Crave

Monday, we told you about a breakthrough in robotics that allows killer machines to be powered by compressed air. Now we've got this amazing video of a motorcycle that uses the same power source. The so-called Air Bike was created by engineering students in India as a prototype for a solution to the country's prevalent smog problem.

Sure, it only goes 11 mph now, but as a proof-of-concept vehicle it's pretty cool. I could imagine a smaller vehicle (bike? moped?) with the same gear that could go much faster as a final product, if it gets that far.

The only problem I see is that compressing air takes energy, and often air compressors are powered by the same gasoline that this cycle is meant to eliminate the need for. If they can find a way to use electric compressors only, then this concept is definitely worth pursuing.

(Via Newlaunches.com)

Tata Motors has begun taking orders for its Nano minicar.

The Indian automaker on Thursday opened up its booking system for the high-profile Nano, which it has pitched as the "people's car"--a first automobile for families that, until now, have had to crowd onto a scooter. There are only approximately nine vehicles per 1,000 people in India, according to the Reuters news agency.

The deluxe version of the Tata Nano (photo from January 2008).

(Credit: Tata Motors)

Bookings will close in just more than two weeks, on April 25. The company had made application forms for bookings available at the beginning of the month and said the response has been "very encouraging."

Priced starting at about $2,000 for the standard version, the Tata Nano is a very modest machine. It's about 10 feet long, weighing in at about 1,300 pounds, and Tata says it can "comfortably" seat four adults. The top speed for the car, which has a two-cylinder, 624-cc, rear-mounted engine, is about 65 miles per hour. The gas mileage is said to be about 56 miles per gallon.

Prospective buyers seemed most attracted by the low price (only about three times that of a low-end scooter), according to a Reuters report.

"I have experienced other foreign small cars," Denis Quadros, 42, who owns a Maruti Wagon R, told Reuters. "They are expensive to maintain and consume a lot of fuel. But look at Nano's mileage, and we know Tata cars are cheaper on maintenance."

Tata plans to begin delivering the cars in July.

But even then, there could be a long wait for those who've booked a Nano order. At the end of June, Tata plans to announce the allotment of the first 100,000 cars, as determined by a computerized random selection. News agencies reported that it will likely take Tata more than a year to fill the 100,000 orders.

There has been much vaunting on the Interweb these past couple of days concerning India's "$20 laptop." Or is it $10, or $30? In fact, the number of putative prices for the "Sakshat" device (which apparently means "before your eyes") comfortably exceeds the number of hard facts that have emerged.

(Credit: Gizmodo)

For a start, it doesn't appear to be a laptop at all, if the picture relayed by Gizmodo Wednesday is anything to go by. Instead, it seems to be a small (10 inches by 5 inches) "storage device" with a bunch of wires emerging from it.

Two gigabytes of storage capacity have been touted, along with Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity. That's it, basically. Oh, and Sakshat may not refer to the device at all, but to a related educational Web site. Confused yet?

Few of the multitude of stories have failed to compare and contrast this Indian device with Nicholas Negroponte's troubled OLPC project and its XO laptop (originally planned to cost $100, but still well north of that figure). Pundits have furrowed their brows pondering how a laptop could be built for $20 (or so) and pronounced themselves baffled. Well, it's not a laptop, that's why.

At this point I should fulminate about vast numbers of words devoted to an obscure product about which we currently know little. But I seem to have just added another 250-odd to the total. Drat!

(Via ZDNet UK)

Ever heard a safe-sex promo sung in multipart harmony? Have a listen to the "condom a cappella" ringtone. Just launched in India--where approximately 2.5 million people are living with HIV--it's part of a three-year ad offensive aimed at making condom use there more socially acceptable. And it's actually quite catchy.

Turn up the volume: it's the condom ringtone.

(Credit: BBC World Service Trust)

The ringtone marks the latest phase in the mass-media campaign, which has placed ads on television, radio, and film, and in print and outdoor media. Ultimately, the HIV-prevention messages are expected to reach an estimated 52 million men.

According to international charity BBC World Service Trust, which is producing the ads, the idea behind the condom ringtone is "jo samjha wohi sikander" ("the one who understands is a winner"). To wit: an ad promoting the new ringtone depicts a wedding, where a mobile ringtone buzzes with a loud "condom! condom!" Embarrassing for the man holding the phone? Not even. The reaction of those around the red-faced guy is to see him as smart and responsible.

"Ringtones have become such personal statements that a specially created condom ringtone seemed just the right way of combining a practical message with a fun approach," said Radharani Mitra, creative director of the BBC World Service Trust India.

The campaign is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The National AIDS Control Organization is also using the ads to support its condom promotion efforts.

The ringtone, which can be downloaded both via SMS or the Web site www.condomcondom.org, has reportedly been downloaded more than 60,000 times in the last 12 days. And trust us, it's much better than that other safe-sex ringtone: "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off."

AUDIO

Ringing a new tune
Listen to the condom a capella ringtone produced by the BBC World Service Trust India.
Download mp3 (690KB)

Dell notebooks will be available in retail stores in India for the first time, the company said Tuesday.

The company hinted that it would make this move last week, saying it planned to increase its presence in China and India, two of the world's biggest emerging markets for computers. Dell already has a relationship with one of China's largest retail chains, Gome.

Some Inspiron notebooks will be sold through Indian retailer Croma.

(Credit: Dell)

In the announcement, Dell said it plans to offer Inspiron desktops and notebooks, and XPS notebooks through Indian electronics outlet Croma. Dell has a presence in India, but prior to this announcement, only via direct sales channels where customers could call or order a PC online.

The move to make its PC available in retail stores follows a strategy the company began laying out almost a year ago when it first announced it would offer some PCs through Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. Since then the Texas PC maker has added U.K. electronics retailer Carphone Warehouse, Bic Camera in Japan, Gome in China, Staples, and Best Buy.

As the U.S. market becomes increasingly saturated with computers, Dell is looking eastward for new markets in which to sell its wares.

The Texas PC maker said Thursday it plans to increase its presence in China and India, the Associated Press reports.

"This year, we plan to introduce 50 percent more notebook platforms than we introduced last year, including exciting new products aimed exactly at Chinese customer needs," CEO Michael Dell said at a news conference in Beijing. He added that machines meant for needs of Indian customers would also be part of the plan.

Dell is the second-biggest PC maker worldwide, but in China lags behind Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, and Asus. Dell raised its profile in the country last fall when it agreed to sell its computers through local retail giant Gome. On Thursday the company said it will be expanding to 1,200 cities in China by the end of 2008, a giant leap from the 45 cities in 2007.

As concerns over a weakening U.S. economy grow, some economists anticipate consumers here will be spending less. But PC makers already know that the U.S. is not the place to expect giant profits--much of the growth in the PC business these days is coming in emerging markets, where many consumers are making their first computer purchase.

"When we look at the potential for expansion, we do see enormous opportunity ahead," Michael Dell said. "As far as the U.S. goes, I think the U.S. will be OK, but not the fastest-growing. We expect more growth in Asia."

(Credit: TechShout)

It may be time for Lenovo to reign in some of its designers. As much as we appreciated the way it integrated the "Cloud of Promise" Olympics theme into its red "Xiang" laptop, its latest effort is a little kooky.

The company has come up with a "Winter Edition" of its Y410 Audio DJ Series, featuring what it calls a "Snowmountain" theme on the lid of the 14.1-inch laptop. Mumbai-based TechShout says the computer, which was designed specifically for the Indian market, bears the outline of the world's five highest mountains--Makalu, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga, K2, and Mount Everest (in ascending order)--to reflect a "vertical state of mind." The interior, meanwhile, "features a vignette of a mountaineer, scaling a peak that stand for the endurance, challenges, aspirations, and the constant climb towards quality and success."

With all that lofty symbolism, you'd think they would have put a little more effort into the artwork. Looking at this picture, we first thought a kid had taken a Sharpie to his dad's computer.