MEEP! tablet for kids now available

If product releases are anything to go by, it seems that almost every child is going to be getting a tablet computer for Christmas this year. There's the VTech InnoTab 2, the Leappad 2, the Toys"R"Us Tabeo, and that's before you consider the myriad of child-centric add-ons for iPads. Also jostling for position on your little one's Christmas list is the newly released Android-toting MEEP! from Oregon Scientific. When the MEEP! was announced back in February, we knew it was going to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), feature a rugged silicone sleeve and be Wi-Fi-enabled. Now that it's been released, we can fill in a few of...

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MEEP! tablet for kids now available

If product releases are anything to go by, it seems that almost every child is going to be getting a tablet computer for Christmas this year. There's the VTech InnoTab 2, the Leappad 2, the Toys"R"Us Tabeo, and that's before you consider the myriad of child-centric add-ons for iPads. Also jostling for position on your little one's Christmas list is the newly released Android-toting MEEP! from Oregon Scientific. When the MEEP! was announced back in February, we knew it was going to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), feature a rugged silicone sleeve and be Wi-Fi-enabled. Now that it's been released, we can fill in a few of...

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"Smart INSECT": Toyota's cloud-enabled, single-passenger electric vehicle

Automakers have been toying with the idea of single passenger vehicles in an attempt to reduce emissions in urban centers, and Toyota's Coms is one such example. The company is showing off a new concept version based on this ultra-compact, single passenger electric vehicle dubbed the "Smart INSECT" at CEATEC JAPAN 2012 this week. Short for "information network social electric city transporter," it would connect the home, vehicle, and people in new ways through Toyota's cloud services. The Smart INSECT's cabin features flashy gull-wing doors, and incorporates new features like face and voice recognition. Motion sensors and...

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"Smart INSECT": Toyota's cloud-enabled, single-passenger electric vehicle

Automakers have been toying with the idea of single passenger vehicles in an attempt to reduce emissions in urban centers, and Toyota's Coms is one such example. The company is showing off a new concept version based on this ultra-compact, single passenger electric vehicle dubbed the "Smart INSECT" at CEATEC JAPAN 2012 this week. Short for "information network social electric city transporter," it would connect the home, vehicle, and people in new ways through Toyota's cloud services. The Smart INSECT's cabin features flashy gull-wing doors, and incorporates new features like face and voice recognition. Motion sensors and...

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Prototype explosives-detecting boarding gate keeps passengers moving

With pat downs, metal detectors, X-ray machines, and “puffer machines,” catching a plane can see you and your belongings scanned and probed more thoroughly than a trip to the doctor. Yet another explosives-detecting device may soon be added to the airport screening arsenal. However, because the explosives-detecting equipment is integrated into a boarding gate, the developers claim it won’t disrupt the flow of passengers boarding a plane. Developed by Hitachi, in collaboration with Nippon Signal and the University of Yamanashi, the prototype boarding gate collects minute particles that have affixed themselves to integrated...

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Prototype explosives-detecting boarding gate keeps passengers moving

With pat downs, metal detectors, X-ray machines, and “puffer machines,” catching a plane can see you and your belongings scanned and probed more thoroughly than a trip to the doctor. Yet another explosives-detecting device may soon be added to the airport screening arsenal. However, because the explosives-detecting equipment is integrated into a boarding gate, the developers claim it won’t disrupt the flow of passengers boarding a plane. Developed by Hitachi, in collaboration with Nippon Signal and the University of Yamanashi, the prototype boarding gate collects minute particles that have affixed themselves to integrated...

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BodyFloat puts shocks under the seat for improved riding comfort

Looking for a way to make his frequent bike journeys a little less arduous while assisting rural village development in Kenya and Uganda, veteran frame builder Paul Barkley found that existing spring seats just didn't offer the kind of action, adjustability, performance and comfort he was looking for, so he set about designing one that did. When he discovered that the first prototype worked much better than expected, he set about refining the design. After spending more than a year riding, testing, racing and tweaking, he teamed up with keen cyclist Charlie Heggem to form Cirrus Cycles and bring the BodyFloat to market. The...

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