Kung Fu Panda in my hands, dissected

BERLIN, GERMANY--Here at Crave Asia, we've seen numerous flash drives, from palatable sushi to disguised hard drive bricks that grace our gadget blog on a weekly basis. Naturally, we won't pass up on a chance to blog about the Kung Fu Panda thumbdrive that was given to APAC journos who attended HP's Connecting Your World event in Berlin. That said, there's really not much to write about here except that the thumbdrive is in a figurine of Po, the lead character in the animation movie Kung Fu Panda.

Most importantly, this is exclusive to the event here, so you won't be able to get a-hold of one. Hah! More shots of Po dissected and plugged in after the break!
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HP's 3.5-inch digital picture frame is tiny

BERLIN, GERMANY--Fortunately, it doesn't cost an arm or a leg, even though you may end up wondering what to do with this after purchase. It's too small to be placed in a living room environment and too big for the wallet. But being tiny does appeal to our geek love for miniaturization. So it's hard to resist getting one of these. After all, it costs only 49 euros (US$76) and you should be able to get it in Asia in about two months' time. The picture frame has a QVGA resolution, measures 95 x 77 x 13mm, reads from SD, SDHC and MMC flash media, and has an internal memory able to hold up to 45 pictures.

A DVD for the socially shy

If you've always felt awkward in front of other people, especially women, Avex Entertainment has an interactive DVD that it claims can help you overcome that neurosis. Called Miterudake, which literally means "Just Looking", this DVD features videos of 50 women of different age groups and nationalities staring straight at you. From time to time, the women will also talk to you (only in Japanese, unfortunately).

Personally, I find it strange buying a DVD that has people looking and talking to you. After all, anyone watching the DVD will soon realize it's all just a recorded footage, and the situation is simply not the same in real life. But hey, this comes out of Japan and we've seen weirder stuff. So 2,625 yen may just be a small price to pay to find out if the DVD can help the socially awkward "adapt to others", as stated by the creator. You just need to overcome that shyness to ask a pal for help in getting the Miterudake DVD on his/her next visit to Japan.

Via Tofugu
Picture credit: Tofugu

Scorpion sportscar would burn gasoline and hydrogen

A Texas company is offering a glimpse of a high-end hydrogen-gasoline sportscar it hopes to sell by October.

Rather than using fuel cells to power an electric motor, the Scorpion from Ronn Motor Company would have an internal combustion engine burning both gasoline and hydrogen, achieving 40 highway miles per gallon.

Unlike with a hydrogen fuel cell car, the Scorpion's "hydrogen on demand" system wouldn't require a high-pressure hydrogen storage tank. Nor would a driver need to find and fill up at a hydrogen fueling station.

Instead, electricity from the Scorpion's alternator sends an electric charge through the water in a storage tank, fracturing molecules and releasing hydrogen, which is injected into the motor, explained Ronn Maxwell, CEO of Ronn Motor in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

"This means that as we're driving down the road, we're producing hydrogen in real time, and blending it with gasoline at a ratio of 30 to 40 percent," he said.
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Europeans lead the way with GPS breathalyzers

This is one of those items that, depending on how it's viewed, is either a testament to progressive use of safety technology or a frightening commentary on the prevalance of alcohol on the road. Or both.

AvMap, an Italian GPS equipment manufacturer, is the second company we've seen in recent months to combine a navigation device with a breathalyzer. This version is the product of a partnership with Peugeot, which has used AvMap technologies in its cars since 2005, according to GPS Business News. It follows a similar device mentioned on Crave a few months ago, from Portugal's NDrive, which reportedly has yet to come to market.

AvMap's model, called the Geosat 6 Drive Safe, has a 4.8-inch touchscreen and can make handsfree calls through its Bluetooth connection, handy when phoning for a designated driver. The breathalyzer is located in the upper right side, which might not seem obvious at first glance. But maybe that's the point: If you have a hard time finding it, the test might not even be necessary.

Via CNET Crave

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