Broadcast 19: Cool future military tech that might be real

I like to move it move it ...

The XOS Robotic Exoskeleton
Robotics company Sarcos have developed a particularly intimidating, serious-business suit. Looking like a hollowed-out Terminator droid, the XOS is the pack-humping, long-marching, body-armoring ally of the future infantryman.

He likes to move it move it ...

In one demonstration, the suit performed 500 reps on a pull-down bar weighted at 200 pounds, before intolerable boredom set in for its wearer and he presumably set to punching down walls instead.

One of the coolest looking 'shuttle' ever

Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion, Sustain
Sustain is an aerospace project being developed for the U.S. Marine Corps. Its aim is to transport a squad of over a dozen marines anywhere on the globe. Within two hours, max.

The piggyback ride

It’ll be a two-stage process. A carrier craft, perhaps a B-52 or similar, will power the lander to the upper atmosphere. The landing craft, probably Boeing’s X-51A currently in testing, will break away, fire up its scramjet engines and cruise at Mach 7 to its destination.

You don't want of these to roll over your home

The 600 Ton Robot Lorry
Industrial machinery manufacturer Caterpillar and Carnegie Mellon University scientists have teamed up to create the ultimate redneck fantasy. It can transport loads of up to 380 tons, making it handy for pyramid construction. And best, or perhaps most disturbingly of all, Caterpillar’s new beast can operate without a driver. Yeah, you read right.

Source: amog.com

Broadcast 18: New PSP2, No more MacWorld, Battery Toaster, etc

Hawtness ... too bad it's only a render

According to Eurogamer, sources close to Sony say that sometime in the future, a new PlayStation Portable will be released. While there’s been no official word, the game site is reporting that there could be an update to the current PSP (which might be called the PSP 4000), and in the not-too-distant future (2010 or 2011),

It's ok, Malaysians never had it ...

Apple has just issued a press release stating that this coming MacWorld in January will be its last, and Steve Jobs won’t be on hand to say goodbye. Instead, Phil Schiller will be heading up the proceedings, thus marking a quiet end to a conference that’s been the launching point of some of the most important pieces of consumer tech in recent memory.

Everyone likes thin nowadays ... why?

The Neoi 906E, at least in the renders, is an exceedingly thin GSM / GPRS handset with a QWERTY keyboard, though beyond that, it’s all pretty unimpressive and run of the mill. It’s got an MP3 player, a camera, a microSD slot, plus some shortcut keys on the upper right of the phone, but details about its actual specs are a bit sparse.

Way too cute

We are always looking for new and ingenious ways to charge our batteries and the Toasty Charger is one such way by designer Hyun- A Ko. Just pop in your lion battery, push the toast lever and wait…for a few hours…. for a nice fully charged battery to pop-up.

Broadcast 17: Smallest mouse in the world, Chemical bar, etc

What's the point?

Even if we could verify the claim, what’s the point? The world’s smallest mouse is likely to be as useful as the world’s smallest keyboard. The Z-Nano USB mouse measures 42 x 21 x 17.65-mm and, amazingly, includes itty bitty left- and right-click and up- and down-scroll buttons. When not in used, you can store it in your nostril … kidding Available now for RM200.

Does it crack in our climate?

TheRM1900 asking price is kind of a kick in the teeth, especially since there are no labels on those smooth, silky keys. However, for RM2100, you get letters etched into the leather. Lucky you. Not so for the cow. Source: Gizmodo

We knew mixing drinks were a chemistry!

The scale shown above, unfortunately, is not part of the set. Instead, you get a sweet rack, an Erlenmeyer flask with a glass mixing rod for extra class (and authenticity), four two ounce shot glasses shaped like test tubes, and a completely unscientific shaker. Not included: any actual drink-mixing ability, but at least with this set, it’ll be fun to practice. You can always drink the results!

Batteries ... not needed

In the spirit of making everything as eco-friendly, SONY has revealed their new line of solar charging lamps, the Hana-Akari Lamp. Artfully designed in four distinctive Japanese styles, each Sony Hana-Akari lamp comprises of four individual solar panels joined to form the lamp and turn light into energy.

Broadcast 16: Top 5 scary technologies of 2008

Buy 10 cans of Tuna? Ok ...

Hearing Voices at the Store
A company called Holosonics developed the Audio Spotlight system, which uses tiny speakers to focus sound into a very narrow beam. Ultrasonic frequencies are too high for the human ear to hear, but as the sound travels from the Audio Spotlight system’s speakers, air distorts the sound and makes it audible. It’s perfect for in-store advertising, but you’d have to be standing in the right place to hear it.

Fine! Take my iPhone!!

Law Enforcement Takes Your Laptop
If you travel with your laptop or BlackBerry, listen up. According to the 9th Circuit Court, it is perfectly legal for Federal Customs and Border Patrol agents to seize your technological devices when you enter the United States. You might not have anything illegal on your computer’s hard drive, but even if you’re just carrying your personal computer and you have all your kids’ vacation pictures on there, there’s no telling when — or if — you’ll get your machine back.

You don't want to mess around with my ... mouse.

Cyberwar
Imagine a war fought completely by computer. No, we’re not talking about a scene out of the movie WarGames, we’re talking an all-out attack on a nation’s electronic infrastructure. What’s that, you may ask? Those are the systems that control emergency response services, banks and other electronic commerce, the systems that run the electrical grid, water and fuel pipeline controls, communications networks, and oh, yeah: defense weaponry. A well-executed attack could cause serious disruption and open the populace up to physical threats.

Skynet, anyone?

The Technological Singularity
Vernor Vinge, a math professor at San Diego State University, proposed what he calls the singularity — a time at which computer networks may become self-aware through advanced AI, and interfaces between people and computers help humankind evolve. Biological advancements may become so sophisticated that doctors can even engineer human intelligence. There is a possibility, however, that AI might allow machines to take over the world.

The plans to doom the Earth has been derailed to June, next year.

The Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator ever built. It’s designed to smash tiny particles into tinier ones to find out the stuff from which the universe is made.Critics, on the other hand, have filed suit to have the LHC deactivated. Why? They fear that the LHC could create a black hole at the surface of the Earth, or create a strange — and for now, hypothetical — material called strangelets that could reduce the planet into a lifeless chunk of space debris.

Source: HowStuffWorks

Broadcast 15: Spy Camera Phone, New Skype Mobile, Solar Powered MP3 player, etc

I spy my little eye something starting with ...

The 2 megapixel spy camera phone can transmit a continuous stream of images to the phone over some unspecified RF technology from up to 30 feet away, and hooks back into the phone for charging. On the lookout to buy one? Checkout JingPeng’s China-bound E1181 then

Oh, how you've grown

Skype claims to have overhauled their VoIP client for Windows Mobile with their 2.5 beta release. Improvements include: better sound quality, better stability and friendlier interface. If you’re a Windows Mobile user, why not give this a try and let us know

Solar powered! Fancy that!

Shiro has put a solar cell on the back of the SQ-S, which gives the user the option to charge the device with the power of the sun. Considering that power to PMPs is always an issue for mobile music, it is refreshing to see a PMP that does not require a wired charging method like an AC cord or USB cable. It only takes 6 hours under the sun to get this baby charged up!

This were made from a Uni? What the hell?

What you see up there is basically a … electric paper plane launcher. Why would you need one? Why would ANYONE need one? Maybe you can ask those guys from Middlesex University that made it. How about spending the time on cancer research instead, huh?

Broadcast 14: 2nd Android phone, Youtube, No love for Facebook, etc

Not much of a looker, but it's cheap!

The Kogan Agora Pro has popped up in Australia as the latest Android handset and is available for international pre-order. The phone has a 2.5-inch resistive touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, 3G and GPS for RM920.

Bring a whole new meaning to the word 'touch'

As wonderful as the iPhone is, it leaves out anyone visually impaired. This Silicon Touch iPhone case works in tandem with an app to allow special accessibility functions like text to speech and moon type tactile feedback. The case is engraved with modified bas-relief buttons each corresponding to a modified home screen on the iPhone. None of the phone’s functions are compromised. Multi-touch and finger flick scrolling are all intact. BRILLIANT!

It's UGLY!

Youtube seems to have added a very interesting feature to their off site video players. Youtube video players which are hosted off the Youtube site now have their own drop down search tool … and we think it looks ugly and out of place.

Maybe Facebook should consider talking to Pacmee?

Serious talks between the Facebook social network and the Twitter microblogging service started soon after Mr. Williams took over as chief executive on Oct. 16. Twitter reportedly rejected Facebook’s $500 million, mostly stock offer several weeks ago.

“We explored it, as we should. We took it seriously,” Mr. Williams said. “It definitely made sense — the strategy we talked about with them — but it wasn’t the right time.” Ultimately, he said, Twitter decided that it had too much left to do, beginning with figuring out how to make money.

Broadcast 13: All about the brand new Nokia N97!!

Nokia unveiled ‘Nokia N97′, the world’s most advanced mobile computer, which will transform the way people connect to the Internet and to each other.

Designed for the needs of Internet-savvy consumers, the Nokia N97 combines a large 3.5-inch touch display with a full qwerty keyboard, providing an ‘always open’ window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations.

The Nokia N97 introduces the concept of ’social location’. With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the Nokia N97 mobile computer intuitively understands where it is. The Nokia N97 makes it easy to update social networks automatically with real-time information, giving approved friends the ability to update their ’status’ and share their ’social location’ as well as related pictures or videos.

The home screen of the Nokia N97 mobile computer features the people, content and media that matter the most. Friends, social networks and news are available by simply touching the home screen. The 16:9 widescreen display can be fully personalized with frequently updated widgets of favorite web services and social networking sites.

The Nokia N97 supports up to 48 GB of storage, including 32 GB of on-board memory, expandable with a 16 GB microSD card for music, media and more. The Nokia N97 is expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009 at an estimated retail price of 550(EUR) before taxes or subsidies.

Broadcast 12: Mumbai terrorist used Blackberries, Quake III on Nokia phones, etc

Smoke ...

Terrorists used BlackBerrys to cause horror
Among their arsenal of weapons are bags of almonds and BlackBerry mobile phones – almonds to keep their energy up, and the mobile internet connections to stay one step ahead of police and the military.

Didn't know lemon juice could last 2 weeks

Anna Gram’s artsy Citrus Clock combines the magic of stellar design with basic science in order to create a timepiece that’s powered by lemons. Reportedly, a single juicy lemon will keep the seconds ticking for 2 weeks.

Would be awesome to beat the daily Federal Highway traffic jam ...

This flying automobile is probably the only real transformer in existence: The Aerocar, a machine that actually flies and can be legally driven on a highway. Built by Moulton B. Taylor in 1956 and powered by a Lycoming 160HP engine, you only have to attach the folded wings, tail, and propeller to explore the skies at 270kmph.

To think my PC used to struggle on this ...

At long last, Quake III Arena has made its way to S60 3rd Edition-powered handsets. This is a technological milestone by itself, considering how Quake III Arena demanded every last drop of performance from your computer back when it was released.

THIS IS SO FREAKING COOL

At first glance it’s simply a standard black mug with big white letters that say “OFF”. Nothing fancy, but once you add the hot beverage of your choice, the mug changes color to white and in big black letters it states: “ON”.