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segway

Steve Jobs meets the Kindle

As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos readies to take center stage Monday morning to release what will most likely be the next version of his company's much-hyped digital reading device, I recently obtained some very interesting--and exclusive--information concerning a very hush-hush meeting between Steve Jobs and Bezos that took place on the eve of the launch of the original Kindle back in November of 2007.

My Deep Throat simply goes by the handle "The Dude," and it's unclear whether he's a disgruntled employee of Apple, Amazon, or the hotel where the meeting allegedly took place--or whether … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 814: BOL: now with actual knowledge

On today's show, we get schooled about how cell phone 911 works, we school the music industry on its consistently terrible ideas regarding physical formats (seriously? Albums on micro SD cards? Are you kidding us with this?), Obama cools his pro Net neutrality stance, and Japan gets to work on the space elevator. Jason already volunteered to go. He's so brave. We'll miss him.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 814

SanDisk, record labels announce new music format http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10047311-93.html http://www.crn.com/retail/210602962 http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/22/music-on-microsd-i-cant-believe-the-labels-fell-for-this/… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 806: Battlestar Monk

On today's show, we reveal a huge spoiler: Monk is the 12th Cylon. (Apologies to any of you who don't watch that show.) This is vaguely related to the news that NBC's return to iTunes comes shackled with variable pricing. In other news, RIM releases its first ever flip phone, and amazing space-based solar power arrives (bad news for birds). Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 806

CERN’s big collider now in action http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10037565-76.html

Flipping out: RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 debuts http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-10036487-7.html

Congress questions … Read more

MP risks arrest for Segway use

MP Lembit Opik braved arrest on Tuesday as he teetered along on a Segway at a cool 12 mph outside the Houses of Parliament.

The member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire was willing to be hauled away by police in his protest against the ban on the two-wheeled transporters on U.K. roads saying: "It's either Segways or Strangeways."

Opik, who can regularly be seen weaving along the country lanes on his Segway Personal Transporter around his home in Newtown, Wales, believes the machines will be legal on U.K. roads by Christmas.

He argues the one-person gyroscopic vehicles could transform city centers… Read more

Segway CTO is riding away to Apple

Segway, the manufacturer of the scooter-like device that was supposed to change the world, is losing an early employee. Doug Field, the company's chief technology officer, is leaving the company to become a vice president of product design at Apple.

The announcement was made through a post on the Segway Chat forums by John Grohol, Segway's former "Web architect" who continues to help run Segway Chat.

"Doug has been the driving force in making the Segway what it is today and will be sorely missed at the company," Grohol wrote. "However, with every … Read more

Firing automatic weapons from a Segway: good idea, or not?

A Chinese news site features a picture of anti-terrorist forces on Segway-back. Is this totally nuts, or a really good idea?

Three questions in the Segway versus no Segway debate: These guys should be in pretty good shape. Shouldn't they be able to run faster than one of these? Well, according to the Wikipedia entry for a Segway PT, the vehicle has a top speed of 12.5 mph. That works out to roughly a five-minute mile. With riot gear on, yeah, that's pushing it. Winner: Segway, if you're willing to be standing really tall all the … Read more

China's military tries out Segways

Visitors to this summer's Olympics in Beijing may see a familiar American gadget on the go, according to a report from the Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of China.

China's military demonstrated on Tuesday their skills at balancing and shooting while on Segways (Xinhua photo of demo) during a series of drills of anti-terrorist units in Jinan, Shandong Province, according to Xinhua.

The Segway was demonstrated as a useful tool since it allows soldiers, once they are trained in balancing and maneuvering the machine, to keep both hands on their weapon while still accelerating and turning … Read more

Combining the Segway with skiing and strollers

We've intimated before that the Segway isn't exactly our cup of tea, but we're frankly afraid of going down that route again for fear of reprisal. So without judgment, we herewith present another item on said machine that seeks to improve upon the design, regardless of how one feels about it.

Designer Sarah Park has drafted a concept that would outfit the famed personal transporter with dual handlebars that Gearfuse describes as a "skiing-like steering mechanism." The size of the handlebars would be similar to those of a baby stroller and navigated in a similar … Read more

Segway toughens up, heads in new directions

Apparently the people behind the Segway are finally starting to listen to the incessant mocking of the personal transporter as the ultimate in dorkdom. The evidence: It's preparing to debut a new RMP (Robotic Mobility Platform) at the RoboBusiness conference that looks more appropriate for a desert battlefield than a paved sidewalk.

It's a far more macho version of the first RMP released more than a year ago, which was developed for use by robots. The new model--which could cost as much as $50,000--can carry up to 400 pounds, according to MAKE, and has omnidirectional wheels for … Read more