yearly

And lo, it was foretold in the fall of 2007, that a mobile telephone would lead humanity out of the New Dark Ages and into a better future free from roaming charges and buttons.

Time, which likes to anoint things, has named Apple's iPhone the "Invention of the Year," following such recent IotYs like YouTube and SpaceShipOne. The number one reason why the iPhone is Time's Invention of the Year? "It's pretty." Further: "An example: look at what happens when you put the iPhone into 'airplane' mode (i.e., no cell service, … Read more

While still fairly new, the car industry is taking a cue from Hollywood and ending the car show season with an awards ceremony.

Comparable to what the Golden Globes means for film, the World Car of the Year Awards are voted on by 44 automotive journalists in 22 countries through secret ballot. (The actual awards are giant gold spheres on a pedestal.)

This year the World Car of the Year (think Best Motion Picture), went to the Lexus LS 460, which beat out the Audi TT and the Mini Cooper, as well as seven other nominees. (It should be noted … Read more

The guys and gals over at Goodyear will be shaking when they read this. The next Super Bowl may feature a far more interesting blimp if Air Genie gets the right people's attention.

Gear Factor picked up on this patent-pending dirigible called the Air Genie video airship.

The hybrid helium blimp has telescoping landing legs and a completely retractable cabin, so it appears as a perfect sphere when in flight. While it has television and radio broadcasting capabilities, it can also reflect its own surroundings to blend in.

Not only can it be "invisible," but it can … Read more

We had no idea that the lunar calendar would be such a popular theme in gadgets, but it's as good an excuse as any to release a "limited edition" based on what we've seen in the past. After 24k phone charms and gold and silver USB keys, we now have PQI's "Fortune Pig" flash memory card to celebrate the Year of the Boar, done in a tasteful red and gold. Gadget Lab says the case bears different boar designs on the 1GB and the 2GB versions, but we can definitely say that both … Read more

JoesGoals is a simple online application that's great for tracking your daily goals. You can assign positive or negative points for things you want (or don't want) to do, and just click on the goal to add or subtract from your tally. For example, I'd like to quit eating M&M's every afternoon. I set that up as a negative goal; when I give in to it, I click on it and get a point subtracted from my goals score for the day. On the positive side, I should walk the big hill home instead … Read more

Each December 31, my childhood friends and I used to jot down New Year's resolutions and then hide them until the next New Year's party. What better way to forget about our life-changing goals for 364 days! It should be harder to escape your resolutions if you track them online. Here are some free places to start:

31 Left invites you to commit to one resolution at a time--and donate to a nonprofit of your choice if you fail. You can post publicly if you dare. When February strikes, 31 Left will send an e-mail either to congratulate … Read more

In between writing about the latest in social media, productivity tools, and all the other varieties of Web apps that the series of tubes is offering these days, I occasionally like to give a shameless plug about what's going on in the tech scene in my home city. After all, Webware is based out of the Bay Area, so as a New Yorker I feel like I have to make my regional voice heard once in a while. There's a great grassroots tech scene here, exemplified in the number of both gatherings--like the NY Tech Meetup, led by … Read more