metals

After a brief hiatus, the long-standing rumor that Apple will employ more metal in the iPhone, has made a return -- and even taken a new twist.

Citing unnamed industry sources, Korean news site ETnews says Apple will use Liquidmetal technology for the next iPhone, which the outlet boldly claims will be unveiled at Apple's annual worldwide developers conference.

That conference, which has yet to be announced, typically takes place in June. Up until the last year, it has also been ground zero for the unveiling of new iPhones, including Apple's first-generation model.

As for the question of whether Apple would even use such a material, it's been more of when, rather than if.… Read more

If you've ever dropped a small screw or a paperclip onto thick carpet, you know how difficult it can be to find them.

With an Android app called Metal Detector (by Smart Tools), you can turn your Android phone into a metal detector. Using the app might just help you find those small metal objects before you accidentally step on them or before they get sucked up into your vacuum cleaner.

Metal Detector works by measuring the magnetic field around the location of your Android phone. It begins with a baseline measurement, then when it detects a metal, the … Read more

Artist Andrew Golden lives in a world where famous video game characters have escaped from their consoles, signed up for Facebook accounts, and posted photos from their everyday lives.

Golden's imaginings run the gamut from Uncharted Drake's family vacation at the Grand Canyon to Goro from Mortal Kombat showing off his 12-pack stomach and four arms at the gym.

The images don't stop at snapshots. They also include snarky or admiring comments from video game characters' Facebook friends. Mario from Super Mario Brothers hoists a beer at a bar while his sibling Luigi announces his photobomb in the comments section.… Read more

Darkside, a big truck, kept on my tail, repeatedly smashing into my Mustang until I found the handbrake button on the PS3 controller.

Pulling 180s, I used my car's better maneuverability to bring machine gun and rockets to bear on the big truck. This was my first taste of the new Twisted Metal game, which Sony is bringing out for the PlayStation 3.

Sony hosted a launch event in San Francisco for the new game, in a venue that included automotive set pieces and two characters from the game posting for photos. And to the delight of attendees, banks … Read more

Stop me if you've heard this one before: A new rumor says the next iPhone is getting a big dose of metal on its backside.

Citing "a close source," Boy Genius Report today posted a smattering of features bound for Apple's next big iPhone, which it says is due next Fall.

On top of that list is an entirely new physical construction that's a mix of aluminum on the back and a "rubber or plastic material" along the sides that will bridge the front and back of the device.

The rubber material, which … Read more

What do metallic glass, the world's largest solar-powered boat, and next-generation credit cards have in common? They all captured the attention of SmartPlanet viewers this year.

CNET sister site SmartPlanet has rounded up its most watched videos of 2011 in the areas of science and technology. Other videos that proved popular included one about a family recycling rain water and one on NASA recycling urine and turning it into drinking water for its astronauts.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "SmartPlanet's Top 10 videos of 2011."

Related SmartPlanet links:

There are several indications that the paranormal is upon us.

I am not specifically referring to any gray-haired politician or resident of New Jersey when I say this. It's just that too many odd things are happening for all to be regarded as usual.

Please imagine, for example, how the workers at Michael's Wholesale Furniture Distributors in Plymouth, Mass., must have felt yesterday when a 6-inch chunk of metal crashed through their roof.

The way CBS in Boston describes it, this piece of metal was around 6 inches long and weighed between 3 and 5 pounds.

What might … Read more

Liquid Metal Battery, a company formed to make cheap storage for wind and solar power, has hired its first CEO.

Phil Giudice, who was the third employee of demand-response company EnerNoc and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Commissioner until earlier the year, announced his "new gig" on Twitter. One of his tasks as CEO is to raise more money to build up the company, he told The Boston Globe.

Liquid Metal Battery was spun out of the lab of Donald Sadoway, a professor of materials chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Funding for the company has … Read more

I interviewed Magico's Alon Wolf a few months ago when he visited his NYC dealer, EarsNova.

Like so many audio entrepreneurs I've talked with over the years, Wolf had started building speakers for himself years before he officially got into the business in 2005. Mastering engineer Paul Stubblebine was one of Wolf's first customers; he heard something in a Wolf speaker he couldn't get anywhere else.

Wolf was only interested in building the very best speakers he could without cost constraints, and that's his market niche. Thing is, it's also the most demanding market, … Read more