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It's been a holy grail of display technology for a long time: true 3D holograms that you don't need special glasses to see. Think R2-D2's projection of Princess Leia in Star Wars, only not as fuzzy and in full color. The barriers keeping holograms from becoming reality are many, but researchers at the University of Arizona (go Wildcats!) in the Optical Sciences department have broken through one of them. They've created an image that's "updatable," so the hologram can be completely erased and rewritten in minutes. That's not quite fast enough for holographic TV — or even holographic YouTube — since for a hologram to depict motion, it would have to be rewritten several times a second. The researchers think that'll eventually happen, though.
This is a very promising development, but we'll need a lot more (and probably some corporate interest) for holographic TV to become something you can actually buy. It'll also need good execution: while 3D images would be great for many movies, I'm not really dying to see the back of Anderson Cooper's head. The idea of a coffee table that projects holograms upward (shown in the illustration above) has been floated, but I don't see that being much more than a toy for the rich ("Coming Soon: Microsoft Surface in 3D!), and other techs like the Heliodisplay already come pretty close to simulating it.
Still, it would be great to finally see that scene from the first Star Wars finally become reality. Japan's Communications Ministry has set a goal for creating holographic TV by 2020, and perhaps this development is just what they need to jump-start the program. In any case, that plasma screen you just bought probably won't be obsolete for a while yet.
Via CNN
If you want a window into the soul of Japan and its relationship to technology you need look no further than the Bus Buzzer Cell Phone Strap from Strapya. The device's function and operation are simple: if you can't reach the bus' stop signal you simply press the tiny button on the device, which issues the same tone as an average Japanese bus, and like magic the bus will stop in its tracks (check out the company's demonstration video here).
If this seems like a frivolous piece of technology with no real impact, you might want to watch this video which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Japanese citizens are well trained when it comes to mechanical sound prompts. While most of you won't find yourself on a Japanese bus anytime soon, it might be a good test/prank for your local Japanese friend, and for just 880 yen ($8.50) it's an exceedingly affordable, yet uber-geeky mobile phone accessory.
Via Strapya World
Just looking at pictures of the Miniatur Wunderland — a $10 million, 9,600-square-foot train set in Hamburg, Germany — you may mistake it for a living, breathing place. Several places, in fact, including its native Hamburg, and America (complete with an Area 51), Scandinavia and Austria — all painstakingly recreated down to the major landmarks, working traffic and ships and, of course, trains. Soon there will even be an airport. It's all part of an expansion planned for 2014, that will see Miniatur Wunderland add 36,000 feet of track to the almost 30,000 feet already in place, as well as doubling the set's $10 million price tag.
I could go on forever. The Miniatur Wunderland has a pretty darn impressive list of numbers, from track length to the number of traffic signals — see the list for yourself.
Check out the gallery below to get your tour of started (especially that last picture — Miniatur Wunderland has a control room that rivals NORAD).
Nikon has unveiled the latest, and perhaps the best, in Borg wanna-be accessories called the Media Port UP. The multimedia headset allows users to view video (up to 120 minutes of uninterrupted playback), and listen to music (up to 270 minutes of uninterrupted playback) via its 4 gigabyte or 8 gigabyte internal harddrive. Other features include Internet browsing with WiFi access, a rechargeable battery, and embedded motion sensors for hands free operation (operates by moving your head up, down, left and right).
Because the device allows you to do things like use Windows Media Player as well as download other content from the Internet to its harddrive, it's not a stretch to call this a new kind of mobile computer. You can pick up the base model for just 59,800 yen ($580) here.
Via Nikon
The geek nation will never have to worry about Mom throwing out their comic book collections again with the debut of the Remock Lockey. The remote controlled lock is specifically designed to be placed "inside" the door of the room you want to secure and can only be opened via a tiny remote control shaped like a key (up to 16 different remotes can be registered to a single lock).
The unit operates on normal store bought batteries, but don't worry about locking yourself out because of lax battery upkeep because the Remock Lockey will automatically prevent locking if the battery level is too low. Your invisible security is rather affordable at just 198,000 Korean won ($163) here.
Via Funshop Korea
See something funny? Yeah, that's a 2,000-pound armored vehicle and, yep, it's pink — but laugh at it for too long and you're going to get a hot dog upside the head.
Say hello to Vin Marshall's pedal-powered panzer and its pneumatic cannon. He built it from scratch for $3,000 in 11 days with a few of his friends, and it's powered entirely by human muscle — which is why the tank has to settle for wheels instead of treads. It can easily cruise along at 15 miles per hour, and it's cannon can fire both water and the aforementioned hot dogs.
Click Continue to see a video of Marshall pink pedestrian punisher and how it was built.
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Antec is taking the idea of a bare-bones PC to a whole 'nother level with its upcoming Antec Skeleton open-air PC case. It won't wall in your parts like a normal PC tower, which can improve airflow (or, at least, provide more airflow from less fans if intelligently placed). It's the kind of case modders have been building on their own for years. The Skeleton's got a smaller 92 millimeter fan to cool the lower deck, and a honking, three-speed 250 millimeter fan up top. Despite it's looks, it's actually pretty big, too: It's a little over a foot in length, width and depth.
The Skeleton will give you plenty of room to work with, with four drive bays and seven expansion slots that can fit even the larger video cards, and the frame's made with 0.8 millimeter steel and reinforced with hard plastic. No price or release date yet, but it shouldn't be too long now that it's announced.
While the world's stock markets go down in flames, allow us to divert your attention with this trifle: The record for tallest LOGO tower in the world has been broken! Hey, at least something is going up. The honor goes to hundreds of children in Vienna, building a monstrous tower of LEGO measuring 96.7 feet.
This enormous spire, built to commemorate 100 Years of Friends of Children, beats out the former tallest LEGO tower at Legoland Windsor in England by a slim margin — it's just over 7 inches higher. The new tower is so tall, the children assembled the structure in pieces before adults lifted each section to the pinnacle by a crane. Nice work, kiddies!
News.com, via Uber Review
If you thought the Herman Miller Aeron chair was the top-dog place to park you posterior, take a look at this. Now it's 14 years after that ultra-comfortable chair's debut, desk jockeys — time for Herman Miller to top itself with the new Embody.
Check out that high back to rest your noggin, with "flexors" strategically positioned to let your back rest easy. The seat cushion is specially designed, too, with 93 interconnected discs to move with you as you get squirmy. They're so advanced, its designers call them "pixels." Yeah! No wonder it took them over two years to design this throne.
You'll be able to order up an Embody in your choice of 13 colors and three finishes starting early in 2009. Too bad you could get two Aeron chairs for the price of one of these babies — it'll set you back a cool $1595. Ouch. However, sitting in an exquisite Aeron as I type this, I must say that if this Embody is even better than the Aeron, it's well worth it. The desk chair is the most important piece of writing equipment I own.
You've probably heard of MagLev trains before, but only in the context of high-speed trains between high-density population centers. They're insanely expensive, but once built are relatively efficient to run and are incredibly fast. So it's not really the tech you'd expect to see in a personal transportation system.
Well, in Japan, Tyco and Gakken have just unveiled a personal MagLev transport. Yes, it's a tiny train that can carry a single person around a track. What could it possibly be used for? And who would ever spend the money to build it? Both questions that are, as of now, unanswered. But hey, if you're looking for a way to trek around your gigantic estate to your many buildings, this could be a nice solution.
Via Akihabara News
Looking to turn your home into something that comes closer to resembling a bar? Well, after you get the bar and pool table installed, you'll need one of those permanent fixtures of every bar: a jukebox.
But since this is your home, you'll want a jukebox that'll do more than just play a handful of CDs. You'll want one that'll network with your computer and serve up all of the music you have stored on it. One that's controllable via remote control, and one that comes with a sweet visualization screen for animations that go along with your music.
What I'm talking about is the new IntelliTunes Digital Jukebox. Featuring two screens and mounting on your wall, it'll deliver all of the fun of a jukebox with the types of features you could only enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
IntelliTunes, via BornRich
The e-reader market is getting livelier every day. No sooner had Sony updated its Reader last week than we see these leaked shots of the Amazon Kindle 2. Gone is that sculpted, angular look of its predecessor, and according to those lucky spies who've seen it, its side buttons are smaller, making it less likely that you'll accidentally turn the page. There's also a new navigating joystick taking the place of the original Kindle's scroll wheel.
We like the rounded, straightforward shape of this design better than the old one. The two are approximately the same size with an identical screen, and both have our fave feature — wireless connectivity via EV-DO, letting you download new electronic books from practically anywhere. We're wondering if this new Kindle 2 will be cheaper than its predecessor, when we'll be able to get our paws on one, and if Amazon plans to manufacture enough to go around this time.
Boy Genius Report, via Gizmodo
Do you have your eyes on the upcoming Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, the deal just got a whole lot sweeter. While the official price is supposedly around $40,000, it's going to be $7,500 cheaper thanks to some pretty sweet tax breaks included in last week's massive government bailout bill.
In order to promote eco-friendly technology and the corporations that engineer them, the government is planning to offer a whopping $7,500 tax credit to anyone who purchases a Volt. The bill doesn't mention the Volt by name, but it's the only car that meets the standard of having a 4 kWh (or greater) battery. Presumably, more will come along in the future that will also be eligible for the tax break. So, does this push you towards the Volt?
DailyTech, via CrunchGear
The Japan-based CEATEC conference has come and gone, but one incredible item we neglected to mention at the show was the NTT Docomo Separate Keitai. The prototype device lives up to its name with the ability to break into two separate parts displaying different interfaces depending on its magnetically connected orientation. Both parts can also be used separately allowing phone calls to be continued while simultaneously checking email on a separate screen. Docomo hasn't announced a release date for when the prototype will go commercial but for now you can check out the phone in action here.
Via Nikkei
Ask any obnoxious pool shark at your local watering hole, and they'll tell you that the game is all about angles. Run the ball onto one of the side cushions, and it will bounce off at the same angle. That's pretty straightforward when the cushions are straight, but curve them into a circle and there's no telling what kind of bounce to expect.
This round pool table JM Billiard is guaranteed to make any over confident hustler look like an amateur, leveling the playing field somewhat for the rest of us. Of course you could always cheat by using a laser sighted pool cue
JM Billiard, via Born Rich
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