trike

Google brings Brazil's Amazon forest to Street View

Most people don't ever get the chance to float down the Amazon River or walk through the surrounding forest and visit local communities. And for those who do, many parts of the area can't be visited because they are under the Brazilian government's protection with restricted public access.

Now, Google is making it possible for armchair explorers to experience the Amazon through its Google Maps' Street View feature. The Web giant announced today, on World Forest Day, that all of the images it has collected over the past several months of the Amazon's Rio Negro Reserve … Read more

Copenhagen: A city of SUV cyclists

COPENHAGEN--The Danes practice what I call green pragmatism.

It's the realization that people, even those who believe in the cost- and health-benefit analyses of going green, are not going to change their behavior unless the new option is both practical and convenient.

But presented with cool technology in the marketplace and education on why a change might be beneficial, people will adopt new best practices offered to them. It's why the Toyota Prius has become so successful, while things like CFL and LED light bulbs are still struggling.

This is certainly the case here in Copenhagen. The self-described &… Read more

Steamy Window virus hits Android

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Google blames a Gmail problem on a software update

Facebook plans to resume personal information sharing

AT&T launches location-based deal alerts on mobile devices and announces it will sell the 3G Kindle in its stores

A new app lets you video chat with your Facebook friends

Google has been successful at gathering high-profile Street View images with the Google Trike

FlyRuby helps you book a private jet online

An Android virus called Steamy Window will run up your text message bill without you knowing it

Google introduces the Trike, a custom-made … Read more

Google creeps deeper with Street View trikes

Please don't tell Google, but its Street View cars haven't been up my street yet. I don't know why. Perhaps my rather forceful neighbor from Tennessee scared them off.

However, Google has today revealed a huge raft of images of many places around the world that it could only reach by tricycle.

In a blog post on the Google site, software engineer (what else?) Jeremy Pack explained that the trikes have been successful in breaching the ramparts of places hitherto unscalable by car.

Take the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin (which, hopefully, will not be subject to … Read more

Google Street View goes off-roading

Google's Street View trike is hitting the road throughout the U.S., and the company is seeking your input as to where it will go next.

In the past, Google Maps' Street View has largely restricted your virtual trips to spots accessible by car. But the company's trike, a 250-pound tricycle outfitted with GPS and a camera that looks like a submarine periscope, can virtually take you places you can't drive--anywhere from a school campus to a theme park.

To help its cyclists go where no trike has gone before, Google needs your help in deciding where … Read more

Piaggio MP3 Scooter...not your father's Vespa

I'm loving this Piaggio MP3 scooter that has two wheels on the front. It uses a very trick suspension/steering set up to allow it to lean into angles just like a regular motorbike, though apparently it feels fairly different. The tripod stance also means it stands up by itself at slow speeds and stopped, negating the need for dragging feet for stability or a kick-stand.

The extra width also gives it a lot of presence which should be helpful on busy freeways. There is ample storage space under the front which makes it practical too.

Even though this … Read more

A trike for grown-ups, at $40,000

If you can't get your hands on an "Armchair Cruiser" (or don't have the guts), there's an alternative to pursue your Wild Hogs fantasy without excessive risk of bodily harm.

The "V2 Roadster" by Triketec is a tricycle on mega-steroids, turbocharged by a three-cylinder engine that can reach 92 horsepower with independent rear suspension. That may seem like a lot for a trike, but be aware that the V2 weighs 1,227 pounds, so it's not exactly something that can be hauled around on a bike rack.

Adding to its inconvenience is … Read more

This isn't your kindergarten trike

People laughed when they first saw wind sailing, so hold your snickers. The Pterosail may look a little silly at first, but we wouldn't be surprised if it took off.

The custom street-legal tricycle, which Treehugger says can reach 40 mph, is outfitted with an electric motor and full sailing system. And despite the Goldbergian appearance of this contraption, it's no slouch in the tech department: It can convert wind energy into electricity for two 24-volt batteries. Now we just have to keep it away from our 3-year-old.

(Photo: Pterosail Trike Systems)