Crave

The maple seed device seen next to actual samara seeds.

(Credit: Eric Schurr/A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland)

Remember as a kid being entertained by how maple tree seeds (or samara fruit) would spin like helicopters as they fell around you in the fall? I do, and that's why I love this prototype rotorcraft by graduate students at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering.

It's a remote-controlled monocopter with a design based heavily on the aerodynamic and geometric properties of maple seeds. Researchers have tried for years to create an unmanned aerial vehicle that could mimic maple seeds' spiraling fall. The results out of Maryland are awesome.

As you can see in the video after the jump, the patent-pending device uses just one blade to take off, as well as a stabilizer to keep it steady. It looks weird, but it works. This is a great example of nature influencing science.

The students say they've created he world's smallest controllable single-winged rotorcraft, with the most minuscule having a maximum dimension of about 3.7 inches and a wing equal in size to a natural samara. Graduate student Evan Ulrich says he thinks the 'copter could be mass produced as a toy for less than $100, which even sounds high to us given that one of the parts experimented with is a vibrating motor from a pager.

There could also be military or rescue applications: a flyer fitted with a small camera could easily be sent across an area looking for survivors--or targets.

But no matter what the flyer ends up being used for, one thing is sure: I want one badly.

We've already seen them previewed with the rest of Acer's upcoming lineup back in April, but the official release of the next generation of Aspire One Netbooks is finally here. Most notable is the inclusion of a new, bigger 11.6-inch model, the Aspire One AO751h; also new is a revamped 10.1-inch system, the Aspire One AOD250. (Confidential to Acer: we're available as product naming consultants for the low, low price of free).

Both new Netbooks are thinner than Acer's previous models, and the 11-inch AO751h has a full-size keyboard, along with a 16:9 LED display. "We predict that the larger display and keyboard will be a game-changer for mobile consumers looking to take it to the next level with the ultimate mobile device," says Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product management for Acer America. Thanks to the popular Aspire One line (and its low $350 starting price) Acer currently claims 30.5 percent of the global Netbook market, and has shipped 1.8 million Netbooks in the first quarter of 2009.

Available colors include Diamond Black, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, and Seashell White, and both models weigh less than three pounds. Like other recent Acer laptops, the new Netbooks include multi-touch gesture support for the touchpads, letting users pinch, rotate of flip through content.

Click through for full specs on both new models :

Acer Aspire One AO751h

(Credit: Acer)

Acer Aspire One AO751h-1192
* Intel Atom Processor Z520 (1.22GHz, 490MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache)
* Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Home
* 11.6-inch WXGA 16:9 ratio Acer CrystalBrite High Definition LED back-lit TFT LCD (1364 x 768 resolution)
* Mobile Intel US15W Express Chipset
* 1024MB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM Single Channel Memory
* Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
* 160GB SATA 5400RPM Hard Drive
* Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader and Dedicated SD Card
* Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
* Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
* Two Built-in Stereo Speakers
* Three USB 2.0 Ports
* 6-cell Li-ion Battery (5200mAh)
* 11.18" (W) x 7.79" (D) x 1" (H)
* Sapphire Blue
* One-Year Standard Warranty
* Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $379.99

Acer Aspire One AOD250

(Credit: Acer)

Acer Aspire One AOD250-1042
* Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache)
* Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Home
* 10.1-inch WSVGA 16:9 ratio Acer CrystalBrite(tm) LED back-lit TFT LCD (1024x600 resolution)
* Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
* 1024MB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM Single Channel Memory
* Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
* 160GB SATA 5400RPM Hard Drive
* Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
* Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
* Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
* Two Built-in Stereo Speakers
* Three USB 2.0 Ports
* 3-cell Li-ion Battery (2600 mAh)
* 10.17" (W) x 7.24" (D) x 1" (H)
* Ruby Red
* One-Year Standard Warranty
* Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $298.00

In 1909, this Model T may have been stuck in the mud, but pretty soon Ford had a runaway hit on its hands. (For more photos, click on the image.)

(Credit: From the collections of The Henry Ford and Ford Motor)

You don't have to have lived a hundred years ago to appreciate the Model T. All you have to do is look at the world around you today.

The Model T put the auto industry on the road to standardized parts and the assembly line. It helped make cars affordable for ordinary folks, by the millions. And if John Steinbeck is to be believed, it was instrumental in bringing into being the generation born between the two World Wars: "Most of the babies of the period were conceived in Model T Fords and not a few were born in them."

This week marks the centennial of Ford Motor's best-known car, at least until the Mustang came along. The automaker has been commemorating the occasion for the better part of the year, and over the summer, fair weather beckoned about 1,000 modern-day Model T owners to Richmond, Ind., for what Ford says was the largest-ever gathering of cars (outside the factory, we presume). It must be said, though, that not everyone is a fan.

More than 15 million of the cars were built between 1908 and 1927. The first models had no headlights, had to be started with a hand crank, and were actually available in a few shades other than black. Eventually, headlights became standard, as did electric starters and black paint (until, in the latter days of production, Ford reintroduced a wider color palette).

At first, the Model T cost about $850, but competition and the assembly line helped push the price tag below $300. Yep, bread and milk were a lot cheaper in those days, too.

If you can't get your hands on your own Model T, satisfy your nostalgia with this look back at the car of the century that was:

Photos: The Ford Model T turns 100

The HP Pavilion dv7-1025nr is a 17-inch laptop, though you'd never know it from its name.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Each day during the week here at CNET we have a quick meeting to talk about what stories and reviews we think should be promoted on the CNET home page. Not so surprisingly, computers and TVs are popular among our readers, so those types of products tend to get a lot of play on the CNET home page. But, the problem is these computers and TVs have the most ridiculous model numbers attached to them that it makes it very difficult--and almost comical--to pitch them.

Take a recent selection of model numbers from the Home & Hardware schedule. From HP you have the HP Pavilion dv7-1025nr and HP Pavilion dv5-1004nr. Then there's the Gateway GT5692, Sony Vaio VGN-FW140, Compaq Presario CQ50-115NR, Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815, and Toshiba Satellite U405D-S2852. On the TV front, you get stuff like the Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U, Westinghouse VK-40FS580D, Mitsubishi LT-46148, Toshiba Regza 42RV530U, and Vizio SV470XVT. The list of wacky names goes on and on, which makes you think: what are these people thinking?

By "these people" I guess I mean the marketing teams of these various companies. I mean, haven't they learned anything from Apple? Some of the cell phone manufacturers seem to have. Now we're seeing popular phones like the Samsung Instinct and LG Dare that have simple one-word names that people can easily remember. There's a shocker.

I'll give Dell credit for trying. At least its models kind of make sense now and are limited to four numbers (for example, its Inspiron 1525 is a laptop with a 15-inch screen). But my God, the Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815? What the hell is that? I have trouble rattling it off correctly in a meeting and sometimes miss a number or letter.

And so I ask: Can we please put a stop to long, stupid model numbers that don't give you any idea what the product is? I'm singling out certain computer and TV manufacturers but the poor-naming phenomenon is fairly widespread--there are plenty of electronics products with ridiculous names. Anybody have any insights into all this or nominations for the most absurd model number?

Thanks.

This laptop's parents must be very proud.

When people refer to a seasonal business, they usually mean the holiday shopping season that starts with Black Friday. But the real season for laptops has become the summer shopping phenomenon known as "Back to School." For college students, a laptop is virtually required equipment, and even high school and grade school kids are getting in on the act.

To help you pick the perfect system for your academic needs (or to send those Facebook party invites from), we've scoured the retail shelves of big box electronics stores to find the specific configurations and model numbers you're most likely to find in Sunday sales circulars throughout the summer.

Below are all the retail laptops we're reviewing over the course of this summer. If you bookmark this page and check back regularly, we'll add links to the reviews as they go up and then present our favorites from each category.

Note: Laptop models listed as XXX haven't been officially announced yet--check back for updates.

Entry Level ($699 or less)
Compaq CQ50-115NR
Dell Inspiron 1525-121B
Sony VAIO NR430E/L
Toshiba Satellite L305-S5875
Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815

Budget ($700 - $799)
Dell Inspiron 1420-123B
Dell Inspiron 1525-122B
Gateway T-6836
HP Pavilion dv2915nr
HP Pavilion dv6915nr
Toshiba Satellite A305D-S6848

Mainstream ($800 - $999)
Dell Studio 1535-125B
HP Pavilion dv2945se
HP Pavilion dv9925nr
HP Pavilion dv6985se
HP Pavilion dv5-1002nr
Sony VAIO CR510E
Sony VAIO NR498E/W
Toshiba Satellite A305-S6858
Toshiba Satellite U405D-S2852

High-end ($1,000 and up)
Dell XPS M1330-126B
Gateway P-7811
HP Pavilion dv7-1025nr
HP Pavilion dv5-1004nr
HP Pavilion dv5-1015nr
Sony VAIO FW140
Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q701

See more laptops in CNET's back-to-school gift guide.

(Credit: BMW)

If you've seen the latest Knight Rider series recently, you may have noticed that K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Three Thousand) embraces a type of nano technology that lets its outer shell change colors and temporarily morph into other car forms. How cool is that? If BMW has its way, that part of the reel world would be made real.

The carmaker's GINA Light Visionary Model, a two-seater concept car, wears a flexible, virtually seamless skin made of a textile fabric and stretched over a metal wire structure enforced with carbon fiber. This gives the owner the flexibility to change the shape of the car, from within and without, all with the touch of a button.

But we suspect that, by the time this ever hits the road, we may well have taken to the skies for our daily commute.

(Source: Crave Asia)

The Oqo was novel when the company first debuted: a small, ultra portable PC weighing 1 pound with slide-out QWERTY keyboard. But that was eight years ago.

The San Francisco Chronicle has a little feature Monday on the latest model ("latest" being relative since it actually launched in March of last year), in which it describes how the Oqo is being forced to "defend its niche" against the rise of the mini-notebook from the likes of Asus and Hewlett-Packard. The company cut the price, added Microsoft Vista, and bumped up the storage in September. The Oqo Model 02 is now $1,300.

With the rise of the mini-notebook, the UMPC is essentially toast.

(Credit: Oqo)

The Chronicle also reports the company is doing $20 million in sales these days, after a lot of early hiccups, and boasts some high-profile customers, like Craigslist's Craig Newmark. While that's admirable, it's certainly not going to be enough.

We've reported on the rise of the inexpensive mini-notebook, and consumers are clearly finding them compelling as a secondary machine. Plus, the Oqo--and every other UMPC--has been hobbled from the beginning by high prices and an identity crisis, so Asus, HP, and soon Acer and several others, should have little trouble swooping in to eat Oqo's lunch in a fairly efficient and dispassionate manner.

To be fair, the Oqo is certainly pretty--the screen is bright and clear--but it's not very consumer friendly. It's heavy and with the slide-out keyboard, the form factor is more smartphone than mini-notebook.

But the biggest weakness of the Oqo is the price. Why someone would opt for the Model 02 instead of, say, the Eee PC, or now HP's Mini-Note, confounds me. The Oqo is $1,300. The 7-inch Eee PC from Asus starts at $399 with Windows XP, and though the keys are tiny, functions more like laptop and isn't that much bigger than the Oqo. The Mini-Note from HP comes with Vista starting at $599.

Speaking strictly in terms of technology, what Oqo has done to fit a full PC into such a small package is obviously impressive. But usability and having a distinct usage category are so much more important when looking for mainstream consumer success in the gadget world.

(Credit: Evolution Model Technology)

Some paintballers choose brute force to slather their opponents into submission, but that just doesn't seem very sporting. Something like the laser-sighted "Airsoft Submachine Gun" at least tests one's shooting skills, but even that still seems a bit primitive. Why, after all, should you make yourself a target at all?

The true guerrilla pigment warrior would opt for something like the "EMT Wireless Paintball Sentry Turret," a remote-controlled weapon that can rain 400 pellets at a time on your opponent as you observe the mayhem from a safe distance, sipping your tea. The turret comes with a tripod, CO2 tanks, and wireless remote, according to Technabob--and, of course, a video camera, transmitter, and LCD monitor so you can record all the priceless action.

It costs $1,959, though a wired turret model can be had for $1,399. But come on, isn't it worth it? We just hope that Caroline McCarthy doesn't find out about this.

Click here to see our photos

A variety of new models and model updates are on display at the 2008 New York auto show, from a sporty new coupe by Hyundai to a clean diesel Mercedes-Benz SUV and a minivan with a Volkswagen badge.

Click here for photos of new models from the New York auto show.

Click here for more 2008 New York auto show coverage.