Transformer Furniture: Work and Play Combo

It often happens that the workplace has to be tucked somewhere into a corner of a bedroom, or into a living area. Gruber + Schlager offers a solution of this problem – a TV/office wall unit. It is intended especially for those who don’t want to maintain an extra room for a home office. It combines working and partying into one functional device. With a quick movement you can instantly transform your room into a working office.

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CAM-007 Smallest Mini Spycam

The CAM-007 is the world’s smallest camcorder that can record both video and audio for easy playback on your computer or select 3G mobile phones. It is perfect for carrying in your pocket to capture events when you need it. This spycam fits perfectly into a pack of cigarettes or gum.

spycam

Google Launches Mobile Phone Platform

google software platform

Google announced the launch of its mobile phone platform “Android” backed by an “Open Handset Alliance” gathering mobile phone operators (Telefónica, TIM, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, China Mobile, Sprint), semiconductor companies (Intel, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, SiRF), and handset manufacturers (Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC) among others.
Open Handset Alliance aims to develop technologies that will significantly lower the cost of developing and distributing mobile devices and services. The Android platform is a fully integrated mobile “software stack” that consists of an operating system, middleware, user-friendly interface and applications. Consumers should expect the first phones based on Android to be available in the US on Sprint and T-Mobile by the second half of 2008—plus, it’s going to be available in China, Japan, Germany, Italy, and Spain on their respective carriers.

The 10th Vintage Computer Festival

The 10th annual Vintage Computer Festival took place past weekend at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. The event hosted industry veterans and computer hobbyists. The festival featured the largest collection of Radio Shack Pocket Computers. Among the other exhibits there was 1-bit flat-panel Apple IIc—one of just 10,000 ever made, the Canon Cat developed by Jef Raskin, also one of the original creators of the Macintosh computer. The Festival also features a marketplace for collectors to buy, sell and trade vintage computers. There is also a screening of documentaries and films on both days of the event that have vintage computing or vintage technology themes.

vintage computer festival

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The City Car by MIT Media Lab

Huge megalopolises confront daily with the problem of pollution and traffic congestion. Media Lab researchers proposed City Car design as a way to improve urban mobility. The concept of smart car aims to be pollution-free and easily customized. The City Car is a stackable electric two-passenger city vehicle. It utilizes integrated in-wheel electric motors and suspension systems called “Wheel Robots” that eliminate the need traditional drive train configurations like engine blocks, gear boxes, and differentials. The vehicle can maneuver in tight urban spaces and park by sideways translation.

city car

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