First off, let me say I've always wanted to make things move with my mind--at least, some small amount of levitation, like, say, lifting a car through the air like Yoda lifted Luke Skywalker's X-Wing. "Star Wars" has played no small part in that fantasy. Oh, wait, did I say fantasy?
Mattel is releasing a toy this holiday that actually lets people raise and lower things with their mind. Well, make that one thing: a blue foam ball.
Obviously, when Mattel reps called CNET asking for a meeting, we quickly ushered them in. We'd heard about this product at CES and in other applications in the past, including the Swedish Mindball (no, we're not making that up). But Mattel's desire to bring this to the masses is admirable, and as we were soon to find out, bizarre. Look above to see the somewhat embarrassing video if you have any doubts.
Like something dropped in out of a late-'70s science fiction movie, Mindflex comes in two parts: a stark white-and-blue plastic obstacle course for a series of small foam balls, and a strange wireless headset/headband. The parts were unloaded from a shopping bag here at our CNET Labs, and quickly assembled. The obstacle course looks almost like a future version of the old kinetic board game, Mouse Trap. Except, as we said, this one's mind-controlled.
Scott Stein: ready for mind control!
(Credit: Joseph Kaminski/CNET)Mattel's representatives showed how Mindflex worked with a demonstration before throwing me into amateur mind control, raising and lowering the blue ball through a series of plastic hoops and tunnels.
Mindflex announces the start of challenges (with a straight-from-Epcot robotic female voice), and then players can register their successful moves by pressing buttons on the front of the machine. A large knob turns the motorized fan around the circular track, carrying the ball around the mini-course.
The brain control part comes in when raising and lowering the ball (activating and deactivating the fan), which is all triggered via what the headset is reading from my little brain. To be specific, the control is done digitally: the headband senses concentration and relaxation, and raises and lowers the ball accordingly. Then, it was my turn.
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8X zoom for your DSi.
(Credit: Nyko)Hot off the heels of the company's Wand accessory release for the Nintendo Wii, video game accessory manufacturer Nyko debuted three new products at this year's E3 convention.
The Zoom Case for Nintendo DSi is certainly the most interesting DSi accessory we've seen yet, boasting an 8X zoom lens attachment. The protective case is textured for a better grip on the system and the zoom lens itself can be detached and transported in a case of its own. Good thing for that or this accessory would have removed the "portable" feature of the DSi.
For those PSP owners not choosing to upgrade to the new PSP Go, the Charge Flex Grip will provide your handheld (the PSP-2000 or the 3000) with an improved grip as well as up to 1.5 times more play with an embedded rechargeable battery. More high-res photos await! ... Read more
What do photography and the new Ford Flex have in common? Not much, except for this app.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive)It seems that more and more automakers are jumping on this iPhone app bandwagon. First it was Audi, with its driving game. Then Mercedes-Benz launched an iPhone optimized Web site featuring video. Now, it's Ford's turn to throw its hat into the iPhone arena. Where the previous two examples were directly related to the cars and car culture, Ford has chosen to release a free photo editor. What?
The Ford Flex Photo Lab--try saying that five times fast--is essentially a collection of six photo filters that allow iPhone users to fix up or trick out their pictures. What does photography have to do with the Flex? Usha Raghavachari, Ford Crossover marketing communications manager, says: "Flex consumers love new technology, and we know that a lot of them have iPhones, so we wanted to offer them a free application that is both a cool and useful tool."
I ran the kaleidoscope filter on a photo of a Mazda RX8.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive)So how does the Flex Photo Lab perform as a photo editor? In a word: mediocre. The kaleidoscope filter allows users to fracture their photos like the namesake toy, but it's not of much use beyond the first trial. "Electric lines" allows users to draw lines on the chosen photo. We're not sure why you'd want to, but you can. "Spot burner" and "spot lighter" allow darkening and lightening of areas of a photo, with mixed results. Brightness/contrast and hue/saturation controls are good for tweaking images, but without much control over the effect. The experience is far from Adobe Photoshop in the palm of your hand.
From the main menu, users are also given a "Discover FLEX" option, which links to photos, 360-degree views and specs for the Ford Flex crossover. An interesting option is the "Locate the FLEX" button, which uses Google Maps to locate the Ford dealer nearest to you.
I spent hours goofing off with the Audi app when it first came out, but the Ford app didn't capture my attention in the same way. I used it once or twice, but I don't see much use for it down the line. I do most of my photo editing at home on a bigger monitor with a better program. Neither of the applications made me want to go out and buy the vehicles.
The Ford Flex Photo Lab is available for free in the Apple iTunes App store. I like free apps, so keep 'em coming, automakers!
In case you hadn't heard already, this morning Esquire officially unveiled the first "digital" E-Ink cover in paper magazine history at an event in a Borders store in Manhattan. The special cover, which helps promote/commemorate Esquire's 75th anniversary edition, is only incorporated into 100,000 copies, all of which are available only at newsstands for $5.99 a pop--that's $2 more than the usual price. Sorry, subscribers, you get a ho-hum nondigital version.
The whole venture is sponsored by Ford and its campaign for its new "crossover" vehicle, the Flex. The cover is actually pretty cool in a gee-look-what-we-can-do sort of way; it's basically an electronic billboard that flashes on and off in different sequences, highlighting words and images. E-ink is monochrome but there's a plastic overlay that has some color images printed on it, so from a distance, the ink appears to be in color in spots--but it's not. On the inside of the cover, there's also a bit of e-ink flashing on the background of a Ford Flex ad that kind of makes the car look like it's moving (OK, not really, but I'm trying to be generous).
Neither Esquire, Ford, nor E-Ink would say how much it cost to produce the special cover, but we imagine it wasn't cheap. As for the built in battery that powers the 2.0 by 4.75-inch electronic paper display (EPD), Esquire Editor in Chief David Granger said they initially expected it to last 90 days but it appears it will last significantly longer--upwards of 250 days. Once the battery dies (it's not replaceable) a static image will be left on the EPD. In other words, part of the display will remain "on" with the ghosted remnants of the E-Ink, much like what Amazon's Kindle does with its screensaver images.
All in all, we're not sure what the point of the whole exercise is because Esquire is a paper magazine and wants to stay that way. But as a marketing stunt, it's fantastic for all the parties involved. Esquire gets to appear cutting edge, as does Ford. And E-ink? Well, plenty of people have heard of the Kindle and maybe Sony's Reader, but not that many people know what kind of technology is at their core. With potential competitors like Plastic Logic and its superslim electronic reader popping up, E-Ink needs to try to stay ahead of the curve.
What do you guys think?
Related news: Plastic Logic's plastic reader is thin, simple, strong
Lotus Engineering, the automotive consultancy division of Lotus, is back in the news again, this time with a new engine concept called the Omnivore. Lotus announced that it would be collaborating with Queen's University Belfast and Jaguar Cars to develop the engine, which is said to maximize fuel efficiency when running on renewable fuels. Essentially, the Omnivore is an engine that can run on almost anything, from gasoline to alcohol.
The Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel's tech is related to the Omnivore project.
(Credit: Lotus Engineering)This engine design is expected to significantly increase fuel efficiency for sustainable bio alcohol fuels (such as ethanol or methanol) by using a combination of direct injection and variable compression ratio. According to Lotus, the bio alcohol fuels have a much higher octane rating than regular gasoline, allowing for very high compression ratios and much more efficient operation. However, because the system has a variable compression ratio, the system can be scaled back to a lower compression to run regular gasoline or a blend of gasoline and bio alcohol.
The benefit is that the Omnivore engine will be able to gain the high mpg and sustainability of bio alcohol blends without losing the convenience of the established gasoline infrastructure. All of this is accomplished, according to Lotus, without the power and efficiency compromises of today's flex fuel vehicles, thanks to the Omnivore's ability to better optimize itself to any gasoline/alcohol blend.
The Omnivore program complements the recently unveiled Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel as part of Lotus' research into running mixtures of alcohol fuels and gasoline.
As fuel costs rise, consumers are demanding more economical cars, but their demand for performance hasn't tapered at all. In the future we can look forward to automakers trying even more unconventional ways to avoid putting fuel efficiency at odds with high performance.
(Credit:
Eizo)
This is one of those random facts that, if true, makes one wonder why technology hasn't caught up with reality: More than 200 million people worldwide are thought to be colorblind, according to some estimates, with more than 10 million of them in the United States. If even part of those statistics are accurate, it makes sense that companies would step up efforts to market products for that population.
Although technologies for the colorblind have been developed in the past, Japan's Eizo believes it has come up with a unique system that will allow colorblind individuals to "see" the graphic displays on its new 24-inch LCD, according to Akihabara News. Through Color Universal Design principles, it uses such techniques as lighting, shapes, positions, patterns, and labeling to help those who can't discern differences in color.
Eizo's FlexScan system is on the Japanese market at present, but it's not hard to imagine something like this taking off worldwide if it proves effective. After all, if anything transcends language and cultural barriers, it would seem to be something like this.
A collaboration between military R&D and industrial designers is bringing state-of-the-art PDA technology to Joe Snuffy out on the battlefield.
The Soldier Flex PDA (SFPDA) introduced by Inhand Electronics features flexible display technology with input from industrial design firm Artisent, display technology firm E-Ink and the U.S. Army Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University.
(Credit:
Inhand Electronics)
The PDA offers InHand's PXA270-based Fingertip4 CPU board, along with Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth and keypad interfaces all in a "ruggedized" glass-free package that weighs less than a pound. Best of all, the unique low-power characteristics of electronic paper displays and InHand's patented BatterySmart system keep power consumption at well below a single watt. Battery life runs about six hours, according to the Maryland company.
The device opens up the realm of possibilities for distributing critical battlefield-networked information to infantry combat soldiers on long duration missions, explains Henry Girolamo, SFPDA program manager at the Army's Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center.
That, and having a PDA around should make pulling guard duty a lot more entertaining.
The Volkswagen Up debuted today in Frankfurt.
(Credit: CNET Networks)We've been trawling the floor on the first day of the Frankfurt auto show, and there have been plenty of new model launches and concept-car unveilings to keep us busy. Mercedes-Benz delivered on its promise to take the wraps off a fleet of new cars, including hybrid versions of its C300 wagon and its ML450 SUV, as well as its F700 research vehicle. Volkswagen and BMW also took advantage of being on their home turf, with the latter unveiling its partnership with Google for a local-search-enabled in-dash navigation system, and VW showing off its Up concept, an ultra-compact rear-engined mini-Golf with removable seats. Meanwhile, Fiat's own microcar, the 500, turned out not to be so micro in the flesh.
On the hybrid front, GM showed off its E-Flex-powered Opel Flextreme concept complete with built-in Segways, while Honda displayed a sport-tuned version of its Civic Hybrid that had earned its stripes racing in the 2007 Nurburgring race. Check out our continuing coverage of the show on the new CNET Car Tech blog, here.
La Marquise burns coal, wood, and paper to make steam.
(Credit: Autoblog)While hybrid- and flex-fuel cars may be all the rage in today's proto-post-petroleum age, the same approach was being used over 100 years ago by the makers of La Marquise, claimant to the title of the world's oldest running car. Admittedly, the coal, wood, and paper that the steam-powered Marquise uses may not be as eco-friendly as the ethanol or clean diesel of today, but it was enough to get the car's first owner--the Count De Dion--around at a blistering 38 mph when it left the factory in 1884.
According to Autoblog, La Marquise has had only two owners since Monsieur le compte and is about to get its fourth when it goes on sale for an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million at Pebble Beach next month. Just don't expect it to come with a lane-departure warning system or a night-vision camera.
Via Autoblog
2008 Ford F-150 Chip Foose edition
(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET Networks)Ford introduced three distinctly diverse limited-run 2008 models at the New York Auto show this week.
First in the lineup is the most powerful Mustang to date, the Shelby GT500KR. But if you need something larger to haul your Ponycar, consider the 2008 Ford F-150 Foose Edition, named for famed car designer and star of Overhaulin' Chip Foose.
Sporting a 450 HP, 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers 500 pounds of torque, this is arguably the most powerful F-150 since the 2004 SVT Lightning. Rest assured it will get you to the construction site and back with time to spare. If you grab one of the 500 units in the initial production run, that is. If you're in love with the Foose 22s, lowered stance, in-your-face racing stripes and the dire need to brag to your friends that you are piloting the highest-power half ton in production right now, this is the hauler for you. It puts previous Harley Davidson edition Ford pick-ups to shame.
And then there is the 2008 Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition. Yes, Ford has partnered with the star of Ride with Funkmaster Flex himself.
The Expedition FMF rolls on 20-inch dubs, and will include a two-tone red and black paint job, special badging on the outside and red stitching and Funkmaster logos on the inside. The tricked-out SUV will hold a 5.4-liter V-8 engine that makes 300 HP and a six-speed automatic transmission. Of course, no car named for the master of funk would be complete without a boomin' system. The FMF edition comes with Ford's 340-watt Audiophile sound system. The only unanswered question is whether it will come with a signed copy of Funkmaster Flex's Funkmaster Flex Car Show Tour (EXPLICIT LYRICS) CD.
2008 Ford Expedition FMF
(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET Networks)
