hybrids

We may be closer to harnessing the power of the sea and air. The world's first hybrid wind-current power generation system will be installed off the coast of Japan later this year.

The Savonius Keel & Wind Turbine Darrieus (SKWID) power generation system being developed by Mitsui Ocean Development & Engineering Company (Modec) is a floating system that shares a vertical floating axis. On the company's Web site (PDF), Modec says the concept will generate double or more power from the same sea surface area as a conventional wind turbine. … Read more

Sony is prepping a new 13-inch slider laptop, similar to the Vaio Duo 11, for a Computex reveal, a source tells CNET.

The source familiar with the upcoming device -- supposedly called the Vaio Duo 13 -- confirmed to CNET the authenticity of the video, pictures, and specifications originally revealed Thursday by Notebook Review. Barring any last-minute changes, the source indicated that the Japanese company plans to announce the Windows 8 device during its annual press conference in early June at the Computex expo in Taiwan.… Read more

If you were wondering where the solid-state part in WD's new solid-state hybrid drive, the WD Black, comes from, the answer is SanDisk.

The two storage vendors today announced their collaboration in creating solid-state hybrid drives, with the first being the WD Black.

According to both parties, SanDisk is supplying a SanDisk iSSD storage device for the WD Black SSHD. The WD Black comes with up to 32GB of iSSD storage and currently offers a total of 500GB mixed iSSD and platter-based storage.

The drive is superslim, being just 5mm thick while still retaining the 2.5-inch laptop-standard design. … Read more

Apple can never keep its nose out of anything for too long.

A patent application filed recently describes a laptop hybrid that could be charged wirelessly. Could this be the game changer that nobody's been waiting for?

Windows' next iteration might make things easier for users with the touch of a button. And according to a recent report, Microsoft can't let everyone else have all the smartwatch fun. Unfortunately.

What do you think about an Apple laptop hybrid? Is it something you'd buy? Does wireless charging up the ante? Leave a comment and let us know your … Read more

Windows 8 hybrids are out in force. Should Apple join the fray or just stay away?

An Apple patent, which came to light this week, proposes a convertible laptop featuring -- in certain configurations -- a touch-capable detachable display and a base station with a keyboard. Both can wirelessly transmit power and communicate wirelessly, according to the filing.

Theoretically, this newfangled MacBook could obviate the need to haul around both an iPad and a MacBook.

At least that's what the Windows 8 crowd like Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo are proposing.

Here's the challenge as I see it (though I'… Read more

There are quite a few clock apps on the App Store for the iPad. Since the iPad doesn't have a built-in clock or timer app, any of these is a useful addition to the device, and because of its large 10" retina display, it can make a nice addition to your mantle when you have guests. But not all clock apps look or operate the same. Some are pretty enough but have no additional functions and others would be very useful if they weren't covered in ads.

So Hybrid Clock is a unique app in many ways, … Read more

Looking to upgrade your laptop? One great option is to replace your pokey old mechanical hard drive with a lightning-fast solid-state drive (SSD). However, they carry a much higher price-per-gigabyte: A typical 128GB SSD can run anywhere from $125-200, for example.

Ah, but what about a solid-state hybrid drive (or SSHD)? These clever units combine old-school platters with newfangled flash storage to deliver SSD-level performance along with HDD-level capacity -- and for a lot less than the cost of a pure SSD.

To wit: Amazon has the Seagate ST1000LM014 1TB solid-state hybrid drive for $119.99 shipped. (Out of stock? … Read more

Despite Apple CEO Tim Cook having knocked the idea of a convertible MacBook-iPad hybrid device, the company has filed a patent application for just that. The proposed patent, titled "Wireless display for electronic devices," was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today.

The application describes a computer display that is removable from its base -- basically a convertible laptop. But, what's different about this idea from other convertibles made by other companies is that it has wireless display technology. That means the device could be charged wirelessly.

Here's how Apple describes it in … Read more

In announcing the 2014-model-year Panamera, Porsche released details of a new plug-in hybrid variant, a replacement for the current Panamera Hybrid model. The new model, termed the Panamera S E-Hybrid, gets a larger battery pack and more powerful electric motor than the previous Panamera S Hybrid.

Porsche says the 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid will drive over 20 miles under electric power.

That distance may not sound like much, but it is a robust number for plug-in hybrids. Ford rates its C-Max Energi at 21 miles of electric range, while the Chevy Volt, the leader in the class, rates at 38 … Read more