So you thought Ikea's clever when it comes to flat packing Well, check out the Piegato. This shelf/magnetic board from Matthias Ries, a design firm out of Germany, makes every other shelf space-wasters in comparison.
Out of the box, the Piegato looks like an oddly designed magnetic board. With a few folds of this metal sheet, you can customize it to become a shelf for all your books and junk. And because you decide which parts to fold out, you can have just one to three shelves depending on how much wall storage you need.
Because of how cleverly efficient it is, it should be perfect for students in dormitories. But it costs more than some cheap shelves you can find elsewhere, so poor students may just have to settle for plain and bulky.
Finally, batteries that never say die. Ok, we exaggerate. But with a newly touted 30-year lifespan without ever recharging, this cell would probably outlast 10 laptops and witness the next generation of new plugged-in superkids. If reports hold true, Betavoltaic batteries may even render the whole idea and development of fuel cells absolutely useless. Fuel cells' golden promise is a supply of up to 40 hours of continuous power, something the world has been holding its breath for. However, betavoltaics may not only emerge earlier--if all goes well, we could be looking at two to three years'--it's very similar to a photovoltaic (solar) cell. Which means you're not likely to blow up your dog Fifi and your entire neighborhood should your laptop battery catch fire. Lovely thought. Funny enough, this eco-friendlier cell is funded by the US Air Force.
For tech geeks who like to find out how things work, next Energy News has the nitty-gritty.
We weren't exactly impressed with its first full-HD attempt, the LT-Z46ZF7 with 1080i-only HDMIs. But hey, the Japanese company is back hawking two new updated models, not only addressing this issue but also laden with extra icing. These sexy GZ78-series black beauties now sport 100/120Hz Clear Motion II motion-enhancing technology and three digital HDMI terminals. The latter are Consumer Electronics Control-ready and support 50/60Hz 1080p signals, almost perfect if we disregard the film-centric 24Hz handling omission.
Other goodies inherited from its predecessor include DynaPix HD video engine, a musical-sounding oblique cone speaker system and an in-house developed audio-processing suite. No pricing and launch details were available at press time.
While most of us are still slugging it out before a 17-inch monitor screen, some manufacturers are making phones for the ridiculously rich. Vertu, Gresso, Mobiado, GoldVish, and recently, LG Prada, D&G Motorola, Giorgio Armani Samsung… show them the money and here's the phone. You get the drift. There's nothing a manufacturer cannot make. So long as there's demand, there will be supply. Which are the 10 most expensive handsets in the world? Julian from Dial-a-Phone blog site discloses the gems. Just don't let your wife click on this link.
After witnessing so many cheesy Wii accessories flood the market this year, it comes as welcome relief to see some decent equipment finally being made for the console. Prince has solved that problem, at least where Wii Tennis is concerned, with its own branded racquet contoller designed to fit the Wiimote snugly in its handle.
The pint-sized racquets, which come in various colors, put to shame accessories such as the Brando version introduced earlier this year. Given the Wii's enormous success, it's somewhat surprising that more sports equipment brands haven't gotten into the act for the obvious marketing value. But maybe they just want to avoid the attention of personal injury attorneys.