concept

LAS VEGAS--Every year at CES, there are the concept devices and out-on-a-limb concepts that inevitably grab headlines and rapt attention. The Razer Switchblade, announced today, is certainly one of these.

Described as a way to bring desktop PC gaming to a portable form factor, the concept device comes from Razer, a company known for making mice and computer peripherals. And yet, the Switchblade is a full Netbook of sorts, an actual PC product, albeit not one that's set for production yet.

The Switchblade is Intel Atom-based, with a touch screen and a dynamic tactile keyboard that adjusts its layout … Read more

Fans of Polaroid photos, check this out. Korean designers Yoo Geun-hyuk & Yoon Bo-jung have conceptualized the Flutter In Pinhole camera, which is made from cardboard and has two Polaroid sheets inside. It comes shipped flat, and users simply have to expand the case and remove the strip covering the two lens openings at the front of the shooter to take a shot.

Supplied with the snapper is a white pencil which you can use to roll over the back of the camera to "process" the photos. Then, cut the snapper in half and you'll see two exposed Polaroid frames. There are even spaces at the side for you to use the pencil to write a message with.

It sounds confusing, but check out the video below to see how it works. … Read more

With their bulldog noses, it is difficult to distinguish the various Mini models, and the new Paceman Concept, which Mini announced for the upcoming Detroit auto show, does little to alleviate the problem.

The Paceman Concept is a coupe, much like the current Mini Cooper model. But the Paceman is based on the Countryman, Mini's new model that aspires to SUV status. As such, the Paceman is slightly larger than the Cooper and sits up higher.

Concept design cues include leather wrappings on the exterior door handles and a leather pull tab on the gas cap cover. Mini says … Read more

At next year's Geneva auto show, tuner and concept builder Rinspeed will show off an environmentally friendly concept car designed to evoke bronzed bodies soaking up the sun at St. Tropez. Although Rinspeed highlights bamboo in the car's name, only interior components are made from bamboo fibers, with a more conventional metal shell for the body.

In the past, Rinspeed has given us such wild concepts as the submersible sQuba and the iChange. In comparison, the BamBoo seems less ambitious, and even Rinspeed describes it as a "grown-up golf cart." Bamboo has become a favorite material … Read more

Research In Motion is a serious company that makes serious smartphones. But a RIM-sponsored design competition aimed at creating phones that integrate human emotions with social networking has produced a concept device that looks nuttier than squirrel droppings: the Blackberry Empathy.

The Empathy is an angular phone that looks absolutely stunning--and a tad bonkers. Its front is home to an OLED touch screen that's transparent when not in use, and opaque at other times. It wouldn't be a proper BlackBerry without a physical keyboard, but the Empathy's is located on its back.

Read more of "BlackBerry Empathy concept phone gets us all emotional&… Read more

With its small engine, the Honda Fit gets excellent fuel economy and produces few smog-causing pollutants, but at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Honda showed it could make the Fit even greener. On display was a concept version of an electric Fit, dubbed the Fit EV.

Using an electric motor similar to the one it developed for the Clarity fuel cell vehicle and a lithium-ion battery pack, Honda says the Fit EV will drive for 100 miles between recharges and hit a top speed of 90 mph. The driver can select between three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. … Read more

Someone at the Conversions and Accessories group at Toyota Motor in Japan must have spent way too long staring into the maw of the Lamborghini Reventon, because the C&A Prius concept debuted at the 2010 SEMA Show looks like the twisted offspring of the supercar and Toyota's powder blue hybrid sedan.

Built to minimize weight and aerodynamic drag, the better to maximize efficiency, the C&A Prius features a carbon fiber hood, rear hatch, side skirts, rear bumper, front fender flares, and rear spoiler. Speaking of the spoiler, this one is a low drag-style rear faring, … Read more

Toyota must be getting sick of people calling it dull, because for sheer absurdity, no vehicle we saw at the 2010 SEMA Show impressed like Toyota's Swagger Wagon Supreme concept. Based on the new 2011 Sienna, this stretched out concept takes moving people to the next level.

The Swagger Wagon Supreme features a wheelbase that's been stretched by 44 inches, creating much more room for people and gadgets, but essentially retaining its seven-seat configuration. From the front seats to about the tailgate, the Sienna's carpet has been replaced with wood flooring. The second row captain's chairs … Read more

Today at the 2010 SEMA Show, Kia unveiled a pair of vehicles that, despite being cut from the same cloth, couldn't be more different. These two 2011 Kia Sportages--both customized by Antenna Magazine--pit work against play, Android against Apple, matte against glossy, and red against blue.

The matte red Antenna Play concept is designed for an active and playful lifestyle with a roof rack for extreme sports equipment. A working barbecue grill shares the rear hatch with a Mac Mini, a storage locker, and a flat-screen television. Molded into the center console is a cradle for an Apple iPod … Read more