi E-bike is based on custom carbon fiber wheels and a
full-suspension carbon fiber frame; even the front suspension forks are
custom designed for this bike. The rims look very similar in design to
those on the $80K Blacktrail, leading to speculation by some in the
E-bike community that this bike was designed by PG Bikes, the company
behind the Blacktrail. The Audi E-bike also uses the same “Harmonic
Drive System” as the Blacktrail, a highly regarded German design
developed by Clean Mobile. Clean Mobile builds custom bottom-bracket
drive systems for exclusive high end bikes made by innovative European
companies such as KTM (see Egnition article here).
PG BIkes $80k Blacktrail... similar to Audi?
The Audi E-bike is designed with light weight, high power and
nimbleness in mind, no doubt for BMX-type stunts such as those seen in
the video, so does not carry a heavy, cumbersome battery pack. Instead
it features a small, featherweight, quick-change pack, enabling the
rider to choose between riding “naked” for short distances or hauling
extra battery packs in a backpack for longer rides. The bike appears
well-balanced, with most of the serious weight (battery and motor)
situated very low and centered in the frame. Best of all, it tilts the
scales at a scant 46 pounds–unheard of to date for a full suspension
E-bike.
Elegant carbon fiber frame
The seat has a sleek built-in tail light thats also a brake light
Other interesting design details include a motorcycle-like seat which
can retract during riding to transform the E-bike into a trials-type
bike for jumping and stunt-riding. A built-in brake/tail light in the
back of the seat is a brilliant futuristic touch. The Audi E-bike also
has LED lights built into the front of the handlebar, which you can
clearly see in the below video. Smart details like these make this
E-bike a showcase of sleek, integrated, forward-looking design.
Other goodies include a built-in Android smartphone app that serves
as an electronic control system for the bike, not just monitoring
battery and speed but a host of other useful functions, including the
ability to toggle through five cycling modes: Pure, Pedelec, eGrip,
Power Wheelie, and Balanced Wheelie. The bike also utilizes a torque
sensor, which measures how much the rider is pedaling and can add power
accordingly. Another sweet feature of this control system is a lock
feature, which locks the rear wheel and sets off an alarm if someone
tries to grab and dash your $2ok bike. All in all this is one of the
most impressive efforts we have seen software-wise in an E-bike. In this
picture you can see where an Android phone is attached to frame:
Here are some brand new images of the Audi Ebike taken at the Wörthersee VW show this last weekend in Europe posted courtesy of derestricted.com:
Yesterday I drove the couple of hours down to Wörthersee from Salzburg to go check out the GTI festival, the new Audi E-Bike and to meet up with some people from Kiska and a couple of Audi designers. The festival was interesting to say the least. The location is stunning, set on a huge lake with snow-capped mountains surrounding it. We parked on the other side from the festival and hitched a ride on a small private speedboat for 10 euros which seemed a pretty good deal. The festival itself is pretty much like Octoberfest but with cars. There were already half dressed casualties passed out all over the place by 11am when we arrived but everyone seemed to be having a good time. Will post some photos of the rest of the show later, but for now, here are some I took of the Audi E-Bike.
Check out the following videos to see what the 2300-Watt Audi E-bike
is capable of. The rider is the world renowned French trials rider
Julien Dupont:
Unfortunately for now, the Audi E-bike is just a concept prototype,
and no announcements have been made about Audi’s plans to bring it to
market. Our guess is that with the kind of significant R&D effort
already made, you will see this E-bike for sale in the next few years.
But don’t expect it to come cheap–the words carbon fiber and German
made do not equal cheap. Just the brakes on this bike (Brakeforce Ones)
are German and carbon fiber and cost $800. industry analysts predict
the bike will cost in the neighborhood of $20,000.
To see a list of the 10 most expensive ebikes available now read our story here.
UPDATE: Audi just released a new video about this bike..story is here.
വിദേശരാജ്യങ്ങളില് വളരുന്നതും നാട്ടിലെ കാലാവസ്ഥയ്ക്ക് യോജിച്ചതുമായ ഫലസസ്യങ്ങളെല്ലാം സ്വന്തംതോട്ടത്തില് വളര്ത്തുകയാണ് കൊല്ലം, ചെന്താപ്പൂര് സ്വദേശി ശിവന്പിള്ള. റംബുട്ടാന്, ഓറഞ്ച്, മുസംബി, അമ്പഴം തുടങ്ങി 60 സെന്റ് സ്ഥലത്ത് ഇല്ലാത്ത പഴച്ചെടികളില്ല. റംബുട്ടാന്റെ പത്തിനങ്ങള്, പതിനഞ്ച് തരം പേര, മധുരിക്കുന്ന പുളി, അത്തി തുടങ്ങിയവ എത്തിയത് മലേഷ്യ, തായ്ലന്ഡ് തുടങ്ങിയ രാജ്യങ്ങളില്നിന്നാണ്.
Facebook already provides apps for various different mobile platforms
