Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

The idea of having hydrogen powered cars is nothing new: the theory has been around pretty much since World War II.  However, there have always been several flaws in the practicality of using hydrogen as a source of power.  It is expensive and energy consuming to make it usable.  Hydrogen is also not widely available, the batteries are bulky, the cars are expensive and they usually look horrible. So why has Honda made a hydrogen supercar?

The FC Sport revealed at the LA Auto Show is the pinnacle of design and hydrogen technology, combining the two in some environmentally chic blender in a way that has a product that can still classify as a supercar.  This is, as Honda so aptly put it, “a glimpse of the future of the supercar.“

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You’ve got to feel bad for YouTube.  After becoming the Internet’s darling for such fun gags, it wants to get a day job.  No longer content with just the clearing house for pranks and short clips, it wants to be in the full length movie business as well as the TV show business. 

YouTube served up this kind of content at one time but was forced to take most of it down over copyright claims.  Now YouTube is working with Hollywood to gain their trust and their content.

But it isn’t an easy road.  Sure YouTube has the traffic, 81 million folks in September but they also have the baggage.  And it’s more than just past indiscretions.

Find out what’s next for YouTube.

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Sections: Video, Content, Web, Websites, Online Music/Video

In the video after the break, you’ll see Intel CEO Paul Otellini demoing an unnamed mobile internet device.  This time, Intel shows a device that is 100% touchscreen and has GPS, a camera and connectivity on board.  Watching the video, the first thing that came to my mind is Google phone OS Android.

That is because the demo was about the MID smart camera.  Using the camera, the device is able to translate Chinese very quickly and is able to add relevant YouTube videos, web pages and more all based on your GPS position and what the camera identifies.  The concept is you get all the information you desire, when you need it, where you need it.

Hit the jump to see the video and what this MID can do for you.

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Sections: Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation, Web, Google

So, most of us probably already use the easy route of auto locks for our vehicle and the familiar “beep-beep” as we walk away is nothing new.  The thought of actually having to fumble around and (gasp!) insert a key in the lock is an almost foreign concept these days.  But the new smart key offers oh so much more than that.

From as many as several hundred yards, drivers are able to send information to their vehicle to set their seat position to just where they like it, program the radio to their favorite station, even exchange navigation destinations downloaded from a computer.  The key has a mini-screen which can display information like whether the vehicle doors are locked, if the alarm is turned on, how your tire pressure is doing, and whether you soon need to stop for gas.  Nice little reminder for those who tend to forget that rather important little tidbit.

What else does this thing do?  Find out after the break.

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Sometimes you’ve got to wait for technology to catch up to your imagination.  Let’s look into the future and see what could be if designer Adam Brodowski has his way.  This device is for those who want to cook, but still want to stay connected to social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace.  This is the concept device known as the “Sook,“ which I can only assume is some word blend of “social” and “cook”. 

With the Sook, Brodowski dreams of creating a social networking site where users can share recipes in their kitchen with Wi-Fi technology.  As you can see, the user can put his or her food on the Sook, and it doesn’t seem to affect its performance at all.

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Powering up a laptop with portable liquid fuel? It’s genesis is closer than you might think. The company PolyFuel, which develops fuel cell membranes, recently announced that it has developed a prototype laptop (the Lenova T40 ThinkPad), which uses methanol cartridges and a fuel cell as it’s power source.

Although the working prototype is not an actual finished product, but instead a proof of concept, the company plans to show it off to consumer electronics and PC manufacturers in the coming weeks.

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This new concept car is, to say the least, odd. In fact unless you were briefed beforehand it might take you a while to work out what it is; a concept car from Peugot cleverly disguised as a squashed drinks can. Nevertheless this façade is complimented by some very savvy specifications, some of which are given away by its name, the ‘Ozone’.

It’s name derives from the fact that its powered by ‘environmentally friendly’ hydrogen fuel cells which power the two electric motors, and in turn the large wheels which sit either side of the cabin. This two person cabin is both spacious and luxurious, and it goes some way to epitomizing the contemporary world in which we live today, which is only emphasized by the fact that this is controlled by a joystick!

However it is probably a good job that very few concept cars ever make it to mass production because this has many flaws that would make this very impractical. First, although the cabin doesn’t move when the car is moving when you brake hard, surely you would get at least a weird sensation? Also it would be somewhat disconcerting going at 70mph with two massive wheels 20cm away from your head, and these wheels surely also cause a safety issue if you were to hit someone? And also there are very few roads that would be wide enough to accommodate this car.

In conclusion: its a good concept, but little more than that due to its great practical shortfalls.

Via [GearFuse]

• The newest Green Supercar from Honda
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With the absurd increase in gasoline prices almost every week, more and more people will be forced to use buses and other modes of public transportation. Now, here is a very interesting futuristic concept – the Slimbus.

Intended for short distance travel in very crowded urban areas like Tokyo and Nagoya in Japan, Slimbus is only 1.2 meters wide and divided into different compartments. It can easily maneuver and doesn’t take up much space, unlike the regular big buses available now. It’s also quite flexible, and similar to a trains because you can add or remove compartments depending on the situation.

The bummer - all passengers must stand to save space. Then again who needs a seat for a short trip, right? It has a standing capacity of 50 people. Seats are optional in case there are some disabled passengers on board but will reduce capacity to less than 30 people.

Slimbus is a mere concept to date but its potential to minimize traffic in crowed cities is very promising. It’s up to the transportation committees to decide whether this will come into fruition.

Via Tuvie

• The newest Green Supercar from Honda
• Bye bye Blockbuster?  Hollywood hearts YouTube?  Um, no.
• Intel wants to outdo Android

The Eclipse Intuit Phone may very well be just a concept, but its one that is hard to deny has some good looks. In the past, as nice an idea as a solar powered gadget would be, the overall look has not really been visually pleasing, however these images hardly reflect that feeling.

In addition to the “chemically based thin solar skin” that will be able to power your phone, the Eclipse Intuit also a 5-megapixel camera with built-in photo editing software, a large touchscreen display, slide-out QWERTY keyboard with tactile feedback.

The Eclipse Intuit also appears to offer up a variety of ‘buttons’ on the top depending on which mode the handset is in. Everything ranging from left/right buttons with a navigation pad to dedicated camera buttons when in camera mode.

Sadly this is nothing more than a concept, but this is one that would be really nice to see come to life. Keep reading to see a few more images…

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If Samsung is testing geek reaction to it’s sleek and extremely thin laptop slated to appear possibly in 2009 (or hopefully sooner) this picture does the trick. Wow!

At first glance this shiny black (accented with racy red) laptop elicits increased heart rates and drool. When composure returns however there are important questions that have to be asked. What is that 3rd piece leaning against that 12.1-inch gorgeous razor thin OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display? My guess – it is a protective cover that doubles as a support. How to you control the cursor? Is there room for a battery? This is a laptop – right?

The touch-sensitive keyboard continues the sleek appearance but some worry that the non-tactile feel will be a real let down. Let down maybe but probably not a deal breaker.

Numerous unanswered questions have not squelched anticipation. Samsung has turned up the heat a bit by mentioning a 15.4-inch model in 2009 as well. Does that mean we will see one of these beauties in the near(er) future?

Via [DVICE]

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