Dot panoramic lens shoots 360-degree iPhone videos

Dot panoramic lens shoots 360-degree iPhone videos: "Not long ago, we reported on the GoPano micro panoramic lens, that allows users to shoot interactive 360-degree videos on their iPhones. Well, perhaps not surprisingly, it's got some competition"

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Panasonic to launch first Android-powered Toughbook tablet

Panasonic to launch first Android-powered Toughbook tablet: "Panasonic will introduce a ruggedized Toughbook tablet running Android OS in Q4 2011. Aimed at enterprise users, the Android Toughbook tablet will offer a sunlight-friendly matte screen, a 10.1'' XGA (1024 x 768) multi-touch display, "full-shift" battery life, GPS connectivity and an optional 3G/4G embedded modem."

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Flying-high in 2050: The Airbus Concept Cabin

Flying-high in 2050: The Airbus Concept Cabin: "Airbus engineers have outlined their vision of what passengers could expect from air travel circa 2050 - and it sounds like a lot more fun than today's cattle class experience. The Airbus Concept Cabin focuses on high levels of customization tailored to suit individual needs including auto-morphing seats and personalized entertainment."

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PolyZion project developing zinc-plastic battery

PolyZion project developing zinc-plastic battery: "While today's lithium-ion, lead acid, and nickel metal hydride batteries may offer far better performance than their predecessors, they are still not perfect - they're heavy, expensive, and have been known to short circuit and catch fire."

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China building world’s biggest radio telescope

China building world’s biggest radio telescope: "Since its completion in 1963, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, with a diameter of 305 m (1,000 ft) and a collecting area of 73,000 square meters (790,000 sq ft), has been the largest single-aperture radio telescope ever constructed."

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New polymer gel for cheaper, flexible lithium ion batteries

New polymer gel for cheaper, flexible lithium ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries have certainly been a boon to electronic devices, offering much longer run times than their alkaline counterparts. There is still room for improvement, however. Existing lithium batteries can short circuit, they don't stand up to damage, and they can only be made in a limited variety of shapes.

Volkswagen's sporty Beetle R Concept

Volkswagen's sporty Beetle R Concept
If you're one of the people who bemoan how Volkswagen's "new" Beetle has strayed from the original's simple, utilitarian nature ... well, you might want to stop reading now. The German automaker is debuting its high-performance Beetle R Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week.

Diamond Planets, good headlines, public opinion and the carbon lobby

Diamond Planets, good headlines, public opinion and the carbon lobby
Matthew Bailes is Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) of the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, and was one of the scientists responsible for the discovery of the diamond planet which received widespread news coverage over the last few weeks. In a well-penned article, Bailes discusses the reaction to the discovery and raises some very interesting questions about the way the scientific method is used and abused by the media.

GM uses active noise cancellation technology to improve fuel economy

GM uses active noise cancellation technology to improve fuel economy
Charged with the task of getting the fuel economy of the 2011 Chevy Equinox down to 32 mpg on the highway and beat out the 28 mpg-rated Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape, GM engineers employed some rather unconventional fuel efficiency technology - active noise cancellation (ANC).

The new Defender? Land Rover unveils DC-100 Concepts in Frankfurt

The new Defender? Land Rover unveils DC-100 Concepts in Frankfurt
Land Rover has taken the wraps off its already controversial DC100 Concept in Frankfurt ... and it has a stablemate - the convertible DC100 Sport. The Concepts are intended to float new ideas and spark debate on the design of the next-gen Defender which is slated for production 2015.

Air conditioned shirt has its fans

Air conditioned shirt has its fans: "Last year we took a look at the EntroSys Motorcycle Air Conditioning system, which is a vest that's designed to blow cooling air across the torsos of leather-jacket-clad bikers."

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Skylight substitute harvests solar power and reduces overheating

Skylight substitute harvests solar power and reduces overheating: "There's no doubt that skylights make for psychologically-nicer buildings, while also reducing the amount of electricity required for daytime artificial lighting. If they let in too much sunlight, however, they can actually increase the amount of electricity needed for air conditioning. California-based EnFocus is attacking the situation from two ends - its Diamond-Power panels diffuse sunlight to keep interior heat down, while also harnessing it to create electricity."

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