iPhone 3G reviews: It's fast, hungry, and still pretty

The first iPhone 3G reviews have been released, and if you've been paying attention to the news for the past month, you won't be surprised. Walt Mossberg of All Things Digital, David Pogue of The New York Times, and Edward Baig of USA Today were the chosen few selected to review the iPhone 3G ahead of its launch on Friday. There wasn't nearly as much suspense about the reviews this year, since we already knew the iPhone 3G was--with the exception of the faster networks, GPS, and third-party applications--essentially the same phone.


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Even more iPhone 3G questions

After last week's column, it's clear that CNET readers have an endless amount of questions about the iPhone 3G,which Apple and AT&T are releasing on Friday. In this special edition of On Call, I'll answer as many as of those questions I can. If you don't see your question listed, be sure to check if a reader posed a similar query.

Q: If I were to buy and use the upcoming iPhone 3G and later decided to add a family member to my plan, will I be allowed to add that family member if they don't use an iPhone?
- Neil

A: According to Mark Siegel, AT&T's executive director of media relations, iPhone 3G buyers will be able to add additional iPhones as a family plan. Also, you will be able to combine an iPhone with other AT&T phones to create a family plan. For more on iPhone family plans, visit AT&T's Web site.


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More details on Toyota's solar-powered Prius

We applaud any carmaker that harnesses the power of technology, particularly if it helps fuel economy, makes driving fun, or makes us look cool.

So our ears perked up when we heard Toyota was upgrading its Prius. Not only will it feature a hybrid electric-gasoline engine and automatic self-parking (see its robot skills in action here), but it will soon get solar panels on the roof to power its air-conditioning system.

That last bit might not sound too exciting, but it has potential. Automotive air-conditioning systems are usually powered by your car's engine, which has to work harder to keep the car moving and its occupants cool. By using a combination of a solar panel and an electric motor, Toyota is able to use the power of the sun against itself, save gas, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

It's a shame these particular solar panels can't be used to power the entire vehicle, but there is hope: A US company called SEV has already demonstrated a modified, solar-powered Prius that improves fuel economy by about 29 percent. According to SEV, this gives you a daily electric-only range of 20 miles.

We'll have to wait until 2009 to see whether Toyota's implementation makes a real difference, but in the meantime, you can watch our video review of the current Prius here.

Via Crave UK

Tattoo on your day's To-Do list

Why write when you can tattoo on your day's To-Do list, particularly where it's, ahem, handy, so to speak? This one clearly draws its idea from scribbling quick notes on your palm and combines it with tattoo stickons. Fortunately, it's not permanent and doesn't have to be confined to just your palm. This can, in fact, get to be lots of party fun. Think reprising Leonard Shelby's body of art in Memento, with his tattooed clues pieces of a puzzle he is trying to solve. Or even the memorably inked and creepy Max Cady in Cape Fear. Retails at US$3.99 a pack of 12, with a skin-safe, washable ink gel pen to get creative with.

Via Uncrate

Panasonic's electric bicycle with regenerative braking

Panasonic's Lithium Vivi RX-10S is no ordinary electric bicycle. Sure, it has a battery that helps to power the onboard electric motor for assisted peddling. But what really sets it apart from the competition is its regenerative braking system.

A regenerative brake, as defined in Wikipedia, is a mechanism that reduces vehicle speed by converting some of its kinetic energy into another useful form of energy. In the case of the Panasonic Vivi RX-10S, the regenerative braking system stores the energy in the bicycle's 2.5kg secondary Lithium-ion battery. This energy can then be used to extend the assisted travel range from 90km (without regenerative system) to approximately 125km (with the system).
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