Logitech is looking to make the driving experience a tad bit more realistic on the Nintendo Wii with the introduction of the new Logitech Speed Force Wireless racing wheel. This is the first force feedback wheel for the Wii and will work with the upcoming EA title - Need for Speed Undercover (with Maggie Q!!).
The Logitech Speed Force Wireless wheel features a single piece design which is usable whether you’re sitting on your couch, arm chair, or floor. The design comes with a expandable lap rest which means you won’t need to clamp the wheel onto a desk or table. There’s also built-in gas and brake controls right on the wheel itself.
Connectivity wise, the wheel wirelessly transmits information over the 2.4GHz wireless spectrum. All you’ll need to do is plug the included USB wireless receiver into the Wii console and start driving away in your favorite game. The wheel is not entirely free of cables as you’ll need to plug in a power cord to power the device. (what no battery powered wheel here?!?!)
The Logitech Speed Force Wireless wheel will be available in the U.S. and Europe starting in November (just in time for the holiday shopping season) for a price of $99.99.
Although, the iPhone had often been criticized for not including copy and paste to its operating system, but Apple bigwigs in the past have not considered this a priority to be a part of its firmware. Things are soon going for a change as developers bring the Open Clip that would enable users to copy and paste texts on their mobile phones. What after all is Open Clip? It is a framework for developers to integrate within their apps giving them copy and paste functionality with other participating apps. So far, Wordpress, Twitterlator and Magicpad are supporting this technology and soon others will follow the suit. Now it is for Apple to decide whether it will accept Open Clip or develop its own updated firmware to enable the copy and paste functionality.
We’ve already seen hacks of Nintendo’s Wii Fit Balance Board - including 3D body control to fly through virtual environments - but if it’s sidewalk pounding you’re looking for then how about virtually walking through Google Maps? In this homebrew hack, stepping alternately on the Balance Board platform walks you through Google Maps at whatever pace you move at.
Check out the video demo after the cut
Standing on one foot causes the view to spin round in the direction of whichever side you’re balanced on. The source code - the Balance Board connects via Bluetooth to your computer - is available for download if you want to try it out yourself.
Right now the interface is still pretty clunky, perhaps more because of the way Google Maps Streetview works than anything else, but there’s plenty of promise. I can see plenty of potential as a way of navigating online worlds.
At the first glance, you might mistake it for the iPhone but OpenFrame is the iPhone clone of the home phone or IP media phone. Just as the smartphones have redefined the role of mobile phones, OpenFrame is all set to redefine the role of the home phones. Besides telephony and messaging services, OpenFrame will also function as a digital photo frame and will support video and internet services. Inspired by Apple, the phone’s manufacturer, Open Peak will allow third party software developers to create apps for it. With the possibility of carrying a price tag between $200 and $300, this phone will come through carriers such as Verizon and AT&T next year.
The Ply phone concept packs so many gadgets inside of it’s wood exterior, you expect to see the Swiss Army logo on it. Like it’s namesake plywood, it has layers and in each layer there resides a gadget, like a phone, game controller, photo printer, projector and more. Designer Hideo Kanbara is obviously a big fan of all-in-one. A prototype actually exists and can be seen at the KDDI Studio in Harajuku. When in Tokyo check it out. I think most of us would love to see something like this become a reality and this is probably what future phones will be like.
I don’t know whether Zinc Chan’s Icono will have any takers in the practical world but Chan deserve accolades for wedding iconic gestures with technology. Although Icono is a phone but the design has very little similarity with the standard phones we are used to. The phone is divided into two parts, earphone and microphone. To make these two parts become a complete whole for the sake of communication, the user has to use the hand in the iconic gesture associated with the telephone. However, the weirdest part of the Icono is that instead of dialing numbers you have to dial an animated path on the touchscreen of the device. Is it easier for one to associate people with unique patterns? Zinc Chan, I think is the best person to answer this question. (more…)
This kind of high tech toiletry has been popular for some time in Japan. Now Kohler is bringing it to the U.S. The Kohler C3 seems like a futuristic butt washing odyssey. I mean, a toilet seat that has it’s own remote? That’s right. Kohler’s bidet technology is built into a toilet seat that attaches to your existing toilet. What you get is a temperature controlled, aromatic cleansing that almost eliminates the need for toilet paper. Almost.
It’s very customizable and comes with two programmable presets that can accommodate two separate users of different sizes. Everything is controlled with a wireless remote that sports it’s own magnetic holder that keeps it on the wall. It should be noted that though it’s a receptacle for waste, it wont waste energy as the in-line heater warms the water on an as-needed basis. Another green bonus is that you will be using far less toilet paper, which will save a tree or two. What do you think? Ready for a high-tech ride on a magic seat? It will cost you $950.
The Ply phone concept packs so many gadgets inside of it’s wood exterior, you expect to see the Swiss Army logo on it. Like it’s namesake plywood, it has layers and in each layer there resides a gadget, like a phone, game controller, photo printer, projector and more. Designer Hideo Kanbara is obviously a big fan of all-in-one. A prototype actually exists and can be seen at the KDDI Studio in Harajuku. When in Tokyo check it out. I think most of us would love to see something like this become a reality and this is probably what future phones will be like.
