Source: “Blowhards” by Good.is

The patent paperwork explicitly states that there are “first and second touchscreens,” that “the image of a keyboard” could appear on one screen, and that “electronic book files” would be storable. The device would be “connectable to a solar charger.”

The future of e-readers is, analysts are coming to agree, that multi-function devices like Apple’s iPad will replace high-end standalone e-readers like Sony’s Reader and Amazon.com’s Kindle. A $500 reader won’t fly in 2014, the UK analyst firm Informa wrote in a study published this week.

GoRumors blogger Anand Srinivasan also scoured Sony’s patent application. Here’s the 100-word version of his findings:

A new ebook reader that seeks to double up as a laptop … a two screen display which can be held like a regular book … an accelerometer [to detect how the gadget is being held] … the user can turn the lower screen into a touchscreen based QWERTY keyboard … use of GPS to access location-specific content.

Sony’s device seems a more direct attempt to create an alternative to low-cost netbook laptops, one that doubles as a book-like reader. The obvious two benefits are a lower overall price and only one gadget to carry instead of two.

The concept of a laptop with a touchscreen keyboard has a novelty appeal, but it also says something about the intended market: Unlike the road warriors of the past who carried top-of-the-line laptops for constant typing, there’s a new demographic of mobile content consumers and producers that sticks to short messages. They don’t need a ThinkPad-grade keyboard to type on. Hopefully for Sony, they’ll be able to build a sexy-looking device that can serve as a status symbol like the company’s early Vaio laptops.

Source: VentureBeat by Paul Boutin

Myfc from Mike Butcher on Vimeo.

One of the more interesting objects on display at Mobile World Congress this year was one produced by a Swedish company, enabling people in developing countries to charge their mobile phone. But no, this was not a car battery or an electrical generator on a bicycle. This was a small portable fuel cell.

Think about it. Mobile base stations can often now reach far into the countryside, even in some previously remote places in Africa. But actually keeping the phone charged is an issue.

myFC is a small hydrogen fuel cell power source which will still work under extreme environmental conditions. The exterior plastic housing appears to be be very durable and it has no moving parts.

How does it work? The fuel cell silently converts hydrogen into electricity via its “Proton Exchange Membrane”. The only by-product from the fuel cell is a little water vapor. To operate, hydrogen is drawn from a small packet of energised aluminium powder, water added and voila, power comes out. In theory you could stockpile these packets of powder and just use them as needed (though of course there remains the issue of how much they’d cost and how affordable they’d be for people in developing countries).

mFC comes in three different forms. Two for outdoor use and one prototype which could be attached to the back of a laptop screen.

I was pretty impressed. Check out the video above.

Source: TechCrunch by Mike Butcher

It’s like recycling, but way better, because the gadgets get to keep living. He’s recently expanded his business to cover iPhones, Zunes, and gaming systems, and is about to expand even further into cell phones and laptops.

But Brett is upset, and that makes me upset. Apparently, the sixth generation iPods and the current iPod Nano have been designed to be 100% unfixable. According to Brett,

The new generations of iPods and the iPhone are not designed to be opened. Because the Nano, iPhone and generation 6 “Classic” bodies are metal to metal the body gets completely trashed upon opening. In the Nanos and Shuffles, parts are actually soldered together, eliminating the possiblility of simple repair. So, for me, it will be harder to fix these, increasing repair costs and diminishing their resale value after they have been repaired.

All of this kinda flies in the face of Apple’s new green image. So I thought maybe they were just trying to get people to send them back to Apple for proprietary repairs. I asked Brett if Apple maybe had special tools that allowed the to repair these metal-to-metal devices:

Besides charging you hundreds to fix it (which makes it more economical for most to just get a new one) they probably have to give it a whole new body whenever they open one. I don’t know how they could make a repair without trashing the body.

Kinda the opposite of green there. We need to hear more from Apple, obviously, but it’s hard to imagine, in the midst of their “green-up” why Apple would switch to bodies that are impossible to open for repairs. Brett’s answer: “Looks…Pure Looks.” And as Apple has always been known, and commended, for its design, this doesn’t seem too hard to accept. He also surmises that they might be trying to discourage the market in repairs and mods that fuel his and many other businesses.

But it comes down to the fact that, when choosing between extending the life of their gadgets and making things look pretty, Apple is landing on the side of pretty.

Making these models more difficult to repair is invariably un-green in the long run. By reducing their future re-use, value and lifespan, Apple is basically saying, “These gadgets are no use after two years, so send them back to us for recycling, and buy a new one.”

Source: ecogeek by Hank Green on 19/01/08

In today’s rapid consumerist society, consumption comes into question. How durable do we want our devices to be when they become near obsolete in 5 years? The source materials that make up their build often take hundreds of years to break down. An alternative ideology are disposable products made from natural sources. The Natural Year Phone is made of hay, sans screen and soft keys. The hard components get recycled while the hay is um. . . well I wouldn’t smoke it.

Designer: Je-Hyun Kim

Merino wool is the most efficient material for cold weather. Merino wool is softer than regular wool, and it feels more like cotton against the skin. Merino wool resists wind and warms better than synthetic materials. It doesn’t absorb odors and it regulates body temperature. It is also produced in a sustainable manner.

The jacket pictured here is the Smartwool Banff Jacket. It’s designed with a woven wool sueded fabric, and it has a heavy 100% merino wool lining. There is a women’s version of this jacket too. Smartwool sells a whole range merino wool clothing, including summer wear. Merino wool clothing tends to be expensive, but you can find Smartwool on eBay and at REI Outlet.

Good God! It seems like Chrysler has realized exactly how smart GM has been with their giant investment in the Chevy Volt. First they were dubious, then they were jealous…and now they’re getting ready to get even.

Chrysler’s plan (and it seems a little bit ambitious) is to have one of these three electric vehicles in show rooms for sale at the same time as the Chevy Volt (late 2010.)

The EVs in question are:

1. A Dodge all-electric sports car that will charge with a regular 110 outlet in eight hours or at a 220 outlet in four. The car will be Lotus designed (sound familiar?) and will probably have an impressive acceleration time, but an unimpressive range (and uncomfortable price.)

2. An extended-range EV version of the Chrysler Town and Country minivan. This will charge at a 110 or 220 outlet as well, but the lithium ion batteries will only take it 40 miles before a gasoline generator kicks in to recharge the batteries. Since it’s a minivan and not a svelte little five-seater, the battery is going to be significantly bigger (and thus more expensive) than the Volt’s.

3. An EREV Jeep Wrangler that is even boxier and bigger than the Town and Country but still promises 40 miles on each electric charge. And, as you might expect, the battery is even bigger, nearly twice the size of the Volt’s. So, yeah, you can expect that this thing will have a price tag upwards of 60k just adding the price of the battery onto the price of your average Wrangler.

That they’ll have one of these in showrooms by 2010 seems questionable to me. If they do, they’re either going to be selling them at a loss, or selling them for a LOT. GM has been working for over five years on the Volt, and getting the battery to work without overheating or exploding in an accident has been a gigantic challenge that I don’t even think they have yet entirely overcome.

And while I would love for GM to give Chrysler a break and lend them a hand with their batteries…I don’t think there’s enough love there for that to happen. I’m willing to give Chrysler a chance here. But if they rush these things to the showroom and sour America’s taste for plug-in vehicles by selling cars that don’t work well, I will not forgive them.

But 2010, as we predicted, is certainly shaping up to be a game-changing year for automobiles. If you’re planning on getting a new car…I’d suggest waiting.

Invented by an 18 year old from Canada – Ben Gulak , the UNO is a one wheel motorcycle that truly balances out. Right now there are 3 working prototypes. It only has one switch which is the power switch! To go forward you push your body weight forward to tilt the machine. To back up, just lean back. The farther you lean the faster it goes. Whats more is that this bike is electric so its more eco friendly.

Check out this article on the design of it on Motorcylcemojo. Ben had some help from a few companies after selling his idea to them, but all they really did is give him some of the necessary components like the body, wheels, and the complex gyros to balance the cycle…