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Latest Gear Live Videos
Assistance Dogs Conquer ATMs
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
We’ve seen some amazing canines in action rescuing tots, finding their way home across the country, or aiding the sight or hearing-impaired, but one really showed some ingenuity. Endal, a ten year-old Labrador Retriever assistant dog, saw that his wheelchair-bound owner was having some problems at an ATM machine. The smart pooch then snatched the debit card, receipt, and money with his mouth. Canine Partners, a company that trains assistance dogs, became so inspired by the trick that they now include it into their doggy curriculum. High
paw, Endal.
Read More 
| Metro
Gallery: Assistance Dogs Conquer ATMs
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PogoDrive GPS Alerts Users to Speed Traps
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: GPS, Misc. Tech, Transportation,
Next time you are stranded in Europe, it might be worth your while to invest in an Origin 360 GPS unit. Its PogoDrive database contains over 100,000 coordinates with points of interest, service stations, etc. It even has pop-up safety warnings for speed traps and possible accident sites. PogoDrive also features a 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen, voice guidance through what the company refers to as “dual full-range speakers,” 2D and 3D maps, auto-recalculation of routes, and day and night operational modes. Available now, the plug-and-play gadget houses a rechargeable battery and carries a MSRP of £349.95 (~$673.00.)
Read More | PogoDrive
Gallery: PogoDrive GPS Alerts Users to Speed Traps
DriveCam Catches Action Two Ways
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Misc. Tech, Transportation,
If you want to keep an eye on the kids when they are newbie drivers, DriveCam is now accessible to the general public. This video camera, mounted on your rear view mirror, has one lens that faces the driver, while the other captures the road. Although the camera is on at all times, it only records when something erroneous happens, such as speeding, hard-breaking, or swerving. Currently installed in about 60,000 commercial and government vehicles, the driver risk management company claims that at-fault collisions dropped 56% when installed at Ampco parking lots and garages. If the device could just talk, we wouldn’t need those expensive driving instructors. Watch a couple of the DriveCam videos and if they look like your teens in action, ask them about price and availability in your area.
Read More | DriveCam
Gallery: DriveCam Catches Action Two Ways
NASA Spacecraft Visits Jupiter
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
The New Horizon spacecraft is expected to reach Pluto by the year 2015. Yesterday it swung by Jupiter’s gravity field so that it could pick up enough speed to continue on its way. The closest the New Horizon has come to Jupiter has been 1.4 million miles, which is near enough to capture photos of its “ocean” and four largest moons. In June the spacecraft will move on towards Pluto.
This is not the first time that NASA has visited Jupiter, as you can see in artist Mike Wrathell’s Photoshop color-tweaking of its moon, IO, with bands of the planet in the background. Seeing it makes us want to be “Charles in Space,” too.
Read More | NASA
Gallery: NASA Spacecraft Visits Jupiter
The Information Sciences Institute at USC has developed a new type of bot, that of the modular kind. This Superbot system pairs cubes to function alone or combine with others. Each pair contains a microprocessor and six sides so that it can connect with others. When attached to its fellow modules, the Superbots can walk, run, creep, climb, and become a vehicle with wheels included, all while adapting to their environments.
ISI is hoping that the robots will be useful to NASA since they can reconfigure and therefore less parts are needed. They are also compatible with NASA’s other robotics. Check out the Superbot’s cool caterpillar, snake, and butterfly actions, and witness the space race’s next wannabe astronauts.
Read More | ISI
Gallery: ISI Creates Modular Bots
The Garmin Zumo 550: GPS for Your Motorcycle
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: GPS, Transportation,
We find the notion of a Hells Angel needing a GPS device hard to visualize, but we guess sometimes they too need directions, just like the rest of us. The folks at Garmin accomodate with their latest, the Zumo 550, which comes pre-loaded with maps, offers text and voice directions, and even has Bluetooth and MP3 capability. The Zumo 550 is easily mounted onto a hog (or car). However Apple lovers are out of luck (for now), as Garmin’s MapSource software is not supported by Macs. CNET liked the Zumo enough to rate it an 8.3 out of 10.
Gallery: The Garmin Zumo 550: GPS for Your Motorcycle
Tesla-Coil Protects Cars
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
We have always dug the Plasma Sphere that has become a mainstay at Spencer’s Gifts for as long as we can remember. This Tesla-coil automobile protector makes that phenomenon look like a mere toy. Australian Peter Terren placed a ring of electricity (which has been nicknamed “The Lord of the Rings’” Eye of Sauron) around the car by attaching a 4-inch coil to a boom on the roof of a rented vehicle since he doesn’t own one. We know it’s just a concept, still it is an awesome piece of work.
Read More | Tesla Downunder
Gallery: Tesla-Coil Protects Cars
The time has come for non-astronauts to journey into space if they can just afford the ticket. Case in point is Hungarian-born, 58 year-old Charles Simonyi, a former Microsoft engineer who now owns his own company. Simonyi paid more than $20 million to Space Adventure to accompany two cosmonauts to the orbital lab via a ten day journey on Soyuz TMA-10, and becomes the 5th paying visitor to the ISS. He also obtained his own space suit for the journey from the Russian company Sokol and we think he looks pretty dapper in it.
Simonyi’s quest to the final frontier will begin April 9th and you can monitor his progress by visiting his web site, which features blogs, images, links, a timeline, videos, and a “Kids’ Space.”
Read More | Charles in Space
Gallery: Charles In Space
National Geographic to Release its Own Phone
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, GPS, Transportation,
The Talk Abroad Travel Phone is National Geographic’s endeavor into the techy world. Covering over 100 countries, their plan is pre-paid and there is no charge to receive calls in what they refer to as 60 “popular destinations.” The phone features an unlocked quad-band GSM, SMS Text messaging, and comes with 30 minutes of initial talk time and 24/7 customer service.
At a price of $199.00 and a due date expected in March, the Travel Phone comes with a universal wall charger and international plug adapters. Pre-order and they will toss in a gift card good for 10 free music downloads. We’re hoping we can get the a copy of “Hakuna Matata” or a little ditty from “Happy Feet.”
Read More | National Geographic
Gallery: National Geographic to Release its Own Phone
Mexican Airline Volaris Renting 5G iPods To Fliers
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Transportation,
The iPod’s bid for world domination continues at a frenetic pace. Last week we reported how major airlines will be offering iPod seat connectivity by mid-year, but low-cost Mexican airline Volaris leap-frogged the competition this month by purchasing a stash of 30 GB 5G iPods and loaning them to fliers for free. After the test-run, the customers can rent the players for only 50 pesos ($5 USD). The devices are pre-loaded with music and Mexican programming, which will be expanded to include U.S. sitcoms and additional music genres. We’e thinking an ingenious someone at Volaris is getting a promotion right about now…
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: Mexican Airline Volaris Renting 5G iPods To Fliers
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